I'd like to be able to make a grid of boxes that behave just like the Projects grid (project style 3) as shown on the main home page of the demo site data. I'd like to do this so I can show a grid of images with text over them, that allows a clickthrough to a regular page, not a portfolio item. Is there a way to use the shortcodes to build this result manually? I'm having trouble maintaining a consistent height — the height of the boxes when I use columns and text is erratic based on the amount of text, and I can't center the text in the box. And when I try to space the text vertically with   or <br/>, they get deleted when I save. 

Could I "cheat" by using categories in the portfolio feature, and for the above item, use the custom link instead of directing to the portfolio page? Maybe call this grid "features" and the actual portfolio items "plays"? 

If I do this, would I be able to hide the "features" category when I display all the "plays" in that case?