Lesson 28: Creating Tags Using Kits

I recently saw a question about how to decorate your own tags, and thought I'd do a quick tutorial on it. Now, if you have been following my blog and have done all the tutorials, this will be a simple review. But I thought it woudl be nice to have it all in one place.

Tag Templates - First, you will need a template for your tag. I have several templates that I got for free way back when I first started digital scrapbooking. Unfortunately, I have NO IDEA who created them or where I got them. I did find a really cute set of tags on Two Peas in a Bucket for $4.00--tag teasers. You can also create your own template by just drawing the shape of what you want your tag to look like. Here's a freebie of tag shapes--these are shapes, which means you will have to unzip and then install them, then upload them as a shape. For the sake of this tutorial, here is a free tag template that I created--you are welcome to download it and use it for this lesson. I created this shape simply by laying several layers of different shapes on top of each other, then merging them together to create one shape.



Pull in elements - I like to use kits for this, so that is how I am going to do it in this tutorial. I am going to use elements from the kit "Pink Icing Cake" by Lindsay Jane.

First, I choose which color paper I want my tag to be, and open that paper in Photoshop. Now I have my tag in one file and my paper in another. Click on the paper and drag it right in to your tag file. It will probably cover up your tag. Make sure that the paper completely covers your tag. I now have two layers--my background paper, and my tag template.

At this point, many people choose to do clipping masks. But I like to use cut and paste because I find it simpler and I have less layers to deal with. This technique, outlined in Lesson 16, can be very convenient and versatile.

On your layers panel, click on the tag template layer so it's highlighted. Hold down the CTRL key and click on the tag template--make sure you click on the mini image of it in the layer menu. You will now see "dancing ants" around the outline of your tag.

Click on the layer of your background paper. The dancing ants should still be visible. Do CTRL+C and then CTRL+V. You now have a new layer--the shape of your tag "cut" out of your background paper.

Either delete your original background paper layer (right click on layer, delete) or click on the eye icon to make it invisible.


Now, use this technique over and over for each element you want to add. For instance, I'll follow the same steps with another color of paper. Then, I'll use my marquee tool to delete the parts of it I don't want to see--as shown below.

Next I'll add some ribbons and some elements from the kit I have chosen. I can either use the marquee tool to highlight and delete the parts I don't want, or I can use the cut and paste technique to make sure the ribbons are the right length. Again--with the ribbon layer highlighted, click on the background tag layer and CTRL+click to get the dancing ants. Then click back on te ribbon layer and copy and paste. Delete the old ribbon, and place the new one--now the perfect size, where you want it.
All there is left to do is finish decorating it, and add any wording you may desire. That's it! Usually I print it, and then use a hole punch to cut out the hole.

All done!