Shadow Box Cards Tutorial
They are fun to make and the extra depth allows you to build multi-layered scenes with your favourite dies. The challenge, of course, is to measure everything right before you start. Every now and then we all struggle with the scoring board and who hasn’t wasted sheets of cardstock just because they were missing a few millimetres here and there? Time to introduce the brilliant Craftables Box Card die from Marianne Design!
This die is easy to use and will work every single time. Nobody ever needs to know that you didn’t measure and cut it all out yourself. The die will do all the work for you, including scoring lines, so all you need to focus on is assembling the box and filling it with cute die-cuts, stamped images or sentiments. I suggest you keep the layers inside the box as flat as possible. You could add foam tape to make some elements stand out more, but keep in mind that the card folds almost flat for posting.
The Craftables Box Card die is larger than most dies. Therefore, it’s important to check the size of your cutting plates beforehand. If the box die is too large for your die-cutting machine, you can buy ready-made card blanks instead (for example, Crafter’s Companion’s Die’sire Fancy Card Blanks). These will feature a slightly different design but you can still turn them into amazing 3D cards!
For my collection of projects, I decided to show you what effects can be achieved when combining different dies. It’s a good idea to invest in dies that allow you to build scenes, e.g. grassy borders, clouds, skylines, trees and flowers. Simply glue them onto the two strips which are attached inside the box. A greeting panel can be added on the reverse. Acetate strips are a great idea for floating elements such as balloons. Get out your die-cutting machine and coloured cardstock, and create something amazing!
Die-cut two strips, as well as the reverse of the card blank. Secure the aperture die with tape in the centre and cut out the front. Do not remove the tape from the dies
Die-cut the front and reverse as well as four flaps from coloured cardstock. Layer them onto the white cardstock and fold the flaps
Die-cut different shapes and affix them to the strips. Fold the ends of both strips and attach them to the inside of the box
You will need
- Pink, green, white, brown & black cardstock
- Lawn Fawn Lawn Cuts Party Balloons, Simple Puffy Cloud & Puffy Cloud Borders die sets
- Marianne Design Craftables Box Card die
- Marianne Design Collectables Eline’s Baby Animals die set
- Marianne Design English Roses Pretty Paper Bloc
- Santoro London Kori Kumi paper pack
- Altenew Birthday Greetings stamp set
- Onyx Black VersaFine inkpad
- Acetate
- 3D foam pads
- Manual die-cutting machine
You will need
- Pink, green, white, brown & black cardstock
- Mirror card
- Lawn Fawn Lawn Cuts Party Balloons die set
- Marianne Design - Craftables Box Card die
- Marianne Design Collectables Eline’s Baby Animals die set
- Marianne Design English Roses Pretty Paper Bloc
- XCut Nesting Heart dies
- MFT Die-namics Birthday Candles dies
- WPlus9 Design Studio Scalloped Border die
- Altenew Birthday Greetings stamp set
- Onyx Black VersaFine inkpad
- Acetate
- 3D foam pads
- Manual die-cutting machine
- Hole punch
You will need
- Pink, green, white, brown, kraft & black cardstock
- Lawn Fawn Lawn Cuts Grassy Border & Simple Puffy Cloud die sets
- Marianne Design Craftables Box Card & Collectables Fox dies
- Marianne Design English Roses Pretty Paper Bloc
- Mama Elephant Inline Letters Creative Cuts die set
- My Favorite Things Die-namics Skyline Border die
- Spellbinders Nestabilities Standard Circles Large dies
- Acetate
- 3D foam pads
- Manual die-cutting machine
You will need
- Pink, green, white, brown & black cardstock
- Lawn Fawn Lawn Cuts Grassy Border die
- Marianne Design Craftables Box Card & Collectables Eline’s Deer die
- Marianne Design English Roses Pretty Paper Bloc
- Mama Elephant Inline Letters Creative Cuts die set
- My Favorite Things Die-namics Farm Fence die
- XCut Nesting Heart dies
- 3D foam pads
- Manual die-cutting machine
You will need
- Pink, green, white, brown & black cardstock
- Lawn Fawn Lawn Cuts Grassy Border die
- Marianne Design Craftables Dies Box Card
- Marianne Design Collectables Eline’s Panda and Bear dies
- Marianne Design English Roses Pretty Paper Bloc
- Mama Elephant Inline Letters Creative Cuts die set
- Manual die-cutting machine
If you want to try your hand at more decorative Shadow Box designs, then look not further! This fantastic tutorial from Die-cutting Essentials walks you through a range of shapes and sizes of box with ornate die-cut additions! Click the image below to see this fabulous step-by-step guide!
Beautiful Shadow Box Frame Card
Sam Calcott is also on hand with a beautiful Shadow Box Frame using a Papercraft Society Box! This stunning floral design is super easy to construct and works for a range of different occasions. Click the image below to watch this video!