It’s June. Wedding bells are ringing, and it’s also the time of year to plan summer vacations. Once the wedding or vacation is over though, one way to preserve these fabulous times is by creating beautifully themed wedding and vacation shadow boxes.
A shadow box is literally a “framed box,” and it’s usually in the shape of squares or rectangles. A shadow box is like a framed picture or photo, but instead of a flat, the box has depth and holds important objects. The front of the shadow box is covered with glass so that you can see the items that are placed inside.
For a bride and groom, a perfect shadow box could encompass a wedding invitation, a wedding favor, the ring bearer’s pillow, the grooms corsage, and silk flowers. Imaginatively arranged inside a shadow box, these items will always have special meaning for a special day.
Or you may want to use dried flowers (from a bridal bouquet or garden) and arrange them within a shadow box around a wedding invitation. Some of the most beautiful dried flowers are violets, roses, carnations, daises and hydrangea.
Shadow boxes certainly are like treasure boxes, holding particular items that are not just saved, but are displayed like art.
On vacation, pretty much anything can be collected to be placed in a shadow box. Souvenirs like postcards, seashells, rocks or even leaves can be used. You could save concert or train ticket stubs or a foreign coin. Maybe you’d like to use a road map or a subway token from a trip. If something catches your eye, or is a memorable part of your trip, definitely save it for a shadow box. Each item will certainly remind you of a wonderful time.
If your vacation spot is the beach, you could create a shadow box filled with seashells. If you wish, just one type of seashell could be mounted in a shadow box, or you may want to mount as many seashells as you can find.
A shadow box filled with sea glass, driftwood, vintage postcards and a map can vividly bring back memories of a trip to coastal Maine.
Just because it’s a shadow box doesn’t mean you can’t use photos too. Of course your shadow box will contain memorabilia, but you can certainly add a photo or two.
Shadow boxes can be custom-made to hold items of all kinds, or you can make your own shadow box to display possessions.
Besides summer weddings and vacations, shadow boxes can honor many different events. Whether it’s the birth of a baby, graduations, retirements or holidays, shadow boxes will assure lasting memories.
