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Monday, August 9, 2010

Photo Transfer Light Switch Cover

My family spent Christmas in Europe this last year...without me. It's ok, I survived. Ever since they got back, my little sister has been obsessed with England in particular. She also happens to have no cover for her light switch for whatever reason. Guess what she's getting for her birthday?DSCN3414
After making my mom swear she wouldn't buy a new one, I found a light switch cover at Walmart for less than a buck!
I used the same process as I used in my photo tiles. All I needed was paint, Mod Podge, the desired photo and a brush. Oh, and plenty of patience!

The process is fairly simple, you just have to be gentle and cannot rush it! First, paint the cover whatever color you want. I did silver since my sister's room is painted blue, and I like how those two colors look together. Let that dry and cover with a coat of Mod Podge. Let dry.DSCN3246
Print off your picture to scale. I've heard this works with ink printers. Ours is laser jet and it worked perfectly fine. If it doesn't, you can print a Xerox copy. I used Big Ben  because it fitted nicely along the bottom and stretched up the side of the cover. Cover your picture with Mod Podge and using your fingers, press it firmly to the cover. Smooth your fingers over the picture to get rid of any air bubbles. DSCN3247  DSCN3248









Let this dry. The longer you wait, the better odds you have of this turning out right. I waited over night.

Spray water on the paper and using your fingers rub back and forth until the paper fibers start rubbing off. If you rub too vigorously the picture will come off. This is one of the most time consuming. If you don't rub all of the paper off, it will dry leaving your image very ghost-like. Just spray again, and keep rubbing!

I also printed the word London backwards in a fun font. Using the same technique, I applied it to the top of the cover and after letting it dry, rubbed the paper off. DSCN3397
Once all the fibers are gone, retouch anything you need to with paint, and cover with a coat or two of Mod Podge. Let dry and have the coolest light switch cover ever! I can't wait to give this to my sister for her birthday! 
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For more photo transfers with Mod Podge, check out Mod Podge Rocks, Still Alive, Sabby In Suburbia, and The Feminist Housewife. These wonderful ladies were my inspiration!

I'm linking up to Making the World Cuter Mondays @ Making the World Cuter, Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative, Made By You Mondays @ Skip to My Lou, and Craftastic Mondays @ Sew Can Do. As well as Creative Chick Parade @ Trendy Treehouse.

7 comments:

  1. I didn't realize you could do transfers with Mod Podge! Oh man, I'm gonna be busy now! Love that light switch plate by the way! :)

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  2. This is a new technique for me! I am looking forward to trying this. Wish me luck! Love your creative talent and am now following you.
    http://altered-artworks.blogspot.com

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  3. Thanks for the shout out! Great job! What a wonder application for this technique.

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  4. What a great idea for mod podge. I'll have to experiment with this!

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  5. I think I will try this, although I'm not sure I quite understand how it works. But very worth a try, yours looks so pretty!

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