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    Home » Craft Tutorials

    Silver Leaf Transparency Photos

    May 3, 2010 By Brandy 10 Comments

    Transform any photo into a vintage looking print with gold or silver leaf transparency photos! These make great wedding gifts and are a fun project to make at craft afternoons with friends. This post contains affiliate links.

    black frame with black and white temple image inside
    I am making these temple photos with the young women at church this week. I taught a class several years ago in Kodiak for the women and it was a lot of fun. I had some supplies left over so I thought the girls would like to each have a temple photo in their room!
    These are very simple to make.

    Silver Leaf Transparency Photos

    First you'll need to decide on a photo that you'd like to use. If you are LDS and looking for a temple image you can print them for free on the church website.

    Note: If your printer is like mine and doesn't print on transparencies, you can take your photo that has been printed on plain copy paper and have Fed Ex/Kinkos print it onto a transparency for about .75.
    Then, lightly spray the back side of the transparency with spray adhesive (found at Walmart).
    Now comes the fun and messy part. Take sheets of imitation gold or silver leaf and gently lay them on the back of the photo. They don't have to fall perfectly or line up with each other. The messier the better because it gives it a cool vintage look. Keep laying the silver leaf sheets on until the entire surface is covered. Use a tissue/kleenex to dab the back to smooth out the silver leaf. If you use your fingers, it'll just stick to your fingers.

    Silver Leaf Transparency Photos

    black frame with black and white temple image inside

    Transform any photo into a vintage looking print with gold or silver leaf transparency photos! These make great wedding gifts and are a fun project to make at craft afternoons with friends.

    • transparency page
    • spray craft adhesive
    • silver leaf sheets
    • kleenex
    • scissors
    1. Print out black and white photo onto a clear transparency page.

    2. Then, lightly spray the back side of the transparency with spray adhesive.

    3. Now comes the fun and messy part. Take sheets of imitation gold or silver leaf and gently lay them on the back of the photo.

    4. Keep laying the silver leaf sheets on until the entire surface is covered. Use a tissue/kleenex to dab the back to smooth out the silver leaf. If you use your fingers, it'll just stick to your fingers.
    5. Turn your transparency over and you will see your black and white image with a beautiful silver background. Trim it down to fit into your frame.

    The image shown here is a 3.5"x5". It only took 1 ½ sheets of silver leaf.

    5 more activities to make with Young Women:

    Prayer Bracelets
    Scripture Cookies
    Fluffy Flip Flops
    Double Sided Tissue Pouch
    Bottle Cap Key Chains

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    About Brandy

    Welcome! I'm Brandy, mother to 5 darling kiddos and a cute black lab named Toby. My husband is in the Coast Guard so we've lived all over the place, turning each house into a home. I love baking, sewing, making cute things with my kids, and sharing what I've learned with all of you!

    Comments

    1. Robert Scott says

      February 06, 2013 at 9:17 am

      I like this, Goldandsilveronline.com provide gold and silver products for wide range at affordable price, and you find Best place to buy silver and gold online. We create Buy silver online a simple process! Just call us for the free gold information kit that outlines the advantages of precious metals and how to buy gold and silver online.
      Buying gold coins online

      Reply
    2. LaKeta says

      May 09, 2010 at 3:34 am

      Your blog is darling! I love the craft idea(s)....and enjoyed looking around:)

      Reply
    3. Santa's Gift Shoppe and Ideas says

      May 06, 2010 at 3:10 pm

      Hi.. I'm Barb from Santa's Gift Shoppe Year Round..I found you @ Life as Lori Link Party..Love your blog..I've been in the church 35 yrs. & have always wanted to do these...so thanks for sharing..I think I will try these sometime.

      I'm your newest follower. If you get a chance I'd love for you to stop by my blog @
      santasgiftshoppe.blogspot.com
      and see if there is anything that will inspire you for your family/home. I hope you will follow me as well. Nice meeting ya new friend!!

      Reply
    4. Melissa says

      May 06, 2010 at 1:00 pm

      Very, very cool...I will have to get out some of the girls and get to work!!

      Reply
    5. Red Door Home says

      May 04, 2010 at 11:11 pm

      A great idea! Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    6. ificould says

      May 04, 2010 at 6:20 am

      What a beautiful craft idea! Where did you print the picture from? I'm gonna have to make this! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    7. Brooke says

      May 03, 2010 at 8:33 pm

      I love it! Now if I can only convince my husband to move to Ohio and then we could really have a hayday crafting!

      Reply
    8. Shan B. says

      May 03, 2010 at 8:25 pm

      I like this...very nice!! Maybe I'll mention this at one of my next meetings. It would be a great gift too!!

      Reply
    9. MarySue says

      May 03, 2010 at 5:04 pm

      I've just become a follower of your darling blog. Thanks for inspiration and directions.

      Reply
    10. Charlotte says

      May 03, 2010 at 4:51 pm

      We made these back in the day at YW too. We used photo copied line drawings instead, but I like the photos better. It's classier. Not to mention that silver is cooler than the gold we used. But what can I say? It was the early 90s.

      Reply

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