Disney Nerds Getting Crafty: Shadow Boxes
Greetings everyone and welcome to Disney Nerds Getting Crafty!
If there’s one thing that happens as a Disney Nerd, we start collecting things and before we know we have a lot of stuff. Now with the larger things we they can be easy to display on a bookshelf or on the wall but what do you do about the smaller items? Well, here’s my crafty & simple answer: Shadow Boxes!
Yes, shadow boxes! I have a few examples of how I use some shadow boxes in my home and I will show you here.
First, you want to figure out what you want to display in the shadow boxes. It can be anything from park maps & tickets (I have another shadow box that I display movie and concert tickets in addition to old Disney park tickets), pins, or even pressed pennies. I recommend smaller items just because they work better in a shadow box. I chose to display my Vinylmation Jrs and my old Magic Bands in two different shadow boxes.
Once you’ve figured out what you want to display you need to purchase your shadow box. You can get shadow boxes at any craft store or even online (check our link below for some great shadow boxes from Amazon!). I went to my local craft store to purchase mine so I could get a better look at the shadow boxes in person. They come in a variety of different sizes, colors, and depths so pick a style you like and let’s get started! After you have the shadow boxes unwrapped, you want to wipe out the box and the glass. There’s usually some dust from the packaging cardboard or paper so you just want to make sure it nice and clean for your collection.
Next, I decided to decorate the back of my shadow boxes. My shadow boxes had a black back which I thought was a little plain. I happened to have two park maps so I cut them to fit the back and attached them. You can decorate the back of your shadow box however you like or leave the back as it is, it’s all about personal preference.
After the back is decorated you then place your collection in the shadow box. My Vinylmation Jrs were easy to place because they were so small. They don’t fill up the entire box which leaves space to collect more and how they randomly lay is all a part of the charm. On the other hand, my Magic Bands took a little more work to display. The shadow box I purchased was not long enough to display the Magic Bands without folding them (which I did on purpose) so I had to flatten them a little bit once they were folded. I placed the Magic Bands in the shadow box and placed several heavy books on top of the shadow box to help flatten the Magic Bands. I left the books on there for several days, you can use any other heavy item you have around the house and how long you leave it on top of the shadow box will vary.
Now that you’re collection is displayed in its shadow box you have a beautiful, crafty, and unique way to show off your Disney love!
Stay tuned for more Disney Nerds Getting Crafty segments!
Do you need to plan a trip so you can add to your collection? Don’t forget that we have our official travel agent for The Disney Nerds Podcast, Once Upon A Travel!
