Saturday, March 10, 2012

DIY hang tags

 A little while ago I did a post on 'how to sell at the markets'.  One of the things I mentioned in it, is the importance of pricing your wares.  There are so many different ways you could do this, but I thought I would share my favourite tags.  They are totally cost effective, look cute and can be whipped up on a night in front of the telly!
So here's what you need;
1.  Hole punch
2. Soft card.  I just went for an off white colour but you can choose anything that tickles your fancy or matches your shop.
3. Thicker cardboard for creating a template.
4. Thin string.  I find that candle wick yarn is pretty great.
5. Ink pad.  Again, the colour of the ink is up to you, I use grey.
6. Personalised stamp.  These are so much fun!  I personally love Montarga Stamps in Christchurch.  All you have to do is pick the size stamp you want, send them your logo and in less than a week you'll have your very own stamp arriving in your mailbox.  I also use these stamps to personalise my paper bags.
7. Small safety pins
8. Scissors
STEP ONE:  I just measured out and hand drew my own template, but if you don't feel comfortable doing that there are heaps of hang tag templates to load down online.  Make sure you use some fairly solid card because it is going to be used a lot! Once you're happy with the size and shape of your template you simply need to cut it out.

STEP TWO:  Find the soft card that you want to use.  Think about what colours would best complement your logo and style of product.  For a real vintage feel you could also consider dipping plain white card into strong black tea in order to create that old feel.  When you've found something you like, grab a pencil and start tracing out tags using your template.

STEP THREE:  This is the slightly tedious part that I prefer to do whilst watching TV...  carefully cutting out all your tags!  It's a good idea to do a whole lot at once so that you always have back up.

STEP THREE: Stamp em!  I personally don't mind if the ink isn't always even, it sort of adds to that 'old' feeling.  As I mentioned before, these stamps are really easy to get and are very cost effective when you think about how much use you get out of them.

STEP FOUR:  Grab a hole punch and put a hole at the end for the string to loop through.  Try not to get too close to the edge because you don't want your hang tag to rip.  If you find that a hole punch is too big, then a ticketing punch works really well too.

STEP FIVE: Cut your string.  I like to use a thin candle wick because it is strong but not too stiff.  Loop the string through the hole of your tag and tie it at the end creating a loop.

STEP SIX: Pop a small safety pin at the end and attach your tag to you clothes.  So as not to put any holes into the clothes I will often try to attach the tag to a zip or button hole.
So there you have it, easy right!  I then write my prices on the back and often use each tag numerous times in order to save paper.
x

4 comments:

  1. These are fab! Im currently designing a stamp for my boyfriends business cards - such an environmentally friendly idea - we're gonna stamp them onto scraps of paper like this dude; http://www.designverb.com/2010/11/13/ecological-business-card-stamp/
    How much did your stamp cost if you dont mind me asking? We were gonna get a Trodat one made up through the Office Depot... was gonna cost $60 for a self inking stamp.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a great idea! I think mine cost about $50 including postage and an ink pad. I got really great service from the people in Christchurch (especially considering I put my order through about a week after the earthquake and their store had been destroyed!). I would definitely recommend dropping them a line. It really all depends on what size stamp you are after I think. x

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your blog wording so informative and creative. We offer the best variety of hang tags at most economical rates. Visit our website to order custom printed hang tags for delivery all across the USA.

    ReplyDelete