Home is Where the Herd is Shadow Box!

For my husbands grandparents anniversary this last spring I made them a shadow box! I knew that they had once owned a farm and had a crafting business and cows were an important thing so I decided to make a cow and farm inspired shadow box. Later I found out that they didn’t like cows all that much but it became a thing when one of their daughters thought they did and it started the cow collection but I didn’t learn this until it was already made lol. But they loved it none-the-less!!

So I did what I always do I take the frames and remove the glass and wash one of the glasses with soap and water and after its dry I have chosen which frame looks the best, no scratches ect and so that frame and center one I also at this point remove the back prongs but leave the prongs on the back frame. On the front frame I put a little glue in each corner and the sides on the underneath section and then put the glass down to that frame and then to reinforce it I put hot glue in the corners over the glass which isn’t always necessary but I’ve found it useful. You can discard the rest of the glass panes or like me I save them in a special drawer where they can’t cut anyone and intend to use them on some cool future crafts.

So at this point you take the middle and last frame and using Aleene’s tacky glue you glue the center and back frame together. Taking wet Q-Tips you clean off the sides if excess glue seeps out the sides and set them aside to dry after making sure they are aligned just right. The first frame this is where you would attach the sticker if using one but since I was unable to find a country themed sticker at any stores and really didn’t have the money or time to send off for one I decided to use the stencils I had bought at Jo-Ann’s reasoning I can make my own phrase. So I scored the internet for cute family / cow inspired phrases and came across “HOME IS WHERE THE HERD IS” and loved it a lot so I decided to do that one. Well I’m not good at using stencils they seep bad and I had to redo it quite a few times. There are some that use sponges and stuff to make it easier but none of it worked for me and I think I just don’t have a hand for stencils but I got it to look at least half way decent lol. Off the bat I stenciled the red barn in the background and I thought it was cute but not sure with  the background image later if it was exactly placed right but I like it none-the-less. Next I stenciled the phrase and the wheat bales to create a very visually pleasing cover to the shadow box. Then you use Aleene’s tacky glue and glue the already glued middle and back frame to the front frame.

Now came the part I messed up a bit. I decided I wanted the chickens in the picture but I managed to cut the scrapbook paper at the wrong spot as I was being careless and panicked. So my husband Anthony managed to use a background paper and carefully glued it to it to create a support and glue the pieces together and you honestly cant tell it was glued back together unless I tell you or point it out but never the less I’ll be much more careful next time.

So the next whoopsie came when I thought the mini- heifer cow figurine was small enough to fit in the frame. He is small enough but he pushed the frame out ever so slightly at the bottom and if you looked down at it you might see it pocking out so I taped the frame in to reinforce it. I looked and there were no more matching frames at Dollar Tree as my thought was to put a fourth frame there to make more room. But again no problems I worked with what I had on hand. I could have hot glued it but I thought about maybe she might want to remove the cow and look at it so I taped it instead.

Now the proportions might not be right with regard to the barn and cow and chickens as the cow is about the same size as the chicken and the barn in way too close and looming but I think it turned out nicely and I was happy to give it and they were happy to receive it so that’s what really counts!

• Copper 8x10 Frames- $1 each at Dollar Tree
• Chicken and Farmland Scrapbook Paper- $1 at a local Scrapbook store
• Farm Inspired Stencil- $2 or $3 at Jo-Ann’s
• Letters Stencil- $1.99 at Jo-Ann’s
• Mini Heifer Cow Figurine- $3.50 after using my 40% off coupon at Michaels