Photo Vases

Mother's Day is right around the corner, and what mom doesn’t love flowers?  Make her day extra special by making her a homemade vase with some of her favorite photos!

Supplies:

• Clean vase with smooth sides
• Clear packing tape
• Large bowl with warm water
• Mod Podge
• Old credit card or similar sized card
• Paintbrush
• Scissors
• Assortment of favorite photos

Optional Items:

• Blow dryer
• Towel
• Newspaper or other old paper to protect your workspace

Directions:

1. Take each photo and completely cover it with packing tape.  I found a standard photo took me 3 pieces of tape to cover the whole photo.  Use the old credit card to smooth out tape and air bubbles as you lay the tape onto the photo. Cut away excess tape from the sides of your picture.  Repeat for as many photos as you would like. 
2. Place photos covered in tape into warm water and allow to sit for around 5-7 minutes until the back of the photo starts to pull off. Leave the photos in longer if needed.  Rub the paper off the back of the photos using your fingers.  The photo image should remain on the tape.
3. Air dry photos face up on your workspace for around 30 minutes.  Photos must be completely dry before they will attach to the vase.  Use a blow dryer on a cool, low setting if desired.   
4. Once photos are dry, lay out your photos to make a collage of them.  You can trim your photos if you would like some to be smaller. 
5. One at a time, apply Mod Podge to the back of a photo, placing the photos onto the vase as you go.  You may need to hold the photo down for a few seconds to get it to stick to the vase.  Use the old credit card to smooth the photos onto the vase.  Please note Mod Podge will dry clear.                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
6. Once all photos have been applied to the vase, cover the whole vase with a layer of Mod Podge.  Allow the vase to dry for 24 hours and then apply another layer of Mod Podge.
7. Add flowers on Mother's Day and watch Mom's face light up when she receives this awesome gift!

Janelle Cumro-Sultzer lives in Overland Park with her husband, two children and two dogs. Janelle is a former health care executive director and is a mediator in Kansas, helping families in conflict. Janelle loves to focus on learning through play and getting messy with crafts.