HCC 2024 Day 11: Stained Glass Ghost

Step 2) Size the shadow box design

I tried cutting this stained glass design in two sizes: one to fit a 9-inch shadow box and one to fit a 6.5-inch shadow box.

I found that it looked much more effective in the larger size – it enhanced the “stained glass” appearance AND it was easier to cut all those thin lines at a larger size.

Therefore, larger frames are recommended for this project.

Open up your frame and measure the back of it to find out what size to cut the design out at.

I measured the back of my frame and it came to 9 inches.

Click the design on your canvas and use the width/height boxes near the top of the screen to make it the size that you want to cut.

TIP: Make sure the padlock icon above the width/height boxes is CLOSED before you resize. If it appears “open”, click it with your mouse to close it.

I don’t recommend going smaller than 5 inches wide as the thin lines will get hard to cut. Here’s a tutorial on how to cut designs really small with a Cricut.

That’s it for Design Space! The design is now ready to cut.

Step 3) Cut out all the layers

When you’re happy with how the project is looking in Design Space, click “Make” and follow the instructions on-screen to cut out all the pieces.

To change the paper size, go into the dropdowns over on the left side of the screen and choose the paper size that you want to use. You need to change it for every single colour.

I had to use 12×12 inch cardstock for my ghost as it was too large to cut from A4 or US Letter sized paper.

TIP: New to cutting cardstock with a Cricut? Check out this in-depth tutorial which goes through every step of the process, including tips for getting the best quality cuts from your Cricut.

Step 4) Stick the project together

Most of the pieces in this stained glass design will be glued together. We’ll only use foam square for one layer, which is to help separate the ghost from the background to draw the eye to him and make him stand out more.

Use this guide to see the order to stick the layers together in.

A printable version of this assembly guide is included in the folder when you download the cut files.

My favourite glues to use on papercraft projects are Bearly Art Glue and Collall All Purpose Glue.

These are great because they don’t “warp” or bend the cardstock like some glues do. You can use as much of it as you want and the card stays perfect – and it dries perfectly clear too!

Bearly Art Glue comes with a tiny nozzle to make it easy to apply glue to small areas of card. The Collall glue doesn’t come with this, so it’s easiest to decant it into needle tip applicator bottles so that you have more control.

The foam pads that I use are from “Dot & Dab”, but any foam squares will work. If yours are big then you may need to cut them smaller with scissors to fit inside the edges of the layers.

When adding the foam pads to purple piece of card, make sure you add some in the middle of the card so it gives full coverage and stability.

If you don’t add any foam pads in the middles then it can “sag” under the weight of the other layers which doesn’t look as good.

Continue sticking the pieces together, following the assembly guide, until your papercraft is all finished.

Step 5) Frame the project

When all your glue is dry, open up your shadow box frame and remove the wooden spacer.

Clean the glass and carefully place it inside the frame. I left my glass out so that it wouldn’t reflect my camera lights.

Add the spacer back in the frame.

Place your papercraft inside the frame, resting it on the back of the spacer.

Add the back of the frame and close up the tabs.

If your shadow box isn’t quite deep enough for the frame, it might move about inside the frame which can cause it to appear “unlevel”.

To fix this, cut up some cardboard packaging (e.g. Amazon/delivery boxes) roughly to the size of the frame (it doesn’t need to be exact) and add to the back of the papercraft before putting the back on the frame. You may need a couple of pieces if your frame is particularly deep.

This helps to “pad out” the frame and hold the papercraft in place.

Turn your frame around to reveal the finished craft project!

Halloween ghost layered papercraft design

With your ghostly creation complete, you’ve crafted a unique Halloween piece that combines spooky vibes with a stained glass effect.

I hope you enjoyed making this project as much as I did!

If you’d rather not mount your project in a shadow box, check out these free easel stands for two alternative ways to display it.

Or, go for a more simplistic approach by making a triangle stand or nail hook.

The triangle stands are completely invisible from the front of the project, making it look like it’s standing up by magic! The hooks allow you to hang the design straight on the wall without a frame.

For even more Halloween stained glass SVGs, check out this Instant Access Bundle for this Halloween Craft Countdown.

Six additional designs are included: a witch, vampire, dragon, pumpkin, mummy and raven.

These extra designs are currently exclusive to the Instant Access Bundle and will not be available to purchase individually until November 1st, 2024.

Happy crafting,
Sarah x