Christmas House Shadow Box

Hi everyone!  How's your Christmas shopping coming along?  If you need an idea for a unique gift this Christmas, how about making a shadowbox for someone special.  They can display it every year and think of you.

This one is a little tricky, so lay out all the pieces and, like a puzzle, dry fit them together.  Everything will fit perfectly once you figure how they work together.  I hope these pictures below will help you easily align everything.

view from bottom

view from top

Be sure to glue the inside portions of the house together first.  See photo below.

Next, glue the three outer sides.

Then glue the roof down, and set aside to dry.  (TIP:  I have my shadowbox sitting on a non-stick mat to keep any seeping glue from adhering it to my work surface.)

Prime chipboard with white gesso.  This step is optional, but as a mixed media artist, I find that it will give me a clean, smooth surface with tooth to accept any layers I decide to add, even if I decide to glue papers down.

Cut a piece of 12x12 paper to fit inside each cubby.  I used Bo Bunny's Snowy Serenade Overture paper, but you can use whatever paper you have on hand.  You may have noticed that I have not adhered these down yet because I want to paint the box with a coordinating color.

I like to use my Xyron 510 sticker machine to run my papers through.  This will make it really quick and easy to add them later, when I get the back side finished.  Run all your paper strips and pieces that will fit through the Xyron 510 sticker maker.  

Remove the pieces of paper and number them to correspond to each cubby.  This will make it easier to replace them with less opportunity to make a mistake.  I did not number the triangle piece as it is the only one shaped like that.

Cut strips of music paper to fit the roof and adhere.  Turn excess paper to back side, as shown.

Cover the bottom and sides of the shadowbox, turning excess paper to the back, as shown.

Cut paper to fit the triangle shape and adhere to top portion of shadowbox on the back, as shown. 

Cut a separate piece of the same paper to fit the bottom half of the house.  If your paper has a pattern, try to match it up or at least align the paper so it looks pleasing to the eye.  You can disguise the seam with lace or some of the chipboard Border Sticks that GSL carries.

I've decided to paint the inside cubbies with a color to match the background paper.  I didn't have the exact color, so I just mixed up a color to match.  You can see where I was testing colors on the back of some of the cubbies where it will later be covered with the paper.

Now it's time to adhere those papers that were cut and numbered to fit in each cubbie that was also numbered to correspond.

Cut two pieces of shell borders to fit along top of roof, and miter the center pieces to fit together.  Use a makeup sponge to dab white gesso over border and, while gesso is still wet, sprinkle ultra-fine gold glitter over it.  (TIP:  Catch extra glitter in a coffee filter and use the filter to pour it back into its bottle.)  Repeat this for both sides, since both sides will show above the roof line.

Glue border sticks to roof line, as shown.  Don't worry if the miter isn't perfect.  It will be covered in the next step.

Use makeup sponge to add white gesso to both sides of snowflake and cover with the white crystal snow glitter, then glue to center of roof top, covering the mitered join.  I also added strips of white Dresden border to the three horizontal shelves, as shown.

Cut seven snowflakes from the snowflake border from the Winter Shape Set, and repeat process as for the large snowflake above.

Adhere along seam line where square and triangular papers meet.

I thought the snowflake border looked a little lonely, so I repeated the process on three more snowflakes of different sizes and glued them to the back, as shown.

Glue metal feet to base of shadowbox with E-6000 glue.  See photo of finished project.

Use white gesso and white crystal snow glitter to decorate more snowflakes and part of the snowflake border.

Add caption

When dry, adhere the snowflake border and snowflakes inside the cubbies, as shown.  You can always make more if needed.

Use a craft knife to separate the reindeer from the Santa's Sleigh Border.

Paint and glitter the reindeer, again using the same process of white gesso and gold ultra fine glitter.

Glue reindeer feet to cubbie with white snowflake paste, as shown.

Decorate with whatever embellishments you wish to use, and change it up for whatever the season or theme.  Here are some close-ups of each little cabbie.  Each one is a little scene.

side view of shadow box

Supplies Used:
GSL House Shadow Box
GSL Santa's Sleigh Border
GSL Border Sticks Shell
GSL Snowflake Shape Set
GSL Winter Shape Set
GSL Snowflake Border
DecoArt Media White Gesso
DecoArt Media White Tinting Medium
Miss Lillian's Chanel Chock Paint
PVA white glue (any brand)
12x12 scrapbook paper (Bo Bunny)(Colorbok)(Paper Studio)
Gold Ultra Fine Glitter
White Crystal Snow Fine Glitter
Baroque Dresden Border White
Snowflake Paste (Finnabair)
E-6000 glue
Christmas embellishments (Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Tim Holtz, etc.)

I know this post is quite long and full of pictures, but I believe a picture is worth a thousand words, and I know from my own experiences that sometimes when I refer to something that is unfamiliar to you, a picture of it would have been helpful.  So, if you made it this far, thanks for staying with me.

