From Clipart to Embellishments: Turning Printables into Die-Cuts, Tags & Tabs

💛 Introduction

If you love printable clipart but find yourself staring at whole sheets thinking, “Now what?”, you are not alone. It’s very common to print pages of flowers, labels, tickets, and tabs… then freeze when it’s time to actually cut them up and use them.

This guide shows you how to turn printed clipart into handmade embellishments — die-cuts, faux ephemera, tags, tickets, tabs, label strips, and more — using very simple tools. We’ll also look at easy ways to store your finished pieces so they’re ready for cards, journals, and collage sessions.

Everything here is gentle, beginner-friendly, and works beautifully alongside your existing ephemera organization system.

✨ Quick Overview

Here is the simple flow we’ll use:

• Print your clipart on good paper (cardstock or matte photo paper).
• Cut shapes into usable pieces: die-cuts, tags, tabs, tickets, and strips.
• Detail & finish with corner rounders, hole punches, and inking if you like.
• Store everything in a way that matches your ephemera system, so it’s easy to grab when crafting.

You do not need fancy machines. A paper trimmer + scissors can take you a very long way.

✂️ Tools & Supplies You Really Need

You can absolutely start with just a few basics. Here’s a small, realistic list:

• Paper trimmer – for straight cuts, trimming panels, and making strips.
• Detail scissors – for fussy cutting florals, characters, and curved shapes.
• Corner rounder (optional) – perfect for tags, tickets, and tabs.
• Single hole punch – to turn anything into a tag or charm.
• Bone folder or ruler edge – for scoring folds on tags or mini file folders.
• Ink pad & blending tool (optional) – for inking edges and adding a vintage or “finished” look.

If you already own a die-cut machine, punches, or label maker, those are lovely extras — but not required. All of the ideas in this article work with a simple trimmer and scissors.

📄 Preparing Your Printable Sheets

If you’re using WondersArtist clipart or printable ephemera sheets, you might have:

• Full pages of icons, florals, and characters
• Journaling cards, tags, and frames arranged in a grid
• Digital papers you print at A4 / US Letter

Before you cut, it helps to decide what those sheets are going to become. Ask yourself:

• Do I want flat die-cuts? → Focus on cutting around the images.
• Do I want tag shapes? → Look for rectangles, clusters, and empty spaces.
• Do I want strips or borders? → Use the trimmer to create long, skinny pieces.

It’s often easiest to trim the sheet into big sections with your trimmer first, then switch to scissors for detail work.

🌸 DIY Die-Cuts & Focal Pieces

Die-cuts are simply individual shapes you can glue anywhere: flowers, animals, hearts, labels, little objects. You don’t need metal dies to create them.

How to make simple DIY die-cuts

• Rough-cut around each image with your trimmer or scissors to separate it from the sheet.
• Use detail scissors to follow the outline more closely, leaving a small white border if you like.
• For very intricate shapes, you can cut them as a soft rectangle or oval instead of hugging every curve — still beautiful, much faster.
• Ink the edges with a soft neutral if you want them to stand out on the page.

Ideas for using DIY die-cuts

• Focal images on handmade cards and postcards.
• Clustered with lace, tickets, and washi for junk journal layouts.
• Tucked into pockets as little surprise pieces.
• Layered over tags and envelopes to create a “collection” look.

🏷 Tags, Tickets & Tabs

Tags, tickets, and tabs are the quiet heroes of journals. They add texture, pull points, and places for little notes.

Tags

You can create tags from any rectangle on your printed sheets or digital papers:

• Cut rectangles to your preferred size (for example 2" x 3.5" or 2.5" x 4").
• Use a corner rounder or cut two small diagonal corners at the top.
• Punch a hole in the center and add twine, ribbon, or a little fabric scrap.
• Decorate with a small clipart die-cut + a word strip or date.

Tickets

Tickets are wonderful fillers and layering pieces.

• Cut long strips (for example 1" x 6").
• Score lightly every 1–1.5" to create a “ticket strip.”
• Snip tiny triangles from the corners or use a corner rounder.
• Ink edges and stamp numbers, dates, or little icons.
• Finally, tear the strip apart into individual tickets.

Tabs

Tabs make pages feel interactive and help you flip to sections quickly.

