Y’all. Last year I went shadowbox crazy.

When I am stressed or sad is when I feel the most creative. Or maybe I become the most creative to get through a difficult time. Either way, DIY projects are my therapy. Last Christmas was a really tough one for our family because we thought our daughter’s illness was getting worse and that it might be her last one with us. (More about this here.)

Thanks to these simple shadowboxes, I was able to repurpose my sadness and turn it into something festive to enjoy.

These are so easy once you figure out a theme and gather a few items to put inside. I like vintage ornaments, fake snow, bottlebrush trees, tiny cars and little animals. The trick is to make sure the items are small enough to fit inside, so a tape measure is your friend while you’re shopping around. Ikea, Michaels, and TJ Maxx have cheap boxes in variety of shapes, sizes, and colors.

There are a TON of free printables on the Internet. I just Googled a few themes and found some cute ones. Print and style however you like best.

Heat up your hot glue gun and you’re ready to start creating a tiny display story of your own. These are so fun to make with the whole family and a great gift for the person who has everything.