Decorating and Organizing with Shadow Box Frames

Who says organizing solutions can’t be pretty. See how I use shadow box frames to organize my jewelry and other accessories.

Today’s post is one I shared first over at seven thirty three, but in case you missed it there, I thought it was worth an encore.

Like William Morris, I love it when a home decor project is both beautiful and functional.

I certainly think these shadow box frames that do double duty as jewelry and accessory storage satisfy both requirements!

In our home, I love to decorate with shadowboxes.

They can be a piece of art, like the equestrian style shadowbox in our keeping room.

I use them to display keepsakes and heirlooms, and also to remind me of special events — like our trip to Hawaii for my brother’s wedding.

I created this shadowbox for our wedding. It includes some photographs of us on our wedding day, the pen from our guest book, a bracelet I wore, plus flowers from my bouquet and my husband’s boutonniere.

It also includes the pocket watch my husband carried on our wedding day, just as his father and grandfather before him did.

I also displayed the sixpence from my shoe (something old, something new, a sixpence for your shoe), the silver fortune cookie my husband used during his proposal and some pretty ribbon from our wedding decor.

This shadowbox is full of special memories, and it also makes for an attractive piece of artwork in our bedroom.

It’s great fun to create a memory box display, but I think shadowboxes can be used for so much more. In fact, I have several in our bedroom that I use as accessory storage.

This one showcases some of my vintage jewelry, items I’ve collected over the years and that have been passed down to me by my grandmothers, mother and other family members.

I like shadowboxes that are hinged, so you can easily open them to access the contents.

The jewelry is held in place by pearl hat pins. So when I want to wear a piece, I just unpin it. At the end of the night, I return it to its place.

I bought my shadowboxes years ago at a Pottery Barn clearance sale, so this particular style is no longer available. But you’ll find lots of shadowboxes at Pottery Barn, Target, Exposures, Michaels or you could build your own. Here’s a shadow box frame with a hinged door I found on Amazon, where I am an affiliate.

The Ikea Ribba frames are another good option for smaller displays, even though they’re not hinged.

I used a square Ribba frame for the desktop countdown calendar I made before the Snap! Conference. I have also used them for artistic and holiday displays.

I think vintage costume jewelry and handbags, like this flapper purse that belonged to my grandmother’s sister, are too pretty to be hidden in a closet.

When you showcase them in a shadowbox, they become works of art.

The professional organizers I watch on TV always say that you need to give keepsakes a place of honor rather than shoving them into a drawer or a box to be forgotten.

That’s what we did with my son’s souvenir penny collection. I’m sharing a tutorial for how I made this travel memories shadowbox on the DecoArt blog today. I’d love for you to check it out.

Is there a collection that you could be honoring? Why not display it in a shadowbox so you can enjoy it and share a bit of what you love with visitors to your home.