How to Display Dried Flowers in a Shadow Box

A shadow box is an ideal way to bring a hobby to use in your home. Anything that you enjoy doing can be incorporated into a shadow box display. If you enjoy or are interested in arranging or drying flowers, follow these steps to create a unique and charming shadow box with dried buds.

Step 1 - Choose Flowers

You will first need to choose some dried flowers that you want to put inside your shadow box. Spend some time deciding on the arrangement, and don't feel limited to the dried flowers you currently have on hand. If this is a hobby of yours, it's likely you have a lot of blooms to choose from growing in your garden that can be dried should you want to use them.

Step 2 - Open the Shadow Box

Next, you need to spend time preparing the shadow box by taking the back off and again deciding what you can do with it. At this point, you will want to consider how the dried flowers can be fixed inside the frame and also whether you want to use any decorative materials to compliment the arrangement.

Step 3 - Decorate the Back of the Box

To decorate the back of the shadow box you will need to choose some fabric or patterned paper. Stretch this over the back of the frame and then fix it behind with glue or staples. You might like to go down the route of creating a natural look, perhaps including green colored fabric to resemble grass.

Step 4 - Fix the Flowers in Place

You will now need to fix the flowers to the back of the shadow box. You have a few different options here. You can either use double-sided tape—the easiest option—or pins. The pins will be visible, but don't let this put you off; they can actually become part of the design if you're smart about your choice of design and color.

Another option is to use a hot glue gun. The advantages of hot glue are huge. First, it creates a very strong and permanent bond. It's also something that you won't be able to see and as it dries clear it's much easier to hide behind the flowers.

Step 5 - Add Decorations

The flowers may be beautiful already but you don't have to only use flowers. There are many other things which you can use to add to your design. Glitter, sequins, and various other objects can add a little shine to your shadow box. The items you want to choose will depend mainly on your personal preferences.

When you've finished designing the rest of the area inside the box, you just need to put them back on and fasten it up. Take a look at the finished product and decide whether or not you are happy with it before hanging.

Step 6 - Hang the Shadow Box

If you're happy with the shadow box then you need to put it on your wall. To do this, you should fix picture wire to the back two corners of the frame and then drive a nail into the wall. Afterward, just hang the wire over the nail and stand back to take a look at whether it sits level. Make any adjustments you need to the positioning, and then call this project complete.