Young House Love

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How To Frame Instagram Photos With Jewel Cases

“Who has two thumbs, an Instagram addiction, and just bought a bunch of jewel cases?” I think we all know the answer. THIS GUY had a little art project up his sleeves.

CD 10 Done Straight

Ever since jumping on the Insta-wagon back in April, I’ve been itching to get some of our photos printed. We just never had a place for them and were always a little wary of the quality through various printers. But a few weeks ago when I spotted a Facebook coupon for five free Instagram prints using Picplum, I ordered away (nothing to lose, right?) and I was pretty impressed with my handful of free 5×5″ prints… so, like the sucker they hoped I’d be, I purchased a bunch more for $1 per print.

CD 2 Instagram Prints

My paid order was fueled by the fact that I stumbled upon something completely accidental. With a tiny trim on two sides, these square prints fit pretty darn perfectly into the front of a jewel case (you know, the clear plastic cases that CDs come in… used to come in?… do I need to refresh everyone on what a CD is?). The only reason I ever discovered this is because my five free prints were sitting on my desk on top of an old CD case, and I realized they were basically the same size.

CD 3 Trimming Edges

So I swung by Office Depot and snagged a $10 bulk pack of slim jewel cases (there were 30 of them in the pack, and I didn’t need that many, but it was the smallest pack of thin ones, and I thought thin cases would look the best). Then I just slid some of my favorite prints inside twelve of them.

CD 4 Sliding In Case

As you may have guessed from that first picture, I’m not designing homemade covers for some stocking stuffer mixed CDs or anything (although I guess this would work for that too). I actually thought they made for a cool way to display photos in my Man Cave Complete With Pegboards as I’ve lovingly come to call the basement these days. Because nothing too precious makes sense down there with pieces of wood and sawdust flying everywhere – but something to cover photos that I want to display (thereby protecting them from said sawdust) might just be handy, right?

CD 5 Final

It’s certainly not very fancy or overly fussy, but I really like how easy this was and how stress-free it feels. If a rogue screw cracks a “frame” it’ll cost less than a dollar to replace. Plus they look pretty great against my navy pegboard, amIright?

CD 10 Done Straight

Total cost for each “frame” including the art inside = $1.30. Can’t buy much other framed art for that price, right? And you know Sherry loves to say that geek is the new black. CD cases are bound to be the next mixed tape/eight-track, right?

To hang my grid I just used 3m Command strips (the velcro kind for “damage free” picture hanging). I actually like to use the strips perpendicular to one another (rather than right on top of each other) – that way I have more flexibility to move things around once both strips are stuck in place (I can shift things up and down or side to side a bit that way).

CD 7 Velcro On Back

And fortunately the holes on my pegboard made for a great guide when I was pressing them into place.

CD 8 Pressing To Pegboard

Ta-dah!

CD 9 Done Angle11

Wanna know a secret? I actually tucked an extra photo or two behind some of them. So if I ever want to mix things up I can just hinge the case open, swap the photos, and call it a day.

CD 6 Extras Behind

And since I have extra photos and extra cases, I can always expand my super classy inexpensive art installation across the whole board down there. But for now I’m leaving it open so I can hang some other non-Instagrammy item on the right. Ya never know when I might come across something else to dude things up down here. Although I’m surrounded by hammers and drills and saws, so I’m a pretty happy guy already.

CD 11 Room Fuller

Oh and every time we share pics we realize that we should mention a few other things on the basement agenda, so here they are:

  • stain some of the wood going on down there (like that burned shelf and the dusty and less-forgiving-because-they’re-so-light counters)
  • possibly stain the concrete floors (since they’re pretty light and not-too-forgiving either)
  • paint the old scratched up door that leads to the basement (yellow like the front door)
  • hopefully deal with the exposed ceilings (although there are things like plumbing and duct-work that hang down, making it less simple than just screwing up some drywall)

In the meantime, does anyone else have Instagram art projects up their sleeves? I’d love to hear ’em – especially if you know of other cool places to get them printed on paper, canvas, etc. Oh yeah, and if you want to follow us on Instagram you can find us at (you’ll never guess) @younghouselove.

Psst- We hear the Cultivate quiz from yesterday’s giveaway is still running very slowly/crashing. Looks like they weren’t quite ready for all of you quiz-loving folks! So sorry about that, guys. We hope they get all the kinks worked out soon… and there’s still a $200 gift card for one lucky winner (whether you take the quiz or not), so that’s the good news!

Comments

  1. Koliti says

    John, how amazingly freakin BRILLIANT are you!?
    This made me say “WOWZA”! A gallery wall in the man-cave.
    Easy to wipe the dust off. Lookin good! (Glad to see you put up the cool yellow bicycle pic – love that!).
    Plus this idea would work anywhere.

