How-To: Floral Specimen Shadowbox

When these china flowers arrived in our stores, we were immediately inspired– so many possibilities! Our stylist incorporated the delicate blooms into one of our favorite showcases, a gilded shadowbox. Below, find out how she created this specimen-style display. 

What You’ll Need: 

China flower set
Gilded shadowbox
Succulents
Ranunculus (silk or freshly cut)
Manila labels
Wallpaper or painted canvas
Hot glue
Wire snips

First, create a unique background to mount your flowers and specimens using a piece of wallpaper or painted canvas. Cut it to size and affix it to the back of the shadowbox with hot glue. 

Each porcelain flower is backed with two lengths of copper wire. Snip one wire and save it for mounting the ranunculus and succulents, then straighten the remaning, attached wire.

Next, hot glue the porcelain flowers to the backdrop, leaving ample space in between for your living and silk specimens. 

Insert a straightened wire into each succulent and ranunuclus, then hot glue the specimens onto the backdrop. Anchor each wire with manila labels for a field museum aesthetic. The best part of this DIY? Hardy succulents can last up to a year inside the shadowbox! A fresh ranunculus, however, will only last a few hours when enclosed, so choose a silk substitute for a more permanent display. 

Ready to make your own? Shop the project here.