EASY Glass Photo Pendants, Cabochon + Photo + Bezel

This video shows an easy way to make glass cabochon photo pendants. You can use a photograph, textured paper, some fabrics, wood (my shimmery Maple pendants are for sale here), or your own printed image. The pendant can be finished with the cord and hardware of your choice.  Very fun (and maybe a little addicting) craft project!



SUPPLIES USED

• Antique Copper Bezel Pendants 
• Glass Cabochons 
• Mod Podge Dimensional Magic 
• Crafter's Pick Glue

Transfer Printed Photos to Wood Using Parchment Paper

Here's an exciting new discovery in DIY photo transfers. Anyone who has done photo transfers using regular copy paper knows the rubbing-away process is the most time consuming part. Well, it turns out that parchment paper makes the process a lot easier!



What I found is that while this paper may not peel off in one sheet, I was able to peel away larger sections, instead of having to rub away each area as I would with regular paper. The paper I used was the Worthy Liners Parchment Paper, because they come in 8.5 x 11 size, ready to print. If you've ever used thinner papers, you may know some printers don't like to feed them through cleanly. If that's the case, you can tape the paper down onto a normal sheet of paper. OR some have used a temporary spray adhesive which allows them to attach the parchment onto normal paper to print, then remove the parchment after printing. In addition, you may want to adjust your printer's settings to "thin gsm" or "thin grain" paper. This paper seems to have given me cleaner results, because it is less likely to pull the toner away from the wood during the paper removal process. You can download the dragonly image from The Graphics Fairy by clicking HERE.

How To Transfer a Photo to Canvas

You can transfer your laser-printed image (BLACK & WHITE or COLOR) onto textured canvas simply using regular paper and a transfer medium!  :D  I like to use acrylic polyurethane, but Liquitex Gel Medium and Mod Podge may also be used.


NOTE: Different transfer mediums give slightly different results in terms of clarity. I have found that Mod Podge and similar glue-type photo transfer mediums may yield slightly less transparent looks, depending on the thickness.

As covered in the video, the process is relatively simple:

• Print your image (FLIPPED HORIZONTALLY) onto paper.
• Brush your transfer medium evenly onto the canvas.
• Apply your image face-down to the canvas, starting at one edge and working slowly to the other. 
• Push the image down into the canvas. Ensure you "squish" out the air bubbles along the way.
• Let this dry completely. (Give it a day if unsure, but some gel mediums like Acrylic Poly are ready within an hour.)
• Once dry, apply water, let soak a bit and gently start to rub the paper backing, leaving the image toner stuck to the canvas.
• If you have little white "fuzzies" here and there, you can carefully rub those away with a wet fingertip, or consider applying a coat or two of gel medium over the top to help protect the image, AND help those fuzzies disappear. 

DIY Light Box For $7 - Take Better Jewelry Photos!

Hey guys! I have started selling metal spoon rings on Etsy and needed a way to get professional-looking pictures for the listings.

I looked at some commercial photo light boxes, which vary in price from affordable to very expensive, and decided I could make one much cheaper.

So here you go! This is my super simple, very cheap DIY photo light box for photographing rings, necklaces, and any other small items you wish.

How to print on STONE! (Stone Photo Transfer)

Have you ever wanted to "print" an image onto stone? Believe it or not, you can do this simple photo transfer using a laser-printed image and acrylic polyurethane (or Gel Medium - Liquitex, Mod-Podge, etc.)  Regular paper can be used, or much-quicker specialty transfer paper.



Watch the video below to see exactly how to do this:

Transfer Photos to Metal

If you've seen my first video, How to Transfer Photos to Wood, then you will already be familiar with this technique. However, I've had several people ask me if it was possible to transfer a photograph or print onto metal, so I thought I would put up another video showing how this can be done:


In this case, I used copper and brass sheets, but this can be done with other types of metal. However, I would say that regular steel ("weld steel", from Lowe's, etc.) rusts VERY quickly, so it would likely have to be coated first... or you can use that to your advantage for creative effects.
Hope you enjoy the video, and transferring your own photos onto metal (and other surfaces!) using Acrylic Poly Finish.

How to Etch Copper

This video will show you how to etch your own computer design (or hand-drawn marker design) into copper.

You can use Ferric Chloride etchant for this, but I also show you how to make your own solution using Muriatic Acid and Hydrogen Peroxide.

First, you will want to prepare your copper by making sure there is no protective film (often times, store-bought copper has this to keep it from tarnishing). You can do this with Acetone, or by using relatively fine sandpaper.

If using a computer, you'll want to come up with your design in Photoshop or your preferred graphics software. I get many of my images from TheGraphicsFairy.com. This design will be printed onto the MATTE side of the blue Press-N-Peel.

If using a marker, simply draw your design directly onto the copper. The chemical will only etch the bare copper areas, and will resist the areas covered by marker. (NOTE: You can also use fingernail polish if you prefer this medium to using a marker.)

For more details, watch the video below: