If you've ever sat down with a pile of packaging scraps, a kit of ephemera, and no particular plan — this tag tutorial is exactly that experience, filmed. I made this tag for my cascading tag book, working straight from a stamp set's cardboard packaging and a handful of bits from a kit, and the whole process is as much about trusting the layers as it is about technique.
What we cover
This is a real-time, impromptu tag-making session where I build a decorative tag with a hidden pocket at the back, using cardboard packaging as the base and layering music pages, lace, a doily, stickers, rhinestone bling, and a stapled paper tab on top. I also run the tag through the sewing machine to secure the layers and lace before finishing by hand.
What you'll learn
How to build a layered tag from cardboard packaging, including:
- Using stamp set packaging or similar cardboard as a sturdy, ready-made tag base
- Gluing a music sheet over the front to cover printing and set a vintage ground
- Tearing wrapping paper with uneven, organic edges to layer underneath a focal card
How to ink torn paper edges for depth and a finished look — a quick step I do on almost everything before it goes into a composition.
How to incorporate lace into a tag with a sewing machine, including:
- Gluing lace edges down first so they stay flat and don't shift when you feed the piece through
- Sewing around the full tag perimeter to secure both the lace and underlying paper layers in one pass
How to add a doily to the back of a tag as a pocket, including:
- Gluing the doily to the back and folding it up to create a small hidden pocket
- Why it's better to add the doily before sewing so it gets stitched around rather than glued after the fact
How to build a tab from scrap paper, including:
- Trimming and roughing up the edges for a more organic, worn look
- Stapling rather than gluing for a quick, secure attachment
Balancing a tag composition by eye — placing a focal label sticker, adding rhinestone bling in clusters, and using a butterfly embellishment to resolve a lopsided layout without overthinking it.
How to store and organize stickers for easy access — I keep mine on clear-backed paper with double-sided tape, grouped by type so I can pull them quickly during a session like this without losing momentum.
Putting a story into a tag — slipping a found recipe card into the back pocket to complete the narrative the imagery suggests. It's the kind of small detail that makes a junk journal feel lived-in.
Tips & gotchas
Glue stick is useful for getting layers roughly in place, but it won't hold long-term on its own — plan to sew around the edges or follow up with craft glue on anything that needs to stay permanently. Think of the glue stick as "parking" the piece, not fixing it.
When you're using craft glue to adhere layers and lace, less is more. A thin, even amount is enough; too much and it bleeds through, dries stiff, and shows.
Glue your lace down before you go near the sewing machine. Even a light tack at the edges keeps the lace from shifting or folding under the presser foot partway through a seam.
The doily-as-pocket works beautifully, but do it early. If you add the doily before sewing, you can stitch right around it and it's secured permanently. I added mine after sewing on this tag, which meant relying on glue alone — it works, but stitched is always sturdier.
When you're stapling on a paper tab, placement matters more than you'd think. Centring the staple looks cleaner than catching a corner — something I noticed after the fact on this one.
Where this leads
This tag was made specifically for the last pocket of a cascading tag book, and that format is what I'd point you toward next: the way tags of graduated lengths sit together in a single book creates a completely different browsing experience than a regular journal. If you haven't seen how that kind of book is put together, that's the natural next step after this.
