This shadow box anniversary gift is such a sweet and meaningful way to celebrate and remember all the memories my husband and I have had together. It only took me about an hour to put together!
My husband and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary at the beginning of this month. It’s hard to believe that 10 years have gone by so quickly! Since we just had our third baby a couple of months ago, we are going on our anniversary trip next year. But I still wanted to give my husband something to commemorate the last 10 years together. A friend of mine shared the idea of using a shadow box to write down memories or moments we’ve had together. I found some really cute and simple white shadow boxes at Target with some little wood hearts included that were perfect. The whole project only took me about an hour total, but the end result was exactly what I hoped for.
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To make your own memories shadow box, you will need the following supplies:
- shadow box with slot
- wooden heart disks
- scrapbooking pen
- vinyl (in coordinating color)
- transfer tape
First, you will need to decide what you want your vinyl wording to say. I chose “and so together they built a life they loved”. I created it in my Silhouette Studio software using the free fonts Bebas and Magnolia Sky (see my tutorial on how to install fonts). Then I cut it out with my Silhouette Cameo and used transfer tape to transfer it onto the glass. (I made sure to wipe it clean beforehand.)
*PRO TIP* I highly recommend using transfer tape when working with vinyl. It makes it so much easier to line up your words/design and it is much faster and cleaner than trying to place each piece individually.
Then, I wrote down memories my husband and I have shared over the last 10 years. The shadow box I got had 25 wood hearts, so I started with that many memories. I included things like the birth of each of our kids, places we’ve gone, etc. The event was written on one side and the date was written on the back. I picked up some plain wood disks from Hobby Lobby and spray painted them white so we can use those to add more memories to our shadow box.
What do you think? I absolutely love how it turned out! My husband has it sitting on his nightstand and it makes me smile each time I look at it. If your spouse likes sentimental gifts, this is a great option for you! It doesn’t take a long time to put together, but the end result is so sweet and meaningful.
What have been some of your favorite anniversary gifts to give?
14 Comments
I love this idea! I am totally doing this.
So cute! We went to San Diego on our honeymoon too! I saw you had that on one of the hearts!
I love this idea so much Shani! So cute and so thoughtful!
What a fantastic idea – a very thoughtful gift idea I'm sure your loved one will appreciate!
Such a cute idea! I love the thought of keeping those memories forever.
oh this is sooo cute 😀
I love the whole idea of this and it would be the perfect addition to my home decor! What a fun way to save memories and remember all the best times. Great job Shani!
I LOVE THIS!! This is so special, cost effective, and something that can be seen every day!! Perfect!
Such a wonderful idea! Memories should last a lifetime and what a great way to do so!
Love your blog. I have a really special idea that my husband gave me. He had a Dreamlines artist create a sketch of my wedding dress and his suit. The detail was just amazing. I love personalized gifts and we try to always go that way. The shadow box is such a sweet idea. Really perfect too.
This is such a fun idea and a really great activity for an anniversary date!
This is such a special way to commemorate any memorable occasion! And a great display piece!
I know this is an older post, but this would be really cute for a 25 or 50th anniversary, send a heart with all of the invitations, and have the guest bring the heart to the party.
That’s a great idea! Thanks for sharing!