Mod Podge Photo Transfer: Roller Blind Upcycle

DIY Mod Podge Photo Transfer Upcycle Idea: Make your own trendy framed wall art using old roller blinds and this easy decoupage image transfer method.

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Mod Podge Photo Transfer Project Idea

Have you ever used Mod Podge?  Yes? No?  Well, can you believe Miss Crafty herself (er… I mean me) had never actually used the stuff until a few weeks ago.  What?  I hear you say.  Where have you been?  Hiding under a rock?

I was always unsure what all the big fuss was about and was curious but had just never got around to actually getting some and having a play.

The first thing I wanted to try was using it to do photo transfers.  I really liked the idea of this and wanted to see what I could come up with.

I wanted to create one of those trendy wood-framed botanical posters I had been seeing in all the stores lately.  So when I came across a brand new roller blind in the local charity shop for a measly €1 I was pretty happy.

The roller blind was a beige colour with a sort of canvas texture and I knew this would be perfect for what I wanted to do.

I don’t know about where you live but here you can always find brand new roller blinds (roller shades) in thrift stores, garage sales and on eBay etc for next to nothing.  I think people very often tend to wing it when buying blinds and guesstimate the size.  Funnily enough, the blinds often don’t fit but people never get round to taking them back to the store (er..I know..I have done it myself).  Lucky for us!

Anyway, this is what I came up with for my first attempt at doing a Mod Podge Photo Transfer:

Materials & Equipment Needed

For The Mod Podge Canvas

• Mod Podge

• roller blinds (roller shade)

• Printable computer image/photo

• Photo Paper

• Printer (I have read that you need a laser printer to do this but I actually used my HP Photosmart 5520 inkjet)

• Scissors

• Dishcloth

• Bowl of water

For The Wall Art Poster Frame

• 1-meter length of thin wooden molding trim

• Small hack saw

• Paint (any sort will do: acrylic, hobby, spray)

• Small triangle frame hook

• Pin Hammer

• Sand Paper

Mod Podge Photo Transfer Technique

Step 1.  Print out the image you would like to use

There are lots of places online where you can find free printables for personal use.  One of my favourites is the Graphics Fairy website, where you will find a fantastic choice of floral and vintage images that you can download for free.

Tip: If you have text on your image you will need to reverse it so that you have a mirror image.  The text will then appear the right way around when you transfer it.

How To Reverse A Graphic To Make A Mirror Image

You can do this really easily by inserting your image into the Paint app (this comes pre-installed on most computers).  Just open up the rotate options and click on Flip Horizontal – this will reverse your text and give you a mirror image.

How To Transfer A Photo With Mod Podge

Step 2.  Neatly cut a piece of the roller blind to your desired size.

Step 3.  Cut out your Image

Step 4.  Apply a coat of Mod Podge to the piece of the roller blind.

In all the other tutorials I have seen in the past I think people tend to just apply it to the image itself but I also put a layer onto the piece of roller blind (roller shade).  I don’t know if this is absolutely necessary but it is what I did and it worked really well.

Step 5.  Now apply a coat of the Mod Podge onto the top of your image.

Step 6.  Quickly put your wet image face down onto the Mod Podge that you applied on the roller blind.

Step 7. Using your fingers apply pressure and press the image onto the roller blind ensuring that the whole of your image is firmly stuck down.

Step 8.  Coffee Time (or go and clean something if you really must 😉 )

Removing The Backing Paper

Step 9.  After about an hour or two the Mod Podge should be more or less dry (Some people recommend to leave it overnight to dry but as always I was too impatient and I used a hairdryer to just finish it off).  Just make sure it is completely dry before you go onto the next step.

Step 10.  Dip your cloth in the water to make it damp and start gently rubbing on the back of your image (if your image is not starting to rub away that add a bit more water to your cloth but be careful not to over soak the image).  You can also just use your finger to do this – I used a combination of the cloth and my finger.

You should find the top layer of paper on the back of the image is starting to rub away.  Try to just remove one layer then leave it to dry out again (or use a hairdryer like me).  Keep repeating this process removing the backing paper layer by layer until your image becomes visible.  Once you can see your image coming though you need to be very careful not to rub any of it away.

Step 11.  When you have finished completely removing the backing paper and you can see your image clearly leave to dry.

How To Frame Your Poster Canvas

Step 1.  Using a small hacksaw cut 4 pieces of your wood trim to size (I allowed 2cm extra on top of the width of the roller blind piece)

Step 2.  If you have any rough edges on the trim then just give it a light sanding.

Step 3.  Paint the outside edges of your wood pieces and leave to dry.

Step 4.  Use the Mod Podge to glue the wood pieces onto your canvas (2 at the top and 2 at the bottom) and allow to dry.

Step 5.  Using a small hammer, hammer the triangular frame hook into place on the back using the small pins that are normally provided in the back.

Tip – Do make sure that the pins provided are shorter that the two pieces of wood – otherwise they will come out of the front and split the trim.

Next Weeks Mod Podge Photo Transfer Project …

This may not have been the quickest of projects but I absolutely love the end results and am now totally hooked on Mod Podge. I now have all sorts of cool ideas running through my head.

In addition to this project, I went straight on to make another bigger one using my own flower photography.  And I am really thrilled with how it has turned out!

Although this project is very similar in terms of materials and the mod podge photo transfer technique, I think my floral images give it a bit of a modern twist which fits in perfectly with the rest of my spring decor.

I’ll be sharing the additional notes and completed images of this Floral Mod Podge Photo Transfer Project project next week.

FREEBIES: I am also going to be giving all my email subscribers free access to my floral photography images that I used for this project.

You will be able to download these free printables and use them as artwork for your walls by just printing them out and popping them in a frame or for different DIY projects like this one.  Details of how to access the photos will be included in the next Newsletter.

If you are not already a subscriber you can sign up for my newsletter here —> Yes, I would like to receive all the latest ideas, news and freebies from A Happy Home In Holland

Have you ever had a go at a Mod Podge photo transfer project?  If so, please share any ideas or tips that you have because I am pretty new to this and could use any additional inspiration and pointers you may have.

Also if you are struggling with anything just let me know and maybe we can work out a solution.

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Also, why not let me know what have you been up to lately?  If you have been busy with any of your own DIY or craft projects I would really love to hear about it!

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