I know you’re tired of hearing how quick summer has gone by – and I’m with you. It’s crazy to think that school will be starting up again soon (if it hasn’t already), and it will be time to send the little munchkins on their way once again. As we were getting my daughters backpacks ready for school, I decided to create a little tag for them with their names on it.
These washi tape backpack tags are so simple and easy to create with the help of my Cricut Explore – if you don’t have a Cricut machine or other digital cutter, you can still make these just switch it up a bit. Use scrapbooking punches on the top layer of cardstock instead, and use alphabet stickers to write their name. (Or you could just hop over to Cricut’s website and buy yourself a machine.)
Here’s what you’ll need to whip these babies up for yourself:
- cardstock – I used dark purple for the base, light purple for the top.
- washi tape
- scotch laminating pouches (or cover with packing tape for “faux laminating”)
- double sided tape, optional
- baker’s twine, optional
The first thing I did was cut out my top layer. I designed it in Cricut Design Space, and took advantage of being able to write and cut in one step. I drew a rectangle shape that was slightly smaller than my laminating pouches, and added my daughter’s name in a funky font. (This one was Don Juan, and I used Southwest Short for the other tag.) I resized the text to fit my space, and made sure it was set to cut in my layers box. If it is set to cut, you will see the scissors icon.
Next, I added my writing text. (Fonts: Doodle Print on this one, Xiomara on the other.) After resizing to fit, I made sure this one was set to write, and not cut. You should see a pen tip next to the layer instead of scissors. If you see scissors, click it and choose the pen icon.
Next, make sure your layers are all attached. This is very important, or they won’t be lined up properly when you hit the “Go” button. To attach them all together, simply select all layers and choose attach – this can all be done in the Layers box.
Once that’s taken care of, all you have to do it is hit GO at the top of your design space. Follow the on screen instructions and make sure your dial is correctly set to cardstock. This whole process will take you less than 10 minutes – depending on how many fonts you try out before settling on your favorite!
After my top layer is done cutting, I deleted all of the text so it is just a rectangle. I cut the same size box on my dark purple cardstock, and then covered that in washi tape (I covered the front and the back). I placed my light purple layer on top, being careful to remember the little bits that go inside of the letters such as “a” and “e”. This is where the use of double sided tape is optional – I used a tiny bit on the underside of the light purple layer to hold it in place while I laminated it. It is especially useful to attach the little bits inside the letters before trying to place them in the laminating pouches to make sure they are placed properly.
Using the laminating pouches is simple – you simple place your card inside the two layers, and peel back the paper to expose the sticky side of the pouch. Carefully fold down, pressing out any bubbles. The pouches came with plastic strings to attach the tags to your bag, but I decided to use my favorite baker’s twine instead.
I created one to coordinate with each of my daughters bags, and they just love them. After I was done, I thought about how great it would be to add their classroom and bus number on the reverse – perhaps I will do that once school starts and I find out all of that information.
[…] backpack tags by The Simply Crafted Life are a great way for kids to easily find the right […]