Christmas Cottage - 7 Layer Lighted Shadowbox Art

Using a 3mm material of your choosing, cut each layer with your laser. If you are using a different thickness of material, the only adjustment required will be to the legs and topper - adjust the height as needed to accommodate your layers. 

Paint each layer of your project. You won't need to paint the full board if you don't want to as only certain sections will show through the cut outs. 

If your MDF is really smooth, scuff the surface lightly with sand paper for better adhesion. Be GENTLE on Layer 7 as the snowflakes are delicate! I painted a dark primer coat first and then added my colors (except on layers 1 and 7 where I did a light primer). 

I only worried about painting the inside edges on the lightest green layer (layer 6) and the light blue snowflake layer (layer 7). Because of the dark laser cut, I didn't think it was necessary on the darker green or navy layers. 

Adding glitter to the light white/cream back layer will give an extra pop with the lights. 

If you want to make the hanging ornaments a different color, don't forget to do that before assembly. They will stand out with a light coat of gold or another color. 

Before assembling, feed in your lights through the hole in the Layer 1 - Back. I recommend hot gluing the lights into a circular formation that's large enough so the light heads don't show through the holes. 

During assembly, use your glue of choice to layer the pieces together. Be careful not to OVER glue, especially on the top layer - I found only small-ish dots to be necessary. 

If everything cut out without incident, you should be able to simply line up the outside edges of each square. (I had a few issues and had to manually align the cut outs in order to avoid wasting and re-doing!)

If you want to hang your piece, add hardware. 

If you want your piece to be freestanding, cap the sides and top with the legs and rectangle for a seamless edge.