Shadowbox for "Light It Up" swap

I had been wanting to make a backlit shadowbox for a while but just never got around to it. . . enter the recent “Light It Up” swap! It’s immediately what I thought to make for this swap. I designed it in Inkscape and cut it with my Glowforge. The box itself is cherry plywood and the paper layers are watercolor paper.
Of course these things never go smoothly, and the style of the first box I made did not want to assemble easily (I’ve saved it so I can tinker with it later and make another one). So back to the drawing board where I incorporated a couple other improvements. I also wanted to use a LED light strip (which came with a remote control), but the lights weren’t bright enough for me so I ended up switching to fairly lights. I also wanted the lights to be battery operated so the recipient could place the box wherever they wanted.
The final project:

Assembly pics below:






The final box unlit:

And lit:

Lots of learnings while making this one but I’m pleased with how it turned out, so hopefully I’ll make more soon!

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This is absolutely beautiful! Each layer adds so much depth and dimension. I love the little mushrooms and the crow - I see more every time I look!

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This turned out so beautifully.

Oh, how I’d love a glowforge! Someday….

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Putting the shadow in shadowbox! (I’ll be here all week.)

Seriously, though, this is really cool. I’d be parked in front of it all the time for sure.

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This is absolutely gorgeous! I love everything about it! It is so soft and soothing. And the fact you made the box! Wow!

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That lightbox is gorgeous and I really love the process pics and explanation. Your execution is flawless and the rich color of the wood is perfection. You have me itching to make a lightbox of my own!

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I sure have learned a lot from the various projects in that swap! A lot of bold and creative ways to use light as a feature for artwork.

This is really fun and lovely…I love seeing the process as well…makes me feel braver to try something like this!

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For anyone interested in creating a similar shadowbox without fancy equipment - it’s completely doable!
A deep frame from a craft store would work perfectly for the box, and the paper and foam core can be cut by hand with x-acto or other sharp blades. I’d love to see what y’all make!

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I really love the shadowing plant silhouettes and the bright moon! Thanks for showing all the layers, it’s so much deeper than I imagined.

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It’s so beautiful! It currently resides on our mantel! :heart:

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So beautiful!

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It came out beautifully! Thanks for including WIP pics too!

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It’s really, really lovely.

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:fire: Congratulations! This hot project is featured this week! :fire:

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This is gorgeous!

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This is beautiful!

So much detail. I love the layers and how the shadows play with the depth perception even more.

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Oh my gosh, this creates such a dreamy mood. I love it so much!

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