Scrappy Tags

Edit: Hey guys, be sure to check my Valentine Exchange post below this one. More cute additions...be sure to leave comments for my wonderful participants and visit their cute blogs. :)

Hi friends. One of my favorite things about Papertrey Ink right now is the great assortment of dies that coordinate so well with all the stamp sets. It's so easy to create fun accents for your cards, scrapbook pages, gift wrap and more. With a little out of the box thinking, you can put the dies to work by themselves to create some unique design elements.

Today I have some pretty little tags to show you using dies from the Tag Sale Collection and the toppers from the Banner Borders die collection. I'll also be using the Spiral Notebook Page die. Here you can see my finished tags hanging with paper doilies and embellished clothespins.

I'd love to show you how I created these scrappy tags so let's get started. First, gather up some patterned papers and the dies listed above.

Using the Banner Borders die toppers, die cut pieces using each one of the four sheets of patterned papers. Since all the toppers are connected on one die, it's easy to cut out a bunch of toppers at once. I've shown my first piece of paper that I die cut....continue with the other three patterned papers.
Next up, use the tag dies listed at the beginning of my post to cut out tag shapes. I'm using Rustic White cardstock.
Then comes the fun part. Mix and match the die cut patterned paper toppers to create fun layers for each tag. You can see how I've spread out my four tag dies and have positioned the die cut toppers on each tag. The top left shows an uneven horizontal layering. The top left shows an even horizontal layering. The bottom left shows a vertical layering. The bottom right shows a woven layering.
Move these layers onto your die cut cardstock tags and lightly adhere with adhesive. You only need a dab of adhesive because the strips will be sewn into place. You don't want to gunk your sewing machine up with adhesive so just a little dab to hold each strip to the tag. Next turn the tag over and trim off the excess patterned paper that hangs over the tag. It's easiest to trim from the back so you get a straighter line.
Next, sew back and forth straight stitches over each strip of patterned paper. I stitch around the entire tag first and then back track over the strips of patterned paper.
On the left you can see my tag that has the woven pieces stitched on. On the right you can see a back side of tag and the machine stitching.
Next up, the tags are ready to be embellished or used however you wish. I chose to clip my tags to some thick twine using my small clothespins that have been embellished with scraps from my tags. Each clothespin is tied with white silk ribbon. The tags also have a fun Dainty Doily background which is oh so cute. On this first tag, I used felt and Heart Print die cuts to make a cute heart accent.
On this sweet tag, I used a die cut felt heart that has been tied with a Vintage Button onto one of my mom's lace yo-yo's. The clothespin has a snippet of felt scrap adhered on.
Here I've used little scraps lying on my studio table to create a fun heart theme. The carnival ticket is from my shop. The small white heart is from Martha Stewart I believe.
For my last tag, I created a fun button embellishment using a giant Vintage Button in Sweet Blush along with a die cut felt flower and a die cut cork flower.
I think these tags look so cute hanging from my button shelf.

A great way to make home decor, holiday banners.....and eventually I'll probably use the tags on cards or gift packaging. But for now they're fun to see while I'm crafting away in my studio.

Hope you enjoyed my little tutorial today. It's fun to get all scrappy with your supplies and use them in a new way!