How to Make a Keepsake Photo Tag This Holiday Season

December 5, 2024

In this post – step-by-step instructions for making a personalized photo ornament or gift tag.

Calling all current and former scrapbookers and other paper hoarders! Do you have a ton of scrapbooking supplies that you’re not sure what to do with? Or a pile of gift wrap scraps that you can’t part with? How about some old holiday cards or gift tags? I’m going to show you a quick and easy craft to use up some of those supplies, just in time for the holidays. These adorable photo tags that will add a personalized touch to your gifts and tree.

Supplies Needed:

Wooden gift tags (approximately 2” x 3”)

Decorative papers (scrapbook, gift wrap, etc)

Spray adhesive, glue stick, or other adhesive)

Scissors

Ribbon

Assorted embellishments (gift tags, stickers, etc.)

Jingle Bells

Assorted small photos (2” x 3” or smaller)

Optional: Kodak Mini Photo Printer

Step 1: Select Your Photo(s)

Any type of photo will do, as long as it can be trimmed to fit on the tag. I love to use this tiny photo printer from Kodak. I can print photos wirelessly right off of my phone using an app. The app also has a lot of built-in editing tools which save me time. You can even add fun borders to your photos. If you have a crafter, teen or college student on your gift list, this would be a great Christmas present. I use mine a ton.

I decided to make two tags with one photo each; one from my visit to The Flower Fields in Carlsbad (see post) and one of my dog Belle.

Step 2: Choose Your Papers and Trace Tag

Using a pencil, I traced the wooden tag on the back of the photos and papers I selected. I decided to use a photo on one side of each tag and a decorative paper on the back. You can also put photos on both sides if you want.

Step 3: Cut Out

After tracing, I carefully cut out the tag shapes.

Step 4: Glue

I used spray adhesive to attach the photos and papers to the tags. Tip: use some non-stick parchment paper and spray outside. I sprayed the wooden tag on both sides and then adhered the paper and photo to it.

Step 5: Add a Embellishments and a Ribbon

Tip: You can use old gift tags to embellish your new wooden one. For this project I took a cute light string off of one tag and used it on my Belle tag. I also added a small paper star embellishment.

Once your tags are assembled, carefully poke a 10” ribbon through the hole at the top. For a fun touch, I added three jingle bells to the ribbon before tying a knot.

Ideas for Holiday Tags:

If your children are small and can’t read, make gift tags with their pictures on them so they can easily locate their gifts under the tree. When reused in future years, these sweet pictures will be a cute reminder of how much they’ve grown.
Use gift tags for a bottles of wine or liquor. You can even include a cocktail recipe on one side.
Make personalized ornaments for family and friends.
Use as personalized napkin holders on your holiday table.
Use them as name tags for Christmas stockings.