I am a collector of all things sentimental. From my very first birthday card from my grandparents to a white paper mâché bunny my brother made me in elementary school.

Some would call it a problem (*ahem* husband), but 26 years yields a lot of memories and keepsakes. It’s so much fun to go through old diaries and love notes, finding your high school graduation tassel and first pair of ballerina shoes in the process.

The key to sentimental collecting is consolidating your “stash” every year. What you once thought was important to keep may be garbage two years later, and so on.

I’m sure you’ve seen those super, adorable ticket shadow boxes floating around Pinterest. I decided to take a stab at this project, to build on my love for all things old and memorable. Plus, it would bring order to all my loose ticket stubs!

The hardest part to this project is drilling a slit on top of the shadow box. I cheated – I enlisted help from my father, bringing the box over during Thanksgiving and picking it up a week later.

DIY Ticket Shadowbox

Supplies

• 1 shadowbox
• 1 saw or drill (to create the slit on top of the box)
• 1 sleeve of foam black letters
• 1 sheet of scrapbook paper
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun
• Your ticket stubs

Directions

1. First you need to create a slit on top of your shadowbox – you have two options: cheat and enlist the help of a family member or friend who is handy, or use a saw or drill to make it yourself.
   
2. Place the shadowbox back on top of the scrapbook paper and cut around it. This will be your background.
   
3. Secure the paper to the back of the shadowbox using a hot glue gun. Circle around the edges with more glue to ensure it stays.
   
4. Place your “ticket phrase” wherever you like on the paper – I used “Admit Two” for my husband and I (tip: put the letters high so that your tickets won’t cover them).
   
5. Secure the back of the shadowbox and insert your tickets.