Vase of flowers shadow box SVG
A vase of flowers on a table: a round of light behind, three wild flowers on long stems at the back of the bunch, three tulips in front of them, the vase with its two bands, and a pot of tea with a cup and two apples on the near edge of the table. 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 × 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 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 “Blossom” set; cut them in any card you like. Cut sheet 5, “Tea and apples”, the slowest: at 0.8 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 5, “Tea and apples”, fills the most of the view, 29% of it.
| Sheet | What is on it | Narrowest part | Seen from the front |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Light | A whole sheet with holes for: Plain disc | over 2 mm | 29% |
| 2. Wild flowers | Flat ground, with: Three wildflowers on stems | over 2 mm | 14% |
| 3. Tulips | Flat ground, with: Three spring tulips | over 2 mm | 7% |
| 4. Vase | Flat ground, with: Classic vase | over 2 mm | 8% |
| 5. Tea and apples | Flat ground, with: Teapot and tea cup silhouette and Two apples | 0.8 mm | 29% |
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 | 0.8 mm | 17 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
An easy scene for a first shadow box on a cutting machine: the three wild flowers, the three tulips and the vase are bold shapes with nothing under 2 mm at 8 by 10 inches. Each bunch is one piece that stands on the table behind the vase, so there is nothing loose and nothing hangs on a thread. Only the front sheet needs care: the cup and the apples are about 0.8 mm at their finest. The round of light is one hole in the back sheet, about 14 cm across. In the Blossom colours the flowers are pale pink and the vase a deeper pink. For a brighter bunch, cut each sheet in a colour of its own.
- 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
Can I cut it on a Cricut?
Yes. The download has one SVG for each of the five sheets and one with all of them, sized in millimetres. At 8 by 10 inches each sheet is 203 by 254 mm, which fits a 12 by 12 inch mat. Upload the files to your cutting software and cut each sheet in its own colour of card.
How is this different from the windowsill scenes?
Here one big bunch in a vase fills the frame. The Flowers on the windowsill and Mother’s Day windowsill scenes look out through an arched window at a garden, with small pots and a jug on the sill.
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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