How to Make Concrete Letter Photo Holders
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If you have a collection of photos and want a fun way to display them, this concrete letter DIY is for you. You all know I love using concrete in crafting (like these concrete planters I did a little while back) because it is so easy and requires so few supplies. Over the years I have collected quite a few photo booth shots from weddings, Pokémon work parties, and even a toy store in downtown Helena, MT. As I was spring cleaning I discovered them sitting in a drawer and I thought it was time to come up with a way to display them.
I already had these molds of letters from a past project and thought they would be perfect for this. They are small enough to not take over a lot of space but large enough they won’t tip over when you add photos on top. This makes them perfect for your desk. A quick mix of concrete, a night to let them dry and they are done! It really is that simple.
Tips & Tricks:
Be careful when doing certain letters like “P” as they are top heavy and will not stand on their own without additional support. Similarly, “O” may end up rolling. On solution for this is just to glue your final letters together so they can support eachother.
When bending the gold wire feel free to go for a fun shape: square, circle or triangle! Just make sure you have enough concentric layers that your photo can sit in it and be supported.
If you don’t want to have to deal with buying letter molds, use cardboard! You can make your own mold by just cutting pieces and taping them together, making sure that the edges are fully sealed, then when the concrete is dry you can just rip the cardboard away. Recycling can be fun!
I tried a couple ways to get the wire to stay in and decided that the best way is just to poke it through the top of the mold, leaving enough sticking in the letter that the concrete will dry around it. Because of the material of the mold, the hole disappears once you remove the wire.
Supplies
Attach Wire
Cut approximately 5 inches of wire and poke it through the middle of your letter.
Mix Concrete
Scoop dry concrete into a cup and slowly add water while stirring. My concrete instructions said 5 1/2 parts to 1 part water but I think I used closer to 2 parts water.
Add Concrete
Your concrete mix should resemble pancake batter. Pour it into the letters you need and let dry for 24 hours.
Remove Letter
Slowly loosen the edges and then starting at the bottom of the letter, pop it out and pull it out.
Bend Wire
You can bend your wire in any shape you desire: square, circle, triangle. I used needle-nosed pliers.
Add Pictures
You can paint the sides if you want a fun pop of color, otherwise, slide in those pictures and you are done!
I’m so happy with how these turned out and every time I see it I say “yas” like Ilana from Broad City, one of my favorite TV shows. My collection of photo booth shots is so large I think I might have to make some more photo holders. I have molds of dinosaurs and a paw so maybe those are next? Who doesn’t love a dinosaur!? My single bucket of quick set has lasted me forever so there will definitely be more concrete DIYs in the future. Maybe I will combine this DIY with the concrete pot DIY and do planter that holds photos. I’m already getting inspired. I hope you are inspired too. Let me know how your letters turn out!
