Holiday DIY: Hashtag Gift Tags

Developer and Fairgoods team member Rosemary shows us how to make hashtag gift tags using the linocut printmaking technique.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

• Ink tray
• Text print-out to transfer (I used Mark Simonson’s Bookmania)
• Brayer (a rubber roller used for hand-inking paper)
• Ink
• Carving tools
• Speedy Carve block
• Blank gift tags

Cut the Speedy Carve block into mini blocks about the same size as the gift tags.

Using a pencil, color in the text so you can transfer the type onto the Speedy Carve material. Place the paper strip face down on the Speedy Carve and rub the back to transfer the graphite. If it appears faint, you may need to go over the graphite again with pencil.

Carve out the type. Whatever you carve out will not hold ink and will appear white on the gift tag. To ink, squeeze a horizontal blob of ink in the ink tray and roll the brayer up and down until the ink appears even. Roll onto the Speedy Carve block and put the paper on top to transfer.

Test your design on a piece of paper until you’re happy with it. Repeat the same steps for the gift tags, and then again for the other tag designs.