silhouettes

As you probably know by now I am a fan of all things handmade and my children most of the time. So of course when I saw this idea a while back I had to try it. I don't remember where I got the idea as it was years ago.

Nevermind the leaves I added to the middle frame. It has all of our names on that frame and I like to keep some things private.

These silhouettes also make great gifts for family members.

Oh, and yes these photos were taken around Halloween.

  Here's what you'll need.

1. a camera
2. white cardstock
3. black acrylic paint
4. a sponge or paint brush
5. scissors
6. printer
7. frame (5x7 or larger)
8. scrapbook paper is optional to use as a background

Ok here are your directions...

1. take a side profile photo of your child.  Having the background a solid light color (like a white wall) will help and upload it to your computer
2. open your photo in microsoft word and resize it so that your child's head fits in a 5 in by 7 in. frame
3. print your picture onto white cardstock
4. now the hard part...cut out your child's head.  Be sure to keep the cute curls and small details
5. paint your child's head (the cut out of course) black.  It will take a few coats.  I like to paint on a paper plate.
6. Once dry...frame your picture OR you can scan it and make make several copies for family.  I would suggest an oval 5x7 frame or a matted 8x10 but it all depends on how big you print your child's silhouette.

I used this fantastic scrapbook paper as a background for my silhouettes.