Family Tickets Shadowbox

I have always been a collector of odds and ends, especially when it come to memorabilia. This may be an inherent characteristic of all crafters, but I know I drive people (mostly my husband) when it comes to saving tickets. Ironically as part of my real job I work with people who struggle with hoarding tendencies and one of the things I am constantly encouraging is "Things are here to serve us, not the other way around". So if you want to keep these memories then don't shove them in a box and never look at them again, but figure out a way to incorporate them into your life. I loved the idea I saw here, but I wasn't a fan of the size or the color scheme. The great thing about this project is you can design the inner part of the frame any way you want. I wasn't able to find a tutorial online for how anyone made the slot in the top of the frame, so there may be an easier way, but this is what I chose.

First I started with a 10 x 10 shadowbox frame from IKEA for around $5 (LOVE me some IKEA!)

Then I took the glass and inner frame out and marked the length and width of the slot I wanted to cut in the top. 

Then we took a router with a round bit and cut into the wood. We didn't have any problems with splitting of the wood and it was fairly easy.

Then you have to repeat that process by doing it with the frame insert. Make sure the two line up well so the ticket stubs will go through without getting bent. I would suggest making the inner frame slot bigger than the outer frame slot so they don't have to line up perfectly. 

There was a touch of the finish curling up on the outer frame slot, but it isn't noticeable when hung on the wall.

Then I chose a paper scheme I liked with an accent paper to put behind my letters. I used metal brads with the decorative alphabet stamped on to spell out "Admit One". Many people are using these for movie tickets only, but I designed mine in mind for all family events like museums, sporting events and recitals. 

Then I put all of the pieces back together and here's the final result

I love the idea of having a reminder of all the fun outings we have gone on as a family out in the open, rather than shoved in the back of a closet. I also thought it would be fun to sit down with the kids as a family at the end of the year, open up the frame and talk about all of the fun events the ticket stubs represent. It's always fun to see how much kids remember from your family events and it would be an opportunity to review being appreciative of all of the experiences we were lucky enough to have throughout the year.