I love Instagram.  It is such a great way to chronicle day to day life.  The effects it gives pictures is right up my alley too, so I’ve been looking for a way to incorporate some of them in my decor.

 

Recently I got a box of goodies from Mod Podge that gave me a great Instagram idea.  You see, they have this great product called “Photo Transfer Medium” that can transfer photos from a piece of paper to virtually any surface {wood, metal, glass, fabric…probably rocks and plastic and cement too – if you ever wanted pictures on them}.

 

So I decided to make an Instagram Gallery Wall, and I. Love. It.

 

 

Here’s the steps to make your own Instagram Gallery Wall:

 

1.  Print out some Instagram pictures on my home printer.  The key here is that they must be inkjet prints on regular paper.  Not photos.  Not laser prints.  Cut them exactly to fit your surface.  I used 4.5 in. x 4.5 in. wood squares I found at Michaels.

 

 

 

2.  Prep your surface by laying down wax paper.  With the photo facing UP, paint the photo transfer medium onto the image.  You want it to be thick…about 1/16th of an inch thick.  You should not be able to see the image through the medium {though, the longer you leave it, the more you see the image show through}.

 

 

 

3.  Carefully pick up the cream covered image by the corners and place it face down on the surface you are transferring the image onto.  Gently tap it into place and carefully smooth the surface – without squeezing the medium out.  Let image sit for 24 hours {longer if it’s humid}.

 

 

 

4.  After 24 hours, get a sponge or rag wet and lay it over the image to dampen the entire back of the paper {like putting on a temporary tatoo}.

 

 

5.  Squeeze out the sponge or rag until it’s just damp.  Using a circular motion, gently begin rubbing the paper until it starts to peel away.  BE. VERY. GENTLE.  If you aren’t careful, you’ll remove the image as well.  When you have rubbed off a layer of paper, let your image dry.  If you still feel as if you need to get more paper off, repeat steps 4 & 5.

 

 

On some pictures I rubbed too hard and started rubbing the image off.  Oops.

 

 

If you feel necessary, you can paint over your final image with Mod Podge to seal and preserve it {that’s what I did}.

 

 

 

On a few of them I tore the paper at the edges too.  Double oops.

 

 

Your images will look a bit worn, but that’s kind of the Instagram idea, isn’t it?

 

I cannot stress enough that this product takes practice.  Lots and lots of practice.  But I love the results!

 

 

 

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This post was written as part of a campaign with The Blueprint Social. All opinions are my own.