If you've been saving the tags from clothes and wondering what to do with them, this video is for you. I go through ten different ways to alter clothing tags — from simple collage bases and bookplates to a proper little sewn mini book — and the whole point is to let the tag keep its identity. You can see it's recycled. That's what makes it interesting.
What we cover
Ten ideas for upcycling clothing tags into junk journal embellishments, functional journal pieces, and small art objects. Some I demonstrate in full; others I show finished examples. The ideas range from straightforward covering and decorating through to linked tag chains, tag clusters, fabric-covered tags with card stock backing, a painted canvas using a peeled tag, and a pamphlet-stitched mini book with a cereal box spine.
What you'll learn
How to turn a clothing tag into a bookplate, including:
- Covering existing print with a stamp or scrap paper and attaching with brads through the existing hole
- Adding chains from broken jewelry and small charms so the back of the tag shows through beautifully
- Finishing with sari silk or gold eyelash trim for a little something extra at the edge
How to make a tag keychain, with a round covered tag as the centrepiece, a small pocket tag at the back, and links built from broken jewelry or ball chain
Covering a tag entirely in book pages — working small pieces around an irregular shape, inking the edges, and then building out from there with pockets, charms, and an existing eyelet already pressed into the tag
How to make fabric-covered tags backed with card stock, including:
- Covering the tag face with fabric offcuts and gluing all the way to the edges
- Sewing around the perimeter at the machine (or using stronger glue if you're not sewing)
- Backing with avocado-dyed or tea-dyed scrap paper and sewing from the reverse side
- Threading ribbon through the original hole to finish
Linking tags together into a tag chain, using different shapes — rectangular, round, and others — connected with ball chain or salvaged jewelry links, each tag decorated to feel cohesive as a set
How to build a tag cluster for junk journals, including:
- Layering and gluing multiple tags together at angles
- Covering printed text with scrapbook paper or stickers
- Setting eyelets through the existing holes to keep the tag look intact
- Adding a small charm at the bottom and finishing with whatever small bits are already on your worktable
Using a tag as a collage base, including:
- Laying down burlap, gold mesh fabric, map paper, and magazine images in layers
- Sewing straight through everything on the machine to hold it all in place
- Gluing a focal point image over the stitching with a brad
- Backing with thick card stock or tea-dyed cardstock rather than thin paper, so the threads on the reverse don't interfere with writing
How to remove the top glossy layer from a thick clothing tag to expose a beautiful porous texture underneath — perfect for watercolor, which soaks straight in. Peel the layer back, use tweezers to lift any small remaining bits, then treat the tag as a tiny canvas for mini painting or even just free watercolor play with added sentiments.
Making a mini book from a pair of matching tags, including:
- Using two identical tags for front and back covers
- Cutting a cereal box spine to the exact same height as the tags with a small gap on each side
- Sewing the cover construction together in one pass at the machine
- Marking the hole position before covering the inside panels so you can find it for eyelets later
- Setting eyelets, threading narrow ribbon as a closure, and binding two signatures inside using a three-hole pamphlet stitch
Wrapping a tag with scrap paper to create shallow pockets on both sides, then:
- Cutting to cover the printed areas front and back
- Sewing around the perimeter to secure
- Inking the edges and decorating with flower clusters, small tag inserts, and twine
Tips & gotchas
Throughout most of these projects I tried to keep the tag look visible — the existing hole, the shape, the general feel of it. It's a recycled project, and I think it's worth letting that show. Covering everything up so completely that nobody could tell it started as a clothing tag misses part of the point.
If you're not sewing, use a stronger glue than you think you need — and make sure it reaches all the way to the edges, especially on the fabric-covered tags. Sewing holds everything reliably; glue alone can lift at the corners if it doesn't get all the way out to the edge.
For tag clusters, think about how thick they'll sit inside a journal. If your tags are particularly chunky, even a small cluster can add up to a surprising amount of bulk. I'd probably adapt the design — fewer layers, shorter hanging tags — if it's going inside a journal rather than on a cover.
When using a tag as a collage base that someone will write on later, back it with something thicker than regular paper — tea-dyed card stock works well. Thin paper lets the threads on the reverse show through and interfere with writing.
Before you cover the inside of a mini book cover, mark where your original hole is. Once you've glued a panel over it you genuinely cannot find it, and you'll need it for the eyelets or ribbon closure.
The top-layer peeling idea is one of my favorites: thicker clothing tags have a glossy laminate on top that peels right off cleanly, and what's underneath has a texture that drinks up watercolor beautifully. Give it a try before you reach for gesso or any other primer — you might not need it at all.
For the mini book, use tags that are exactly the same size for your front and back covers. Slightly different tags don't sit flush and the spine won't sit right. It's worth going through your tag collection to find a matched pair.
A set of linked tags decorated to match would make a lovely small gift; a fabric-covered tag backed with card stock slots neatly into a junk journal page as a bookplate or pocket. And the mini book, once you've made one, is a format you'll want to come back to — two identical tags, a cereal box spine, a pamphlet stitch, and you have something that looks considered and finished from almost nothing.
