Throwback Thursday - DIY Brag Tags


Somehow I missed last week's Throwback Thursday. My husband would argue that my summer is supposed to be relaxing and fun, but is has been busy!!!

If you are thinking that you might incorporate brag tags this school year (and many of you are, based on my TpT sales), I am reposting my DIY on how to make your own. Or, it you just want to buy mine, that would be fine, too ;)

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Originally posted 4/8/13

I recently talked about my experience with ordering brag tags, and I decided that I wanted to see if this was something that I could incorporate fourth quarter to help with classroom management. I am also trying out the Reading Olympians program as part of the Pass the Torch linky, and I think that they have beads and tags in that program, too.

My first thought was, "How are we going to know whose necklace is whose?" I thought about writing their names on the back of one of the tags. But they wouldn't have any tags yet. They have to earn them. Then I wondered if I could have tags made with their names on them, which would be expensive since each tag would be custom. Then I wondered if I could write their names on a piece of cardstock, cut them to shape, and then laminate them. And then I decided to mess with PowerPoint. End result... {names changed to protect the not-so-innocent ;)}

 
Here is how I made the template:


After that, it was simply print, laminate, cut, and punch a hole for the ball chain. I used a 1/8" punch. I can now make all of the personalized and custom tags that I want. Of course, the quality isn't the same as the original, but it's a good substitute if you want the motivation but don't have the budget for a bunch of tags. If I could figure out how to make a PPT template so that you can edit mine instead of creating your own, I would. So if you know of a tutorial or a way to do it, please email me or leave me a comment! :)

UPDATE:
I have uploaded some templates to TpT. Check them out by clicking on the following picture. They are $1.00.

My other project this month was to try to preserve my oldest daughter's favorite t-shirt. You would not believe the lengths that I went through to find this shirt. Her then-bestie showed up to daycare with one, and she had to have one, too! It involved trips to all areas Targets and desperate please for help on Facebook. Anyway, this shirt has been well-loved, and the holes in it showed how much I've had to wash this thing. There is no way that my second daughter would be able to wear this hand-me-down, and it certainly wouldn't have had the same sentimental value.
I bought a cheap white frame at Michael's. That was the only thing that I had to buy to do this. I took the frame back to use as a guide to trim the box the frame came in down to the correct size. This way I had a piece of cardboard to mount the shirt on. I ended up having to trim it a little more to compensate for the thickness of the shirt wrapped around the edges of the cardboard.
Then I cut up the shirt (which was a little painful/stressful - God forbid I should make a mistake to would ruin the project!) and folded it over the edges of the cardboard. I couldn't figure how else to attach it to the cardboard other than staples, which you can kind of see if you look under the edges of the glass. If anyone has a better idea, please let me know! There wasn't much material to work with towards the top where the sleeves and neck were. I guess that I could have done a spray adhesive or something, but I was leery of using something permanent in case I made a mistake.
I think that it turned out pretty well considering the shape that it was in, but the daughter was pleased, so that's what counts!

Classroom DIY
A Teacher without a Class

7 comments

  1. I love the idea of Brag Tags and hope to use them in my classroom this year. Where do you get the ball chains for the tags?

    molly
    bookishadvantage.blogspot.com
    bookishadvantage@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mine came with some actual brag tags that I ordered, but I think that Hobby Lobby or Michaels should have them.

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    2. I got a great deal on chains through Ebay.

      Lori
      Life in Room 24

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  2. Thank you for the DIY on how to make brag tags (and the name tag idea)...I'm planning on using them in my class this year. I love any behavior management idea that will give kids positive attention :) That was such a great way to save your daughters fav tshirt!!! I've been saving some of my kids' shirts to make a tshirt quilt, but I just may do a picture frame or two now that I've seen your idea!
    Kris
    thepoolepages.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. My husband uses some sort of spray adhesive to attach his competition numbers to his cycling clothes. I'm not sure how permanent it is, but I wonder if that might hold the t-shirt in place?

    I've been busy making a ton of brag tags for our fifth grade team this year. Having far too much fun doing it!

    Lori
    Life in Room 24

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  4. I love the idea of preserving the t-shirts! My husband has a lot of concert t-shirts and I think it would be cool to display some of them!
    Thanks for the tips and your help with EVERYTHING!
    -Michelle
    from Well, Michelle?

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  5. Thank you for this post! I will be a first time 5th grade teacher this year and I am excited to implement the Reading Olympians program. I've already added your template into my TPT cart. I have been looking at ball chains but they come in a variety of sizes. Which size works the best to hold all the tags and beads? 18, 24, 30 inch?? Thank you!
    jpenoyer@pvlearners.net

    ReplyDelete

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