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You see, these little boxes are made of redwood, and when a woodland scene is arranged in them with a miniature animal as the central interest, they truly look like a bit of the woods captured in a small space.

The woods and the birds and animals that dwell there have always held much mystery and fascination for me.

It was finding some adorable ceramic miniatures in a shop in Palm Springs that started the whole thing. I brought home seven: a squirrel, a deer, a rabbit, a burro, an owl, and a pair of tiny robins.

Ideas swam around in my head and from them the shadow boxes evolved.

The animals are not over 1½ inches in height and they are so lovable looking. They are readily available at shops in all parts of the country, or you can purchase some that serve the same purpose at almost any dime store. Prices range from 25 to 50 cents.

MATERIAL FOR the redwood boxes can be bought at almost any neighborhood cabinet shop. For the frame, you will need strips of redwood 1⁵/8 inches wide, and ³/16 inch in thickness. One strip 24 inches long will make one frame.

The measurements of the two sides of the frame are 6¾ inches on the outside edge and 5½ inches on the inside edge. The measurements for the top and bottom pieces of the frame are 5 inches on the outside and 3¾ inches on the inside edge, as illustrated.

These four pieces are put together with brads ¾ inch long.

For the back you will need a piece of redwood 4 inches wide and 5½ inches long and ³/16 of an inch thick.

Nail the back to the frame with the same size brads. The finished box will look like this:

My good husband makes the boxes for me. It is really a simple process once you have assembled your material. We sand the boxes, then give them a coat of redwood stain to bring out the grain and enhance their beauty. A small hole is placed ½ inch from the top in the back of the box. This is for hanging on the wall. The material for one box costs about 10 cents.

GATHERING THE dry materials used in the pictures is a lot of fun and, of course, adds to the look of realism. "Oh, they look so real!" is a frequent expression of most customers.

I use driftwood, both light and dark in color, depending on the natural habitat of the animal. I use moss of various colors, small pieces of fungus, bark and twigs. For instance, I would use redwood bark, dried green moss, and maybe a cone or two in the setting for a brown bear.

Anyone living in a part of the country where birch trees grow could use a bit of the beautiful birch bark to complement the adorable fawn or deer.

We live within a few miles of the Colorado desert where roadsides yield a profusion of rock and vegetation—and whenever my husband and I go for a jaunt, we always come home with a miscellany of materials to add to the treasure pile.

Like so many hundreds of hobbyists, I live with my hobby. That is, my work shop is my dining or kitchen table. I merely clear away things at meal time.

I try to keep my wood and material sorted—the moss in one box (I use ordinary cartons from the store), bark in one box, the finely twisted twigs in another, etc.

The little, stumpy, tree-like wood makes a perfect perch for an owl. I take the miniature stump or tree and place it in the box—to the right or left of center, gluing it firmly. I use a good grade, of model airplane cement. Add another stump or limb for balance. I always keep a sharp knife handy as you generally have to whittle or cut such pieces to fit and conform to the desired position. Then with a pair of tweezers, I tuck in a piece of moss here and there around the base—a tiny piece of fungus or an extra little branch can be used. Be sure to use plenty of glue.

Now I am ready to place the owl on the stump or on a branch. When the nest is added with three or four eggs (white beads) you can almost hear the wise old owl say; "Whoo-whoo!" The result is shown in the photograph.

For the burro shown in the photograph I used a couple of pieces of desert wood. Dried yucca or cactus wood—anything with a windblown-look goes well with the desert burro. For added interest I placed a rock behind the burro. I spread glue all around the base of the wood and rock and then sprinkled some brown and green flocking to simulate a grassy effect. Flocking can be bought at any hobby shop and at most paint stores. It is inexpensive.

IT IS difficult to describe the exact procedure and setting for the different animals because each setting varies. You could not make any two alike to save your life. That's what makes it interesting. You start sorting through a box of driftwood and all of a sudden you pick up a piece of wood and something clicks, and you can just see a frisky squirrel scampering up its length. That branch becomes the basis of your next picture. It's just like drawing a picture; one scene requires more time to create than another. With no interruptions, I can arrange one of the shadow boxes in an hour or less. I try to keep the arrangement within the box; this makes for easier shipment by mail. I always wrap a piece of corrugated cardboard around the box and fasten with either Scotch tape or a piece of string and it is ready to be wrapped for mailing. The boxes are light in weight—easy on postage.

I find that a mail order business brings you best returns for the least work. I advertise in several gift, garden and flower magazines. I also sell to shops. A shop in Palm Springs, California, and one, in Laguna Beach, California, carried my boxes last winter.

Friends and relatives who have bought are good advertisers and usually stimulate more sales.

I charge the shops $1.25 each, when they buy in dozen lots. I ask $1.50 each or $3 a pair on individual sales.

A few months ago I was interviewed on our local radio station, KPAS, and had an opportunity to describe my shadow boxes. This brought some sales.

After you have read this article, try making some of the boxed woodland scenes. Everyone admires them—both young and old. My five grandchildren think their bunny and squirrel pictures are the cutest ever, and have them hanging over their beds and cribs.