Winter Twinkle Display Tutorial

I think I’m going through winter withdrawals. Since I hate the cold and I hate the ice that comes with an Oklahoma winter I figured I would LOVE living someplace that doesn’t really have either. But as I tooled around today when it was 72° (and people were wearing heavy coats to combat the drizzle) I realized that I kind of miss my face getting cold and red and running into the store to get away from the wind. I like sitting in my office with warm air blowing at my feet and a nice, white glow out the window from all of the snow where the birds stand out as their colorful feathers flit around on the white lawn.

I don’t know if it even has snowed back at my old house and I don’t look at the weather because when I look at anything for too long I get homesick. It’s not that I actually like the cold and don’t mind getting out in icy weather… it’s just that things are really different. For all of my life this isn’t the way winter has been. It’s normal here and it’s what everyone here knows winter to be but it isn’t normal for me. So I decided to make a little something that is winter-like and does have snow. It’s not an instant cure for homesickness but that will just take a bit of time. South Texas is my home now and I’m really happy because I have a good life here. I’ll get used to the weather and lack of seasons but I think I’m adjusting pretty well for having been a resident for only a few months :)

For this project you will need:

• Shadowbox
• LED twinkle lights <–mine are the warm set of 50 lights at Target
• Drill
• White air dry clay
• Foam core board
• Duct tape (cutie penguin tape here!)
• Bottle brush trees –> This is a much better deal than I got…
• Buffalo snow <— Walmart!
• Hot glue gun
• Glitter cardstock
• Silhouette Cutting Machine
• Free cut files: Trees, Moon & Stars, Merry & Bright

This is my shadowbox and it’s a biggin’ at 11×14 inches BUT it isn’t as big as my first box that, well, wasn’t meant to be. As such I have a cut file for the words “Merry & Bright” that I didn’t have room for but you can still have to use!

First thing’s first. Cut your pine trees that will accent the background of your shadowbox. There are lots of options in the trees cut file so that you can work with your space a little more easily. Also cut out a moon and stars if you wish.

Remove the back that comes with the frame and cut a piece of foam core board to replace it.

Using white air dry clay make the shape of snowy hills in the bottom of your box.

Dust with buffalo snow!

Pull your trees off of the bases they came on and trim the back side that will be against the backer board nice and flat starting about 1/3 down (leave the top as is).

Place your trees in the bottom of the box and finagle how you want them to go. Eyeball your blank spaces and…

…in those blank spaces add your cut out glitter trees and your moon.

Create holes in your board in the spaces around your moon and trees with a drill. To fix up raggedy holes use something smooth, like the end of a paint brush to push gently inside and smooth the edges out.

Push your lights into the holes and use duct tape to secure to the back side of your foam core board.

Fill in areas with stars if you like. They also cover up extra holes in case you can’t count. I apparently counted wrong by 2 twice! Oops!

Shove the back on and use tape to secure to the backside edges of your frame.

Let that baby glow and you’re done! As with all Christmas light projects, don’t leave unattended for safety reasons. Now this looks great still but it looks fab all twinkling up!

Now this looks great still but it looks fab all twinkling up! Aah, so lovely!