Tag Archives: shadowbox using Hallmark ornaments

Craft – Star Wars Shadowbox

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Star Wars - finished Millennium Falcon

In honor of Star Wars Day, otherwise known as “May the Fourth Be With You”, I decided to make a Star Wars shadow boxes.  A few months ago I made several Beatrix Potter shadowboxes for Easter using some Hallmark Peter Rabbit themed ornaments.  Throughout the years I have also collected Hallmark Star Wars themed ornaments for my son.  I only collect the characters from the original Star Wars series of three movies – “Star Wars Episode VI: A New Hope”, “Episode VII: The Empire Strikes Back” and “Episode VIII: The Return of the Jedi”.  Every Christmas I set up a small tabletop tree in my son’s room and decorate it with the Star Wars ornaments, mini lights and small silver ball ornaments (click on the link to see the photos of the Star Wars Christmas tree)

So, for this craft project I decided to use these ornaments to create a Star Wars themed shadowbox.  This is a great way to decorate a boy’s bedroom with some relatively inexpensive “artwork”.  Heck, these shadowboxes could also be used to decorate other rooms of the house for any Star Wars fan!    

Star Wars-inspired Shadowbox supply list

  • Shadowbox
  • Star Wars Hallmark ornaments
  • Printed copy of a Star Wars photo (to use for the background)
  • Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Star Wars-inspired Shadowbox instructions

  1. Disassemble the shadowbox by removing the backing (Craft tip: this is a good opportunity to make sure that both sides of the glass are clean, allow the glass to dry completely)
  2. Search the internet to find a background picture for the shadowbox, print a copy in the appropriate size to fit.  (I found a Star Wars illustration of the Millennium Falcon and printed a copy on our home printer)
  3. Arrange the Hallmark Star Wars themed ornaments in the shadowbox.  When pleased with the placement, hot glue the ornaments in position.
  4. Reassemble the shadowbox, replace the backing and secure

The Star Wars-inspired shadowbox will make a great decoration for the home of any Star Wars fan and can be hung on the wall, placed on a side table or set on a bookshelf alongside the Star Wars DVDS to make a great display.  

Craft – Beatrix Potter-inspired Decoration

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Beatrix Potter - finished 1 exterior

This Spring I decided to make a special Beatrix Potter-inspired Decoration to display in our home for the Easter holiday.  Over a hundred years ago, an English author and illustrator named Helen Beatrix Potter (Born: July 28, 1866 Died: December 22, 1943) published her first book “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” in 1902.  Eventually she would write a wonderful series of charming children’s books featuring not only Peter Rabbit but Benjamin Bunny, Jemima Puddle Duck and also Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail to name just a few of the delightful characters.  (For more information about Beatrix Potter and the history of the Peter Rabbit books, please click on the link)

Several years ago I started to collect a series of Hallmark Peter Rabbit themed ornaments and I decided to use these to create several Beatrix Potter-inspired decorations.  These charming ornaments are beautifully detailed and readers might recognize them from photos of my annual Spring/Easter display in our china cabinet in our dining room.  (click on the link to see the photos)  Inspired by the beautiful illustrations that are featured in the books, I printed copies of lovely English countryside paintings done by Beatrix Potter and I used these as backgrounds for the craft projects.  

Special Note:  For this craft project, I had a unique Beatrix Potter “book” that I had found in a local retail store several years ago which I thought would be perfect.  I know this type of item was very unusual and probably could not be found again, so I have a solution! Purchase a paper mache “book”, these are generally available in craft stores.  Copy the cover of a Peter Rabbit book and paste it to the front to create a similar Beatrix Potter “book”.

Beatrix Potter - supplies 1 exterior

Beatrix Potter-inspired Decoration supply list

  • Beatrix Potter “book”
  • Beatrix Potter Hallmark ornaments (ceramic figurines could also be used)
  • Printed copy of a Beatrix Potter illustrations (to use for the background)
  • (Optional) Moss
  • (Optional) Floral stems
  • Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Beatrix Potter - finished 1 interior

Beatrix Potter-inspired Decoration instructions

  1. Search the internet to find a background picture for the shadowbox, print a copy in the appropriate size to fit.  (I found a Beatrix Potter illustration and printed a copy on our home printer)
  2. Arrange the Hallmark Peter Rabbit themed ornament.  When pleased with the placement, hot glue the ornaments in position.
  3. Option: To create an additional dimension to the shadowboxes for these enchanting characters to “live”, floral stems and moss can be used.  Add the moss to the shadowbox to simulate grass, this will also cover the bottom of the ornaments

Shown below are two “shadowboxes” that I improvised using two beautiful frames:

Beatrix Potter - finished 2b  Beatrix Potter - finished 2a

The Beatrix Potter-inspired shadowbox will make a great seasonal decoration for any home and can be hung on the wall, placed on a side table or set on a bookshelf.