DIY Tutorial: Shadow Box Halloween Decoration

Looking for a unique Halloween decoration? A shadow box is a great way to create your own dimensional Halloween art. Using just layers of paper, you can create a spooky, ethereal scene, great for tabletop or window decor. The same idea can be used for any holiday theme!

Materials:
1. Paper or card stock. I used white card stock, black card stock, silver paper, white and red vellum, and dark blue paper for the background.
2. Shadow box frame.
3. Scissors or X-acto knife with #11 blades.
4. Self-healing mat or cardboard to cut on.
5. Ruler for cutting straight lines.
6. Tape and white glue.

To create your design, you need to plan out how many layers of paper you will use. You can draw your own design, find a design template, or cut out collage images to use. For my shadow box I drew a ghostly image of a mysterious woman amongst the trees. I drew the design on one piece of paper, and marked which parts will go on which layer. I used two layers of trees, the cloaked woman, a background layer, and some separate pieces of vellum to create an effect of mist.

Open your shadow box and measure the inside of the frame. This is the size of your image, but leave some extra room on top and bottom to create a folded flap that you can tape or glue to the sides of the frame. Cut out each layer, leaving a flap on each one. You will cut the flaps down to fit into the box, depending on where your layer sits. You can use an x-acto knife or scissors, making small, slow cuts with a sharp blade. Vellum is usually easier to cut with scissors, but a sharp blade will also work.

I attached the white tree layer first, and added the woman behind them, attaching her to the bottom. The silver trees were spaced behind her. Behind the trees, I added a piece of vellum on the bottom. For the background layer, I attached it to the top of the frame, and left some space open at the bottom to let light in. I cut spaces out of the paper and glued a vellum moon and some more layers of mist onto it. Use a toothpick to apply small amounts of regular white glue, or attach small bits of double sided tape. The vellum adds a nice glow when placed near any light source, and I left the back of the frame open to let the light in. You can protect the back of the frame with a piece of clear acetate or Plexiglas.

The effect this creates is of a mysterious, misty forest, using only paper, light, and the depth of the shadow box. The design options are endless to make your own art and dioramas. You can experiment with different papers and vellum, and also add in 3 dimensional objects. Have fun and a Happy Halloween!

Arwen from Arwen Designs

Paper Flower Rose Tutorial

Winter is still holding on in the Hudson Valley, but Spring is just around the corner! The flowers in your garden may not be coming up yet, but here are some paper roses to brighten your day. This is based on a template for roses made of coffee filters on Martha Stewart’s website.

Materials:

1. Coffee filters or paper. Any thin paper should work to create the rose, but different papers will absorb paint different ways.
2. Floral Tape
3. Floral Wire
4. Scissors
5. Paint

Martha Stewart’s template and instructions are here: Paper Roses

I also made a template that will fit a slightly smaller rose onto a folded 8.5” x 11” piece of paper: Download

The coffee filters are thin and easy to shape, but the main benefit is the way they absorb color. Using a water based paint like watercolors or acrylics, you can get beautiful, realistic effects.

To make a coffee filter rose, cut out all the shapes as specified in the template. I didn’t have flat cone filters, so I used the wavy ones I had. You just want to have the right edge of the smaller petals against a fold, so they are connected when you cut through the two layers. The larger petals are not connected.

Cut a piece of floral wire to start wrapping your petals around. It is easier to use the ones that are already covered in tape, but you can use plain wire and wrap it with floral tape. You need to wrap the tip of it with a little tape so the wire won’t slide out. Poke the wire through the first petal, and start wrapping petals as detailed in the template instructions, from small to large. Make sure each layer is secured with tape so they don’t start falling out later. I found it easier to secure them first with a small piece of scotch tape, then wrap some floral tape around it. The tricky part is getting all the petals to look evenly spaced, it takes some experimenting to get it right.

It doesn’t look like much yet, but now comes the fun part. You can paint your rose in realistic or fantasy colors. Start painting with a light base color, using a wet brush and watered down color. The coffee filters will absorb and spread the color. Blend some darker colors on top, and add some dark highlights to the edges of the petals with a drier brush and thicker paint. I used a sky blue base, a slightly darker blue, and purple.

Let this dry for about a day by hanging it upside down. When it is dry, take a toothpick or barbecue skewer and curl the tips of all the petals, holding it at an angle to curl the left and right side. This really helps to make it look realistic. Separate the petals a little bit as needed. I added the leaves by simply wrapping some floral tape around the tip of the leaf to attach it to the stem.

The blue flower is made with coffee filters, and the black one is made with a text weight solid black paper. I tried making a black coffee filter rose, but it is best suited for lighter colors (watered down black = grey!). The paper rose is made the same way, using the second template that I created. Use this template by folding a piece of 8.5” x 11” piece of paper the long way, so you have a piece measuring 4.25” x 11”. Line up the edge of all the small petals against the fold, and cut out the pieces.

You can experiment with painting coffee filters, or with all sorts of patterned and colored paper. Paper
flowers make beautiful decorations, wedding bouquets, and gifts!

Hanging Paper Lantern / Luminary Tutorial

Paper lanterns or luminaries are simple and elegant, and are a great addition to parties and weddings, or as decorations around the home. You can make your own paper lantern with a few simple materials. Here is a tutorial for a small luminary, using one of my Halloween designs.

Materials:
1. Paper. The paper I used is black cardstock and gold vellum. Cardstock comes in many colors and textures. The translucent vellum is what diffuses the light and makes the lantern glow. You can use any color vellum, just keep in mind what color your tea light is, as it will affect the look of the vellum.
2. X-acto knife with #11 blades.
3. Self-healing mat or cardboard to cut on.
4. Ruler for cutting straight lines.
5. Double sided tape or glue dots, double sided foam tape.
6. Battery operated tea light.
7. Ribbon.

You can refer to my tutorial for Cut Paper Silhouettes for ideas on finding a design and transferring it to paper.  For black cardstock, I would use the method of laying a print of the design on top of your cardstock, and cutting through both layers. Another method is to use transfer or carbon paper to trace the design onto the cardstock.

Measure the width of your tea light, then add a little extra space. This is the width of your bottom piece. I used a standard tea light, and made the bottom 2” wide. Then measure an equal distance on either side. I used an 8.5” x 11” sheet of paper for the whole design, cut in half, so that the whole piece laid flat measures 11” x 4.25”.

Transfer your design onto the cardstock. To make a double sided lantern as shown, you will need to flip or reverse the design on the other side (like a mirror image). Make sure your design leaves enough of a border so that the cardstock will be sturdy. Too thin of border will make it weak once everything is cut out. On the top of each side, I added a small handle with a hole for ribbon to go through. This was added in the design, so it is all cut out of one piece of paper.

Cut the design out with your x-acto knife, on your self-healing mat. Make slow, small cuts, and make sure your blade is sharp. Since cardstock is thick, you may have to go over some lines more than once, especially any corners. Score lines to fold where you measured your bottom 2” area, and fold the sides up. The picture shows how it looks once the two sides are cut out, and the lines are scored.

Cut out two pieces of your vellum, slightly bigger than the opening of your design. Attach these inside using double sided tape or glue dots. Position your tea light on the bottom piece, and figure out where the on/off switch is. Cut a small hole in the bottom so that you can reach the switch. Attach the tea light to the bottom with double sided foam tape.

Attach the paper together at the top with tape or glue dots, and tie a ribbon or cord through the hole. Turn on the light and enjoy your creation! You can sit this on a table or hang it from the ribbon. Hang a row of lights in a darkened room to create a magical atmosphere!

The luminary pictured here is available in my Etsy store.

Arwen from Arwen Designs