How to Make DIY Holiday Shadow Boxes

DIY Peace Shadow Box Holiday Decor

These DIY holiday shadow boxes are the ideal way to decorate for the holidays. Follow this step-by-step tutorial to learn how to make your own Peace Shadow Boxes this holiday season.

Add some 3-dimensional decor to your holiday collection this year!

Shadowboxes are the ideal way to decorate your home for the holidays.  This is one of the most popular ways crafters showcase layered designs at any time of the year.

These shadow boxes are made using my layered letter designs, cardstock, and a store-bought shadow box.  You could also save some money and make your own shadow boxes out of cardstock as well.

You can choose any color combination you want and you aren’t limited to just two colors.  You could use five different colors if you wanted.

The 3D look is created by using foam adhesive in between each layer which is double-sided, thick adhesive that gives the letters their dimension.

Let me show you how to make a Holiday Shadow Boxes in Cricut Design Space.

This can also be made using a Silhouette, Brother Scan n Cut, or another cutting machine.  Just choose the file type that works for your machine.  You can reference the 'How to use cut files' document included in the zip file to learn which file type is needed for your cutting machine.

This post contains some affiliate links (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you). 

Materials & Supplies

• Holiday Layered Alphabet Cut Files
  • Purchase the whole alphabet here
  • Download NOEL for free here
• Cricut Maker, Cricut Explore, or another cutting machine
• Cricut Cutting Mat - LightGrip or StandardGrip
• Cardstock
• Adhesive Foam Circles – 0.25-inch
• Shadow Boxes

Instructions

Follow these easy steps to make the Holiday Shadow Boxes using Cricut Design Space.

Open Cricut Design Space and click the + to create a new project.

In the Design Panel on the left, select “Upload.”

Click Upload Image, then Browse, and navigate to the SVG files on your device to upload them to Cricut Design Space.  Here you can change the name and add tags. Click “Save.”

Once you uploaded the file, select the design and click “Insert Images” to bring it onto your canvas.  You can select more than one image to bring into the canvas.  

Resize the letters using the Edit Toolbar at the top to fit the size shadow box you have.  The shadow boxes I purchased at Michael's were 7x7 with the inside frame being 6x6, so I made my letters 5" tall.

Resize the remaining letters.

If you're using more than two colors, make sure to update the layers to different colors so they cut on different mats. You can do this by selecting each layer and selecting a new color in the Edit Toolbar or using the Color Sync tab at the top of the Layers Panel.

Now you’re ready to cut it.  Click Make It in the upper-right hand corner and you’ll be taken to the prepare screen.

Here you’ll want to select your material size. 

Now it’s time to connect to your machine and select your material.  For all of my layered designs, I use the Cardstock (for intricate cuts) setting.

This setting along with a clean, sticky mat will ensure you have a nice, clean-cut.

When you're removing the paper from the mat make sure to bend the mat or the paper will curl.

Assembling the Layered Holiday Alphabet Letters

Cricut Design Space doesn’t cut out the layers in order so it can get confusing to piece together.  Head back to Design Space to see the layers as a reference for how to put them together.

The image below shows you from bottom to top how the layers should be placed.

Use the foam adhesive to put the layers together to get a 3D effect .  

For the top layer, you can either use small foam adhesive dots like the micro pop dots to continue the 3D look or use tacky glue.

Now it's time to add it to your shadow box.  My shadow box had a black background so I cut a piece of white glitter felt to use as my background.

Place the layered letter on top of the felt and secure it using the foam adhesive.  Then place it into the shadow box.

Repeat the steps for the remaining letters.

You can spell out your family name for a personalized piece or keep it specific to the holidays.  Try adding some fairy lights to give a loving glow to your home.

Ready to make your own?

DOWNLOAD THE  ‘FREE LAYERED LETTER NOEL’ CUT FILES HERE OR PURCHASE THE WHOLE HOLIDAY ALPHABET

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DIY Peace Shadow Box Holiday Decor