Moon and stars nursery shadow box SVG
A crescent moon and stars in a dark sky, clouds drifting in from the sides, a sheep jumping the fence on the hill as if being counted, and a fox curled up asleep with a lamb beside it 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 × 8 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 “Snow” set; cut them in any card you like. Cut sheet 5, “Flowers”, the slowest: at 0.9 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 5, “Flowers”, fills the most of the view, 41% of it.
| Sheet | What is on it | Narrowest part | Seen from the front |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Moon and stars | A whole sheet with holes for: Crescent moon, Rounded star and 7 × Plain disc | over 2 mm | 30% |
| 2. Clouds and far hill | Rolling ground, with: Fluffy cloud and Classic puffy cloud | over 2 mm | 8% |
| 3. Sheep and fence | Rolling ground, with: Horse fence with crossed rails, Leaping sheep lamb silhouette and Round tree silhouette | 1.3 mm | 13% |
| 4. Sleeping fox | Rolling ground, with: Little fox curled up asleep and Lamb standing, a young sheep | 1 mm | 7% |
| 5. Flowers | A gentle slope, with: Grass with flowers and Bunch of grass | 0.9 mm | 41% |
Measured from the files at 8 × 8 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 × 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 × 6 in | 152.4 × 152.4 mm | 0.7 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 20 × 20 cm | 200 × 200 mm | 0.9 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 8 × 8 in | 203.2 × 203.2 mm | 0.9 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 23 × 23 cm | 230 × 230 mm | 1 mm | 17 mm | Yes | Cuts easily |
| 25 × 25 cm | 250 × 250 mm | 1.1 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
With a warm light behind, it is a night light for a nursery: the moon and every star are holes in the dark back sheet. Only the jumping sheep hangs on a thread; the clouds grow in from the edge of the round window, so they need none.
- 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
Is it safe to leave lit in a child’s room?
Use battery LED micro lights only, never a candle or a mains bulb, and keep the box out of reach: it is card, with small parts.
Can I swap the fox for another sleeping animal?
Yes. Select the fox and choose Swap: a lamb, a bear cub and a rabbit are under Animals, and a sleeping swan is under Birds and insects.
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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