DIY: Chalkboard Gift Tags

I've been on a crafting hiatus for awhile, but now that my mom's birthday is around the corner, I figured it was time to make something special. I got my crafty genes from her, so I love giving her diy gifts.
This year's gift is chalkboard tags. My mom had seen them somewhere awhile back and thought they were neat. They were a super easy diy project.
All you need to make them is:

• thick card stock/cardboard
• chalkboard paint
• scissors
• hole punch
• ribbon

It's pretty much a three step process. Step one- cut out tag shapes on the card board/card stock (I used a super thick cardboard recycled from a shipping box). I free styled it and cut out random shapes. They aren't perfect, but they'll do. A better idea would have been too find a template. Second step- use the hole puncher to make a slot for the ribbons. Third- paint the cardboard with chalkboard paint. I did two coats on each side to make it more durable.

I thought I was done with the project, but then I came across these gorgeous chalkboard tags from Kate's Paper Goods with pretty flowers painted on. I have a ton of paint from past projects, so thought I'd give it a try and I don't think they turned out half bad. What do you think?

I have a bunch of plain tags and I'm thinking I should paint a few more. Any fun suggestions for designs? I'm thinking a few more Christmas ones and some birthday designs- maybe confetti? The fun thing is, I don't need to do too many, since these can be re-used!

Recycling Paint Chips

We've painted four rooms now and since I'm indecisive, it's left us with a lot of paint chips. I don't like to throw them out, so I hold on to them until I can find another use. I've seen some really cool projects in the past  where people turned them into artwork or used them to create holiday decor. I like to use them for cards.

I had some downtime this week, so I decided to put some of them to use. I created some nautical stationery and cards for some upcoming spring events. I used my Martha Stewart anchor craft punch on the paint chips and used them to embellish some cards. I think they turned out good and the project was super cheap!

Do you recycle paint chips? What do you do with them?