We’re back! It has been a while since the last post here, and the CutCutePaper line has grown quite a lot since then. To restart the blog properly, we are looking at one of the most versatile tools in the shop: the 9-Inch Modular Shadow Box Frame — the frame system behind many of the finished projects in our shop photos.
A frame that grows with your projects
Most frame templates give you one frame in one fixed configuration. The modular system works differently. The set contains a small family of modules — parts labeled A through F — that combine like building blocks. Cut one combination for a single-cell frame, another for two, three, or more openings, all from the same files. The included PDF tutorial has a simple table: choose your number of cells, and it tells you exactly which parts to cut.
If you have built our 6-inch modular frame, you already know the principle — the 9-inch version is its bigger, deeper sibling.
Made for 9×9 layered designs
We designed this frame around the size we use most in the shop: 9×9 inches. Designs like the Midnight Trilogy, Dracula’s Library, and the Northern Lights bundle drop straight into a 9×9 cell — no scaling, no guessing. [LINK: your Midnight Trilogy listing] [LINK: your Dracula’s Library listing]
With an inside depth of 1.15 inch (29 mm), there is room for a full stack of layers on foam spacers, plus acetate and an overlay if you want a finished front.
Three sizes in one download
9×9 in – inside 229 × 229 mm, wall 22 mm, depth 29 mm
8×8 in – inside 204 × 204 mm, wall 19 mm, depth 25 mm
7×7 in – inside 178 × 178 mm, wall 17 mm, depth 22 mm
What you get
SVG files (dashed and scoring-tool versions) for Cricut, Brother, and Silhouette Designer Edition and up
DXF for Silhouette Studio Basic
EPS for Illustrator, CorelDRAW, and Silhouette Business
PDF for cutting by hand
A detailed PDF tutorial with diagrams and the module table
Optional standing feet for shelf display and an optional overlay
License: unlimited personal use and small commercial use — sell your finished physical frames; just no file redistribution or mass production
Materials
A single-cell frame uses 3 sheets of 12×12 inch cardstock (we recommend 80 lb / 216 gsm). Every additional cell adds about 2½ sheets. Add glue and a bone folder, and you are ready.
Watch it come together
The fastest way to understand the system is to watch a build. This video shows the complete assembly of a 3-cell 9×9 frame, from the first fold to the last flap:
A few things to notice while watching:
Fold everything first. All score lines, valley folds first, pressed firmly with the bone folder. Proper folding now makes assembly much easier later.
The letters matter. Part A is your starting point; B and D form the vertical walls; the C parts are the horizontal walls (C for a single cell, C1 for the ends, C2 for the middle).
The E parts use micro-tabs, so no solid cardstock covers the folding line. Align their marks over the seam and the fold stays crisp.
Less glue is more. On visible joints, use just enough to hold — a slip will show on the front.
The optional F parts tidy up the back when your frame will be displayed where the back shows. Each cell can have a hanging hole for wall display, or add the standing feet for a shelf.
[IMAGE: finished 3-cell frame with photos or layers inside — ALT: Three-cell cardstock shadow box frame holding layered papercut scenes, standing on a wooden shelf]
Maker’s pro-tips
Do one test build with scrap cardstock before cutting your good paper.
Keep the parts unflipped, as provided — assembly goes smoother when nothing is mirrored by accident.
Push the joints together with no gap and no overlap before the glue sets.
Get the template
The 9-Inch Modular Frame is available now in the shop, with the 8×8 and 7×7 versions included in the same download: Modular Shadow Box Frame SVG Templates (9×9, 8×8, 7×7)
Questions about modules, cells, or sizing? Leave a comment or message us through the shop — we usually reply within a few hours.