DIY Fall Leaf Shadow Boxes

2 min read September 13, 2026 Haeley Giambalvo
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Bring fall indoors with these DIY nature shadow boxes! Start with DIY Unfinished Wood Box Frames and line the inside with birch wood discs. Add DIY Unfinished Wood Leaves accented with gold leaf, and then fill the base of the shadow box with any real or faux fall nature finds you want. I used a combination of pine cones, mini pumpkins, felt leaves and more!

Project Time
60 to 70 min
Difficulty
Intermediate
Step
1

Apply a thin layer of craft glue to the inside of wood box frame using a small brush.

 

DIY Fall Leaf Shadow Boxes step 1
Step
2

Press mini birch wood discs into the glue to cover the interior of the frame. Let dry.

DIY Fall Leaf Shadow Boxes step 2
Step
3

If you want, you can jazz up the edge of the shadow box with thin metallic tape. I used copper foil tape to decorate mine.

DIY Fall Leaf Shadow Boxes step 3
Step
4

Make these DIY Unfinished Wood Leaf Shapes "pop" out from the shadow box by gluing them to two small birch discs. Then glue the leaf to the inside of the frame. I decorated my wood leaves with gold foil, but you could also paint them with this FolkArt® Glitterific™ Gold Acrylic Paint.

DIY Fall Leaf Shadow Boxes step 4
Step
5

Finish your shadow by adding more nature elements. You can go on a scavenger hunt outside for leaves, twigs and acorns, or use craft items such as these felt leaves, pine cones and mini glitter pumpkins.

DIY Fall Leaf Shadow Boxes step 5
Step
6

Make a set of different shadow boxes to create a pretty fall vignette. You can hang the boxes on the wall or place them on a foyer table or fireplace mantel decorated for fall. Check out how they look as part of my Thanksgiving Foyer Decor here.

DIY Fall Leaf Shadow Boxes step 6

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