Rose arch shadow box SVG
A garden seen through an arch of roses: the sun over far trees, two trellises with climbing roses and a bench between them, two tall roses in the border, then the arch itself, fifteen open roses round the top and down both sides of the window, and more roses and small flowers 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 × 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 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 “Blossom” set; cut them in any card you like. Cut sheet 5, “Rose arch”, the slowest: at 0.7 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 6, “Front roses”, fills the most of the view, 34% 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 | 10% |
| 2. Far trees | Rolling ground, with: Round tree silhouette and Oak tree with a broad crown | over 2 mm | 4% |
| 3. Trellises and bench | Rolling ground, with: 2 × Trellis fence panel with a climbing rose and Garden bench with a lattice back | 1.7 mm | 12% |
| 4. Tall roses | Rolling ground, with: Rose silhouette and Rose bud on a stem | 1.4 mm | 11% |
| 5. Rose arch | Rolling ground, with: 15 × Open rose seen from above | 0.7 mm | 20% |
| 6. Front roses | A gentle slope, with: Rose bud on a stem, Grass with flowers and Rose silhouette | 0.7 mm | 34% |
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 | 0.7 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
The arch is fifteen open roses on one sheet: seven round the top of the arched window and four down each side, each joined to the frame, so the sheet is one piece and nothing hangs on a thread. The roses are flat, with their petals drawn by slits: they are not rolled paper roses. They are the fine cutting, at about 0.7 mm at 8 by 10 inches, and so are the roses on the front sheet, so cut those two sheets slowly with a sharp blade. The trellises are about 1.7 mm and the two tall roses about 1.4 mm. Cut the arch in deep pink or red and the garden behind it in pale colours.
- 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
Are these rolled paper roses?
No. They are flat roses seen from above, cut in card, and the picture gets its depth from six sheets set one behind another. For a rose to roll from a spiral, see the rolled flower templates in the library.
Can I have a square window?
Not as it stands. The roses round the top are placed for the arch and are joined to the frame there, so with a square window they would be left in the air. Keep the arch, or move each rose in the maker until it touches the frame again: the check tells you if one would fall out.
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.
Floral wreath 
Vase of flowers 
Thanksgiving table 
Birds on a wire 
Baby girl nursery 
Chinese dragon