How to Make Decorative Shadow Boxes

There are all different types of shadow boxes.  These are a great way to decorate and do it with a personal touch.  You can put nearly anything that you want to put into them.  You can do them as a way to frame memories or to highlight things that you would like to do. 

For the purpose of this article, I will tell you how to make a basic shadow box and then you put whatever you want to into it when you finish making the box.

Step 1

The first thing that you will need to do is to gather the materials that you will need.  For this project you will need a wood slat (length will vary according to how big or small you want the box to be), a small piece of smooth plywood to use as the back of the box, a saw, a sander, wood glue, 3 small hinges, a pane of glass and some paint or varnish.

Step 2

Now that you have everything you need

, take the wood slat and cut 4 pieces.  2 of the pieces should be a few inches longer than the other 2 pieces.  Cut the plywood to the size that you need and cut another piece out like a frame.  Put this piece aside for now.

Step 3

Take the pieces that you cut for the frame of the box and join them with the wood glue in the shape of a box.  When they dry take the frame and glue it into place on the plywood that is to be the back of the box. 

Step 4

While that dries, take the piece of plywood cut like a frame and fit it to the pane of glass making a veritable window for your box. 

Step 5

Attach the hinges to the window and to the box so that the window will open and close.

Step 6

Now you can paint your box.

You have made a simple shadow box.  Now the hard part is deciding what you will put into it so that it will be just how you want it.  You can put old pictures, passports, letters or anything else into it.  You will want to place these items in such a way that they are at different levels…adding an element of depth to your creation.  Have fun with it and be creative!