Shelf-sized Shadow Box

This 6x5x5 shadow box has layers of props inside and LED lights in the back to illustrate a landscape. This is a fun little project that will brighten up a room and it can be filled with personality.

For this project you will need: laser printer; hot glue gun; scissors; paper; cardboard; felt; paint; paintbrush; markers; LED lights

The size of the box is the baseline for how big your props will be to put inside of the box.

Box:

1. Cut out four 6x5 inch rectangles and one 5x5 inch square out of thin cardboard. These make the sides of the box.
2. Use a laser printer to cut out the shapes and attach the bottom (6x5) and two sides (6x5) using a glue gun.

Props:

1. To make the mountains, cut them out of paper with a laser printer or scissors. Trace two of the mountains and cut them out to make 5 mountains total.
2. Cut the vines out of paper using a laser printer (find vine images on the internet).
3. Find an image of a tree from the internet and split it in half, then laser print the tree halves out of cardboard. The dimensions of one of the halves are 4.8in tall and 2.4in long.
4. Cut one 4x5 inch piece of felt with scissors. Then cut one 5x5 piece, and two 6x5 pieces.

(Match the felt with the marker color you will choose for the mountains or use a color of choice. I chose dark blue.)

Total pieces: ~5 mountains, 2 vines, 2 tree halves, 4 felt rectangles, 4 cardboard rectangles, and 1 cardboard square.

Once everything is cut out, it's time to color and paint them.

1. Color the mountains with dark color markers, and add white highlights to the tips of the mountains with marker/ paint for a lighting effect if you would like
2. Color the vines however you would like, but I colored the vines black and the leaves green with markers
3. Color the trees with a black marker. If you would like, color the very edges of the leaves with a white marker/ paint for another lighting effect
4. Paint all sides of the box with a paint color (I chose dark blue) and blend to one side of the rectangle with a lighter color (I chose light purple). Add stars with your lighter color of choice or white for a finishing touch.

1. Start with gluing the 5x5 inch piece of felt along the back wall of the box, the 6x5 inch pieces along each wall, and the 4x5 inch piece towards the very front on the base of the box.
2. Glue the vines on the back sides of the trees so it looks like they are stretching behind.
3. On the sides of the box in the front, glue the trees on either side.
4. Using a hot glue gun attach 4 sides of the box, leaving the top off for easy access.
5. Place the mountains where you want, evenly spacing them out, then attach them to the bottom of the box on top of the felt.

While the shadow box already looks cool, you can add some final details to pull it together.

For example, to match the outside paint of the shadow box with stars, I painted stars with tiny dots on the felt walls inside the box.

After everything inside the box is done, place one or two small LED lights in the back of the box, behind the mountains. These create the effect of the moon or sun depending on which warmth of light you choose.

Have fun making this project!