What to do with your cap and tassel, when you don’t want to throw it away?

If you are like me and like to keep everything as a memory, why not find a way to display it beautifully instead of just storing in a box. If you want to  save your graduation cap, tassel, and stole, I have a great option for you. Display it in a Shadow Box Frame!

I worked so hard on decorating my cap and worked so long to graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree, that I definitely wanted to showcase my accomplishment. This simple DIY is a perfect and easy way to keep and display one of your greatest accomplishments for years.

All you will need is:

1. Any graduation memorabilia you want to showcase; graduation cap, tassel, stole, and anything else you can fit.
2. A 11 X 17 Shadow Box, mine is the Studio Decor Belmont Shadow Box – IF  YOU  DO  NOT  PURCHASE  THIS  FRAME  YOU  WILL  ALSO  NEED  PUSH  PINS.
3. OPTIONAL I also included a 4 X 4 graduation picture.

I loved the shadow box I got from Michaels because it already came with 2 white ball pins to attach things to the back of the frame. If you buy this frame you don’t need to buy pins. Those are useful when attaching the stole and any other item you wish to place inside.

You start by taking out the back of the picture frame by lifting the little tabs on the back of the frame. Lay out the items in the way you want to place them in the box, make sure not to go outside of the frame. Decide whether you want the frame to be horizontal:

Or vertical (as I did):

Vertical display allows for a small picture in the bottom corner.

Once you decide how you want the items placed you can pin down the things that easily move. I just pinned the stole and the picture in my shadow box. The cap easily stays put and does not need to be pinned because mine included decorative flowers that kept the cap tight in place with the frame on. I also did not need to pin my tassel because it stayed put when wrapped around the corner. If you would like to know what I used to decorate my cap and how I made it, leave a comment below and I will definitely make a post for it.

Now here is the tricky part:

When you are all done setting it up and you are ready to place it in the frame you can pick up the backing of the frame with all your items on it, place your hand on top of it holding the items that are not pinned in place.  Turn it upside down with you hand still in place holding your items and place it into the frame. Once your backing is in the frame you may still need to push down certain sections in order to close the clips on the back depending on how big your items were.

And that is it! You are now ready to hang or place the box where ever you would like to showcase your accomplishment and best of all you have a great memento of the special day!