• Cut small rectangles (for example 1.5" x 2").
• Score down the middle and fold to make a little “book.”
• Round the free corners for a softer look.
• Glue the folded edge over the page edge so half the tab sticks out.
• Add tiny clipart icons or words like “Today,” “Notes,” or “Memories.”

📝 Label Strips, Word Snippets & Sentiments

Word strips and label shapes are perfect for finishing a page or card — they give the eye something to “read” and help tell the story.

Label strips from printed clipart

• Print a sheet of sentiments, labels, or simple frames (many WondersArtist bundles include these).
• Use your trimmer to cut straight strips, leaving a small border around each phrase.
• For plain strips, stamp or handwrite words like “happy mail,” “thank you,” or dates.
• Fish-tail one end with scissors or notch both ends to look like a banner.

Using word snippets

• Add one word strip on top of a cluster of florals to anchor the design.
• Stack three tiny words (for example “cozy • quiet • evening”) on a journal page.
• Use longer sentiments as the main greeting on cards.

🧺 Turning Extras into Clusters & Mini Kits

Once you start cutting, you’ll quickly build up a pile of offcuts and extras. Instead of letting them float around your desk, turn them into ready-made clusters or little “kits.”

Pre-made clusters

• Choose a small base: a circle, ticket, tiny tag, or scrap of digital paper.
• Layer one focal piece (flower, character, or icon).
• Add one skinny strip or ticket behind it.
• Finish with a word strip on top.

Glue everything together and pop the finished cluster into a pocket or envelope. Later, you can just grab one and glue it straight onto a card or journal page.

Mini “make a card” kits

• Cut a card panel (for example 4" x 5.25") from digital paper.
• Add 1–2 focal die-cuts that match the colors.
• Include a sentiment strip and maybe a ticket or tag.
• Bundle these together in a small bag or envelope.

Next time you want to craft but feel low-energy, you’ll already have half the decisions made.

📂 Storing Your Finished Embellishments

Finished pieces are only helpful if you can find them later. The easiest approach is to fold them straight into your existing ephemera system.

Match your main sorting style

From the ephemera organization guide, you might remember three main styles: by theme, color, or type. Use the same rule for your embellishments:

• By theme: “Spring florals,” “Vintage letters,” “Christmas,” “Travel.”
• By color: Neutrals, Pastels, Brights, Autumn tones.
• By type: Tags, tickets, tabs, word strips, clusters.

Easy storage containers

• Small envelopes inside a larger box or crate.
• Accordion folders with pockets labeled by theme.
• Binder pockets for tags and flat die-cuts.
• Sectioned boxes (like bead containers) for tiny labels and tabs.

Keep a little dish or tray of “current favourites” on your desk, and refill it from your main storage every few weeks.

🎁 Free Clipart Sampler

If you would like to test high-resolution, clearly licensed clipart for making your own embellishments, a free sampler is available from WondersArtist.

Sign up below and the sampler will arrive gently in your inbox, ready for die-cuts, tags, tabs, and tickets 💌

💎 All Access Membership

All Access Membership is a simple way to always have fresh art for your embellishments — from florals and characters to tickets, labels, and printable ephemera.

• ✨ Unlimited access to clipart, digital papers, journaling pages, and cardmaking kits
• 🧺 New releases included while the membership is active
• ⚡ Instant downloads with clear, business-friendly licensing
• 🔁 Perpetual rights for everything downloaded during your active time, even if you cancel later

💎👉 JOIN ALL ACCESS

📚 Helpful Related Guides

If you enjoyed this article, these guides pair beautifully with it:

• How to Organize Ephemera for Easy Access in Journals
• How to Store & Organize Printed Clipart Sheets (Without Crumpling Everything)
• Beginner’s Guide to Making Handmade Cards with Digital Clipart

🌷 Final Thoughts

You don’t need a room full of metal dies to enjoy beautiful, layered projects. With a few printable sheets, a trimmer, and scissors, you can create your own library of embellishments — perfectly matched to your style and projects.

If you:

• Print on good paper,
• Cut shapes into die-cuts, tags, tickets, tabs, and labels, and
• Tuck them into a simple storage system,

…you’ll always have a cozy little stash of pieces ready for your next card, journal spread, or collage page. And your printed clipart will finally leave the “someday” pile and start living on your pages where it belongs. ✨