This originally posted on Someday Crafts back over the summer, but with gift giving season in full swing, I thought you might be interested in something DIY, cheap and easy.  If you know any avid travelers, kids about to graduate and leave home, or if you have the ever-elusive diaper bag (or is that just at my house?)… how about some personalized luggage tags?

Today, I have a fun (and easy) tutorial for you.  It’s a perfect summer time project.  My Mr. Right travels a lot for work.  As I was trying to come up with Father’s Day gifts, I tripped over a suitcase.  Literally.  After I muttered a few irritated words and ripped the airline tag off, an idea hit.

I don’t have a whole lot of extra cash rolling around right now, so a DIY was essential.  It was relatively easy and they are sturdy (a lot sturdier than I thought they’d be).

Here’s the How:
1)  Find a thick piece of cardboard.  The thicker, the better.  I used a Costco IZZE box.  Cut it down to the height you want your luggage tags and double the width.  Measure your piece of cardboard and find the middle.  Score the opposite side of the cardboard so you can fold it in half.  Mark out the window for your address.  I used a small box of matches to measure it.

2)  Cut out the window and fold your tag on the score.

3)  Measure a piece of scrapbook paper.  Leave some extra around all the edges.  Put glue on one side of the cardboard and lay it face down on the paper.  Flip the cardboard over and fold the extra paper over the top and bottom and glue it down (see the photo).  I used Tacky Glue.  It worked really well, other than there was some added drying time and I had to wait before moving on.

4)  In your window, cut an “X”.  Fold the paper back and glue it down.  If there is any extra at the top and bottom, trim it off so it won’t be visible when you fold your tag in half.  Put a little dot of glue in each of the corners to help keep them from tearing.

5)  Cut a piece of thick plastic a little larger than the window.  Just re-purpose the packaging from one of your purchases.  I used the plastic cover from a Costco battery package, it was perfect.  Glue it down.  When it’s dry, apply glue on the side of the tag with the window.  LEAVE THE TOP UNGLUED!  If you glue the top, you won’t be able to slide your address tag into the holder.  Fold the tag in half onto the glue and let it dry well.  I suggest putting it under a couple of heavy books (or your 5-inch thick box of scrapbook paper).

6)  Fold the ends of the tag like you would a gift.  Glue it down.  Cut a slit in one end of your tags.  Thread a coordinating ribbon through the slit.  Your ribbon will need to be about 2.5 times as long as your tag.  The thicker the ribbon, the better it will hold.  Tie it in a knot and glue it a little to help it hold.

7)  Write out your address and slide it in the top of your tag.  That’s it!  You’re done and you have some super cute, one-of-a-kind luggage tags.  Easy to spot at baggage claim and you’ll know immediately that you grabbed the right bags.

If you are worried about the paper tearing, you can do a thin layer of modge podge over the top to seal it.

My Mr. Right saw these tags before Father’s Day and so I asked him if he liked them.  He was less than impressed.  My Mr. Right is very particular about everything having a purpose and the “airline tags are good enough” apparently.  Men.  In any case, I enjoyed making them and have since made some more for Little Monkey and myself.  It’s a nice, easy way to tag your beach bag, diaper bag, stroller and many other items.  If you’re worried about privacy, attach them to a small zipper inside your bag or with a safety pin.

~Krista

This is part of the activity advent I’m doing with Little Monkey.  I found this fun little activity at Green Jello with Carrots and, for $2, it wasn’t worth the time it would take me to put it all together.  So, I forked over the cash (actually I ended up spending about $15 and Little Monkey’s Christmas will be full of busy boxes I can use once this baby gets here, but that’s a whole ‘nother post).  All I had to do was print the files off, cut them out and laminate them.  I put magnets on the back and Little Monkey can play with them on the fridge or on the medium-sized baking sheet I had left over from the three pack I bought for my mom’s menu board.  (I actually just bought a smaller pan that Little Monkey can handle better from the Dollar Tree).  It’s been a good activity when we’re out running errands and the little man is getting tired of his car seat.

If you don’t want to cough over the $2, you could spend an hour or two making your own pieces, but I thought it was worth it.  And when my little destructo-saurus ruins the first set (because he will…), I just have to print out a new set.

My uncle got married the weekend after Thanksgiving.  My brother is getting married during Christmas break.  Annnd… I have a niece getting married over New Year’s.  Usually, a wedding gift doesn’t make or break the bank, but three wedding gifts?  And during the cash-strapped holiday season, no less.  I needed something cheap, creative, cute and easy.

The first time I ever did glass etching was at a church activity when I was about 15.  It was too cool.  And super easy.  That was back before crafting with vinyl or Cricut and Silhouette machines.  We cut our templates from index cards with X-acto knifes.  Whoa, right?  Glass etching is a lot easier and yields much more professional looking results than it did when I was 15.

Here’s the How:

Sorry for the lack of in-the-process photos.  It’s kinda a two hand job…

Supplies-
1.  A glass dish or mirror (size is totally up to you)
2.  Glass Etching Cream – I use Armor Etch.  This is a bit pricey, but it will do a ton of projects and last forever.  The only bottle I have ever thrown out before I used it all was my first bottle.  I threw it away when we were packing up to move a couple years ago, I was 22.  It was the bottle I bought for the activity when I was 15.
3.  Vinyl and craft cutting machine.  This is optional.  The old school index card and masking tape method still works.

Directions-
1.  Clean your etching surface.  Wipe dry with a paper towel.
2.  Cut out and apply your vinyl template.  Or your index card, you rebel, you.  Keep in mind that whatever the vinyl covers will still be clear glass (or reflective mirror, if you’re using a mirror).
3.  Apply the etching paste.  What you use to apply the paste isn’t really important.  I’ve used paint brushes, craft sticks, a plastic spoon and, recently, I used half of a clothes pin on my uncle’s dish (go improvisation!).  Cake the goop on thick and make sure it covers your glass well.  Side note: the etching paste stinks.  It just does.  Kind of like rotten eggs or bad flatulence…  A well-ventilated area will help.  Or just hold your breath.
4.  Leave the paste on the glass for 10-15 minutes.  After about 5, I check to make sure it hasn’t settled and left holes.  If there are holes, just goop on some more paste.
5.  When the 10-15 minutes are up, scrape all the paste off the dish and back into your bottle.  The paste will work over and over and it’s FAR TOO EXPENSIVE to just wash it all down the drain.
6.  Wash the remaining paste off the dish and pull your template off.  Rinse the whole dish well.  Dry with a paper towel.  When the etched part of the glass is wet, it’s hard to see the design.  As soon as it’s dry, you’ll be able to see it though.

Here’s a close up of the etch

That’s it.  It’s pretty easy and, because you can reuse the paste, it’s not crazy expensive.  And it’s personalized, which means your crazy Aunt Sue won’t stash it with her other dishes when you accidentally leave it at the family Christmas party.  My kind of gift.