Instagram Coaster
Everyone is on Instagram these days. It's a fun way to share your family, travels and daily life with your friends and family. But what do you do with all those creative photos once you've taken and shared them?
These cute projects will give you ideas on how to get the photos off your phone and into your home!
If you aren't yet on Instagram, the first thing you need to do is to set up an account. Log onto http://instagram.com and follow the simple steps to set up an account. Once you've done that, you can search to find people to follow or you can use your Facebook account to see which Facebook friends have accounts. You can also set your privacy so that you control who sees your photos. You don't even have to use the account beyond taking the photos and using the filters if you don't want. All you need for these projects is to download the Instagram photos–there's no need to share them if you would rather not.
For any of these projects, you will need to download your Instagram photos. That's easy to do with http://instaport.me. Sign in using your Instagram account, choose your export options and then download your photos. You'll then have a file of your photos to use for the projects (or printing.)
I downloaded all of my Instagram photos and then grouped them into categories that made it easy for me to find photos for the various project–family photos, sunsets, travel. I also tossed the photos that weren't high quality.
Once you have Instagram and have downloaded some photos, the fun begins!
1. Create an Instagram Photo Booth Strip. This looks way more complicated than it is. I tried it and it was really easy as long as I followed the steps. The photos in the blog make it easy to check your printer settings (that's the tricky part!) and be sure they match the instructions.
I had already grouped my photos by category so I just chose 16 photos from a recent trip to Europe and created my strip using those. I used a paper cutter to cut the strips evenly and ended up with a really adorable souvenir. I'm planning on playing a little more with this one and then taking the best strips to Staples to have them laminated–instant book markers! How cute is that?
http://goodmorninggeek.com/archives/1791
2. Photo Coasters. Easy, cheap and a really cute gift, these photo coasters can be made in minutes. Just print your photos to the correct size (I found that a small white border on the photo creates the smoothest look), attach to plain white tiles (21¢ each at Home Depot) and then coat with a clear Mod Podge. The more coats of Mod Podge you brush on, the better. Be sure to let each coat dry longer than you think it needs for best results.
http://theplaidowl.blogspot.com/2012/09/diy-instagram-coasters.html
3. Instagram Sachets. I'll cop to being a little obsessed with this one. These are so dang cute and would make awesome holiday gifts for family and friends. Put cedar chips inside for men, something a little more frilly for women. You could even put rice inside and make little heating pads. Seriously adorable!
Ignore the writer's instruction on emailing the photos, because you've downloaded them, you won't need to email yourself the photos. Plus, downloading results in a better resolution photo.
http://www.lilblueboo.com/2012/05/instagram-sachets-and-beanbags-a-tutorial.html
4. Instagram Canvas. Pick up a pack of the small canvases at Michaels or Joanns and then just Mod Podge your photos to them. Instant photo art!
http://modpodgerocksblog.com/2012/07/mod-podge-instagram-mini-canvases.html
5. Mosaic Phone Cover Case. You'll need some photo editing software and a little patience for this but the result is worth it. You'll create a template, lay in the photos and then print and cut the photo sheet to fit. Once you've done that, you just slide it between the phone and case. The good news is that once you create your template, you can create new collages as often as you want and switch them out.
http://swelldesigner.blogspot.com/2012/04/instagram-mosaic-photo-cover-tutorial.html