• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Start Here
  • Shop Favorites
  • About
    • Welcome To My Repurposed Life Home of Repurposed Furniture
    • More About Gail
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Information
  • Gallery
    • Repurposed Furniture
  • Repurposed Items
    • Building Supplies
    • Miscellaneous Household Items
    • Picture Frame/Chalk Board
  • DIY
    • Home Reno
    • outdoor living
    • Painting
    • Shop Talk
    • Tips for Around the House
    • Build It
      • Furniture
      • Home Decor
      • Storage
    • Crafts
      • Dollar Store
      • Easy
      • Holidays Seasonal
  • Furniture
    • Chair
    • Desk
    • Dresser/Chest
    • Headboard | Bed Parts | Cribs
    • Kids Furniture
    • Table
    • Kids Furniture
My Repurposed Life® Rescue Re-imagine Repeat
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Start Here
  • Project Index
  • Furniture
  • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Repurposed Items » Simple Rustic Shadow Box

    Simple Rustic Shadow Box

    Published by Gail | Published May 27, 2014 | Updated July 12, 2022
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Pin
    Share
    Tweet

    how-to-rustic-shadow-box



    Today I have a simple rustic shadow box made from an old frame and some leftover fence pieces. I make directional wedding signs on Etsy, and end up with a lot of leftover pieces that are not good enough quality for painting—and of course I save these pieces.

    random-picture-framesLast year I went through a bunch of my picture frames….

    painting marathon….. and had a painting marathon.

     

    making-merry-berry-hill-10After painting the frames, I took some of them to Making Merry in Berry Hill. The frame I used for this project is  the weathered white one by the red one.

     

    weathered fenceThis is the fence I use for my directional wedding signs.

    Cut narrow fence boards and rest them in the picture frame

    rustic-wood-framedI picked some pieces out of the scrap pile and cut them to size to fit the picture frame.

    Liquid Nails is helpful to hold the boards in place

    liquid-nails-shadow-boxNext, I used Liquid Nails for this project—here you can see where I squirted it onto the lip of the picture frame to secure the fence  boards.

     

    rustic-frame-shadow-boxI continued to glue (Liquid Nails) and clamp until the boards set up. For good measure I also used my nail gun to help give a secure hold.

    Add more narrow weathered fence boards for the back

    rustic-shadow-boxI didn’t have to rip any of the boards, they were the perfect size to leave a small gap between the boards.

     

     

    rustic-wood-framed-shadow-boxOf course I used my favorite d-rings on the back for hanging. I typically use 3 d-rings so that the shadow box can be hung horizontally as shown here, or vertically.

     

    outdoor-shadow-boxThis shadow box would be great to hold some plants to give the patio a pop of color.

     

    outdoor-rustic-shadow-boxIt would also hold  small garden statues.

     

    shadow-box-rusticIf you like rustic décor indoors, it would be the perfect fit! It’s actually very versatile. Smile

     

    I love using up scrap fence pieces, do you need more rustic fence project ideas?

    Related Content: Picture Frame Ideas For Home Decor and More

     

    gail

    sharing here:

    Becky's Beyond the Picket Fence Porch Projects

    Pin
    Share
    Tweet

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      See comments Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. David Lyle

      February 18, 2023 at 10:18 pm

      Poor construction steps and details. Failed to follow each step; what went where, etc. Looking for something similar but with smaller casing depth. Nice results though.

      Reply
    2. Debbie @ Refresh Restyle

      July 12, 2015 at 6:45 pm

      Love these! Great idea!
      Debbie

      Reply
    3. Pam Z

      December 01, 2014 at 12:53 pm

      LOVE !! I am a hoarder of frames, any size/style/medium ! I also am a hoarder of mirrors!! LOL..of course...OLD ones !! I did a shadow box [pics on my Facebook: Pam Perkins Zirbel..] of Graphic 45 French Country paper and pcs of wedding dresses and such...AFTER I did this...I didn't think of HOW to keep it on the wall!! DUH!! As I used cardboard covered in paper and it wasn't strong enuff to hang by that..soo...I used a gorgeous double folded pc of old lace and pic hangers and tied the ends and knotted them over the 'hangers'...and at the top of the lace, I glued a few roses from a store on line, not I am roses...Ugh cant think..ANYWAYS...it was boxed up, sent to California and the pic hanger [one of them] fell/broke off [they said, whatever!] so...I don't know HOW they hung it on their wall...it looks ugly with out the lace 'hanger' part !! Ugh..so I wont do THAT again!! We DO have pcs of a picket fence and HAVE to try this!! You do such great work with frames!!! .... Pam

      Reply
    4. Chris

      June 07, 2014 at 7:49 pm

      I would like to put miniature scenes in this!! great idea I have seen this idea before but this is rustic!! blessings!!!

      Reply
    5. Terri

      May 28, 2014 at 9:42 am

      I LOVE this idea...I'm still amazed at what you can do with every last "scrap"!

      Reply
    6. Mindi

      May 28, 2014 at 12:19 am

      What a brilliant idea Gail!! I love them!! You are inspiring! Pinned!

      Reply
    7. Shelia

      May 27, 2014 at 8:03 pm

      Oh, you are truly the most creative one! This is so cute and what a great job you did. Thanks so much for popping in to see me.
      Be a sweetie,
      Shelia 🙂

      Reply
    8. Doris Henson

      May 27, 2014 at 6:42 pm

      Gorgeous!!! Love the rustic look!!

      Reply
    9. Holly

      May 27, 2014 at 3:15 pm

      What a great use of scrap pieces and an old frame! Nicely done.

      Reply
    10. Pat

      May 27, 2014 at 1:43 pm

      I always love the rustic things you come up with! This little shadow box is perfect-- I like the picture of you and Jamie! 🙂 Patricia

      Reply
    11. cassie

      May 27, 2014 at 8:51 am

      love these! they would be awesome on a porch! on my porch. 😉

      Reply
    12. Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co.

      May 27, 2014 at 8:47 am

      These are really pretty and I love the rustic feel!

      Reply
    13. Julie @ follow your heart woodworking

      May 27, 2014 at 7:13 am

      Great idea! I like the last display the best.

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, there! I’m Gail Wilson, the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. I’m obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believe that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again—myself included! I hope you’ll enjoy the journey and pick up a few tools along the way… literally!

    More about me →

    Join Our Mailing List

    ​

      Click the topics you're interested in below:

      Subscribing above means you agree to our Privacy Policy​

      Footer

      ↑ back to top

      SEEN ON

      Might I Suggest

      • Start Here
      • Furniture Makeovers

      Newsletter

      • Sign Up! for emails and updates

      About

      • Gail's Favorites on Amazon
      • About

      As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

      Copyright © 2023 My Repurposed Life · Privacy Policy · Disclosure