Having recently travelled, the luggage tag was on my mind as I was thinking about what gifts the kids could make this Father’s Day. I love to both receive, and assist in giving child made gifts, but I also like it when those gifts are somewhat practical: something the recipient might actually use.
A few weeks ago I was travelling to the momstown Conference. I hauled along with me the suitcase that has lasted me since my second year of undergrad. Every time I use it, I think about replacing it, but I am frugal, it still works, and its "vintage" style makes it a little bit easier to identify on a baggage carousel.
There is something else about that suitcase as well. The luggage tag on it. It is black, standard, unremarkable. What makes it special is the address card tucked inside it. My Dad wrote it out for me when I was a teenager. I can't remember the exact occasion, but he may have written it for me the first time I flew by myself. The address is one I have not lived at in over a decade, and no one could use it to find me if my luggage was ever lost, but I refuse to part with it. The information was written by my father's hand. He passed away when I was in my teens, and it is one of the few things I have that he wrote. That luggage tag may have seemed like an insignificant gift at the time, but it is now one of my treasured possessions.
Homemade luggage tags seemed like the perfect solution. They are simple, inexpensive, and easy enough for even the youngest kids to make almost entirely on their own. As an added bonus, they will help your luggage stand out in an airport, and perhaps give the traveller a happy reminder of home and loved ones.
Materials:
- clear luggage tags
- paper (often the luggage tags come with pre-cut pieces)
- art supplies (paint, markers, crayons etc)
- ribbon
Directions:
1. Let your petite Picasso colour a sheet of paper:
2. Experiment with creating mixed media art. Add paint, if desired:
3. Trim art to fit inside luggage tags. Write the recipient's contact information on the back of each piece of art (feel free to insert more than one picture into each tag so that Dad can change the design).
4. Tie ribbon through luggage tag to attach to suitcase:
Happy crafting, and happy travels, and Happy Father's Day!
