How to Make a Rainbow Bridge Shadow Box for Your Dog

A rainbow bridge shadow box for your dog

Somebody searching for this is not shopping. They are trying to do one specific thing for one specific dog, and they would rather not be sold to anything.

So here is the whole thing, with nothing to buy until you have decided what to write on it.

Step 1: see it with their name first

Open the free memorial maker and pick the rainbow bridge motif. Type the name. The arc appears in soft colours over a pale background, with the name plate left empty for you to fill.

Now decide what goes on that plate, because this is the part people get stuck on for weeks. It is worth deciding before you cut anything, not after.

Step 2: choose the three words

Most people end up with one of these:

• their name, and the years
• their name, and one word: Brave, Good girl, Best boy
• a date they met, and nothing else

Whatever you pick, the front layer is editable text, so you can change it in Cricut Design Space as many times as you need before cutting. You cannot do that with a printed design, and it is the reason to cut your own.

Step 3: cut seven layers, largest first

The bundle gives you seven SVGs, one per sheet, named in cut order. Cut them largest to smallest. Cardstock between 250 and 350 gsm; thinner tears along the arcs, thicker makes the gaps disappear.

Step 4: stack with foam tape

Apply foam tape to the back of each layer, then stack. The voids in the upper layers reveal the layers beneath, and that is the depth. Press the stack from the back, not the front, so the front layer stays flat enough to read.

Step 5: write the dates small

If you are putting years on the front, put them smaller than the name and in a lighter colour. The name is the thing. The dates are for the people who already know.

If you are not ready to write dates, leave the plate with just the name. Nobody will think less of it.

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