Make an Easy Shadow Box Coin Bank for Your Next Adventure
Create a cute and functional shadow box coin bank using only a few tools. A creative and fun way to save for a special occasion.
![Create a unique and functional DIY shadow box coin bank using only a few tools. This homemade adult piggy bank is a creative and fun way to save for a special occasion. #printables #diyideas #thesummeryumbrella #lzcathcart #toploadingshadowbox](https://thesummeryumbrella.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/shadow-box-coin-bank.jpg)
Hello, Summery Umbrella fans! I’m Kimberly from Bugaboo Creates and I’m back with an easy but eye-catching idea for saving your change! You can see my other forays into DIY, crafting, photography, and more on my blog, including all my ideas for creative family fun.
You’ve probably got some sort of occasion you like to save your pennies for – be it a vacation, Christmas shopping, or something more specific like college or a wedding. Whatever your loose change helps fund, here’s a great way to collect it that will keep you motivated toward your goal!
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How to Make DIY Shadow Box Coin Bank
A shadow box coin bank is a fun and personalized way to save your extra cash. It’s like a grown-up version of a piggy bank, and it doesn’t take many materials or tools to make, either.
What you need:
- 8×10 Shadowbox frame
- Power Wood Carving Tool, or Dremel all in one rotary tool
- Printer and white card stock
- Paper cutter
- Glue or tape runner
- Fun Letter Stickers
- Vintage Bicycle with Flowers Printable (sign up above for this freebie!)
Instructions to Make Your Shadow Box Coin Bank:
1. Carve a Slot in the Top of the Frame
Take the back off your frame.
Mark a spot in the middle of the top of the frame that is about 2-3 inches long. (Make sure your frame is right side up!) Using your Dremel tool or woodcarver, cut or carve out a slot in the top, and sand it down as best you can.
![Adding a hole to make a shadowbox coin bank](https://thesummeryumbrella.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/1-683x1024.jpg)
2. Add Your Background
Clean your frame off and wipe down your glass.
You can choose any printable that matches the occasion for your savings (this one would be adorable for a wedding for example!), but I chose this vintage bicycle with Flowers. Print your printable out on white cardstock, and cut it to 8×10.
![paper cutter cutting watercolor bicycle](https://thesummeryumbrella.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/2-683x1024.jpg)
Use your glue or tape runner around the edges of the back of the printable.
![tape runner and paper](https://thesummeryumbrella.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/3-2-683x1024.jpg)
Adhere your printable to the front side of the backing of your shadow box frame.
![watercolor bicycle on the backing of a shadow box](https://thesummeryumbrella.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/5-1024x683.jpg)
Then, place your back onto the frame with the printable facing the front.
![back of a shadow box](https://thesummeryumbrella.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/6-1024x683.jpg)
3. Add Letter Decals to the Glass
Now, just add your stickers to describe what you’re saving money for! Vacation fund, wedding fund, college fund, etc. My husband and I love adventuring together, so that’s what I added to mine.
![Create a unique and functional DIY shadow box coin bank using only a few tools. This homemade adult piggy bank is a creative and fun way to save for a special occasion. #printables #diyideas #thesummeryumbrella #lzcathcart #toploadingshadowbox](https://thesummeryumbrella.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/7-683x1024.jpg)
And you’ve already done it! Now just drop your extra cash and coins in the slot on top!
![Create a unique and functional DIY shadow box coin bank using only a few tools. This homemade adult piggy bank is a creative and fun way to save for a special occasion. #crafts #shadowboxbank #thesummeryumbrella #lzcathcart](https://thesummeryumbrella.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/8-683x1024.jpg)
It’s a great personalized visual reminder of what you’re saving that extra cash for. And the harder it is to get out of the bank, the more likely I won’t spend it on donuts!
![Create a unique and functional DIY shadow box coin bank using only a few tools. This homemade adult piggy bank is a creative and fun way to save for a special occasion. #diy #piggybank #thesummeryumbrella #lzcathcart](https://thesummeryumbrella.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/9-1024x683.jpg)
Though, it’s actually very easy to get the money out without breaking the glass – you just lift the back off. An easy and fun way to collect those superfluous coins!
What Can You Use Your Shadow Box Coin Bank To Save For?
There are so many great ways to make a coin bank at home, but if you like the idea of using a shadow box, here are a few more ideas of what you could use it to save for.
- Create a coin bank to save for a second honeymoon or a romantic getaway. This “We Still Do” SVG File is perfect if you have a Silhouette or other cutting machine to make the letters.
- Start saving for your Christmas shopping, but use your shadow box coin bank as part of your home decor with this beautiful hand-drawn Santa Reindeer printable.
- What have you always dreamed of doing or buying? This “Don’t Quit Your Daydream” printable is perfect to keep you motivated in your savings. You won’t even need to add any adhesive letters to the front!
What’s Next?
Take a look at a few of my other DIY projects over at Bugaboo Creates like my Fence Panel turned Family Tree or my Light Up Reclaimed Wood Sign.
Don’t forget to check out a few of these other creative ideas!
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This post was updated in June 2021.