Christmas is almost here, and I have one last, awesome project to share with you before the big day. Get ready to crank up those oldies this holiday season, because today we are making a retro Christmas radio that’s sure to take you back!
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Watch a short video of me putting this project together on Instagram.
Supplies
- Cardstock
- Vellum
- Hot Glue
- A Lollipop Stick
- Precision Craft Glue or a Glue Stick
- Foam Tape (optional)
- Bone Folder (optional)
- A Cutting Machine or X-ACTO knife
- My Free Template
How to Make It
1. Use your cutting machine or X-ACTO knife, along with my template, to cut out all of the pieces for your retro Christmas radio.
Note: If you are using the SVG files that includes the score lines, don’t forget to set them as such in Cricut Design Space and attach them to their shapes before sending them through your cutting machine. I used a lime green color to mark the score lines, so hopefully that helps! If you’re having trouble with the score lines, check out this video.
Prep Work
2. Start by layering on some of the decorative elements to your radio, like so. Be sure to place the vellum piece on the inside, and all of the other pieces on the outside.
Note: you can glue the pink, circular dial piece to the front, but don’t glue the gold and brown dial pieces on just yet.
Assembling the Rotating Dial
3. Take your small rectangular piece and curl the paper. Then, fold all of the little tabs inward and glue the whole thing into a ring.
Attach two of the little grey circles to the front and back of the ring shape. Then, attach the whole thing to the center of the gold dial.
4. Attach the pink border piece to the front of the radio if you haven’t already.
Cut a small section of your lollipop stick and push it through the hole. Attach the larger grey circle to the inside end of the lollipop stick with hot glue. Attach the front of the dial to the outside.
Assembling the Base
5. Attach the two small “buttons” to the front of the radio with foam tape or glue.
Take your base piece and fold along the score lines. Glue the tabs to the inside of each corner.
Glue the two pink strips the front and back sides of the base.
Assembling the Walls
6. Start by layering your decorative music/holly pieces together.
Next, take your large rectangular piece and attach it to the section to the left of your radio face.
Fold all of the little tabs inward and start attaching them along the edge of the radio, a couple at a time.
Finishing Up
7. Attach the back/right wall of the radio to the rest of the structure. Then, use the tabs and slits provided to attach the whole thing to the base.
Next, glue the decorative music/holly pieces to the sides of the radio.
Add any other decorative elements you’d like, and your retro radio is complete!
And now you’re ready to crank up the tunes! I’ve included a flap in the base of this design, so that you can add some tealights inside, or even a small, portable speaker! Bonus points if you have a speaker that lights up.
I had a hard time deciding how exactly I was going to include “holiday” elements in this design. I wanted it to still be recognizable as an old-fashioned radio, and I thought it would be nice if the project could be used for other times of the year as well. That’s why I ended up letting the holiday aspects of this design shine through in the paper pattern as well as the holly motifs on the side of the radio. That way, if you want to use this design year-round, you can simply use a different type of paper, and change out the music/holly motifs on the side, and you’ve got yourself a non-Christmas-related papercraft in a jiff!
I use Adobe Illustrator for all of my designs, and a Cricut Maker to bring my creations to life. For tips on creating fun paper cuts like this one, see the FAQ section on my website. Also, be sure to check out the other fun freebies available on my blog!
Enjoy putting my retro Christmas radio together. And don’t forget to share your festive finished project with me on Instagram!
*This post contains affiliate links. By clicking through my links to make a purchase, you are supporting this blog and the hard work that goes into providing free, quality designs.
Mandee is a professional graphic designer, amateur bird watcher, and rollercoaster enthusiast. She is a wife to hardworking high school teacher and mommy to three adorable little humans. She fell in love with graphic design when she started working on a comedy website with a guy she met her freshman year of college. Design wasn’t the only thing she fell in love with, and they were married a year and a half later. She created Designs By Miss Mandee to be a place where she could merge her passion for design with her lifelong love of crafting. 6 Comments on Retro Christmas Radio – Holiday Cut File
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PG
December 20, 2022 at 10:13 pm (5 months ago)Mandee, you have outdone yourself again! My husband will go apes over your retro radio since he is an avid collector of vintage radios. Thank you for the cut\e design
Mandee
December 22, 2022 at 1:59 pm (5 months ago)How perfect!! I’m so glad that you will be able to put this design to such good use. 😊
dee
December 27, 2022 at 2:01 pm (5 months ago)What a fun project! My husband collects vintage mechanical so I’m sure he’ll appreciate one of these. Ahhh… and the Music Scroll atop the radio is simply beautiful.
Mandee
January 2, 2023 at 12:43 pm (5 months ago)Yay! I’m glad you can put this design to good use!!
Angie
January 1, 2023 at 7:27 pm (5 months ago)This is so cute
Mandee
January 2, 2023 at 12:43 pm (5 months ago)Thank you! ❤️