Santa at the cabin shadow box SVG
Santa walking up to a log cabin with his sack on his back, his sleigh left in the snow behind him with a reindeer waiting beside it, a Christmas tree with its star by the door and the moon over the firs. 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 2, “Far firs”, the slowest: at 0.9 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 6, “Snow drift”, fills the most of the view, 25% of it.
| Sheet | What is on it | Narrowest part | Seen from the front |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Moon and stars | A whole sheet with holes for: 8 × Plain disc | over 2 mm | 33% |
| 2. Far firs | Rolling ground, with: Three Christmas trees in a row, Three pine trees and Simple pine tree | 0.9 mm | 5% |
| 3. Cabin | Rolling ground, with: Simple cabin for small sizes and Christmas tree with a star on top | over 2 mm | 15% |
| 4. Sleigh and reindeer | Rolling ground, with: Santa sleigh with a sack and Reindeer silhouette standing | 1 mm | 10% |
| 5. Santa | Rolling ground, with: Santa silhouette with a sack and Tall pine tree | over 2 mm | 10% |
| 6. Snow drift | A gentle slope, with: Stack of three presents, Short wide pine tree and Bunch of grass | 0.9 mm | 25% |
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 | 20 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 20 × 20 cm | 200 × 200 mm | 0.9 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 8 × 8 in | 203.2 × 203.2 mm | 0.9 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Fine detail: sharp blade, slow speed |
| 23 × 23 cm | 230 × 230 mm | 1 mm | 20 mm | Yes | Cuts easily |
| 25 × 25 cm | 250 × 250 mm | 1.1 mm | 20 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
In the warm Lit from behind colours the cabin window glows as if someone had left a lamp on for him. Santa, the sleigh and the cabin are bold shapes; the antlers and legs of the reindeer, at about 1 mm at 8 inches, and the far firs are the fine cutting, so cut the second and fourth sheets slowly.
- 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 add more reindeer?
Yes. Select the reindeer sheet in the maker and add another from Animals. Make each a little smaller than the first and they read as a team standing in line.
Is the sleigh the same as in the flying scene?
No. This one is empty and stands on the snow. For Santa in the air behind his reindeer, see the Santa’s sleigh scene.
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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