Homemade Photo Ornaments

For years, my family has had an ornament exchange at Christmas. At the beginning, I tried to get ornaments that represented Scott and I. Then, for a few years, I made sure we got ornaments while on vacation each year stating where we had been. In 2007, I forgot to get them on vacation and decided to try something different. I had a few old family pictures that I thought were neat and decided to try to share them with the ornaments. After a lot of internet research, I found a site that I could order ornaments from. The first two I ordered turned out great, so I ordered more for gifts and even recommended the site to Tracey for presents she was purchasing. Unfortunately, the rest of the ones ordered were not great.

This year, I decided to figure out how to make the ornaments myself. In fact, the website that I ordered from last year didn't exist any more. I searched online and discovered water slide (or water slip) decals. Apparently this is what you use on model cars as well. I found a site to order a sample kit with everything I needed. I also ordered the rubber squeegee. (I did find some paper at Hobby Lobby, but it was not 8.5 x 11 and was more expensive. The sample kit was good to start with.)

My first step was finding the ornaments. I wanted a landscape rectangular and portrait oval, but this proved harder to find than I thought. I found a few websites that sold them in bulk. I also found a few on sites that would print for you. I emailed one and they did offer to sell me the blanks for around $5 each. Hobby Lobby had some circular, unfinished ornaments for 99 cents, so I decided to try those first. I purchased a few, along with some white paint, spray enamel, and brush on enamel. The paint was fine to help give the ornaments a finished look. Then I found circular ones at Michael's that already had a nice finish to them for only $1.49. I ended up using a lot of these.

Next I had to print out the pictures needed. In Photoshop Elements, I created a square canvas about 2 x 2 inches. Using the circle selector, I made a circle the size of the ornament. Then I selected the inverse and filled it in with white. Then I was able to put my pictures as a layer behind that one and could move it around and resize it.

I created another canvas that was 8.5 x 11 and I pasted the sized images into it. I was able to fit 4 ornaments per sheet, plus wording for the back of the ornaments. In a few cases, I had to do some photoshopping to extend the picture to fill the ornament.

After I printed out the pictures, I followed the instructions that came with the kit. First I had to seal the images. The bottle said to do it in a well ventilated area. I naturally ignored that the first time. I applied the sealer and left the sheet on the kitchen table. When we went to bed, we both noticed a smell. It was very permeating. I moved the sheet to the garage so we couldn't smell it. I let it dry for at least a day and then trimmed each round image.

I filled a small bowl with warm water and placed the first picture it in. While it soaked, I put the mounting fluid on the ornament and spread it around. Once the picture started coming up from the backing, I took the photo out of the water and placed it on the ornament. I used more mounting fluid on top of the photo and gently positioned the image. I used the squeegee to smooth out all the air bubbles and then let it dry.

The first two I did turned out really well. Then I made several for Tracey. I had more trouble with those, and I learned a few tips.

1. Make sure the fixative is applied over the entire picture. Even when I would spread it over the photo, when I looked sideways, I could see little spots that weren't covered. When soaked in water, those spots lost the image. It helped to apply the fixative liberally and look at it from all angles to make sure it was covered.

2. Don't let the fixative dry in too cool of a place. When I made the first two, it was still pretty warm out, so the garage wasn't that cold. When I made some of Tracey's, it was very cold outside and the cooler air in the garage seemed to have some effect on the pictures. They seemed cloudier.

3. Let the image soak long enough. The instructions say to leave it in for a minute, but I think I got impatient sometimes. When it didn't soak long enough, the image seemed likely to fold on itself (and it could be unfolded, but was a pain).

4. Use plenty of mounting fluid and don't pull on the image when using the squeegee. I ruined a few of the pictures because I tore it or stretched it.

All in all, they turned out pretty good. I think I will make some more for future Jung family Christmases. With two ornaments a year and 50 family members, I'm good for the next twenty years!