Last Minute Christmas Gift Idea!

Recently I saw a video from Naomi Smart, here, 

and thought it was the cutest Christmas DIY ever!

Wooden Christmas ornaments with personalized photos on them!

Naomi made some wooden personalized christmas ornaments and it seemed so simple that I figured I'd give it a try and let you guys know some tips and tricks from personal experience!

I think this makes such a great gift because it's personal and it actually does take some effort, so it's 

a lot better than just a gift card.

Naomi ordered her wooden pieces from etsy, but I ordered some wooden slices from ebay! The wooden pieces I ordered were actually from a city in Texas, so it arrived quickly! All you need to search on ebay is "wooden slices" and there are so many options that will pop up. The number of slices varies depending on seller, but when you compare it to etsy, ebay sellers sell a lot more for your money. Ebay listings for wooden slices usually come in bulk in groups such as 28 or even 70; etsy sells smaller amounts such as 9. I think etsy wooden slices are a little more posh and clean, but the ones from ebay sellers are more unique and different from one another (a little more rustic looking).

following Naomi's video, I printed out photos that I wanted to put on the wooden slices on regular paper. I resized the photos on Word and printed them from Word and then I cut out the shape after tracing the photos from the wooden slices. I would suggest to pick photos where the main focus of the photo are smaller and further away (not close ups) because then it is easier to trace and fit onto the wooden slices. Also, learning from my little mistakes, I would also recommend finding photos that do not have a lot of color in the background (dark or super blue sky backgrounds will use too much ink and cause bleeding on the wood)

Next, I went into actually pasting the photos onto the wooden slices. I used Liquitex Basic gloss gel medium (use with acrylic paint), just like Naomi. You just need to put a thin even coat of this gloss on the front side of the photo and place it onto the wood. I think, after some mess ups, the easiest way to place the wet photo onto the wooden slices is to have the photo in your palm and place the wooden piece onto the paper instead of trying to place the photo onto the wooden piece. 

p.s. don't forget to flip your photo if you're going to use any words! 

following Naomi's advice, I left my pieces to dry over night, but I think if you're really in a rush, a couple of hours is fine as well. You will see some red ink on the white side of the paper as it starts to dry, that is normal!

The next part, I didn't actually take any photos, but it is the step where you will remove the top layer of what paper, leaving the inked image behind. In Namoi's video she didn't specify what type of cloth would be best to do this, so some of my ornaments came out a little messed up. I would recommend using a white piece of cloth because when I used a different colored cloth, the color of that cloth actually attached to the image. Also, do not expect to keep the cloth you use, it's pretty much going to be ruined after this project. You simply run a small piece of the cloth under water and gently rub the paper off and you will start to see your beautiful image left behind!

After that, let the pieces dry for 30 minutes or so, and then go in with the Mod Podge and coat the image with another nice thin layer. Let it dry over night or a couple of hours and you should be good.

To actually hang this cute ornament up, you're going to need a hole to stick some string through. My father had a drill and I just drilled a small hole at the top of each ornament! 

The last part is to decorate your wooden slice however you want! I had some left over twine from a pervious DIY and so I just stuck a piece through the hole and one advice from Naomi that I think is so important is that you need to tie a knot at the very top of the wooden slice and then tie another knot at the top where the loose ends are so that the ornament hands with the face out, not swinging on the side. (the photo will be more easy to understand) 

Naomi decorated some of her ornaments with bows and I decided to do the same. I bought the ribbon and leather string from Hobby Lobby, and the ribbons were actually on sale, so they were super cheap. I tied the ribbon/leather string into small bows and hot glued them to the top of the wooden slice where I drilled the holes. 

there you have it! A super cute and personalized gift that is perfect for anyone and everyone because it's the thought and effort that matters! I hope my tips helped make Naomi Smart's video more clear and easy to follow! 

Merry Christmas! 

from Jackie