Are you ready for the perfect rustic gift idea? How about rustic DIY photo transfers on wood! All you need for this DIY photo transfer is a great photo, a rustic piece of wood, and the right medium to help make the photo transfer easy. Seriously, it’s so easy you may have all your holiday gifts done in a jiffy.

Rustic DIY Photo Transfers

Okay, are you ready to learn the rustic DIY photo transfer process? Choose a photo and grab a piece of wood {either finished or unfinished}. Here are the best tips to help you succeed.

1. First, you need the right medium for this project. I like Mod Podge Photo Transfer medium. But don’t mistake it for regular Mod Podge, because it won’t work. The photo transfer medium gives your project a nice white opaque background. You can use it on dark items, like a dark wood, and it produces great results!
2. The next important step is to use the right type of photo for this project. For the best results, you must use photos that are printed on a dry toner printer. If you aren’t sure about the type of toner your printer uses, print a small photo and do a test run to see how it turns out. If you like the results, go ahead and do a bigger project.
3. Be careful about photos that have words in them. Before printing, reverse the photo so the words print backwards. Once you complete the rustic DIY photo transfer, the words will appear correctly in your project.
4. Once you have your photo printed and the wood ready for the transfer, use a foam brush to paint the Mod Podge Photo Transfer Medium onto the photo. Brush it on until the photo is completely covered–with nothing peeking through.
5. Now apply the photo to the wood surface, with the medium against the wood.
6. Rub the photo against the wood surface, smoothing out any air bubbles. Use a credit card or rolling-pin to ensure the photo is thoroughly smooth against the wood, with no ridges or bumps.
7. Here’s the hardest part–wait 24 hours for your project to dry!
8. Once the rustic DIY photo transfer is completely dry, use a damp cloth to rub away the paper from your photo.
9. If desired, lightly sand around the photo edges to give it even more of a rustic look.

That’s it! Note that this rustic DIY photo transfer doesn’t have to be on wood–you could transfer your photo to metal using the very same steps. Before you go, check out some additional DIY photo gift ideas!