Tutorial Tuesdays- How to Use Glass Transfer Paper

Hi Everyone!

As promised, I made this Tuesday's tutorial about glass transfer paper.  It is so much fun and simple to work with.

I love making candles and vases from old jars and containers, which are perfect for vintage images from transfer paper.

Find a peanut butter jar, pickle jar, or flour container to decorate.

All you need is:

• Lazertran Brand Glass Transfer Paper (for an inkjet printer). I ordered mine from DickBlick.  It is around $22 for 12 sheets of paper.
• Ink Jet Printer
• Images to Print
• Glass object
• Glass paint (I use Pebeo 160 non-toxic paints).  I make sure to have a Gloss Medium and Iridescent Blue paint on hand at all times.  You can order this paint from Dick Blick, but it is also available at Michaels craft stores.
• Glass Cloissone Paint in Pewter by Pebeo for outlining.  This gives a stained glass effect.
• Various sizes of paint brushes including detail brushes

Quick Tip-  This project to do all three glass vases cost me less than $15.00!  The candle in the largest jar was only $8.00.  I plan to make my own candles very soon, once I order the wax.  

1.  Figure out what glass object you want to decorate and find the images you would like to use.  I love vintage images, so I go to Graphics Fairy to find them.  They are free!

2.  Print out your images onto the transfer paper (the images will print on the matte, egg shell side of the paper).  Let the images sit for at least 1/2 hour so the ink can set.

3.  Cut out your images and then as you are ready to apply them, let them soak in a dish of water.  The image will curl up in the water.  Let it sit for around a minute, then pull out the image and peel the plastic backing from it.  This reveals the adhesive.

Do you see the backing coming off onto my finger?

4.  Place the image on the glass.  It may slide around a bit, so be gentle when placing it.  Gently push out any air bubbles you may see. Again, use care when doing this so the ink does not run or smear.

5.  You can slightly layer your transfer images, making a collage, but the images may not adhere completely when they are sitting on paper instead of glass.  If that is the case, when they are dry, just paint the back of the image with clear glass paint and re-apply.  You can also make your own collage with Photoshop or Picnik before printing it out.

I cut a printed butterfly in half and attached each wing to each child in this image, turning them into fairies.  I had to add a bit of clear glass paint to make them stick (Pebeo 160 Gloss Medium).

6.  Paint all of the images with clear glass paint so they shine and look more like a part of the glass itself.  Once that coat dries, you can leave it or add more color.  I like to add iridescent blue Pebeo 160 glass paint so my images shimmer and shine in the sunlight.

I merged three different images together in photoshop before printing out the kids at the fireside.

Then you can turn your jars into vases or candle holders- whatever you like.  You can even use this idea for dressing up the "recipe-in-a-jar" ideas which are wonderful during the holidays.  In fact, I will definitely do that this fall.  I will do a pumpkin spice cookie or something of the sort in a jar decorated with Fall leaves or a gorgeous vintage Winter scene...yay! 

Anyway, if you have questions, as always, feel free to post a comment.

Happy Crafting!

I painted the inside of this jar with waving seaweed to add dimension.