DIY Vintage Photo Stacking Blocks

This post was written as part of a campaign with The Blueprint Social. All opinions are my own.

Boys love to be silly! Our two boys ages 2 and 31/2 LOVE to be silly and make each other laugh. They will put a bucket on their head or their socks on their hands just to get the other to laugh. This warms my heart as they play together and I admit makes me laugh just listening to them giggle. They also love dressing up in silly clothes and costumes and play pretend. So, the other day I had a great idea to capture some of both of their loves silliness and dressing up to make a fun little gift for them that I knew would bring about hours of laughter! 

Last week, I created Vintage Photo Stacking Blocks of our boys in their favorite costumes for them to twist and turn, and laugh and giggle, as they matched Little Brother’s head with Big Brother’s legs, etc. I couldn’t wait to give this to them to see their reaction. I admit they were feeling a little under the weather when I took the photos so I did have to bribe them a little…  

When I surprised our boys with their DIY Vintage Photo Stacking Blocks at breakfast this week, they went crazy! They loved them and couldn’t stop twisting and turning to see what else they could create. Little Brother carried them around the house all morning and even tried stacking them side-by-side; although that didn’t quite work, he loved experimenting and giggling at their body parts all mixed up. Boys will be boys…  

Materials:

• Mod Podge Photo Transferring Medium
• Mod Podge Gloss
• 3 (2 inch) wooden blocks from your local craft store
• Camera
• Computer
• Printer
• Paintbrush
• Small Sponge

Directions:

Capturing/Editing the Photos:

1. Begin by deciding who you want to photograph. You can capture your entire family, your children, etc. Take everyone’s photo individually (up to 4 people per box set) in the same position being sure to capture their head to their feet.

2. Download the photos onto your computer and in your basic photo editor crop the pictures just above their head to just below their feet, cutting out all the ‘extra’. (*Note: If your photos have words on the clothing, be sure to reverse the photo in your editor!)

3. Save these images to your desktop, then click on them and resize them to 2 inches X 6 inches. (*Note: You may need to click a box to allow you to make them ‘disproportional’.)

4. When you photos are sized and ready, open a Word document, drag the photos onto the document then print!

Creating the Vintage Photo Stacking Blocks: 

5. Cut out your 2×6 photos. Place the head on a block for sizing. Fold it around the block to create slight folds where you need to cut the photo into thirds. Remove the photo and cut along the folds. (repeat for all 4 photos)

6. Lay the four ‘head’ sections out on parchment paper. Completely cover the photo side of them with Mod Podge Photo Transferring Medium.

7. Pull the photo up and stick it face down onto the block. Be sure to make sure all four photos are in the same direction. Use a ruler to smooth the photo down onto the wooden block.

8. Repeat steps 5-7  on to the ‘middle section’ blocks, then the ‘leg section’ blocks.

9. Allow to sit and dry for a complete 24 hours.

Finishing Your Vintage Photo Stacking Blocks:

10. After 24 hours, use a small sponge to wet one side of the block. Rub gently over the photo as the paper begins to peel away. Continue to get the block wet and rub until all the paper peels away leaving the photo on the block! {Kind of amazing right!?}

11. Repeat on each block on all four sides. All the blocks to dry.

12. Brush off any extra paper with a dry sponge/paint brush. Paint a layer of Mod Podge Gloss over each side of all four blocks. Set aside to dry.

Other finishing touches are optional, you could use a Mod Podge Glitter to paint over the photos for your little glitter-loving diva, or you could drill a hole down the center and insert a rod to create a twistable block set. The possibilities are endless! 

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Disclosure: This post was written as part of a campaign with The Blueprint Social. All opinions are my own.

My bloggy friend Jodi over at Meaningful Mama also ‘cubed’ her kids! Check out her tutorial HERE!

Mackenzie is a follower of Jesus, wife, mama of two toddler boys, teacher at heart, and coffee lover. She was a lower school elementary teacher for over 6 years, with a master's degree in Reading, and is a certificated Reading Specialist. She currently works part-time at a private school allowing her more time at home with her little guys.

Mackenzie has blogged 532 posts here.