The Homemade Home

Page 14

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quick idea china transfers copy all of your images onto a sheet

here’s the perfect way to display your children’s artwork. Transfer paper such as Lazertran allows you to transfer images permanently onto glazed ceramics and then “fix” the images by baking the ceramics in your oven. You can even wash the item afterward, though not in the dishwasher. (The technique can also be used if you varnish the ceramics afterward rather than baking them—for example, for a ceramic candleholder, which couldn’t be put in the oven because the candle would melt—but the design will not be as durable.)

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of paper the same size as your transfer paper, so that you don’t waste any. The images will be the mirror image of the final design. Ask a print shop to lazer copy it onto the transfer paper. At home, following the manufacturer’s directions, cut out each design, soak it in water until the transfer loosens from the backing sheet, then slide it face down onto the ceramic. Remove any air bubbles with your fingers

fix the design by baking the ceramic in the bottom of your oven at the lowest temperature possible for at least an hour, then very gradually increasing the temperature every quarter of an hour, up to a maximum of 400°F (200°C/gas mark 7) after two hours, until the image becomes shiny, like a glaze—the longer you take, the better it will look.

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