Beach Themed Shadowbox Art

Step 1

To start, turn the wood panels over so the back is facing you. Apply the gel stain in an even coat on the sides of the frame. Wipe away any excess stain with a rag. (I did not stain the bottom of my tray or shadowbox because I am going to be covering it with paper.)

Step 2

To add the rustic appearance, dry brush quickly over the surface first with Driftwood. Use a VERY dry brush and VERY little paint. Leave parts of the stained wood showing.

Step 3

Go over the frame again with the same technique and the warm white paint. (These will dry really fast because you are only putting a very light coat of paint on each time. However do make sure everything is dry before continuing onto the next step.)

Step 4

Glue the four frames together with the wood glue. Add a wood strip across the back and secure with nails. This will hold everything together while the glue sets. Allow this to dry completely before continuing.

Step 5

Add a couple of sawtooth hangers to the back while you have it upside down, if desired.

Step 6

While the rest of the shadowbox is drying, paint any elements that require paint. I used a few wood letters to spell out “SEA” and painted them with the ice blue paint.

Step 7

Once everything is dry, grab your wood grain paper and Mod Podge.

Step 8

Cut the paper to the size of the shadowbox openings and decoupage into place by applying Mod Podge to the back of each sheet of paper. Allow these to dry completely before continuing. Weight down your paper if needed to keep it nice and flat while drying.

Step 9

Grab mementos from all of your beach vacations and play around with them inside of the boxes. Once you are happy with the placement just use hot glue to secure into place.

Step 10

After everything has dried, your shadowbox is ready to display!