Customize Your Carry-On With A DIY Luggage Tag

How many times have you found yourself standing in baggage claim, a parade of nearly identical black bags marching before you, completely bewildered as to which one belongs to you?

Getting your hands on some truly individual luggage is the easy answer to singling out your bag in the crowd, but if you already own that ubiquitous black roller-board, how do you make it stand out, ready to grab so you can be on your way? Luggage tags, that’s how. And I’m not talking about the pathetic paper tags available at baggage check. A sturdy, well-visible luggage tag can not only help you spot your bag as it circles the carousel, but can also identify it if your stuff happens to get lost along the way.

What you need:

Leather scrap

Leather cord

Piece of cardboard

8-inch piece of chain

Needle & thread

Thin paint markers

Scissors

Wire snips

Super glue

Cut the cardboard into the shape that you’d like your luggage tag to be. On the back of the leather, trace the shape of the cardboard twice.

Use the scissors to cut out the tags from the leather.

Cut a 1/4-inch slit at the top of each piece of leather. Then, sandwich the pieces of leather together and use the needle (or a large safety pin) to punch holes through both sides.

With the needle and thread, sew the two pieces of leather together using the needle-punched holes as a guide.

To make the tag strap, weave a piece of the leather cord through the chain links and tie each end off. Thread the chain through the sliver cut in the tag and use the wire snips to join the ends together.