So you’ve done your family photos just in time to get those Christmas cards out. Or perhaps you’ve made a fun personalized calendar with them. What else can you do?
Make them into fun little gifts for family. This is an easy gift to make for your loved ones!
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Glass votives with straight sides
- Mod Podge and a Foam brush
- Spray Fixative (like this one)
- Spray Adhesive (optional but extremely handy!)
- Vellum Paper
- Printer
- Scissors
- Scrap newspaper/cardboard to protect spray surfaces
Now – what to do:
- I found my glass votives at a dollar store for $1 each. They are 4″ tall with a 3″ diameter. If you have a large family and cute kids, buy out the whole shelf.
- Pick out your picture(s). I had made a triptych by combining 3 pictures horizontally together to get the dimensions I wanted. Alternately, you could print out a larger size picture and just cut out the strip you desire for the votive. To give you a better idea, here’s what I ended up doing:
Cute little stinkers, aren’t they? - I measured around my votive with a tape measure to see what length the photo needed to be. For my size votive, the dimensions ended up being 10″ long by 3-5/8″ tall.
- Print out your photo on vellum. Vellum paper is a lovely translucent paper that allows light to filter through. Cut out your photo to the desired size.
See how the light filters through the image? It’s even prettier when you see it with candle light! - This next step is REALLY IMPORTANT! Spray the printed side of the photo with spray fixative! I found if I didn’t use it, that when I applied Mod Podge, the image would smear.
- Once the fixative is dry, spray the outer walls of the glass votive and the back of the photo strip with spray adhesive. Let both dry and then carefully apply the picture to your votive. The dry glue actually adheres much more effectively than when it’s wet.
- If you don’t have spray adhesive, you can use the Mod Podge by applying it to the votive thinly and then adhering your picture.
- Once the picture is on your glass votive, seal the entire thing by brushing on a very thin layer of Mod Podge over the top. Don’t put too much as it can cause your vellum to get wet and bubble or wrinkle. Once the first layer is dry, you can apply a second coat.
- *NOTE* I didn’t put Mod Podge anywhere on the inside. I’m not sure if it’s flammable and really didn’t care to find out the hard way!
