“Admit it – you have hundreds of photos just sitting on your phone, digital camera, or tablet. Yes, you can flip through them one at a time every now and then, but there’s still something special about a framed, printed photograph. It captures a moment in time and lets others enjoy it as well.
Obviously, there are thousands of picture frames to choose from, but this DIY tutorial offers another, more unique option instead of just using the boring, traditional picture frame. How about transferring the picture onto wood? What’sUpMoms YouTube channel gives a great instructional video on how to easily do this yourself at home. To get started, gather your supplies:
● A photo printed from a laser printer on regular computer paper (not photo paper)
● Smooth piece of wood
● Gel medium with a gloss finish
● Paintbrush
● Mod Podge with gloss finish
● Ruler or anything with a strong straight edge
Start off by painting a thick layer of the gel medium onto the front of your picture. This is going to allow the ink to transfer onto the wood. Be sure to coat every area of the picture with a thick coat.
After your photo is covered, place it face down onto your piece of wood and use the ruler or other straight-edged item to smooth out any bubbles or wrinkles. It works best if you work from the center of the picture outward.
Now, let the picture dry completely overnight; you don’t want any wet spots. During this drying time, the colors from your photograph will soak into the wood.
Using a fairly wet rag, gently start rubbing off the paper in small, circular motions. You’ll quickly see your photo starting to show through. You want to make sure it is completely smooth before moving on to the final sealing stage. You can rinse the wood off under running water to remove any remaining little bits of paper.
All you have left to do is paint a single layer of Mod Podge over your picture. Let it dry completely. At this point, you can simply leave it as it is, or you can add a bit of extra appeal to it by gluing on embellishments.
So, use this tutorial as inspiration to print out some of those pictures clogging up your cloud. This makes a great personalized gift for those hard-to-shop-for people in your life.”
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