Nutcracker guard shadow box SVG
Three nutcracker soldiers standing guard under a Christmas star: a great star and small ones in the sky, a decorated Christmas tree at each side, two nutcrackers behind, a taller one in front of them with his staff, and presents and candy canes 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 10 × 8 in, landscape, 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 “Lit from behind” set; cut them in any card you like. Cut sheet 5, “Presents”, the slowest: at 1.3 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 5, “Presents”, fills the most of the view, 24% of it.
| Sheet | What is on it | Narrowest part | Seen from the front |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Christmas star | A whole sheet with holes for: North star and 8 × Plain disc | over 2 mm | 31% |
| 2. Christmas trees | A gentle slope, with: Christmas tree with garlands and Christmas tree with bauble cut-outs | 1.8 mm | 15% |
| 3. Two guards | A gentle slope, with: 2 × Nutcracker silhouette | over 2 mm | 14% |
| 4. Nutcracker | A gentle slope, with: Nutcracker silhouette | over 2 mm | 16% |
| 5. Presents | A gentle slope, with: Stack of three presents, 2 × Solid candy cane and Gift box with a lid and bow | 1.3 mm | 24% |
Measured from the files at 10 × 8 in, landscape. 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 10 × 8 in, landscape. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 8 in, landscape | 254 × 203.2 mm | 1.3 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
The nutcracker is the traditional wooden soldier in a rounded fur hat, with a staff in one hand and a sword in the other, cut as a plain silhouette. The same shape is used three times: twice at about 9 cm tall and once at about 13 cm at 10 by 8 inches. None of the three has anything under 2 mm. The two Christmas trees are about 1.8 mm at their finest and the presents at the front about 1.3 mm, so the whole scene cuts easily. In the Lit from behind colours it runs from cream to dark brown, like carved wood. For a brighter one, cut the nutcrackers in red and the trees in green. Nothing hangs on a thread.
- 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 the nutcracker from the ballet?
It is the kind of carved wooden soldier that the ballet is named after, as sold at Christmas markets. It is not taken from any production or film.
Can I have one nutcracker instead of three?
Yes. In the maker, remove the sheet with the two guards. One tall nutcracker between the two trees makes a simpler scene in four sheets.
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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