My 50 Cent Art Piece

Well it has been a long time coming but I am finally displaying several of Cole and I's wedding photos. Yeah we spent way too much on a wedding photographer and to this day have not printed or hung any of the photos from our wedding. A couple months ago I found this amazing tutorial video on how to transfer black and white photos to wood (click here for the video). If I knew how easy it really was I would have started doing them back then. The best part about this project is that the pictures cost less than a buck to make.

The first thing I had to do was get my booty out the door and to my local Home Depot for some lumber. That's when the greatest thing ever happened. I was in the lumber section having a nice man cut my board into nine pieces for me (yeah they will cut the wood down for you) when I discovered the cull bin!!!! The cull bin is where all the leftover cut or warped wood goes. The best part about the cull bin is that the pieces are priced at $.50 to $2.00. I probably looked like a nut job digging through the bin but I bought a ton of great lumber to print my pictures on. Make sure you find lighter colored wood. Here is a picture of Lucy and I leaving with our loot. Yes Lucy is bare foot but its because I can't for the life of me keep shoes or socks on her.

Then I got all of my supplies together:

Wood- The long piece $.50 Woop woop

Black and White pictures on regular white paper $0.00 (printed them from home)

Modge Podge (had it)

Gel Medium (had it)

scissors to trim pictures

paint brush

and yes a Busch Light (remember cheap is the name of the game and it makes crafting more fun)

 Add a layer of the gel medium to the board. I added a generous amount.

Then lay down your photo or photos in my case. I decided to do a series of four from when Cole and I cut our wedding cake. By far my favorite photos from our big day and who would have guessed how cheap I could display them. Make sure you press them down and get all the bubbles out. Then I let them sit and dry overnight.

The next morning I took a rag and wetted down the picture

 Then I rubbed the paper off the board to expose the picture. So cool to see your picture expose before your eyes.

Don't rub too hard or else you will rub right through the picture. Yikes, this is where I started to get frustrated. It all worked out in the end though.

 The picture will have some white fuzzies. I'm wondering if I used a different type of paper or sanded the board then maybe the fuzzies would not have been an issue.

 All rubbed off and waiting for a coat of Modge Podge....

Tada... See how the Modge Podge hides the paper and makes the black POP. I decided to paint a few words on the bottom..."Eat Your Cake Baby." Since we were smashing it in each others faces.

Here is a smaller one I did. You can see how the Modge Podge adds a nice sheen. I had the gloss version.

Here is my finished product. I think I am going to hang it above the window in our dining area. I mean it does deal with food!

Look at Cole and his muscles... What a hottie! (He's holding it cause I haven't decided exactly where I want to put it but I wanted to share it ASAP cause I loved it so.)

If and when I do this 100 more times for wedding gifts, birthday gifts, every type of gifts, I think I will sand my board and try a color copy. Try it out and tell me what you think. Oh and make sure you check out the video I linked above because its awesome and she makes it look way easier!