Kristen Joy: Lightboxes

I love lightboxes. I wish i could have them for every occasion and in every room. They remind me of the carnivals I never went to growing up. To me they convey whimsy and warmth.

When my dear friend Brandi Lisenbe asked me to inspire bloggers for the Houston Blogger Symposium Holiday party, I thought what a great opportunity to build my own lightbox.

So here I am sharing my lightbox love...

First get a foam board and cut to size of whatever you are going to frame it out with, I cut mine to fit this awesome antique frame. Also, I have found that foam boards run between $4-6 at most places but if you hit up the Dollar store you can score by paying only....you guessed it $1.00.

Next you want to wrap your board in wrapping paper, I choose a gold foil for the holidays. Then write out what you are wanting to display. My personal choice was Kristenjoy.com but the options are endless...Congrats, Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas...you get the drift. I added circles within the letters where I would wanted to see the lights shine through.

Grab a handy dandy ice pick and poke holes where you put those conveniently placed circles within the letters.

Now it's time to flip over your board and start pushing through Christmas lights wherever you see a hole.

From the back it might look like a hot mess but when you turn it around its a masterpiece in the making. Kristenjoy.com took 200 lights, which means you will probably use tons of lights depending on how long your words are, so choose wisely.