Here it is! The last big holiday craft of the year! And, it’s part of a giant blog-hop hosted by CountryLiving.com and Hometalk.com (so don’t forget to take a peek at the bottom of this post to see all the amazing projects for the season) … I say the last ‘big’ one because… Christmas isn’t over until it’s over. It’s only three weeks away, but, I haven’t even touched my gift wrap yet! *wink* This time I tried a little something new, and created a DIY Holiday Shadow box, complete with bottle brush trees, miniature (and completely adorable) Santa, snowflakes… the whole nine. But the best part? Most of these are dollar store items, so once you find a frame you like, the investment stays pretty small. (This post may contain affiliate links. This means, should you end up making a purchase, advertisers give me a small percentage of that sale, at absolutely NO EXTRA COST to you. Click here for full disclosures).
First as always, supplies…
- Shadow Box Frame
- Bottle Brush Trees
- Santa, snowflakes and other Dollar Store Christmas Decor
- Faux Snow (I actually used a $1 cotton sparkly tree skirt, from the Dollar Store)
- Styrofoam & Serrated Knife
- Hot Glue & Gun
- Glass Paint
The main part of this project is going to go pretty quick. I glued directly onto my Shadow Box backing. A few blocks of styrofoam are hot-glued in place to hold the pretty stuff, coming up. I draped my faux snow (aka my $1 tree skirt) over the styrofoam. and glued it all into place.
Next I prepped my adorable Santa Claus. I painted a couple popsicle sticks a festive red and glued them onto his little feet — he now has the most perfect little skis. Cute factor is rising! Then i inserted a toothpick into his foot mechanism and hot-glued it into place, now he’s ready to get stuck into my styrofoam supports.
Same goes for the bottle-brush trees, everything gets hot-glued into place.
Add a few inexpensive (but adorable details), like snowballs, snowflakes, and whatever else you choose — and you’re ready to go.
I set my little guy up for a snowball fight. ;)
Next, I found a font and phrase I liked — in my case, “Dreaming of a White Christmas”, and printed it out onto paper, to trace out with glass paint. Tape it to the inside of your glass, facing out, and you’ve got the perfect map to outline your pretty scripted phrase.
Wait for everything to dry, and then pop your Shadow Box back together. In no time you’ve got some modern, 3D, festive fun. This project is perfect for hanging anywhere or standing up on mantels and buffets. So versatile.
I had trouble deciding where I liked it the most. Against the brick, on our mantel is fun…
Don’t forget to Pin, for later! And follow along on Hometalk with the hashtag #homeforchristmas!
If you liked this post, you might also like my “DIY Holiday Pallet Sign” post, here, or click the image below.
This project is part of a giant blog-hop, hoping to get your festive, holiday juices flowing. There is tons of inspiration to spare, i hope you’ll hop around a bit and check out all of these amazing DIY crafts and projects! —>
36 thoughts on “DIY Holiday Shadow Box”
This box is so beautiful! Love the idea ♥
summerdaisy.net
This is so cute……I love how you created the look of a big snow covered slope.
Thanks so much! ;)
Oh, this is way too cute!! Brilliant.
Thanks Krista! It was a fun one ;)
This is awesome!! So cool….joining you as a fellow blogger on #HomeforChristmas 2015. Will be definitely pinning for sure.
Thanks Sadie!
This is a fantastic idea, so fun and festive. I love the 3D look of it all.
Thanks Sarah! Me too, makes it easy to put it anywhere you want! ;)
Your winter scene is stunning. I’m so inspired now to look for some old shadow boxes at the thrift store now. Pinning and sharing.
Thanks Amy! Yes! Making one with a vintage frame would be stunning! Great idea :)
This is such a creative & cute project, Jen! Love the “dreaming of a white
Christmas” motif. :)
Thanks Tee! We could use a little more white around here, but this will do! ;)
This is super cute & creative, and something I haven’t seen done before! Good idea!
Thanks Roxanne!
Super cute and clever. Love that Santa is skiing downhill in this adorable shadow box!
haha thanks Patti! I love anything miniature, and this little Santa is the best ;)
What a cool idea!
Thank you!
love your new picture you look like a Christmas card and i pinned this adorable project xx
Haha thanks Chris! Glad you like this one!
That is absolutely adorable – just love it! Pinned to share :)
Thanks Marie!
This is such a great project! How cool is that and so cleaver. I never thought about doing something like this. I love it!
Thank you Vanessa! ;)
This is so cute! My kids would love this! Great idea!
Thank you! Yes, my daughter loves all things miniature. I had her with those bottle-brush trees, and little Santa!
Jen – this winter shadowbox is fantastically cute and creative! Thanks for sharing your great tutorial Happy to be touring with you!
Thank you, ladies! I’m spending the morning getting all caught up with these fantastic projects! Thanks for stopping by! :)
Super cute… this has me thinking of so many applications. Thanks for the inspiration! ;o)
Thanks Lucy! The possibilities are endless!
This is so cute and creative – pinned it!
~Angie @ Knick of Time
Thanks Angie!!