Shadow box cards tutorial

Shadow box cards are a great way to add an interactive element to your designs. They help to add dimension without bulk so they can be posted easily. It’s better to stick to basic shaped cards for this technique as figuring out the measurements can become tricky. I’ve also included four templates to go along with this Masterclass so you can see all the measurements used to create the cards.

I tried to showcase a few ways of just using basic shaped cards, varying the way in which the cards open, as well as the depth of the shadow box and even showing how to make it open the opposite way too. You can also use whatever dies you like to create the shadow box on the inside. Keep it simple with squares, ovals, circles and rectangles, or go one step further and use butterfly and heart apertures – even create hanging elements inside the apertures!

Another advantage of shadow box cards is that you can decorate the inside and outside – adding patterned paper behind the aperture is a great way of using up some of your stash too. You can use dies as well as stamps and coloured images too, as well as pre-made embellishments. Have a go at this cool shadow box card technique and wow all your friends – it’s quite mesmerising to keep opening and closing the card and trying to figure out how it works!