Journaling: Transferring Images with Con-Tact Paper

You can make journal pages much more interesting by layering multiple images and text. There are many ways to transfer an image onto a page....so I'll be doing several posts with different techniques. Below I'll show you how to use clear Con-Tact paper (the stuff used for drawer liners and textbook covers). Many people use packing tape for this same technique, but I think it is too limiting because it's size.

Below are three journal pages where I used Con-Tact paper to place an image or text as a layer. 

Materials needed:

Clear Con-Tact paper

A photocopied image (inkjet will not work)

My photocopy is a quote written by Sabrina Ward Harrison in one of her books. I love her handwriting!

Cut out your Con-Tact paper to cover the portion of the photocopy that you want to transfer.

Peel the backing off the Con-Tact paper.....

......and place on your photocopy.

Use your fingernail or another object (I'm using a bone folder in the photo) to burnish the top of the Con-Tact paper to make sure it adheres well.

Cut off the excess paper surround the image.

Place the photocopy/Con-Tact paper into a bowl of warm water......

...and gently begin rubbing the wet paper off of the Con-Tact paper.

The photocopied image will be left behind.

To adhere it to your page or canvas you can use matte medium, clear glue or modge podge. I use matte medium in my journals because it doesn't cause the pages to stick together over time. I put some matte medium directly on the page and then spread it out using a paint brush.

Then I placed the transferred image on the page......

....and brushed the excess matte medium over the top and made sure to push out any air bubbles. 

Finished! An easy and foolproof way to make those pages more interesting. 

(My mother is going to LOVE that I have this photo of her in a swimsuit when she was younger on my blog.....but she was Miss Teenage Maryland, I think she should show it off!)