Temporary Tattoos - DIY

I've been really into temp tattoos these days. There are SO many cute ones out there. I've contemplated whether or not I want to get a real tattoo, but I could never think of anything I'd permanently want on my body, so maybe that's why I love temp tattoos so much.

I made some temp tattoos for Erin's 1st birthday party last year. It took a little bit of work, but I think it was worth it. I got a portrait of Erin's face made from Jordyluxe (so happy with how it turned out). I made some other designs and put them all together. With Erin's 2nd birthday coming up, thought it would be fun to do it again. Here's a little how-to.

What you'll need:

1. Your design
2. Temporary Tattoo paper (I used Silhouette Tattoo Paper and Papilio Tattoo Paper)
3. Printer

How to make the temp tattoos:

1. After you've created your design, make sure you flip the images so its mirrored. If you don't do this, your images will turn out incorrectly when it comes time for applying the tattoo. 
2. You'll need to know whether you'll be using a laser printer or an inkjet printer before buying the tattoo paper. You'll need to buy tattoo paper according to which type of printer you're using. I've tried using a laser printer with an inkjet tattoo paper...it doesn't work.
3. Once you are all set with matching paper and printer, its time to start printing. Make sure you print on the glossy/somewhat sticky side.
4. After you've printed your design on the tattoo paper, the hardest step comes next. You'll have to apply the adhesive sheet to the tattoo paper. Gently peel the adhesive sheet from its backing and align it with your tattoo paper. Start at one end of the paper and grab a book or magazine and use that to help with applying it to the rest of the paper. You don't want any air bubbles so try your best to rub/press them all out!
5. After you've made sure that the adhesive sheet is properly on the tattoo paper, you can start cutting out your designs. I didn't use any fancy craft cutting machine for this, just a pair of decent scissors. 
6. Time to apply your tattoo! Have a wet cloth handy and peel off the clear adhesive sheet. Once you've decided where you want to put the tattoo, hold it down and keep the wet cloth on it for a few minutes. (You don't need to wait long after you've applied to the adhesive sheet to cut and apply the tattoos)

*Make sure your images have a transparent background and not a white one. If you have a white colored background, the tattoo will come out with a white background.
*The temporary tattoo paper is actually a bit pricey (especially if you aren't buying in bulk) so try to squeeze in as many designs as you can on each sheet.
*Don't peel off the adhesive sheet all at once. Apply it little by little.You're less likely to get air bubbles that way. 

Here's what my designs looked like:                                                                              

Finished product:

Hope this was helpful. Happy tattoo making!