Photo Cubes- How To

To make them {caution-I tend to get very detailed when asked

for instructions so please only take what you need :0}  I cut down a

4x4.  The 4x4 board is only really 3 1/4-3 1/2", but each board tends

to vary a little, plus I sand off a little, so measure first how wide

your board really is, then cut the blocks that high (between 3 1/4-3

1/2" tall).  Sand the rough spots.  Don't worry too much about cracks

in the sides of the blocks.  You can fill them if you want, but really

you only see just a tiny bit because all but the bottom side are

covered by photos.  Paint them all, I design the labels for a blue

cube, regardless of the theme, so that it fits into the Blue and Gold

idea.  When painting, if you are tight on time, or just a little lazy

like myself, you can just paint the edges that will show and not the

whole block-again, the center of the sides will be covered by

pictures.

Once the blocks are ready, I cut the pictures down to the 3" square.

I like to use modge podge to attach the pictures, but you can also

spray glue the backs, my friend uses UHU glue sticks for her projects,

or, dare I say, even just Elmers Glue will work fine to attach the

pictures.  I use a foam brush, brush on a nice layer of modge podge to

one side of the block, then attach one particular picture.  Then I

take an old credit card or spent gift card and lightly swipe over the

picture to get any bubbles out from underneath and to spread the glue

out evenly.  You will have some glue come out from underneath, but try

not to scrape too hard.  You don't want to have all of your modge

podge taken out and your picture not to stick.

Once I have that one picture on all of my cubes, I will go back to the

first one and do the next given picture.  I continue on with them

until I have all of the pictures on the cube where I want them.  Now,

go back and apply a top coat of modge podge (or varnish/clear

polyurethane) to the entire cube.  I find it helps to let the cubes

dry before this final coat to prevent bubbling of the photos.

Typically, I use BBQ skewers to place the cubes on once covered in the

top coat so they don't end up stuck to the table.  Oh, and that is the

other thing.  Do NOT use newspaper or any other kind of paper to

protect your table.  It will stick to the paint and/or glue making

your cubes a mess.  I use plastic, like grocery or garbage bags cut

open, to cover the table.  Plastic will not stick like paper.  So,

with plastic on my table, I lay down BBQ skewers, paint the top coat

of glue on the blocks, and then place on the skewers to dry (1-2 hrs

minimum, preferably overnight, to keep the blocks from sticking to

each other)  Then you are good to go!