What you need

A cutting machine with a 12 × 12 in mat: Cricut Maker, Explore or Joy Xtra, or a Silhouette Cameo or Portrait
One sheet of 65 to 80 lb (176 to 216 gsm) cardstock per layer, in the colours from your guide
3D foam pads, 2 to 3 mm thick
A 9 × 9 in deep shadow box frame
Optional: battery fairy lights (a 2 m string is plenty)

The files in your download

File	Use it for
…-all-layers.svg	Cricut Design Space. Every layer in one file, already coloured
layers/…svg	Uploading one layer at a time
DXF folder	Silhouette Studio Basic, which can't open SVGs
PNG folder	Other software, or printing to trace
Templates PDF	Hand cutting with a craft knife
Build guide PDF	Colour list, foam spacing and these steps

Unzip the download first. Design Space and Silhouette can't read files that are still inside a zip.

Cricut Design Space

Click Upload, then Upload Image, and choose the …-all-layers.svg file.
Add it to your canvas. It arrives as a group of coloured layers.
Check the size. Select the whole group and look at the size boxes. It should be 8 in wide and 8 in high. If not, close the padlock and type 8 into the width.
With the group selected, click Ungroup so each layer cuts on its own mat.
Click Make It. Each layer gets its own mat in its colour.

Don't skip the size checkDesign Space sometimes rescales uploads. If one layer is a different size from the others, the frames won't line up.

Silhouette Studio

Designer Edition or higher: open the SVG. Basic edition: open the DXF files from the DXF folder.
Check the design is 8 × 8 in. Some DXF imports come in at the wrong scale; resize with the aspect ratio locked.
Send each layer to cut on its own sheet.

Cutting

Use your machine's cardstock setting. For shimmer or glitter card, the heavy cardstock setting with more pressure works better.
A fresh, sticky mat keeps fine details in place. Peel the mat away from the card, not the card from the mat, so it doesn't curl.
Cut layer 1 (the backing) and layer 2 (the sky) first, then work forwards.

Test cut firstIf you're using a new card or blade, cut one small layer before committing a whole sheet of the good stuff.

Assembly

Lay the layers out in order, 1 at the back.
Stick foam pads around the frame edge of layer 2, plus a few behind any big shapes that might sag.
Line the frame edges up and press layer 3 onto the foam. Repeat for every layer.
Where the guide says so, double the foam. That extra gap between the main depth changes is what makes the shadows.
Drop the finished stack into the shadow box frame, behind the glass.

Adding lights

Run a string of fairy lights between layer 1 and layer 2, taped around the edge so the bulbs sit behind the sky. The light glows through the moon and stars and lights up every cut-out window. Most deep frames have room to tuck the battery pack behind the backing.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
Layers are different sizes	Design Space rescaled one upload. Resize every layer to 8 × 8 in with the padlock closed.
Fine details tear	Use a stickier mat, a sharper blade, or slightly lighter card. Try the "intricate cut" setting if your machine has it.
Card curls after cutting	Peel the mat away from the card. Flatten curled layers under a heavy book overnight.
Layers sag in the middle	Add extra foam pads behind large shapes, not just around the frame.
File won't open in Silhouette Basic	Use the DXF files. The Basic edition can't import SVG.

Still stuck? Message me through Etsy or reply to your download email. I'm happy to help.