Graduating from any level of education is an incredible personal achievement, there is no doubt about that.
It is a moment that you will remember all your life and you will want it to remain intact in your heart and in your memory.
Graduation is something you want to celebrate and remember over the years, which is why this article will be dedicated to treasuring those memories and photos that were part of the learning process and the days and years that this stage lasted.
In this article, I bring you shadow box graduation ideas so you can build your own treasure trove of memories.
Let’s get started!
This super easy tutorial is for treasure your memories. In this case we do it with the articles related to the graduation, but you can replicate this idea with different articles of special moments for you.
We all have boxes full of memories that are stored in some corner of our house, hidden, almost forgotten. The best way to show off your most precious memories is shadowboxes.
Memory shadow box ideas are an excellent way to decorate a wall, spice up a chest of drawers, bring a little piece of our life to the work office or they can even be a gift of incomparable value.
The shadow box graduation ideas are just a theme with which you can build your shadowbox. I share a list of special moments that you can treasure and items that you can include in other shadowboxes.
Tutorial and tips for your shadow box graduation ideas
These memory shadow box ideas will be based on your own memories and things that have been part of that stage and that you want to treasure.
For example, you can include:
- Graduation gear (cap, sash, tassel, diploma, pamphlet)
- Polaroid-style photos with your friends or family
- Prizes or trophies
- Fabric of your prom dress
- A letter or a poem
- A news clipping about some important event that year
To make these shadow box graduation ideas, gather all the elements you want to include.
In this case, we will use:
- Shadowbox (16″ x 20″)
- Sewing pins
- Tape
- Polaroid-style printed photos
Although creating your own shadow box is simple, it is still an exciting activity, so if you are someone who gets excited easily like me, I recommend that you add a pack of disposable tissues to your list of materials (just kidding lol)
Instructions to assemble your shadow box
Organizing a shadow box is so easy you don’t even need instructions, but in this step-by-step I’ll give you some tips to make your keepsakes look their best.
Step 1
Open your shadowbox and organize your memories and photos the way you like.
Include in your shadowbox all the items that are important to you and have fun organizing them so that they can show off inside.
As I said before, to give you shadow box ideas you can include photos with your family and friends, your graduation gear, a piece of fabric from your dress, an award you want to keep, among other things.Step 2
Attach all of your items to the base of the shadow box. You will need a lot of pins to keep everything in place once the shadow box is placed vertically.
In this step, you will need pins to fix everything that is made of fabric and tape to stick the photos.
Do it carefully to respect the order you had chosen for the items and so that they do not get damaged.Step 3
It’s time to test if everything stays in place. Hold the base upright to ensure your items don’t move.
If you find it necessary, add sewing pins or tape to better hold items.Step 4
Put the glass cover on the fabric base and close it. That is all!Step 5
This step is optional, but I have seen different Cricut shadow box ideas. If you have a Cricut machine you can add a vinyl sticker to your shadowbox for your decoration.
For example, you can add a phrase, the name of your school or university, a word, or even the date or year of your graduation.
Shadow box ideas
Moments you can treasure in a shadowbox:
Births:
includes a newborn photo, weight and height data, date of birth, their little clothes, etc. There is nothing more adorable than everything related to babies.
Weddings:
Include the invitation along with memorable photos.
Graduations:
As we said in this tutorial, include photos, your graduation gear, awards, etc.
Travel:
Shadowboxes will keep alive the magical moments of your last trip. Includes photos, tickets, maps, year and country, etc.
Concerts:
Include your favorite band tickets, music festival wristbands, badges, the lyrics of your favorite song, the list of songs the band played that night and anything else that makes you remember that moment of celebration.
Pets:
Put your favorite photos and add their first dog collar, their favorite toy, etc.
Children’s art:
Save the best works of art of your young children, you can add some photos of that stage of their life.
These are just a few shadow box ideas but the possibilities to create are endless. Dust off the memories you have stored away and make them shine in your own DIY shadowboxes.
It's time to create your shadow boxes!
I hope that this step-by-step tutorial and the ideas that I included in this article will encourage you to build your own memory boxes.
I personally think a shadow box is a great way to encapsulate your memories while also giving you a great wall decoration to hang in your home.
We also have an article about more graduation ideas you can make for this unforgettable day in by clicking here: ‘The best Cricut graduation ideas (DIY 2022)’.