House among the trees shadow box SVG
A house with a chimney standing among trees, seen straight on: the sun behind the roof, an oak and a fir behind the house, the house with its two windows, round attic window and arched door, a round tree and a birch closing in from the sides in front of it, and a picket fence, a cat, a tulip and a flower in the garden at the front. 5 sheets of card, cut and stacked with a gap between each, make the picture. The files are free, and every part of the scene can be moved, swapped or resized below before you download.
5 sheets at 8 × 10 in, zipped, with a note on putting them together.
Free for personal and commercial use, no sign-up. What you can do with it.
The 5 sheets
Sheet 1 is the back and sheet 5 is the front. Each one is a single piece with the same frame round its edge, so they line up when stacked. The colours shown are the “Forest green” set; cut them in any card you like. Cut sheet 5, “Garden”, the slowest: at 1.4 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 5, “Garden”, fills the most of the view, 31% of it.
| Sheet | What is on it | Narrowest part | Seen from the front |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sun | A whole sheet with holes for: Plain disc | over 2 mm | 11% |
| 2. Trees behind | Rolling ground, with: Oak tree with a broad crown and Classic pine tree | over 2 mm | 12% |
| 3. House | Rolling ground, with: House with a chimney | over 2 mm | 21% |
| 4. Trees in front | Rolling ground, with: Round tree silhouette and Birch tree in leaf | over 2 mm | 21% |
| 5. Garden | A gentle slope, with: Picket fence with pointed tops, Sitting black cat, Simple tulip for children and Flower silhouette with stem | 1.4 mm | 31% |
Measured from the files at 8 × 10 in. The narrowest part is the thinnest neck of card that holds anything on; sharp tips are not counted. “Seen from the front” is the share of the picture that sheet fills once the sheets in front of it are in place.
Will it cut at your size?
The download is 8 × 10 in. The scene maker above makes the same scene at any of these sizes; the thinnest part scales with it.
| Frame opening | Each sheet | Narrowest part | Depth needed | Fits a 12 × 12 in mat | Rule of thumb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 × 10 in | 203.2 × 254 mm | 1.4 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Cuts easily |
Depth needed allows 3 mm of foam between sheets and 5 mm for the card itself and the backing.
Making this one
Made to be cut by hand as well as by machine. The house is about 12 cm tall at 8 by 10 inches, with its windows cut through so that the pale sheets behind show as light, and the first four sheets have nothing under 2 mm. Only the garden at the front is finer, at about 1.4 mm. With a craft knife, cut the window panes first, while the sheet is still stiff, and the long outlines of the trees last. Nothing hangs on a thread. Cut it in greens as shown, or cut the house in white or red and leave the trees green.
- Cut all 5 sheets from 160 to 220 gsm card at the same size.
- Lay them out in order, sheet 1 at the back.
- Put strips of 3 mm foam tape round the border of sheet 1 and press sheet 2 onto it with the edges level. Carry on to sheet 5.
- Fit the stack into a deep frame with the front sheet against the glass. For a light box, run a strip of warm white LEDs round the inside of the frame behind the stack.
The zip includes these steps as a text file, each sheet as its own SVG and all 5 side by side in one SVG. More on paper, frames and lights is on the shadow box page.
The parts, on their own
Everything in the scene comes from the free SVG library, where each has its own page and file:
Questions
Can I cut it by hand?
Yes. There are five sheets and the shapes are bold: the sun, the trees and the house have nothing under 2 mm, and the garden at the front is about 1.4 mm at its finest. Print each sheet at full size, tape it over the card and cut through both.
How is this different from the Old house on the lane scene?
This one is upright and green, with a plain house seen straight on and trees closing round it. The Old house on the lane scene is square, with an old house with a porch behind a picket fence and a gate, and the Paper village at dusk scene has a whole hillside of small houses.
Can I sell boxes I make with it?
Yes. Finished pieces are yours to sell. The files themselves may not be sold or shared; send people to this page. See the licence.
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