Hello! We hope the holiday season is treating you well so far. If you’re like me and trying to not break the bank this Christmas, or you’re just planning on giving homemade gifts, I’ve got the DIY for you: personalized photo-transfer ornaments.
What you need:
- small pieces of wood. I picked some up at Michaels for $1, or you could cut your own. They don’t have to be square either; stars, hearts, Christmas trees, snowmen– any shape will work
- Mod Podge or another form of a gel medium
- a brush or sponge
- an old rag
- twine or ribbon
- photos printed on regular paper from an inkjet printer. I’m not sure if laserjet printers will work, but feel free to try it out!
- *optional: paint pens or markers
What to do:
Cut your picture to fit your piece of wood. The finished product will have a distressed/antique look, so don’t worry about being exact or cutting straight lines.
Spread an even but thick layer of Mod Podge onto the wooden block.
Place your picture INK SIDE DOWN onto the Mod Podge and press down, smoothing out all of the bubbles and ripples. Let this dry for 4-6 hours.
Once your block is dry, take a rag and dampen it. Begin to rub the paper away. Be gentle, but you will need to apply pressure.
After you’ve rubbed away all of the bits of paper, let the block dry again for another 30 minutes.
Now you can get creative! I used a paint pen to write some Christmas phrases and draw some little designs.
Finally, get your twine or ribbon and fasten it to the back of your ornament. I used tacks, but hot glue would also work quite well.
Here is the finished product! If anyone is wondering about my choice of picture, this is a shot of my grandfather and me from when I was a little girl.
The opportunities are endless with this technique. You could do a much larger picture as wall art, you could make coasters, or you could do several different sizes and make a collage.
I decided to make coasters with all of my family Christmas pictures over the years. My Mom loves to take them out to use over the Christmas season, and they made such a perfect, personal (last-minute!!) gift.
If you decide to recreate these please send us pictures! We love to hear from our readers and see your creations. We are @twowildtides on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Happy Holidays,
char
Let us know what you think!