Handmade gifts are a lovely way to give a thoughtful and personal Christmas present. This guest post is written by Suzy Myers and features DiY personalized photo plates for the Handmade Holiday Gift Week series.
My name is Suzy from Suzy’s Sitcom!
Looking for a unique, personal gift to give this year? These easy to make photo plates are not only a great way to save memories in a unique way but are guaranteed to be a cherished gift.
And the cost? Just pennies. Creating photo plates is simple. Use dollar store plates and paper copies from your printer. How easy is that?
How to make personalized photo plates
For this project I used:
- Paper copies photographs
- Clear glass plates
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Paintbrush
- Matte Finish Mod Podge
- Dark Gray Acrylic Paint
Start out with some black and white photos printed out on a laser jet printer. (Be sure to use a laser jet printer or copier when making copies of your photos for this project). Inkjet printers will cause the ink to bleed when the Mod Podge is painted on. Ask me how I know….
I used saucer sized clear plates for this project that I found at Walmart for just $1 a piece. Lay the plate over the photograph and trace around the plate.
Cut out the image…
To allow for the bend of the plate, trim around as shown. Try not to add trim lines across any faces. Turns out I really didn’t have to cut them as deep as shown above- maybe about an inch in.
Paint the back of the plate with Matte Mod Podge…
Press the photo face down onto the back of the plate, smoothing out the edges and any wrinkles.
It should dry in about an hour. Flip the plate over and you should be able to see your handiwork! Once dry, add a layer of Mod Podge to the back. (I found that if I added the Mod Podge to the back when the other side was still wet, that it turned the photo a cool looking green- so I did this on two of the plates for a bit of variety).
Finally, since the photos didn’t quite meet the edges of the plates, I painted the backs a dark gray with acrylic paint and then added a final coating of Mod Podge for protection.
Displaying photo plates
For hanging, most craft store and Walmart sell plate hangers, or you can set them on plate easels on a desk. This particular process can be done with any printout or even fabric!
Suzy’s Sitcom features arts, crafts, and humor, with a specialty in vintage and recycled crafts; and currently hosts over 200 detailed original DIY and craft tutorials.
For more fun DIY gift ideas, be sure to visit my website at https://suzyssitcom.com and find her on Facebook and Pinterest.
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