Breathe in…breathe out. Take a moment to meditate with me today—to open your mind, release the negativity in your life, and fill your soul with the goodness that surrounds you. And what better place to hold this meditation session than next to my therapeutic, 3D koi pond?
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This project is dedicated to my dad! He has had a love for fish for quite some time. So, when I [half-jokingly] suggested to him that he should take on a new challenge by building a koi pond in his backyard, he fell in love with the idea instantly.
A few weeks ago, he got to work and built himself a little oasis—complete with cute little fishies! Since then, he has added some color-changing underwater lights, a couple of trellises, lots of pretty plants, a bench next to the pond, some string lights above the whole thing, and even a little water fountain! I am truly amazed at what he has accomplished since I made that offhand comment a couple of months ago.
Watch a short video of me putting this project together on Instagram.
3D Koi Pond
Materials
- Cardstock
- Dura-Lar Film
- Precision Craft Glue or a Glue Stick
- Bone Folder optional
- A Cutting Machine or X-ACTO knife
- My Free Template
Instructions
- Use your cutting machine or X-ACTO knife, along with my template, to cut out all of your 3D koi pond pieces.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.
Assembling the Box
- Start by layering the decorative side pieces together. Then, take the two detached side pieces and attach them to the base, opposite one another. Be sure that the slits are facing away from the insideFold each of the sides inward and glue the tabs to the inside.
Assembling the Koi Pond Interior
- Next, take the medium blue layer and fold the sides inward. Attach the tabs so that the whole thing is slightly raised. Then, add glue to the outside edges and slip the whole thing into the box you created in the previous step.Repeat the process with the lighter blue piece.
- Take the gold ring and attach it to the Dura-Lar film piece. Next, attach your koi piece together and glue them onto the clear film as well.When that is all assembled, bend it slightly and slip the whole thing into the slits in the box.
- Take your two lilypad sections and assemble them/place them inside the box as you did with the water pieces previously. Place the lighter green piece first, then the darker green piece on top.Then, fold the top tabs of the box inward and attach the top, light blue water piece.
Assembling the Water Lilies
- Take one of the yellow strips and add some glue along the edge that doesn’t have any cuts in it. Then, roll the whole thing up and fluff the little strands outward.There are two different sizes of flowers. Curl the petals of two of the smaller flower pieces inward. Attach the yellow piece to the inside of one of the smaller flowers. Then, attach that whole section to the inside of the other small flower. Continue to do that with the two larger flower pieces.Repeat the process with the other two water lilies. Attach them around your pond, and your project is complete!
Notes
View the full-size tutorial photos below.
Supplies
- Cardstock
- Dura-Lar Film
- Precision Craft Glue or a Glue Stick
- 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 your 3D koi pond pieces.
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.
Assembling the Box
2. Start by layering the decorative side pieces together. Then, take the two detached side pieces and attach them to the base, opposite one another. Be sure that the slits are facing away from the inside
Fold each of the sides inward and glue the tabs to the inside.
Assembling the Koi Pond Interior
3. Next, take the medium blue layer and fold the sides inward. Attach the tabs so that the whole thing is slightly raised. Then, add glue to the outside edges and slip the whole thing into the box you created in the previous step.
Repeat the process with the lighter blue piece.
4. Take the gold ring and attach it to the Dura-Lar film piece. Next, attach your koi piece together and glue them onto the clear film as well.
When that is all assembled, bend it slightly and slip the whole thing into the slits in the box.
5. Take your two lilypad sections and assemble them/place them inside the box as you did with the water pieces previously. Place the lighter green piece first, then the darker green piece on top.
Then, fold the top tabs of the box inward and attach the top, light blue water piece.
Assembling the Water Lillies
6. Take one of the yellow strips and add some glue along the edge that doesn’t have any cuts in it. Then, roll the whole thing up and fluff the little strands outward.
There are two different sizes of flowers. Curl the petals of two of the smaller flower pieces inward. Attach the yellow piece to the inside of one of the smaller flowers. Then, attach that whole section to the inside of the other small flower. Continue to do that with the two larger flower pieces.
Repeat the process with the other two water lilies. Attach them around your pond, and your project is complete!
When designing this project, I really wanted to make something moveable—where the fish could swim around. If you turn the wheel, the fish circle their little pond, and it makes me so happy!
That being said, if you’re more interested in using this as a purely decorative design, and maybe even putting it in a frame instead, that’s great too! So, I’ve included a simplified, layered version of this design within the download that you are welcome to use. Just cut the pieces out, attach them together with foam tape, and you’ve got yourself a beautiful shadow-box art piece.
I use Adobe Illustrator for all 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 making this 3D koi pond for yourself or for a friend! And, as always, be sure to share your finished results 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. 11 Comments on 3D Koi Pond – Summer Cut Files
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Cindy M
June 1, 2023 at 11:13 am (4 months ago)Lovely!
Mandee
June 1, 2023 at 11:23 am (4 months ago)Thank you Cindy!!
Michele
June 1, 2023 at 2:14 pm (4 months ago)Such perfect timing on this. My dad and stepmom have amazing gardens (they were even in Better Homes & Gardens years ago) that include several small ponds. This is the first year they’ve added koi and they just got them a week or two ago. This is the perfect project to send their way! Thank you for such a beautiful design.
Mandee
June 2, 2023 at 5:30 pm (4 months ago)Wow, how perfect!! I’m so glad that you will be able to put this design to good use! 😊
Michaela Obeth
June 1, 2023 at 10:13 pm (4 months ago)Thank you so much, so beautiful.
Mandee
June 2, 2023 at 5:30 pm (4 months ago)Thank you Michaela!
auntie em
June 2, 2023 at 2:58 am (4 months ago)This is so pretty! I love your layered design and the cut out pieces for the sides is such a beautiful addition but the fact that you can turn it so the fish swim under those delicate flowers is just amazing. Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
Mandee
June 2, 2023 at 5:31 pm (4 months ago)Aww, I’m so glad you like it! I’m really pleased with the “swimming” fish as well. 😊
Angela
June 5, 2023 at 10:42 am (4 months ago)Hi Miss Mandee. I wanted to thank you so much for your design. It is beautiful and a great gift for my father-in-law. It is difficult to see in the picture – is the Dura-Lar film, where the fish and the ring is not attached, cut out or is it one whole circle? Is there something else that I can use instead of the Dura-Lar film? Thank you again!!
Mandee
June 5, 2023 at 2:12 pm (4 months ago)I’m so glad that you like this design! Yes, it’s always tough to photograph clear film, haha. The Dura-Lar piece is one solid circle, and both the fish and the gold ring are intended to be attached to it.
You can use acetate or any other clear material you’d like. Translucent vellum would also work, but it would be hard to see the water layers underneath unless you backlight the design. Otherwise, if you don’t care about the “spinning” aspect of the piece, you can use the simplified “layered” version of the design, which doesn’t include the clear film layer. And then you would just attach the fish to the water layers with foam tape. 😊
Angela
June 5, 2023 at 3:56 pm (4 months ago)Thank you for the quick reply! I have Shrinky Dinks paper. I will try to use that!