DIY Silhouettes

Is it just my mom, or are all moms hard to buy gifts for? 

Sure, I can use my offspring for various projects and sentimental gifts.  Shoot, I can even get them to make something, and no matter how sludge-colored and lumpy it is, my mom will dutifully ooh and ahhh over it, proudly displaying it in a place of honor on her mantle. 

But sometimes I want her to make a big deal over my ugly creations. 

That's why I set out to make her a silhouette of the kids holding hands.  Not because it's ugly, mind you.  Silhouettes are classic and graphically modern, and my kids are a-DOR-able, if I do say so myself.  Win-win. 

* I don't think my kids' creations are ugly, either.  They're priceless works of art.*

So, here's what I did.

First, I gathered my materials:

• Black cardstock
• Photo
• Xacto knife
• Self-healing cutting mat
• Tape 
• Pencil
• Watercolor paper
• Picture frame

1. To begin with, carefully cut your photo out.  Make sure you cut around any details in the photo: curls of hair, the corner of a dress, any of these types of things make a silhouette more unique.

 2.  Once I cut my picture out, I put some tape on the front and placed the photo face-down on the card stock. 

 3. I drew around the cut-out with pencil...

 4.  ...lay the paper on the cutting mat, and carefully cut along the pencil lines with my Xacto knife.

 5.  Pop it in a frame, and you're all done!

Here's the finished cut-out, right-side-up.  Even though it turned out well, Will looks like a chunky-monkey compared to Sarah because he's in the foreground of the photo.  Next time, I would probably use a picture in which they're standing the same distance from the camera.

 Here's the final result, looking pretty professional, I might add.  Ready for it's place of honor on the mantle.

Sorry it's late, Mom!