Super Easy and Inexpensive DIY Glass Photo Block!

Make your own glass photo block out of printable vinyl and glass blocks for crafts. Photo blocks make perfect gifts for anyone on your list!

You might have noticed I’ve been having fun making glass block crafts lately!  Glass blocks are such an easy and versatile craft medium to work with and they make a great inexpensive DIY gift.

The first time I made a glass block decor I made a cute light graduation decor for my daughter’s 6th grade graduation using vellum.  Then I started making frosted glass blocks for baby night lights and hubby or wife gifts.

On my last post, I experimented with making burlap signs for lighted glass block decor so I could change them for each season.  All of these glass block craft ideas had one thing in common… I used my Cricut to make them.

So today I thought I’d switch it up a bit and show you how you can make a beautiful glass photo block without a cutting machine.  All you need is a printer!

My husband and I just took a week-long Alaskan cruise a few months ago for his birthday so I decided to use one of the pictures from that amazing trip.

Materials Needed for Glass Photo Block

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links from Amazon and/or Cricut.com. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my links (purple text). 

• • glass block for crafts – If you want lights, make sure to get one with a hole in the bottom. I got mine in the seasonal section at Lowe’s, but craft stores like Michaels, Hobby Lobby, and AC Moore carry them.
  • printable vinyl

• printer
• trimmer or scissors
• fairy lights (optional) – I got mine at Costco but Amazon has some similar here.

Printing the Picture

You can use any photo software to print a picture.  I just opened up Google Docs and inserted an image onto a page.  I sized it to 6.5 inches square.

For this project, you can use printable vinyl or sticker paper.  I feel that vinyl is a little easier to work with, since you can peel it up and reposition it if you need to.

I printed it on Printable Vinyl using a photo glossy setting.

Applying a Photo to a Glass Block

Trim the edges from your photo.  I used a trimmer but you can easily use scissors.  Try to keep it as straight as possible.

Make sure the opening of the glass block is facing down.

Peel the paper backing off the photo and apply it to the glass block while pushing down the middle.  I have a full video of making the glass photo block so make sure to watch it up top or on the side!

Try to smooth out all the bubbles.  You can re lift different sections of the printable vinyl if you need to resmooth. 

Take the cover off the bottom and insert fairy lights if you want.  I love the ones that have different color options!

Mine had a battery box that I press to change the settings so I left that out and hid it on the backside of the glass photo block.

The printable vinyl isn’t clear so you can see the edges but I like how it mutes the lights underneath it!

These super easy and frugal photo glass blocks would make great gifts for kids, spouses, significant others, teachers, really anyone!  You can use them as decor in any part of your house or as a night light in a bedroom.

They look great lit up or without the lights on!

If you’d like to save this idea for later, simply hover over the top left of the image below and PIN It now.

Here are some printable instructions.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Have a creative day,