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11 Magnolia Lane

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Creating a Crafty DIY Silhouette–Easy Tutorial

September 21, 2012 By Terry 4 Comments

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DIY silhouette tutorial

Teeny Tiny Custom Textiles

 

 

TaDa Creations

I have wanted to get professional silhouettes done of both my boys for years, but I have simply not had the time or money.  I know that they are not difficult to do, yet I wasn’t sure that I would do my sweet boys justice.  I also wanted to have something that would last forever.  Silhouettes capture such a sweet and innocent time that I personally don’t want to ever forget.  My youngest son just turned 5, so I knew I was running out of time and needed to either make an appointment or do it myself.

When I was little, my school did silhouettes with a projector light, piece of black construction paper and chalk.  I remember feeling very special when it was my turn to have my shadow traced.  I loved the sweet details of my ponytail and eye lashes.   It was a really simple project yet such a wonderful gift we later presented to our mothers as a school keep sake. They were simple,  true to life, and my mother still has it to this day.  As I have said, it is just something you hold onto.

Thinking back to that school experience made me realize that I didn’t need to pay for a silhouette, I could do this on my own.  With the changes in technology from then to now, I knew I could simply take a photograph and cut it out.  I also knew that Photoshop has the capabilities to do the same thing.  I am no pro when it comes to Photoshop and I personally wanted to cut every strand of hair that stood up, their button noses and of course their eye lashes.  I don’t know why that part gets me all choked up but it does.

DIY Silhouettes

Here is how I created my very own silhouettes:

Here’s what you need: Craft Paper, Profile printout of your child’s head, scissors, glue and a frame

  1. Take a photo of your child’s profile with a light background.  I sat both my kids on the same stool in front of our white shuttered windows.  It was a light background but it also allowed sunlight to come it.

    Side Profile of my oldest son

    Side profile of my youngest son. NOTE: I turned him the opposite direction

  2. Print out the photos on card stock and size down to fit the frame you selected to display them it.  I did 5 X 7 frames for my first “crafty” silhouette.  Next time I am doing a much larger round frame so I will need to print out a 7.5 X11.
  3. Using an exacto knife/ small scissors, cut out your child’s profile.  Get into the details of their hair and lashes.  The personalized details really make each silhouette more realistic and special.  This is a bit time consuming and ensure your knife is sharp and take a deep breath.

Cut out his/her profile with knife or scissors


  1. I decided to go the “crafty” quick route with my fist silhouette, I simply turned over the paper (photo side down, white side up) and pasted it to a piece of craft paper.  I still wanted the black and white theme but I didn’t want it to be traditional especially in my front foyer.   I liked that it was a bit different and unexpected.  The craft paper that I choose has a printed word pattern across it, which I love.  It made it modern, fun and very different than your traditional silhouette.   I also used a rectangular silver frame, again not the traditional round black frame you typically see.   I personally think that it works well in my black and white casual foyer and home.

    Choose whatever patterned paper you prefer for your child’s silhouette

I really enjoyed this project and I am already working on my next silhouette project.  This time I am going the traditional route.  That means I will either need to play around in Photoshop or cut out a template and then trace their silhouette onto black card stock.  This means double cutting, but I actually enjoy that part, so I think I am going to take the hands on approach.  I would also love to add their monogram below so I cannot wait to show you how those turn out.

This is where they sit in my home, my black and white foyer.

Happy Crafting!!

terry name graphic

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Filed Under: Childrens' Projects, DIY/Projects/Tutorials, Wall & Door Decor Tagged With: black and white, craft paper, Crafts, frames, Kids crafts, Silhouettes, tutorial

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Eileen says

    September 22, 2012 at 9:42 am

    What a BRILLIANT idea! They turned out beautifully!

    Reply
  2. Beatriz says

    September 22, 2012 at 2:42 pm

    Wow! I love it! I will definitely have to do one for my daughter. Great job.

    Reply
  3. Katie says

    January 28, 2014 at 2:32 pm

    Hi – Great, EASY tutorial! I am posting a silhouette project that I did on my blog tomorrow. I did mine in Photoshop but I wanted to link to some tutorials that show other ways to do it. Hope it’s ok if I link to yours! I’ll credit your blog and link directly to this post.

    If you want to check it out, it will be live tomorrow (wednesday) at about 10am at http://www.somethingtobefound.com

    Thanks!

    Reply
  4. Ray says

    January 19, 2017 at 2:30 pm

    Your craft paper says little princess…

    Reply

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  • MEET CHRISTY & AMY
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382 shares
  • 41