    Reply

  3. Brittany says

    This is a good idea! We sell similar thigs at the printing business I work at. We mostly just print and package small calendars with artwork in them in cd cases which you flip open so they stand. I like the idea of using them to display photos too!

    Reply

  6. Heather - Girls Furniture says

    I love this idea! I just moved into a new apartment and after a cross-country road trip I just made this summer, I’ve been looking for a way to display my Instagram pictures! Good thing I still have some jewel cases hanging around.

    Reply

  8. Lesley says

    Wow John you did good, very very good. You have made a swarm of women jealous with your craftiness. Other men should take note that it is “cool to be crafty”

    Reply

  9. Ada (new york) says

    Great idea, and just when I was going to recycle these old CD covers in my home. Might as well use it, it may be ‘antique one day’ :) I LOVE re-purposing items and we have toooons of pics we want to display!

    Reply

  12. AnnMarie says

    Looks great! If they were upside down and you filled in the bottom with a white strip…they would look like polaroids!

    Reply

  18. haley says

    Great idea! If I had an instagram I would totally do this project. And I’m so envious of your basement workshop. I stared at the pictures of the lined up and finished pegboard for way too long.

    Reply

  20. Paula M. says

    This is a freaking GREAT idea!!

    I especially love how low-cost (OK, cheap, heh heh) it is AND that it keeps the photos covered and protected from dust and, in your workshop’s case, all the flying sawdust and such.

    It certainly brightens up that space even more and gives you a view of some precious images while you’re working away out there — the kind of thing a lot of basement/garage type spaces could obviously benefit from, since they lack a view.

    Wonderful idea!

    Reply

  22. Abby Stender says

    Might I suggest something fun for the concrete floors like paint, a la Sarah’s House (HGTV): http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/video/player/0,1000149,HGTV_32796_7041_33881-49766,00.html

    Spoiler alert! There are also fabulous painted pegboards in this video!

    Or you could go super man-glam with these sparkly floors: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-glitter-a-concrete-floo-151549

    My stepmom actually did the same treatment with Mica on her art studio/gallery floor. Some fun ideas for brightening up a man cave with pegboards!

    Reply

  23. Ethne @ Wom-Mom says

    Nothing like a little inspiration to keep you going when you’re working into the wee hours on a super secret present for Clara. And shard-proof (as in flying pieces of wood, not flatulence, that’s a ‘t’), very smart.

    Reply

  24. Sophie says

    Great idea – it looks great! I am so glad you mentioned Instagram art because I have just ordered a print as a Xmas pressies from postrgram.com . They put all of your Instragram photos so that they make up one big photo. I can’t wait to receive mine!

    Reply

  25. Susan M says

    That’s a great idea!

    And in my previous house, I spray-painted the exposed-beam and wires in the basement ceiling black, and it looked great, and kind of made it disappear. So much easier than putting up a ceiling!

    Reply

  26. Taylor says

    I love postal pics, they are the cheapest I’ve found! Also if you look on amazon, there is a brand of scrapbooking stuff that has pages that hold 9 4×4 pics and they have 3 holes so u can put in in a scrapbook or binder, easy lazy way of scrapbooking :)

    Reply

  29. Amy @ This DIY Life says

    Have y’all used Postagram yet? I got so hooked I bought a package and was sending my nieces & nephews postcards like crazy. Well I was until I left my phone on the trunk of the car and well, I just can’t talk about it. Back up phone = no Instagram = sad Amy waiting for a Christmas sale on new phone so I can feel whole again. Anyway, my nieces and nephews *loved* the postcards they got from their cousins (aka our cats)! Definitely going to try out Picplum when I get my phone back. Thanks for the suggestion!!

    Reply

  30. Melissa says

    WOW! I love this idea! You have just solved my problem! We moved into a new house and most of our picture frames and family photos were damaged in the move. I tried to salvage what I could, but the result was not pretty.
    However, I too have an instagram addiction and an unused oversized frame! I know what IM doing this weekend.
    Thanks a ton.
    Love your unique and do-able ideas.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It was one of those one time deal things (kind of like a LivingSocial promotion, but on Facebook) so there wasn’t a code involved. You just clicked a button on Facebook and it sent you to their site. Sorry!

      -John

  33. Jen says

    What a great idea!

    I think someone else mentioned stickygrams.com. I just discovered them and might be addicted. Sheet of 9 magnets for $15. I got a by ch of my newborn son as stocking stuffers for the grandparents. And they recently had a 3 for 2 deal. So fun!

