Fun with Tiles

I have more than a ton of photos lying around. Between my 35mm photographs, old polaroids, new 5x5 prints, I could use some organizing. But within all the thousands of prints, I have managed to keep aside my favorite prints. They are scanned and organized on separate storage drives for easy access. This library is still a work in progress, but nonetheless any organization is a huge accomplishment for me. I've moved 8 times in 10 years so keeping things organized has been a challenge. I just got a digital camera last year, so I'm bit behind on the digital age. Hence the large amount of prints lying around.

So when I was looking for a real organic, earthy shot to print onto this travertine tile I bought at Home Depot, I thought this shot of the birch tree was a good choice. It was taken in Vermont in the fall of 1999. It is originally in color, but I prefer it in black and white so I got rid of the color in Photoshop. I think the scaling bark works well with the pock marks in the tile and makes for an overall earthy, and serviceable, piece of art. If you choose to do this craft project, I would suggest an equally organic subject for the photograph you use. And make sure you buy lots of tiles to practice with. The transferring can take a few times to perfect. Don't worry about breaking the budget on this project, because the tiles only cost anywhere from 33 cents to 94 cents a piece at the hardware store. So this just might be the cheapest, yet coolest craft ever.

To make the tile, follow these steps:

Note: I own a heat press because I make t-shirts, but a hand iron on the hottest setting (no steam) will work well, too, you just need to keep the heat over the transfer paper longer since it is not as hot as a heat press.

1. Start by printing your favorite image and cut it out along the edges of the photograph, with or without a border.





2. Make sure your image fits within the dimensions of the tile.






3. Prep the tile by heating the tile with the hand iron or the heat press.






4. Place the cut piece of transfer paper with your image face down on the tile. Press the heat down on the image with either the hand iron or the heat press. Follow the directions on the packaging of the transfer paper for heat settings and timing. Like I mentioned above, this is definitely the most trial-and-error portion of the craft project. Make sure you purchase a few tiles to practice on.







5. When your tile is completely cooled, cover the tile with a satin varnish to protect it. Depending on the end usage of the tile, you may need a couple coats. And that's it!






Once you've figured out the right heat settings and timing, it's a piece of cake. I found that with my heat press, I set the heat at 300 degrees and pressed for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. I also used the hand iron to even out the corners. This was a pretty pock marked tile so it was a bit of a challenge, so you might find if you use a smoother tile results will be much easier to attain. Good luck with this one! I found it to be lots of fun and really rewarding, and possibly a great cheap Christmas gift. Moms will love this one with a special picture of their baby on it!

Possible uses:
Coaster
Hot plate
Frame it in a shadow box for a piece of art
For larger tiles, place in a plate holder to display

Have any other uses? Let me know!!

P.S. - If you plan to use as a coaster or hot plate, purchase cork board and hot glue it to the bottom as a cushion.