Friday, March 1

Silhouette

I've always loved the cute silhouette projects on pinterest. It's such a great way to capture all the sweet features of little faces. So when I was looking back through some pictures and found this one from last summer, I knew it was time to tackle a project of my own!


At first I was going to be all fancy and and do it in photoshop... but the picture quality wasn't great and I couldn't get very clean lines. Also, I don't really know how to use photoshop. Minor detail. So after quite a lot of trying to tidy it up, I declared it more trouble than it was worth and made a plan B. (although now that I look at it again it doesn't look half bad. Oh well.)


Plan B was a good old fashioned approach. I started by printing out the picture.


Then very carefully cut out around his little head.



At first I traced the picture onto some black construction paper, but I felt like I lost some of the finer details when I cut out the construction paper. Then I tried just holding the picture on top of the construction paper and cutting around it, and was much happier with how that one turned out. So don't be afraid to experiment to get a shape you are happy with.


I had some extra frames in the basement, so I grabbed a blue one that was a good size for my silhouette cutout. I try to keep an eye out at yard sales for cheap frames that have a nice shape and still have glass in them, and keep a couple in the basement for last minute projects like this. I think I have about 5 down there now in different sizes. This one was from a dollar/bag sale last year.


I took out the old picture and used the frame backing to cut a piece of white paper to size. Then I just used a small piece of tape on the back of the silhouette to attach it to the paper.


Then I popped it in the frame and... all done!


For now I have it sitting on the picture rail in B's room. I LOVE how it captures all the things I want to remember. The button nose, the way his top lip sticks out farther than the bottom, both chins, and those little curls on the back of his head. That's my boy.


I'm still working on the layout for the rest of the shelf, but I think this will be a great addition.


And while we're here, my other favorite on the shelf is this Aunt Beffy original:


And it's not just a pretty B, when you look closer it's full of all kinds of wonderful things for a little boy to enjoy. Dinosaurs, rocket ships, bugs...


...robots, balloons, popsicles. Yep, she's a real-life artist.


But for me, cutting out construction paper is more my speed. And good practice for when B starts feeling artsy, right? :)


Have you ever made a silhouette picture? What's your favorite silhouette project or idea? I'd love to make pics of our whole family and frame them together. Or find a way to make tiny little silhouettes to make into Christmas ornaments or a mama necklace.

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