DIY Wood Block Photo Stands

I love photographs. I have a box stuffed and full of pictures I have taken or have had taken throughout the years. There are my friends and me, bored from living in a small town, staging ourselves in a group in interesting places. Like in the bathroom. 🙂 Then there are the pictures of dance recitals, before pics of big dances and prom, me in a little red skirt next to the football field on a Friday night. Through college, I kept with photography. You’ll find pics of my dorm room (tiny though it was still my home for a whole school year!), the cutest images ever of my very first dog as an adult… Virgil the wire fox terrier.

These days I still take pictures of my pets (erm, like a lot of pictures of my pets) and now I take tons and tons of my family. Little nephews growing up, children of friends a head taller than the last time I’ve seen them, they’re all snap-worthy scenes.

I have so many photographs in little boxes in the closets of my home and on thumb drives and even my iPhone but not so many in real life, sitting on my tables or hanging on my walls. After seeing some wood pieces that my father saved, because he saves every single piece of scrap no matter the size or shape of it, they looked like the perfect little stands to display some of my fave Instagram pics through the years.

For this project you will need:

• Scrap 2×4 wood pieces
• Mitre box
• Saw (I’m using a $4 hacksaw)
• Wood stain
• Sealer or glossy Mod Podge

Looking through all of the scraps I found that odd bits from 2×4 boards looked the best for my little 4×4 Instagram prints. Look through what you have and think about the size of your photos to help you choose.

This is a hack saw and that yellow plastic thing is a miter box. My miter box I’ve screwed onto yet another piece of scrap wood. I don’t have tons and tons of upper arm strength (I’m a squishy weakling) so that board gives the box more weight so I have to hold down less tight when sawing. I also only use the miter box on the floor so that I can get more leverage. Use yours, however, works best for you.

There are different slits to use as guides for making cuts. You need the one that will cut on a 45-degree angle like seen above.

Hold your block in place and begin sawing in that slot into your wood. Take care to hold your piece of wood very steady so you get a nice, clean-cut. Cut down about 1/4 to 3/4 inch depending on the size of your photo.

Again I’m weak so in order to have both sides equally deep (because the far side will cut deeper on me), I have to turn everything around and give a few saws the other way. You may or may not need to bother with this.

Test out your blocks and make sure your pics sit comfortably in. Make the slot deeper if necessary.

Repeat the process for your other scraps.

Right now this is just a scrap of wood with a deep, well-placed scratch in it! To make it look more like something you’d want on your nightstand we’re going to stain it.

Use any color you please painting the stain on and allow it to sit a moment…

…then wiping it off. Give some time to dry. I actually set mine aside for about a day but a few hours is cool too.

Finish by sealing with a shiny varnish or glossy Mod Podge. I like Mod Podge because there are no crazy fumes and I can use it inside! Allow drying completely.

In the event that it is difficult to insert the photo or have it sit evenly, use an emery board or a pocket knife to clean the slit out from the sealer that seeped in there.

Set on a table these blocks are simple and understated but still awesome looking.

Being that these are so simple the photos really take center stage.

These are a great gift idea for Mom! Make a couple of blocks and print some of her best Instagram snaps (or yours) for her to enjoy and cycle through having out! Be sure to stain in her favorite color, too!

Allison

A crafter since her earliest years, Allison spends a little time every day making something. She crafts, sews, paints, glues things onto other things, and is a firm believer that a life spent creating is a life worth living. Visit Allison’s blog, Dream {a Little} BIGGER.