Shoebox Dioramas

Look through these tips and techniques for many unique
ideas to use in your own diorama or display!

Click Any Image for Project Details

“At The Ball” Diorama

This diorama was built inside a ShowBox and is a great example of a shoebox diorama with some class! Use the ShowBox as a stage for most any storybook scene. Notice the “glass” windows and “glass-front” grandfather’s clock? They were made with Clear Plastic from the Building & Structure Kit.

“Up The Beanstalk” Diorama

This diorama was built inside a ShowBox, but as you can see, you can “think outside the box!” Paint the background of your diorama first with sky, clouds, trees and grass, then start building the ground. Add bushes, trees and other scenery. Sculpt your beanstalk, the ogre, the house and the boy (with products from the Sculpting Kit), then glue them inside. Sculpt the little house and add Fun Fur (from the Sculpting Kit) to the top for a thatched roof!

Aquarium Diorama

This diorama was built inside a ShowBox, but it takes on the look of an aquarium. You could add a small “aquarium light” at the top to illuminate the scene. Make rocks with the Desert Sand ReadyGrass Sheets and sculpt your marine life and aquatic plants with materials from the Sculpting Kit.

Cave Diorama

This diorama was built inside a ShowBox and shows the wonderful inner life of a cave. Build up the inside terrain with newspaper wads and pieces of wet Plaster Cloth. For the formations, roll wet Plaster Cloth into long tubes and attach them to the ceiling to make stalactites. When they are completely dry, apply Casting Plaster around them and allow it to drip to make the stalagmites below.

Missouri

ShowBox is perfect for making shoebox dioramas! To make a project for your state, cut your state’s shape from Foam Board and paint it. Don’t forget to add the capital of your state and also your hometown! Sculpt the state flower, flag and bird from Sculpting Clay, or just cut photos from magazines to show these items. Add as many state symbols as you can for your project!

O, Holy Night Diorama

This manger scene depicts the birth of Jesus Christ and was built inside a ShowBox. The manger was built using materials from the Building & Structure Kit. We used Wild Grass for the straw and Foliage Fiber for the roofing material. Both are included in the Foliage & Grasses Kit. Cut-outs were used for the characters and the star, and doves were sculpted from the clay in the Sculpting Kit.

Solar System Diorama

Who isn’t familiar with the solar system? Ours was built inside a ShowBox and the planets were sculpted from the clay in the Sculpting Kit. Paint the background black and add stars on the background. Label every important part of the diorama. You can make poke small holes in the back, letting the light shine through, giving the impression of shining stars.