7.28.2008

D.I.Y. Transparencies

I can't remember where I first saw this technique, probably on youtube, but I finally got around to trying it, and it works like magic! Grab some LASER printed images or photos and give it a try! It's easy, fun, and have you seen the price of transparencies lately? D.I.Y. is the answer!

So, follow along and have fun:
Here's what you'll need: regular packing tape, scissors, a bowl of water (I added a few drops of dishwashing liquid, which helps the paper peel off but this is not a must), a rub-on tool or popsicle stick, and some images printed with LASER ink. Don't use inkjet, you'll just end up with an inky mess. Also, I put down some waxed paper to protect my work surface. Don't forget a big freakin' diet soda to sip on, this is very important.

Most packaging tapes come in rolls about 2 inches wide. Cut a piece of tape, and stick it directly to the front of your desired image. I used a cute little transportation symbol for this demonstration, just printed on a laser printer on regular paper, and cut out.


Rub over the packing tape with a rub-on tool, ruler, bone folder, etc to make sure there is good, solid contact between the ink of your image and the stickyness of the tape.

Now, just drop your image into the warm water and let it soak. The longer the better, but after about 2 minutes, you can start the next step.

Now, take your image out of the water, put it face down on your work surface, and start rubbing.

You may need to get it started with your fingernail, but once it's going, if you've soaked it long enough, it should not be too tough to get the paper to peel off just using the tip of your finger. Be careful not to scratch off any of the image.


I rinsed mine under the tap after dipping it one final time in the soapy water, and wallah... A cute clear embellishment you can use on your cards, sb layouts, or other projects. Pretty cool, huh? I even used some patterned paper (some worked, some didn't), a dictionary page, and a page from a crossword puzzle book, so feel free to experiment and see what works.

Below is a round card I made with this transparency, for a challenge at tallyscrapper to use only black, white, pink and green/blue. I'd love to see what you do, so feel free to leave a link to your project in the comments section! Enjoy & have a creative week!


4 comments:

Danielle Johnson said...

You must not be working today to have posted something this fun. This is a great idea. Thanks

Anonymous said...

holy cow woman! love this idea, i'm going to try it tonite!

Nellie Mae said...

This is a great idea!! Thanks for the techniques!!

Unknown said...

this is WONDERFUL! i'm going to try it right now.