{"id":15157,"date":"2018-10-15T15:48:36","date_gmt":"2018-10-15T19:48:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/?p=15157"},"modified":"2026-01-15T19:29:55","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T00:29:55","slug":"diy-photo-transfer-keepsake-craft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/diy-photo-transfer-keepsake-craft\/","title":{"rendered":"DIY Wood Photo Transfer Keepsake Craft"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15210\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/DIY-photo-craft-keepsake1.jpg\" alt=\"DIY photo craft keepsake\" width=\"1000\" height=\"510\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Learn how to easily transfer any photo onto a wood plaque. This DIY craft activity is great for making holiday keepsake gifts!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Materials:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/search\/index.php?q=unfinished+plaque+assortment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Wood Plaques<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/item\/mod-podge-decoupage-finish-PT3242\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mod Podge<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/arts-and-crafts-supplies\/paint-brushes\/soft-bristle-brushes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paintbrush<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Craft Heat Tool (or hair dryer)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Printed photo<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Water<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Video Tutorial:<\/strong><\/p>\n<div align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/iUZ6tmmiDBs?rel=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><strong>Written Instructions:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Step 1:<\/strong> Choose the type of wood plaque you&#8217;d like to use for this project. Our pack comes with 4 shapes &#8211; oval, round, square, and rectangle. Then choose a picture, re-size it to 1 inch smaller than the plaque dimensions (we used the medium rectangular plaque, which is 5&#215;7, so our photo is 6&#215;4), print it on regular printer paper, and cut out the image.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-15166\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo-plaque-11.png\" alt=\"photo plaque \" width=\"650\" height=\"411\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Step 2:<\/strong> Apply a thick coat of Mod Podge to your plaque using a paintbrush. Be sure to cover the whole surface. Brush the Mod Podge around in different directions to get a smooth and even coat.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-15178\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/diy-photo-plaque-2a1.png\" alt=\"diy photo plaque \" width=\"650\" height=\"429\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Step 3:<\/strong> Carefully place the picture face down onto the center of the plaque. It is important to make sure there are no bubbles or creases, and the paper is securely stuck to the plaque.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-15168\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo-plaque-31.png\" alt=\"photo plaque DIY\" width=\"650\" height=\"395\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Step 4:<\/strong> Use a heat tool to dry the Mod Podge under the paper. This speeds up the process so you don&#8217;t have to wait the usual 24 hours for it to dry. Apply the heat for\u00a03-4 minutes. Be sure to distribute the heat over the paper evenly.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-15169\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo-plaque-41.png\" alt=\"DIY photo craft\" width=\"650\" height=\"434\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Step 5:<\/strong> Fill a cup with water. Use a paintbrush to apply water onto the paper. Spread the water evenly and let it saturate the paper. Once you see it starting to soak through, then you can start the process of removing the paper. Use the pad of your finger to gently remove the paper so the image starts to show through. This step is a bit messy and can take some time, but don&#8217;t rush the process or you could ruin the picture. When you have most of the paper off, you can add some more water with a paintbrush to get the residual pieces off of the plaque. Let it dry. It will start to look a bit whity and fuzzy.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-15172\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/wood-plaque-diy1.png\" alt=\"wood plaque diy\" width=\"650\" height=\"546\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Note<\/span>: In areas where you rub the paper with a little more pressure, you will notice some of the photo rubs off. This can give the plaque a nice vintage look when you are finished. You may choose to do this to areas you don&#8217;t mind looking a bit faded, like the outer edges.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Step 6:<\/strong>\u00a0Seal the plaque with another coat of Mod Podge. Apply a thin layer with a paintbrush and smooth it out.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-15170\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo-plaque-71.png\" alt=\"diy wood plaque keepsake\" width=\"650\" height=\"370\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Step 7:<\/strong> Use the\u00a0heat tool again to dry the Mod Podge for about 1 minute. You will see the photo dries clear! Now your plaque is ready to display.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15165\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/DIY-Wood-Photo-Plaque-final1.jpg\" alt=\"DIY Wood Photo Plaque\" width=\"1000\" height=\"708\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We hope you enjoy making these as much as we did! They make such great holiday gifts. You can also make them into ornaments to hang as an indoor decoration.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Alternatives:<\/strong> If you want to create a simpler design, you can use Mod Podge to apply the photo directly to the plaque. Below is an example that one of our associates created using our circle plaque.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-15174\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/diy-photo-keepsake1.jpg\" alt=\"diy photo keepsake\" width=\"550\" height=\"479\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn how to easily transfer any photo onto a wood plaque. This DIY craft activity is great for making holiday keepsake gifts! Materials: Wood Plaques Mod Podge Paintbrush Craft Heat Tool (or hair dryer) Printed photo Water Video Tutorial: Written &hellip; <a class=\"read-more-btn\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/diy-photo-transfer-keepsake-craft\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":15165,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[2,4,14],"tags":[1605,1019,2154,79,378,2156,2157,2155,16,296,2413,2504,2167,1041,2168],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v16.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>DIY Wood Photo Transfer Keepsake Craft - S&amp;S Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/diy-photo-transfer-keepsake-craft\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"DIY Wood Photo Transfer Keepsake Craft - S&amp;S Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn how to easily transfer any photo onto a wood plaque. This DIY craft activity is great for making holiday keepsake gifts! Materials: Wood Plaques Mod Podge Paintbrush Craft Heat Tool (or hair dryer) Printed photo Water Video Tutorial: Written &hellip; Read More\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/diy-photo-transfer-keepsake-craft\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"S&amp;S Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SSWorldwideCatalog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-10-15T19:48:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-16T00:29:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/DIY-Wood-Photo-Plaque-final.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"708\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ssworldwide\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ssworldwide\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"S&amp;S Worldwide\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"S&amp;S Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/diy-photo-transfer-keepsake-craft\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/DIY-Wood-Photo-Plaque-final.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/DIY-Wood-Photo-Plaque-final.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":708,\"caption\":\"wood photo plaque\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/diy-photo-transfer-keepsake-craft\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/diy-photo-transfer-keepsake-craft\/\",\"name\":\"DIY Wood Photo Transfer Keepsake Craft - S&amp;S Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/diy-photo-transfer-keepsake-craft\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-10-15T19:48:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-16T00:29:55+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/12b4fa1eca646ce50f8cdbfdccb2f1dc\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/diy-photo-transfer-keepsake-craft\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/diy-photo-transfer-keepsake-craft\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/diy-photo-transfer-keepsake-craft\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"DIY Wood Photo Transfer Keepsake Craft\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/12b4fa1eca646ce50f8cdbfdccb2f1dc\",\"name\":\"S&amp;S Worldwide\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/13fddae63d6f28c29294df0528274b24?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/13fddae63d6f28c29294df0528274b24?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"caption\":\"S&amp;S Worldwide\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"DIY Wood Photo Transfer Keepsake Craft - S&amp;S Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/diy-photo-transfer-keepsake-craft\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"DIY Wood Photo Transfer Keepsake Craft - S&amp;S Blog","og_description":"Learn how to easily transfer any photo onto a wood plaque. 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