Happy Birthday Cutaway Card SVG

A front made of holes

Some cards are built up from layers. This one goes the other way: every detail is taken out of a single sheet of card, so the picture is made of light and shadow rather than glue. The word Happy runs across the top in a big looping script, with BIRTHDAY underneath in tall, narrow capitals. Both are cut as windows, and where a letter has a closed center (the loops of the B, the R and the A, for example) a thin stencil bridge keeps that center attached.

Below the greeting, eleven daisies sit in three staggered rows of four, three and four. Each daisy is a round center with eight separate petal holes around it, so the paper between the petals stays strong. A line of small round eyelets runs up one side, across the top and down the other, and the bottom edge is a row of scallops, each pierced with its own eyelet, like the hem of a lace doily.

Pieces and weeding

The solid file is one connected piece with 164 cut-outs. Nothing falls away from the front once the holes are out, which makes this an easy file to handle even though the count looks high: the eyelets and petals are small but simple. Lift the card off the mat slowly, peeling the mat away from the paper rather than the paper from the mat. It passes our cut checks from about 3 inches wide.

The single layer

There is one color layer, Berry, a deep crimson red. It holds the whole front: greeting, daisies, eyelets and scallops. Because the design is all cut-through, the color you see in the windows is whatever sits behind it.

Building the card

1. Set the width to 5 inches. The front comes out a little under 7 inches tall, because of the scallops; measure it before you buy card bases.
2. Cut it from smooth 65 to 80 lb cardstock in the color you want for the lace.
3. Fold a 10 by 7 inch sheet in half for a 5 by 7 card base, in a lighter color such as ivory or soft pink.
4. Glue the front to the base with a thin layer of liquid glue or a glue pen around the edges and between the daisy rows, so no adhesive shows through the holes.
5. Write your message inside, on the blank right-hand page.

For a lighter look, glue a piece of vellum behind the front first. The daisies and letters will glow softly instead of showing a solid block of color.

Sizes

Under 3 inches the eyelets close up. For a smaller tag, print the color file and cut only the outline with Print Then Cut; the holes will be printed rather than cut.

Color ideas

• Navy lace over gold card for a grown-up birthday
• White lace over a bright pink or teal base for a child
• Sage over cream for a softer, garden feel

You can try these on the page before downloading; see changing SVG colors.

Pairs well with

Slip the finished card into the Birthday Envelope, lined with the matching Lace Envelope Liner.