A note from Aimee: This blog post first appeared on The Crazy Craft Lady in September 2017. It has since been updated to bring you the best, most current creative content.
Video Tutorial: Photos on Glass
Watch this quick video to see how this craft came together:
How to Add Photos to Glass
You won’t believe how easy it is to add photos to glass. Follow this simple tutorial to make image transfer glass jars. Learn how to add any image to a glass surface!
Materials
- Glass jars – empty and clean. Remove the labels with Goo Gone, and wash with warm soapy water. Or else you can buy Mason jars from the craft store.
- Image(s)
- Clear packing tape
- Craft scissors
- Crafts bone folder (or else I just use the edge of a credit card)
- Bowl of lukewarm water
- Sand – give this a try if you don’t have a beach nearby
- White votive candles
Instructions
Prepare your image
This is really important, and you need to follow these instructions carefully:
- Skinny, vertical images or smaller images work best. Remember that you are constricted by the width of the packing tape.
- White space in images will appear clear when transferred, so choose your image carefully.
- Print your image on a laser printer, and NOT on an inkjet printer. The printer you have at home is likely an inkjet printer. I usually load my image onto a flash drive and take it to my local printer (think Fedex/Kinkos or Office Max) to print in color. Or else, if you already have a hard copy of the picture, you can go make a color photocopy.
- Use regular weight printer paper – NOT photo paper. No special edits are necessary.
Transfer your image
- Trim your image down to the width of the packing tape. Lay your image flat and smooth a piece of packing tape over the image. Use a bone folder or the edge of a credit card to remove any bubbles.
- Dip the packing tape in water. Gently rub away the paper with your fingers, leaving just the image behind.
- Lay the packing tape sticky-side-up to air dry. Do not dry with a towel. After the packing tape air dries, it will be sticky again, so you can just press your image right onto a glass jar.
- The images are easiest to see when there is something white in the jar, so I added sand and white votive candles. Plus the sand perfectly complimented my beach vacation photos!
A note from Aimee: This blog post first appeared on The Crazy Craft Lady in September 2017. Here’s the original version of this craft from 2017:
Image Transfer on Glass with Packing Tape
You won’t believe how easy it is to add photos to glass. Follow this simple tutorial to make image transfer glass jars. Learn how to add any image to a glass surface!
Did you know how easy it is to transfer images onto glass? All you need is your image and packing tape!
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Supplies needed for this image transfer craft:
- glass jars – empty and clean. Remove the labels with Goo Gone, and wash with warm soapy water. Or else you can buy Mason jars from the craft store.
- Image(s)
- Clear packing tape
- Craft scissors
- Crafts bone folder (or else I just use the edge of a credit card)
- Bowl of lukewarm water
Optional supplies to make photo luminaries
- Sand – give this a try if you don’t have a beach nearby
- White votive candles
Tutorial – How to Transfer an Image to Glass
Watch this quick video:
Prepare your image. This is really important, and you need to follow these instructions carefully:
- Skinny, vertical images or smaller images work best. Remember that you are constricted by the width of the packing tape.
- White space in images will appear clear when transferred, so choose your image carefully.
- Print your image on a laser printer, and NOT on an inkjet printer. The printer you have at home is likely an inkjet printer. I usually load my image onto a flash drive and take it to my local printer (think Fedex/Kinkos or Office Max) to print in color. Or else, if you already have a hard copy of the picture, you can go make a color photocopy.
- Use regular weight printer paper – NOT photo paper. No special edits are necessary.
Transfer your image. Trim your image down to the width of the packing tape. Lay your image flat and smooth a piece of packing tape over the image. Use a bone folder or the edge of a credit card to remove any bubbles.
Dip the packing tape in water. Gently rub away the paper with your fingers, leaving just the image behind.
Lay the packing tape sticky-side-up to air dry. Do not dry with a towel. After the packing tape air dries, it will be sticky again, so you can just press your image right onto a glass jar.
The images are easiest to see when there is something white in the jar, so I added sand and white votive candles. Plus the sand perfectly complimented my beach vacation photos!
Packaging Tape Crafts You Must Try
This craft was part of a compilation video over on my YouTube Channel, along with DIY Washi Tape using Packing Tape, Dollar Tree Craft: DIY Distressed Notepad Holder, Dollar Tree DIY: Distressed Chippy Kitchen Sign, DIY Pressed Flower Bookmarks… Using Packing Tape!, DIY Image Transfer Candle Craft (Dollar Tree Hack!), Photos on Glass – This DIY is Easier Than You Might Think, DIY Packing Tape Stickers.