This post is sponsored by SpringHill Suites. All opinions expressed are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that keep The Crafted Life making!
Summer travel is just the best part about summer, don’t you think?! Aside from ice cream and patio cocktails that is. I’ll be headed to Oregon tomorrow (first time back since I moved) to see the eclipse! And guys, I cannot tell you how excited I am for it. It’s going to be amazing and I hope you have it on your calendars as well! I’ll be staying at the SpringHill Suites and of course documenting the whole trip on Instagram, so be sure to follow along!
Before leaving I thought it would be fun to make a colorful luggage tag. If you have any other trips planned before fall sets in, and you want to make one for yourself, here’s how:
Time: 30 minutes
Materials:
Sharp scissors
Leather paint + brush
Leather stamps + mallet
Tape
1. Using sharp scissors, cut out your tag shape. On the back of the leather, I traced a cup to get a circle.
2. Stamping leather is much easier than you might think! Start by lightly wetting the area you plan on stamping with a sponge. To keep your letters all on the same line, it helps to mark off where you want everything with tape. Place your letter stamp down and double check to make sure the letter is facing the right direction. I found I get clearer stamps when I hold the stamp at the base, closest to the leather. With a mallet, give your stamp one hard hit and your letter should be imprinted.
If this makes you nervous, or if this is your first leather project, I recommend picking up extra leather to practice on. You’ll start to get the hang of it after a few tries. Also if you prefer to have your address on your tag as well, just pick up smaller stamps so that your tag isn’t oversized.
3. Tape off the section you want to color dip and paint.
4. Punch a hole into the leather, slip the braided elastic through the hole and knot into a loop. The elastic does stretch, so won’t need all that much. For an extra bit of color and fun, make a pom pom and attach to the elastic!
So that’s it! Slip onto the handle of your suitcase and you’ll be able to instantly tell which bag is yours at the airport!
