Graduation season is a busy time of year. Whether it’s preschool or high school, there are parties both at school and at home to help celebrate. If your summer calendar is already full of post-school get-togethers, the gift list can be long; it’s easy to purchase several of the same gifts and forget about a special note or personalization to go with it. Thanks to some supplies you already have at home, you and your children can create a fleet of graduation cap gift tags made from recyclable materials that will make any gift stand out on the present table.
Materials
- Empty toilet paper tubes
- Scrap, lightweight cardboard
- Baker’s twine
- Black craft paint
- Ruler
- Paint brush
- Craft knife
- Scissors
- Tape
- Hole punch
- Glue gun and hot glue
- Gel markers (optional)
Instructions
| Start out by cutting off one end of the toilet paper roll, about 1 inch tall. |
| From your scrap cardboard, make a 3-by-3-inch square and cut out. |
| Paint the roll, both inside and out, and the square, both front and back, with black craft paint. Let dry. Paint an additional piece of cardboard, both front and back, in black as well. (This will be used in a later step.) |
| While your painted pieces are drying, you can make the cap’s tassel. Wind a long strand of baker’s twine around four fingers, about 25 times. |
| Slide off your fingers and cut in half with scissors. |
| Fold the twine so that the cut ends are on one end and the folded part makes up the opposite end. Tie together with another piece of baker’s twine, tying a knot to secure it. Keep the two loose ends for now. |
| Cut a small slit in the black square. Fish the loose ends of the tassel through the slit and secure to the back with a small piece of tape. Now you may trim the loose ends. |
| With your additional piece of painted cardboard, cut the piece to 1-by-2 inches and fold in half. |
| Add to the inside of the toilet paper roll with hot glue. Add a drop of glue to the top tabs and place the square-tassel combination on top. Let dry. |
| To turn your cap into a tag, punch a hole in one corner and add a piece of baker’s twine. |
| To finish the tag, you can add the graduate’s name and year with colorful gel pens. |
