Old house on the lane shadow box SVG
An old house with a porch and a steep gable on a country lane: the sun over far hills and trees, the house on its rise, an oak and a street lamp beside it, a picket fence with a gate and a letter box on its post along the lane, and flowers on the verge at the front. 6 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.
6 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 6 sheets
Sheet 1 is the back and sheet 6 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 6, “Flowers on the verge”, the slowest: at 0.7 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 6, “Flowers on the verge”, fills the most of the view, 26% 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 | 23% |
| 2. Far hills and trees | Rolling ground, with: Three trees | over 2 mm | 5% |
| 3. Old house | Rolling ground, with: Farmhouse with a porch | 1.7 mm | 19% |
| 4. Oak and lamp | Rolling ground, with: Oak tree with a broad crown and Lantern on a lamp post | 1.7 mm | 13% |
| 5. Fence and letter box | Rolling ground, with: 3 × Picket fence with pointed tops, Garden gate between two posts and Mailbox with the flag up | 1.1 mm | 11% |
| 6. Flowers on the verge | A gentle slope, with: Three wildflowers on stems, Grass with flowers, Bunch of grass and Tulip border | 0.7 mm | 26% |
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 | 0.5 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Too fine: choose a larger size |
| 20 × 20 cm | 200 × 200 mm | 0.7 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 8 × 8 in | 203.2 × 203.2 mm | 0.7 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 23 × 23 cm | 230 × 230 mm | 0.8 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 25 × 25 cm | 250 × 250 mm | 0.9 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
Depth needed allows 3 mm of foam between sheets and 5 mm for the card itself and the backing.
Making this one
In the Lit from behind colours it runs from cream to dark brown, like an old photograph, and in white card with a light behind it the windows of the house glow. The house is the sheet to take care over, though nothing on it is under 1.7 mm at 8 inches. The sheet with the fence and the letter box is about 1.1 mm at its finest, and the flowers at the front are the finest cutting, at about 0.7 mm. Nothing hangs on a thread.
- Cut all 6 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 6.
- 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 6 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 use a different house?
Yes. Select the house in the maker and choose Swap: a plain house with a chimney, a cottage, a log cabin, a schoolhouse and a beach house are under Buildings, and each stands on the same rise.
Is it a real house?
No. It is an invented house in the style of an old farmhouse, with a porch across the front, a steep gable and a tall chimney, so it can stand for a family home or for a house you remember.
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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