Introduction: How to Display Keepsakes in a Shadow Box Without Gluing Them Down

By
About: I am 30 and am interested in anything that takes more brain power that sitting and watching tv (though sometimes i do succumb to the hum drum of the boob tube). I like all activities from the joy of making f…

We all have keepsakes that we want to keep around. Unfortunately some things don't display well on shelves or you just don't have enough shelf space .
A shadow box is a great idea and they come with pins to help you keep light things in place,but what do we do about the heavy things?
Visions of epoxy and other adhesives might be running through your head but these can permanently ruin your pieces if you ever wanted to display them differently or destroy their value do the road.
So here is a solution I have used for a long time to display things of importance.
I like using this method but one setback is if you are really close you can see the string but most of the time you are not that close and I don't seem to mind

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies

You will need :
Shadow box frame
piece of cardboard big enough to fit in the frame
scissors
paper glue, and embellishments to decorate your background
needle
magic stretch string, the clear works best but the frosted works in a pinch especially on white things like my tiles

Step 2: Deconstruct the Frame

open the frame and carefully remove the foam lining common on most of these frames

Step 3: Trace and Cut Your Cardboard

Trace the frame back onto your cardboard and cut out

Step 4: Decorate Your Background

You can do this however you like. I used some scrapbook paper that I glued down then I added some of my grandmother's lace as an accent. in my later pictures you will See I had a more ornate paper but later decided to use a simpler one so I flipped it over and tried again.

I have used plain cork on a lot of mine because of its simplicity and because it has no dye that could transfer over time

Step 5: Place and Mark

Arrange your items onto your board.


Now decide the best place to put your string to hold the items on.
For most pieces to will need a top and a bottom line.
So find a place where the line will be the most inconspicuous and hold on well.
mark a dot where the string will enter and exit

Step 6: Make Holes and Thread the String

use the needle and poke a hole in all of the places you marked.
string the stretch string through a set of two holes and tie in a square knot in the back.
how tight you tie them depends on how big your piece is.
Sometimes it helps to slide the piece in and pull against it as you tie.


Step 7: Place the Object Under the Strings

Now just pick up the string s and place the items under them.
If they are too loose you can tie the top and bottom ends together to make them tighter.

Step 8: Put the Frame Together

put the frame together
frame,cardboard backing
sometimes if I cut the board a little small to cling to the frame lip I will glue it to the backing.

Step 9: Finished Product and Tips

Now you can wipe off your fingerprints with windex and hang it where desired.

Tips:
So sometimes I'll use the strings criss crossed in an x pattern so that it will hold it better instead of straight across. I did this on the rocks in the square frame

If I am trying to put something heavy in the box I'll put it on the bottom and use the string to more or less stabilize the item, but when you put the frame on its sitting on the lip of the frame. like the salt shakers above.

Most of my boxes seem random because I tend to organize them by who the items belonged to.

Small Spaces Contest

Participated in the
Small Spaces Contest