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DIY Painted Leather Luggage Tags

by on Mar 28, 2016

Leather luggage tags are a classic travel accessory. They’re durable, they weather well, and they have a timeless throwback bit of nostalgia. They remind me of the days of yore when air travel was a bit more glamorous and passengers dressed in suits and tea dresses.  

Air travel of yore or a cocktail party?
Photo: Laurence King Publishing

I’m heading to Palm Springs with dear friends next week, and in anticipation of our trip I put together a set of commemorative luggage tags to send us on our way. It was an easy project that you can complete in just a few hours. Here’s the scoop!

 

Materials

Luggage tags with a palette of paint and paint brushes.

 

  • Leather Luggage Tags: I used these tags in the following colors – pearl, white, and pink
  • Leather-Safe Textile Paint: I used a set of Jacquard Textile Paint, and mixed colors to achieve the palette I wanted. They worked beautifully on the leather.
  • Paint brushes

Step

Choose some designs to embellish your tags. I chose Palm Springs-inspired designs as a nod to my vacation, but you could easily stick with polka-dots, stripes, or a simple pattern.

Two hands are painting an object next to paint and brushes.

If you want to try a detailed image that requires the ability to wield a paintbrush with some finesse, I recommend finding some simple illustrated inspiration and using it as your muse. I chose a pineapple, swan, flamingo, palm tree, abstract flowers, and a beach umbrella. I Googled every image, searching for ‘watercolor’ versions of each so that I’d have an abstract guide to work from. 

Step

Paint. You can’t go wrong here, and the paint-and-leather combination is quite forgiving. I was able to wipe the paint away several times and fine-tune my paintings. And frankly, the quirks end up being endearing reminders that they’re handmade.

a woman wearing a wedding ring painting a luggage tag with an array of colors on her pallete.

A person draws a picture of a pink flamingo.

Step

Let your tags dry overnight and pass them along to your favorite travel-mates, or fasten them onto your favorite suitcase.

Many colorful tags hang along a colorful wall.

Two decorative tags are laying on a colorful table.

white paper sheet with a palm tree decorating picture of a pan

Two leather tags are visible on a flamingo patterned print.

 

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DIY painted leather luggage tags - a fun vintage throwback for spring travel plans
DIY painted leather luggage tags – a fun vintage throwback for spring travel plans

 

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