3-D LED Lightbox Pendulum Clock From Shoebox

I am going to show you how to make a 3-D LED Lightbox Pendulum Clock from a shoebox. I used the Silhouette Cameo machine for this project, however, it is not required to make this clock. If you do not use a Cameo or Cricut then a Xacto knife and self-healing cutting matt will work just a well. All the materials I used for this project were acquired from different places such as Amazon, Target, and Wal-Mart. Most everything can be found on Amazon, however, during this quarantine time, you can expect longer shipping times. You may purchase the design I used on Etsy from the seller WildChildDesigns77. They have many neat images to choose from. I hope you enjoy making this pendulum kit.

• 9" Diameter Clock kit - Target
• Pendulum Clock Mechanism Kit
• Shoebox 13 1/2" L x 5" H x 8" W
• Ruler
• Silhouette Cameo
• A pattern for Lightbox - Etsy
• LED striplights - Amazon
• Acrylic Paint and Brushes
• Clock Pattern Template
• Pencil
• Xacto knife
• Poster Board - Walmart
• Tape
• Self-healing cutting mat
• AA battery for clock
• Emery board or Dremel for smoothing the edges
• Straws x9 for spacers in the lightbox
• Clear plastic from a cheap photo frame - Walmart
• Hot Glue gun

Once you have gathered all your materials for this project you want to start with cutting your layer images with the Silhouette Cameo. I purchased the image used for this project on Etsy. All credit for the image goes to WildChildDesigns77. The name of the pattern is The Black Cat in Window. After you have your design you will need to download the files and then open them in the design studio software. Create your cuts, then using the white poster board you will need to cut each layer. This specific pattern is 3 layers. I chose an easy design with minimal layers because I am going to make the pendulum swing in between on of the layers. If you have to many layers then I do not think the pendulum will swing easily. Also, I used the Cameo to cut my image layers, but if you do not have one it is possible to print the individual images and then using a Xacto knife just carefully cut out your design.

Now, take your ruler and pencil to mark on your box 6 3/4" H x 4 3/4" W. You will want to make sure that you do this near the bottom of your box and in the center. Then carefully cut out following the lines you just made. Keep the piece that you just cut we will be using it for the backing of the lightbox.

Now you will take your wood clock face and place it at the top of your box, centered, and allow room for the top to have a little bit of box for a snug fit. I hope that made sense. See photo. Trace around the wood. Then cut out the lines you just made. This is where our clock is going to sit. Just so you know this is going to overlap the square part we just cut for the lightbox. It's ok because our clock will act as an anchor for our lightbox later.

The next step is to assemble your lightbox layers. Take your straws and cut six each at 7" inches and three each at 5" inches. These are going to be your spacers between each layer. Take your backing part that we cut earlier. Glue one straw on each side left and right of the backing and one straw on the bottom of the same piece. Next, take each layer of image and glue straws the same way on the top of each layer. Do not glue them all together yet because we still need to apply our lights.

Now take your LED lights and using the adhesive backing place them against the straws on the backing piece of the lightbox. Make sure to allow room for the power source part to be accessible after installed at the end. I had to measure and then cut along the designated spot on the light strip. If you cut at the wrong spot then you will end up with dead LEDs. So only cut where they are marked with the scissor image. Once you have the lights attached you can now assemble all the layers of the lightbox. Starting with the backing part that has the lights, then adding the moon scene, the trees, and the cat on top. Glue each layer atop one another on the straws only. After you have done that you will take your plastic sheet from a photo frame and glue carefully to the top layer.

My fave part is the painting. Take your wood and either freehand paint the design or trace beforehand. Then using your clock template mark around the clock the numbers and paint them as well.

Take your clock kit and install the mechanisms for everything except the pendulum. We will add the moving pendulum last. Insert the battery and set the time. Now take the wood clock and place it into space we cut for it. I used some cuts to make a sort of bracket to attach the clock securely, then hot glue it as well for extra security. Once the wood clock is installed now you can apply the lightbox. Take the lightbox and align it with the proper place and mark on the wood where it will sit. Then glue it into place. It should sit nice and flush with the box.

After the assembly of everything, you will now glue the power source onto the back of the lightbox. I also made a hole the box to allow the cord to run through for a seamless look.

Now carefully take the pendulum and you are going to place it in between the layer with the cat in the window and the trees. Then attach it to the hanging part of the mechanism and it's ready to go.

Now depending on if your LED lights have a remote control with them, if so you will need to glue the little sensor part onto the side of clock around the 7. This way your remote control will work. If yours do not have a remote then simply skip this step.

Now you can put the lid on your box, and set up either on a shelf or if you want you can hang it on the wall. If you do hang it make sure you have access to an outlet for the powering of the lights. Plugin the ac power to outlet and grab the remote (if you have one), sit back, and relax knowing you will always be on time!

I hope you enjoyed this instructable. I love it when I can integrate more than one type of craft into a really sweet project.