Photo Transfer Jewelry Tray

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Photo Transfer Jewelry Tray: a simple and beautiful way to personalize a tray for displaying jewelry. 

photo-transfer-tray-31My sister recently got married, the weekend before Thanksgiving actually, and it’s been so fun to watch her and my new brother-in-law enjoy their new married life.  I wanted to make my sister something she could use in her own home that didn’t take up a lot of room but was also a momento of her and her new husbands love.  This photo transfer jewelry tray was such a fun way to create something meaningful and useful!  I made it into a jewelry tray but it could easily work as a small coffee mug tray on an end table.   I decided to try my hand at another fun Plaid product and used the Mod Podge ® Photo Transfer Medium and while it has a little bit of a learning curve to it, it’s fun to see the result at the end. 

SUPPLIES FOR PHOTO TRANSFER JEWELRY TRAY

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First paint all all the edges of your wooden tray/ surface.  I used a teal blue and once it was dry I dry brushed some black on top.  You can leave your tray a solid color too, I just love the look of two colors. I left the middle clear of paint just so the photo would transfer over smoother. 

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Decide what picture or artwork you would like to transfer over and make sure it is a copy or printed from a LASER copier.  An inkjet printer will not give you the results you want since it uses ink, it will bleed.  Also…if you plan to use a photo copy with words on it be sure to print in MIRROR image. You may want to do this with a picture as well but I didn’t need to. 

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Trim around the photo copy or clipart that you want to transfer. Place the photo copy upright on top of a piece of parchment paper or a Mod Podge Silicone Craft Mat. Paint a coat of the Mod Podge Photo Transfer medium on the top of the photo copy. 

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You want to use a good amount of the photo transfer medium on your photo copy.  You should not be able to see any words or parts of the image. 

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Being careful not to get your fingerprints on the photo copy, flip your picture over on the surface you want to transfer your image. You want the image facing down. Carefully working from the center to the edges, smooth out any creases or air bubbles with your fingers. You can also use the Mod Podge Brayer to help smooth out the photo copy.  Be sure not to press too hard.   Now….the hard part….let your image sit for at least 24 hours!  This is very important.  If you begin any sooner it could damage the picture. 

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Once your image has sat for 24 hours, lay a damp dish towel or paper towel on top of the photo copy.  Allow to sit for 3-5 minutes.  Using the damp dish towel or sponge, begin rubbing in circles over the photo copy.  This motion will slowly rub the paper away and will leave you with your photo.  After you have removed all the paper, let it sit for another 15 minutes.  Sometimes your image will get cloudy, this just means you need to do a little more rubbing.  Be careful not to rub too hard as you will begin to rub your image away, unless that is the look you want! 

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I wanted my image to have a more rustic feel to it, so you can see where I rubbed the image harder.  After I let my photo transfer project dry I used some sandpaper to give it even more of a rustic look. 

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I added some pretty black handle pulls to either side of the tray for easy transporting and because it adds a fun element to the piece. 

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I think a larger tray with a collage of different images could be a great gift for a friend or grandparent.  A jewelry tray would be great for a little girls room as well. There are so many options and you can have it match any home decor. 

Have you tried using Mod Podge Photo Transfer Medium?  I would love to see your projects! 

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Photo Transfer Jewelry Tray: a simple and beautiful way to personalize a tray for displaying jewelry.

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