I read a lot about a photo transfer on wood which I thought was a great idea.. I decided to try it out.
For this project you will need:-
– mod podge photo transfer medium
– photo print
– wood
– woodstain (optional) – I used the dark oak shade
I was thinking what photo to use for this project and as it is approaching mother’s day I decided to use the photo of my beautiful mum and I on my wedding day. I copied the photo in Word Document and turned it so that it was mirror image of the photo (click on the photo and holding the mouse just pull the photo to one side). I then printed it out to the size I wanted and used laser jet printer. Do not use inkjet as it will not work on this project.
I was looking around to see if I had any suitable piece of wood and came across this piece of wood that I cut to the size.
As it was pretty rough wood, I just sanded it slightly all over to remove any sharp edges.
Put a layer of the Mod Podge Transfer Medium on the photo and on the piece of wood.
It is quite thick and dries quite quickly so I had to work pretty quick. I placed the photo (face down) onto the wood and pressed hard. I used an old credit card to smooth out any wrinkles. 
I let it dry completely for 24 hours.
The next day once the paper was completely dry I used a damp cloth to wet the paper, small area at a time.
You will see the photo starting to appear under the wet paper. Don’t panic if it is not smooth and see through (I started to panic at this stage as some bits just looked wrong and I didn’t think it had worked!).. but it did!
Once the paper is wet, use your fingers or a rag to remove the paper by rubbing the area, the paper will start to lift away leaving the paper with ink stuck to the wood. I had to be very patient when doing this as it is easy to remove the ink so be gentle otherwise you will be left with some bare patches.
Let it dry for a bit and repeat if there is any paper left.
Once it was dry I used some sand paper to sand around the edges and over the photo as I wanted a rustic look.
I then stained the wood with woodstain.
Once I was satisfied with the photo, I put a layer of mod podge over the transfer to seal it.
This is what it turned out to look!
You can read how I made the vintage items featuring in the photos using paper napkins here.
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Very pretty! I have been wanting to try this but I don’t have a laser printer. I bought the mod podge transfer before I knew I couldn’t use my inkjet printer. Found you via Vintage Inspiration party. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you very much, most copy shops use laserjet printers, you may get a copy from them and you are good to go!
Hi!! I’ve tried this project before but it didn’t come out right…my question is what kind of paper did you print the photo on? I used actual photo paper and I think it was too thick because the paper didn’t come off with water and when I peeled it the whole photo came up.
Thank you Keyosha. I used just plain white paper from my printer normal photocopying paper I guess. it came off nicely . Try using plain paper next time.
I love it! What a great idea and such a beautiful picture. Thanks for sharing at Vintage Inspiration Party.
Thank you!
Did you apply stain to picture too if only the wood? If to picture too, how long before you wiped away?
Hi Tara, I stained the wood and around the edges of the photo to blend the photo with wood. Then to give a little antique looking effect I used the rag (which I used on the wood) and slightly dabbed in a few places on the photo. I hope this helps.