33 Days 'til Christmas - My Favorite Handmade Gifts - Wood Plaque Photo Transfer

economy size

This is another easy gift to make and one that is sure to be appreciated by the recipient. I recently made this plaque for my Mom's birthday. My Mom knows that she is probably going to get some kind of handmade gift from her starving artist daughter for just about every occasion and she is fine with it. I try to make the gifts useful and/or memorable. Believe me, there are a lot of weird and random craft ideas out there that I would never give as a gift. If it doesn't pass the "Would I Like To Receive This?" test, it doesn't make the cut. This craft passes with flying colors.

It is a very easy project, unfortunately you will most likely have to make a trip to the craft store. Unless you are an artist, it is doubtful you have gel medium on hand, and nobody I've ever met keeps a supply of blank wooden plaques hanging around. But if you are anything like me, you are at the craft store at least once a week (who am I kidding, I am there almost daily). Also you will need a laser print of the photo you are transferring. Unless you do a black & white transfer, then just a regular copy from a copy machine will work. The only thing that will not work is an ink jet copy. When you print your image, do not forget to reverse it so that when it's transferred onto the plaque it is the right way. This is especially important if your image includes lettering, or is a photo of your family home which you are giving to your mother as a gift.

Paint the printed image with a nice, even coating of gel medium. Carefully lay it on the plaque, making sure there are no bubbles, and smooth it down. Try not to press it over the edge of the plaque, and wipe up any gel medium that oozes over the edge. That stuff dries as hard as plastic and is a real pain to get off without marring the edges of your image. Let it dry for 24 hours.

The next day, set the plaque face down in a shallow dish with a little water & let it soak for a minute. It is so awesome, just like magic the image will be transferred onto the wood. Now you must carefully rub the paper off. You can do it under running water, or you can rub some off, soak for a minute, rub the paper, soak, etc. until it's almost all the way off then finish under running water, which is what I did. After it dries, you will notice that there is still some paper left and you'll have to wet it and rub it some more. This will happen a few times before all of the paper is gone. Tiny bits of the image will get rubbed off too, but it just adds to the home made coolness of the plaque.

Ta-da! Another fabulous handmade gift that will be sure to warm the heart of the lucky receiver.

PS: don't forget that there are many wonderful artists offering lots of lovely handmade items for sale this Season and all throughout the year! Even if you aren't into making all of your presents, consider buying handmade gifts this year and support small businesses! Although I am partial, these are two of my faves-

Red Scorpio Crafts & Art

Shadoan Photographic Arts