Wood Block Photo Tutorial

In my haste to find an inexpensive and unique gift for Chris' birthday, I was struck with an idea. As a photographer, he loves to see his photos on canvas. I obviously cannot afford canvases for all the photos I would love to display, so I headed to trusty Hobby Lobby with an idea and no clue how to make it reality. This is what I ended up with:

In reality, this was a super simple project. Here's how to do it:

Tools:

Pre-cut unfinished wood blocks in varying sizes
Black spray paint (craft enamel)
MOD PODGE!!! Are you surprised?
Sponge brush
Photos printed and cut to match the flat surface of the block
Sanding block

Steps:

1- Give the blocks a good even coat of spray paint. I did not cover the center completely, focusing mostly on the edges that will be visible. Thrifty, you know?

2- After paint is nice and dry, do a little touch up if you need to. Then, apply the photo to its appropriate sized block with Mod Podge. Once you have the photo placed, start applying Mod Podge over the photo in a cross hatch pattern, giving the photo a nice texture.









3- Let the Mod Podge dry before doing a second coat if needed. I really wanted a canvas texture, so I did a few coats then set them aside to dry for an afternoon.










4- You cannot really tell in this photo, but I used the sanding block to chip off some of the black paint. This gave the blocks a little antique feel.







Finished product. He flipped over them! I want to go back and make some two more of each size. I am thinking that you could make these into a little table stand by drilling a small hole and inserting a wooden dowel? I will try it next time!

        

She loved them too!

I used these new command photo hanging strips to hang these. Loved them!

So yeah! That is easy, right? As always, I hope you will make one of my simple little projects! I would love to see photos!