After a failed experiment during which Milo spent a lot of time and effort painting the inside of a cardboard box black, I thought and thought about how we could save all his work and turn it into something cool. And I have no idea why, but a nighttime diorama scene popped into my head. So… we made one!
Supplies Needed:
- medium-sized cardboard box
- sharpie marker (optional)
- paints of any sort thicker than watercolors
- paint brushes
- scissors
- one string of Christmas lights
Paint the inside of your box whatever color you like. Black looks very cool and hides inconsistencies. Cut off the extra flaps on one end and save them. 
From the extra cardboard, make your figures. We went with a few trees, a cottage, Little Red Riding Hood, and the Big Bad Wolf. When you make each figure, leave a nice long tab along the bottom edge- you will need it (see below): 
On what is to be the bottom of your diorama, cut a slit the same length as your figure at whatever depth you like. We wanted the cottage to be off in the distance, so we placed it towards the back of the box. Push through to make sure the fit is right. Once the figure is through, fold the tab on the bottom to lay flat against the bottom of the box. 
Once you have the gist, you can paint your pieces. Oh boy. 
I used a sharpie to draw the outline and let the boys paint all over it to avoid as much of a mess as possible, but feel free to cut out first and then paint. Whichever you prefer. 
After your figures dry, cut them out if you haven’t already. And don’t forget to leave those tabs at the bottom! 
The last step is to poke holes through the back of the diorama for the stars. Simply push each Christmas light through, leaving enough slack to be able to plug it in with plenty of give. We poked holes all over the back, and I think it turned out quite nicely! They stay put really well, too. 
Plug in, and enjoy! We put this in the older boys’ room for a night light after we made sure the lights gave off no heat. It looks really cool at night!
This is really cool. And you are so artistic! The wolf and red riding hood are amazing!
That’s fantastic!!
My red-riding hood and wolf would look more like something out of hyperbole-and-a-half…
Very cool! I love dioramas, reminds me so much of elementary school and my award winning monkey diorama (oh… did that just slip out?!). It was a proud moment 😉
Ha, Lilly! I so want to know more… I love that you won an award for a monkey diorama!
And Maggie, please. It was shoddy craftsmanship I am embarrassed you have seen, my truly talented artist friend!
Oh my I love this so.
Oh wow, just catching up on some of your past posts, and I just adore this! You’re such a creative mama.