cute crafts: photo block

For Valentine's Day this year, I decided to get a little creative. I knew I wanted part of my gift to be photo-related but didn't want to give Quino yet another picture frame. After stumbling on this Photo Cube DIY on Pinterest few weeks ago, I knew exactly what I would be making. It's simple but so pretty. I'm even thinking of making a few for myself in place of buying more frames for the countless photos I'm constantly accumulating.

All you need is a wood block (if you're wondering why mine is green, it's because I used part of an old beam from my porch), Mod Podge, a paint brush, a sander and the photos you want to use. I chose black and white photos for a more cohesive look.
 
This being my first attempt into the world of Mod Podging, I have to say it wasn't difficult at all. You just brush the glue onto one side, place the picture on it and let it dry. I did 2 sides at a time, opposite each other on the block, so I could weigh both down at once (I used an old yearbook). Once it dried, a good 20 minutes later, I sanded the edges (it gives the block a really nice, rustic touch) and repeated the process until I had all of the sides covered.

After that, I sealed it all with layer of Mod Podge on top. I can't stress enough how important it is to paint in straight lines that start and end off the block when you do this step. Though the Mod Podge dries clear, you'll still see the texture of it and you don't want it to have any weird streaks.
 
While working on this particular project, I realized that most of my pictures would look strange if turned sideways. So instead of putting a photo on the bottom, I included a cute little note.

Since I also got Quino this amazing giant fortune cookie, I thought it would be perfect to package the block in a V-Day themed take-out box.