Today I have another photo ornament to share. I adore photos and already have several photo ornaments hanging on our tree with photos of my husband and I and the Christmases from our childhood. This year I most definitely needed to add some photos of my adorable little boy and his past two Christmases.
I decided to try transferring the photo directly onto wood for this one. I like how it makes the photo look like it is actually part of the wood, not just stick on. (Plus, I’ve been thinking about a bigger photo transfer project so I figured a little practice wouldn’t hurt!)
The first thing you have to do is make a color photocopy of your photo. To be honest getting myself to Staples to make a copy was the most difficult part of this project! But that hassle aside, the rest is pretty easy! (Just make sure that your photo is the right size for your wood slice before you copy it. Also your photo is going to end up reversed so if there is any writing in your photo you may want to reverse it before you print it so it will end up correct.)
Supplies
a wood slice coaster
a photocopy of your photo
scissors
photo transfer gel
a wet cloth
sandpaper
eye hook and string
- Trace the wood slice onto your photo copy and cut it out slightly smaller than the tracing you made.
- Apply the photo transfer gel liberally onto the top of the photocopy.
- Press the photo, gel side down onto the wood slice Be sure to smooth it out and press it down firmly.
- Allow this to dry fully – I left mine overnight and it was ready the next morning.
- Using a wet cloth, wet the back of the photo. Gently rub the back of the photo until the paper all rubs off. When nothing else rubs off, you are done!
- Use a piece of fine sandpaper to gently sand the edges of the photo. (You can skip this if you want but it gives it a nice ‘been there forever’ look).
- Twist an eye hook into the top of the tree slice and add some string and you’re done!
And for your creative inspiration, here are eleven more amazing handmade ornament tutorials!
Fabric Scraps Christmas Ornament | Whats Ur Home Story
Chalkboard Christmas Ornament | Remodelando la Casa
Marbled Ornament | Bigger Than The Three of Us
Painted Pinecones Ornament | All Things G&D
Bottle Brush Tree Ornament | It All Started With Paint
Wood Slice Noel Ornament | Cherished Bliss
Glitter Inside Glass Ornaments | Mom 4 Real
Mason Jar Ring & Recycled Card Shadowbox | Serendipity Refined
Monogrammed Wood Slice Ornament | May Richer Fuller Be
Glitter Paper Ornament | The Happier Homemaker
Wooden Photo Ornament | Lovely Etc
Mini Woodland Wreath Ornament | Thrifty & Chic
A big thanks to Michael’s for providing a gift card that paid for some of the supplies used in this post.
And if you’re looking for more handmade ornament ideas, I’ve got them all ready for you right here.
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[email protected] says
What a great gift idea!! I am totally going to make one for my mom and mother in law!!
Thanks for sharing!
Carrie says
Thanks Lisa! I hope they love them!
Tricia says
What kind of paper are you photo copying picture to? Just regular copy paper?
Carrie says
Yes Tricia, just regular copy paper. I made my color copies at Staples but any color copier should work!