I am back with another handmade Christmas project, perfect as decor or giving away as a gift. See how to make a DIY Christmas shadow box with lights in this week’s post!

I have loved the intricacy of shadow boxes, but have never had a go at making one before. This Christmas I thought it would be a perfect time to experiment with a bit of papercraft and have a go at making a DIY Christmas shadow box.
So what is a shadow box?

What is a Shadow Box?

Shadow boxes come in all shapes, sizes and themes. They can be simple pebble or 3d type art or use paper to create a scene that has shadow and depth.
There are so many different variants from Christmas themed, to Disney and superheroes. They look beautiful without lights but add in a few little lights and they take on another dimension!

For the style of shadow box in this post, it involves a bit of skill in paper crafting. Now, with paper crafting like this, you usually print your design and then cut out the details using a craft knife and a steady hand. I don’t have that much of a steady hand, so I am using a bit of machinery in the form of die-cutting.
Die-cutting is basically metal cutters (dies) that you run through a die cutting machine with the card stock being used.

An even easier way is to use a digital cutting machine, such as a Cricut or Silhouette. I don’t have one of these (yet), but it is on my wishlist of craft items!

I have previously made Valentine’s cards and DIY Wall Art if you are interested in more papercraft.

How to Make a DIY Christmas Shadow Box

For this project, I wanted to create a winter wonderland style of a shadow box. To give it a bit of something extra Christmas magical, adding in some battery-operated copper mini lights. These will be intertwined between the layers of the cardstock.

So if you would like to see how to make a DIY Christmas shadow box with lights then, let’s get crafting!

Jump to the video version of this post too!

DIY Christmas Shadow Box |What you need:

To make the DIY Christmas shadow box, you are going to need the following items. Some items on this list are affiliate links. Please see my disclaimer for more details.

• 6×6 3D Shadow Box Frame*
• White Card stock
• Die-cutting machine*
• Christmas village die*
• Trees die*
• Deer Scene die – Part of this set*
• Circle Die*
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Craft knife
• Vellum paper
• Low tack tape/washi tape
• Sellotape
• Paper/Card trimmer*
• Battery operated wire copper lights*
• Double-sided tape*
• Adhesive foam*
• Glue gun

Step 1 – Prepare the frame

The first thing to do is to prepare your frame. 3D box frames come with spacers and mounts to add dimension to the frame. The frames I am using allow you to place these at different heights, and even move the glass to a different position. You want to make sure the glass is right to the front, with the square spacer then on top.

Then it is time to create a small hole in the back of the frame to thread the copper lights through. Now, you could use a drill for this, however, I found that using the point of my craft knife achieves the same effect.
Place the battery pack of the copper lights onto the back of the frame. The smaller discreet battery lights are best for this. Mark the spot where the battery pack will sit with a pencil. Then use the craft knife to score and create a hole.
You should now have a small hole in the back of the frame. Thread the light through, then set this aside and move onto the next step.

Step 2 – Prepare the card stock

Next, it is time to prepare the card stock for the various layers to the shadow box. You are going to need 4 layers for this design, but you could have as many layers as you like.
The card needs to be cut down to size so that it fits the frame. Ideally, you want to cut this at 6″x6″, which is 15.2cmx15.2cm. However, I cut mine slightly smaller as the spacer cuts this down by 1 cm, so I cut the card to 14.2cmx14.2cm. The placement of the card is important so that it fits snugly behind the spacer.

Step 3 – Create the layers with dies

As this is a Christmas landscape, there are different layers needed to create it. So, all four layers will require some form of die-cutting to create the winter wonderland.

Start at the back layer as this will help to visualize how and where each layer needs the die-cut. Cut the following on each layer. The back layer will be layer 1 and so forth.

Layer 1-

Use a small circle die in the top left-hand corner to create a moon. I used the smallest circle in the nesting die set to cut this out. Use low-tack tape or washi tape to secure the die in place and then run it through the die-cut machine.

To create a soft effect of the light, cut out a piece of vellum paper to fit over the back of the circle. This will diffuse the light behind it, and create a nice moon effect to the image. Attach with double-sided tape, making sure it does not go over the circle part of the design.

Layer 2-

Use the Christmas village die on this layer. Place the die on layer 1 to see where you want the village to be placed. Measure this with a ruler, and mark with a pencil on the second layer card stock. Cut this out with the die machine.
Then, use a craft knife to trim away the top edge of the image. You also want to cut to the sides of where the die finishes creating a snow slope type of look. I hope that makes sense!

Place this onto layer 1 and you will see the image starting to take shape.

Layer 3 –

Use the Christmas tree die on this layer to create the forest background. Again place this onto the second layer to see where the top of the trees should sit on the image, then mark this on the third layer card stock.
When cut out, use the craft knife again to cut away the car stock from the top of the die-cut, as well as the edges to make it look like the snow scene.

Layer 4 –

The final layer in the winter wonderland scene. This time use the deer scene die from the Christmas die set. Place this on the third layer to mark where you want the image to appear within the scene. Mark this on the final layer card stock, tape down and die cut out. Again, trim the excess card from around the image at the top and edge.

Then all the layers are cut out and ready to be assembled.

Step 4 – Add adhesive foam to the layers

Before assembling the layers with the lights, adhesive foam needs to be added to enable space between the layers. I found that doubling the foam was the best thickness.
Make sure that this is placed around all of the edges of the image. On the layers with the intricate cut-outs, place the foam underneath this. You may have to cut this into smaller pieces to fit the images.
Keep the backing on the strips until the layers are ready to be placed together.

Step 5 – Add the lights and layers

Now, it is time to assemble the DIY shadow box together. This can take a bit of time as we are adding in the lights as well as the layers.

First, place the mount from inside the frame onto the backing of the frame. Line up the edges and mark every four corners with a pencil. This will act as a guide to where the card stock will sit.
Arrange the lights on the frame backing, securing in place with sellotape. Make sure this doesn’t go over the actual lights on the wire though. Bend the wire and fold it flat to cluster the lights together, and place one close to where the moon cut out is.
Place over the layer to check the placement, and turn on the lights to see where they are shining. Then stick the layer in a place where it is marked.

Repeat the same process with the rest of the layers and lights. It makes it easier if you mark on the bottom layers where the next layer starts/ends.

Step 6 – Place in the shadow box frame

Once everything is stuck into place, it is time to place the creation into the box frame. Place in the spacer part of the frame. Then add in all the layers, making sure they line up with the spacer. Fasten this at the back into place, when all appears central.

The final step is to secure the battery pack to the frame. Use a glue gun to do this, making sure the edge with the screws is facing upwards, so that the battery can be replaced easily.

Then the DIY Christmas shadow box with lights is complete and ready to display, or give away as a gift!

What do you think of this project? Have you made a shadow box before? Let me know in the comments below!

If you enjoyed this, then you may enjoy some more of these Christmas crafts!

DIY Christmas Shadow Box with Lights Video:

Here is the video version of this project. If you enjoy the video, then don’t forget to like and subscribe to my channel. There is a video every week to match the blog posts!

DIY Christmas Shadow Box with Lights | Pin it!

If you have enjoyed this post, why not share the love and pin it for later? Check out my Pinterest too!

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