    Reply

  34. Tyler says

    For the basement ceiling, you could maybe just paint it? The duct work and everything. Easier and cheaper than drywall and would keep some character to the man cave!

    Reply

  35. Kathy says

    The age-old basement ceiling issue raises it’s ugly head again! Why not spray the whole thing (ceiling area with ductwork, etc.) a light color for a light-reflective purposes. All will somewhat blend together and not call attention to itself. An other idea is to use a light-colored drop ceiling in zones, allowing those lower items their space in a darker unified perimeter color.

    Reply

  37. Meaghan says

    Amazing little project and the perfect addition to your work shop (sorry, I can’t stand the term man cave…haha!)

    I love these creative little onesies that you guys pull off. You rock!

    Reply

  39. Sassafras says

    Basement ceilings w/the hangy down pipes? I couldn’t afford to do a dropped ceiling nor did I have the room for it if I could’ve. Solution? Used my paint sprayer and painted the ugly thing black and ugly hangy down thingys were still available for the odd plumber or whacky HVAC guy to get to, BUT in the mean time they ‘disappeared’ from view in an ‘I’m here but I’m disguised’ kinda way.

    Reply

  41. Kim S says

    My sister-in-law is in high school and is always posting Instagram photos, so over the weekend I was looking for something Instagram-related to do for her for Christmas. I found this etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/barondelabry?ref=seller_info) that will print your Instagram photo(s) onto a pillow! I made a little collage of some of her photos, saved the collage as a .jpg file, and sent it to the shop owner. He emailed me earlier today to say he’s printing and sewing it tomorrow so he can get it into the mail for me this week. So excited to see it…I think she’ll love it!

    Reply

  42. Chrystina says

    I absolutely love this idea. I love where it is. I love how it looks. Such a great idea. I’m excited for 2013 so I can do something with the best of my 2012 pictures. Thanks for sharing!!

    Reply

  43. Erica says

    That is a seriously geek chic art gallery! I <3 it!

    Also, just a suggestion for the ceiling (which may have been mentioned already)… We recently turned our basement into a family room and, not wanting to lose valuable ceiling height and having a tiny budget, we had the exposed beams, pipes, wires, and duct work spray painted in a gunmetal gray shade that hides all the mess up there but isn't dark and oppressive.

    Reply

  45. Penny Smith says

    persnickety prints (but I order them online-app doesn’t offer instagram ordering), and postal prints (LOVE their easy app where I order straight from my phone!), that latter being very economical and I have had great service from them… but both are less than you paid (89 cents for 5×5 with postal prints)… I know you love to save, so I thought I would pass it on!
    (if they were already mentioned above, I am sorry! :) )

    Reply

  47. Sean says

    So disappointed with the book signing last night. My wife who is a big fan and I waited in line for over 3 hours and when we get in, all the books were sold out. How does this happen considering she RSVP’ed? One would think the RSVP’s would give a head count of how many books would be needed. The sad part is my wife was so excited, we got a babysitter, took off work early, waited in the freezing cold only to learn right before we walk in that there were no more books. She would have purchased one before hand too but the recommendation was to buy one on site.

    I would suggest in the future that you do a head count by RSVP’s, double that and cap the number of books your fans can purchase to ensure that everyone who wants one walks away happy.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We are so sorry about that! We arrived to see the same stack of hundreds of books that have been at our last ten signings, none of which have ever run out (and we’ve had the same head count at most events so that’s a constant in this equation)! We just underestimated how awesome DC folks would be about buying multiples I guess (so many folks bought more than one, which is a different experience than we had at all the other events we’ve hosted). We definitely never want to run out of books (no one wants to make people happy and sell books more than us, I promise!). We actually stayed there until nearly midnight, signing for every last person in line (we had book plates, which can be stuck into a book so it’s signed – and since the book is out now anyone can order it from a site like amazon and have a signed one with the addition of those bookplates). We also chatted with folks and took pictures so it seemed that everyone was happy we stayed to do that and had some fun with the free food and wine and the line friends they made!

      We didn’t get home until 1:30 am, so we’re definitely dedicated and in love with anyone and everyone who came out and waited! And of course we completely understand and commiserate with anyone who had to leave! Again, we are so sorry about the book sell-out, it was just nothing anyone could have anticipated since we have never run out after a ton of stops with the same amount of stock and the same number of attendees. Hope that helps!

      xo
      s

  48. Molly W. says

    Mpix has a great iPhone app. It took me about 2 minutes to pick out all the iPhone photos I wanted and order them. Best part was, they were only 29 cents a pop for 4×4″ and 4×6″ sizes.

    Reply

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