Flowers on the windowsill shadow box SVG
The view through an arched window on a spring morning: the sun over far hills, a blossom tree and a fence with flowers along it in the garden, and on the sill inside a pot of flowers, a jug of flowers and an orchid. 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, “Windowsill”, the slowest: at 1.3 mm it has the thinnest part in the scene, and sheet 5, “Windowsill”, fills the most of the view, 50% 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 | 19% |
| 2. Far hills | Rolling ground, with: Round tree silhouette and Oak tree with a broad crown | over 2 mm | 7% |
| 3. Blossom tree | Rolling ground, with: Cherry blossom tree | over 2 mm | 9% |
| 4. Garden fence | Rolling ground, with: Picket fence with sunflowers | 1.4 mm | 10% |
| 5. Windowsill | Flat ground, with: Flower pot with daisies, Cotton stems in a jug silhouette and Orchid plant in a pot | 1.3 mm | 50% |
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 | 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 arched opening of the frame is the window, and the front sheet is the sill: cut it in your darkest card so that the garden behind reads as outdoors. The stems of the orchid are the thinnest card on that sheet, at about 1.3 mm at 8 by 10 inches, and the fence in the garden is 1.4 mm, so there is no very fine cutting in this box. 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
Can I change what stands on the sill?
Yes. Select a pot in the maker and choose Swap: a fern and a monstera in pots are under Flowers and plants, and a plain vase and a vase with one sprig are under Other things.
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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