Instagram Inspired Gift {Tutorial!}

Yesterday evening when my husband returned home from work, our daughter did her normal routine: attached herself to his leg until bedtime. Can someone say Daddy's Girl?? Lately, she's been super intrigued by the guitars hanging on his office wall (hey, the dude gets one room in the house, in which to hang whatever he pleases). Yesterday, I snapped this picture of them "playing" guitar and posted it on Instagram. I think this picture just about sums up the sweet relationship they have. 

Later in the evening, I was inspired by a post from Maggie at Midwestern Girl titled So your phone is filled with Instagram photos...now what?. Ever read a blog post and then have a total epiphany? After reading Maggie's post, I knew I wanted to do something with this sweet picture of my loves. And, with Father's Day just around the corner, I really picked the perfect night to be inspired. 

I decided to make a 3-D Instagram photo. It's small size (maybe 3x3 inches) and the grainy quality of the photo give it a very Instagram-y look, don't you think? I figured the hubby can take it to work and prop it against books or use it as a paper-weight.

Here's how I did it:

This was a SUPER fast project. Like, less than one episode of Modern Family. Of course, it helped that I already had the supplies, including an unfinished wood block that I picked up for $0.20 at a flea market.

First, I saved the Instagram photo to my computer and used Picasa to open it and resize it. I printed it on my home printer and trimmed off the excess paper. Next I took a regular ol' ink pad and "stained" my wood block by rubbing the ink pad around the edges. This is an awesome technique when you don't want to drag out the paint/stain and make a big mess. I did this right on top of my cream, leather ottoman. I definitely wouldn't do that if I were using my dark walnut furniture stain!! The next step was to decoupage the print onto the wood block using Mod Podge. I finished with a light sanding around the edges!

I think my husband will really like his Instagram-Inspired gift. And, hey, if not, I'll keep it on MY desk!

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