I hope you enjoyed my project today and that you have been inspired to make a little Christmas-themed shadowbox for display in your home this holiday.  I plan to sit mine on my fireplace mantel.  What will you do with yours?

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a wonderful holiday season!!!

Barbara

Steampunk Shadowbox by Dianna

Hi Everyone, Dianna here with Gypsy Soul Laser Cut's Small Shadowbox and Graphic 45's World's Fair.  I decided to approach this project by using each square as its own ATC.

I painted the box by using a Deco Art Bronze Paint then used a wood Stain to create a faux wood look. The first box I fussy cut the stamp and little tickets from Graphic 45's World Fair.  I used a stamp punch to create a larger stamp.  Behind the fussy cut of the second box, are beads that match (I used Beacon's 3-n-1 to make them stick).  The Steampunk Frame from Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts was "painted" using bronze, gold, black and teal chalk inks.  The crow was painted white and colored with Copic Markers.

I really loved the Ferris Wheel, so everything was fussy cut and layered.  I used chalk ink on Gypsy Soul Laser Cut's Fleur De Lis from the Parisian Shape Set. 

I used black and bronze chalk ink on a Gypsy Soul Laser Cut's -Wrought Iron corner piece and  Gear Shape Set. I layered the gears with scrap chipboard pieces and a clock charm.  I fussy cut one of my favorite prints from Graphic 45's World's Fair and used Gypsy Soul Laser Cut's Border Stick behind it.  The bronze and gold chalk ink was used on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cut's Word Charm - Journey.

The car and two tags were fussy cut out from Graphic 45's World's Fair and the car layered with Gear Shape Set.

The Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Square Charm (coming soon) and Fleur De Lis was painted with bronze, gold and black chalk inks.  The metal piece in the back ground was an extra and the metal bobbin was from a metal set that I had laying around.  The Graphic 45's World's Fair Lady was cut out of a larger design and placed in the Square Charm.  

Items Used

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts

Shadowbox Small

Wrought Iron Set

Gear Shape Set

Steampunk Frame

Border Stick

Parisian Shape Set

Word Charm-Journey
Square Charm - Coming Soon

Other Items

Graphic 45's

World's Fair

Sew Inspired Shadow Box

Hello "chippie" fans.  Barbara here with a vintage sewing themed shadow box.  I collect antique sewing implements, and I used to sew my own clothes.  I guess you could say I had sewing in my blood.  So, I am still drawn to sewing themes in my art work.  

Lay out your box pieces they way they will be glued together.  This helps you see how to decorate each piece, and it is easier to do the inside while flat.

Trim print paper to fit, but remember to leave the dovetails free so that they will fit properly when glued together.

Ink each outside edge of the paper with brown distress ink before adhering to the chipboard.  This covers up the white edge that you would otherwise see after the box is glued together.  You can easily do this afterwards, too.  Adhere papers to the box, then glue the pieces together.

Trim a coordinating print paper to fit the outside of the box.  This time, you need to cut the pieces slightly larger because you want to cover the dovetails on the outside of the box.  Again, I inked the paper edges with brown distress ink before adhering to the chipboard. 

Paint swirled heart pieces and word "Inspire" with a mixture of Quinacridone Violet and Cadmium Red Hue.  Paint dressform with a mix of Quinacridone Gold and Burnt Umber.

Adhere swirled heart pieces to outside of box.

Wrap colored thread around three small spools and adhere inside box.

Adhere dressform to box bottom.

Paint two large (1-1/2") wooden spools with brown distress stain.  Wrap spools with crochet cotton and adhere to  bottom of box.

Paint shell border sticks with Rose chalk ink on both sides.  Adhere around top edge of box.  Glue "Inspire" along top front.  Glue string of pearls around edge of box.

Adhere mini sewing machine, wood buttons, lace flower, and thimble, ruler, and scissors  charms inside box, as shown.

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Supplies Used:
Bagatelle Box 3 x 4 Inch
Dressforms 1 Miniature Shape Set
Shell Border Sticks
Words & Phrases 1
Texture Sheet Swirled Hearts

Other Supplies Used:
Scrapbook paper
Fluid Acrylics
Rose chalk paint
Brown distress stain
Fast Grab Tacky Glue
Wooden spools (various sizes)
Miniature sewing machine
Thimble charm
Sewing and crochet thread
Lace flower
Mini alphabet stickers (SEW)

I hope you enjoyed my sewing-themed project, and that I have inspired you to create a shadow box in whatever theme you love. Be sure to check out the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Store for all your chipboard needs, and see all the new laser cut chippies.   The blog always has more inspiration from the team, so stop by often to see what we are all up to. 

As always, thanks for stopping by and have a creative weekend!

Barbara