Sunday, February 20, 2011

Making and Enhancing Children's Silhouettes

  
These little cutie patooties with their perfect little profiles are as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside.  They're adorable...


I'm working on their grandmother's master bedroom, wanted to add their silhouettes to the room and thought I'd share how I made them.



How to...
All the pictures were taken in profile against a light colored wall.

 After enlarging and printing the pictures I went to work adding a few enhancements -- penciling in collars, buttons, 
bows, ribbons and the like.  

I think these little additions make all the difference in the world.  

I also traced the outline of each profile carefully so it's easier to follow the line when cutting the silhouettes out.  






I trimmed around each picture leaving a border.  I added a tiny bead of glue around the outside edge of the picture (not on the picture itself because that would just be dumb) and pressed 
the picture onto black paper. 

I do it like this so I can cut the picture and the black paper out at the same time.  This way,  by cutting the picture out only once, 
the silhouette is more accurate.



The frames are cream and are lightly distressed.  The backgrounds are a smokey gray blue fabric I used in other projects in the room.


 









Adorable.  But I said that already.

Not up to making some of your own?  I can do it for you.  Contact me at cottagehill@hotmail.com.

  

***

I'm linking up with



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82 comments:

  1. I feel a project coming on...thanks for sharing this! You are so right - these are soooo adorable. I have 7 grandbabies - hoping I can get my artsy daughter/auntie to the kiddos to help with the cutting!

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  2. well, you said it- adorable!
    This is a good tutorial.

    I might try this with my GRANDS- or heck, I might even try it with some old pictures of my kids when they were young.

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  3. Oh, thank you for posting this. I am sending your blog to my friend who teaches first grade. (I am a retired first grade teacher)....what a neat project to do for Mother's Day. I am one of your new followers....as of tonight.

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  4. Hey thanks for this tutorial. I think I might need to try this.

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  5. I so need to do this. I've been meaning too, but haven't got around to it. I love the extra little details you added. GREAT!!!

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  6. Thank you! I have one of these done of my husband and I on our honeymoon. I would love to do one of our two boys and hang them all up together!

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  7. I wish I'd know this trick years ago! We had a silhouette artist cut silhouettes of our older two girls. When the next two came along I wanted ones for them and we never had the opportunity! If I had only know just how easy it is to do it this way! Definitely keeping this idea! Thanks so much, Lindy.

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  8. I love silhouettes. Your's turned out great. I had my kids' done years ago. The lady just sat them on a stool and cut away. No lamp, no wall, nothing. It was amazing. She even added collars and a hairbow. I loved the master bedroom re-do. It turned out spectacular. Have a great week.
    Hugs~ Amanda

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  9. I have always been such a fan of silhouettes but the ones I've owned have been of strangers! This tutorial is fabulous and what grandma wouldn't want this lovely, personalized artwork, hanging in her home! These are GORGEOUS and yes I agree, the children are ADORABLE!

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  10. Such a nice idea! I will do this at school with my pupils!!!

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  11. Wow, that looks great!! Thanks for the tutorial, I have been wondering about these silhouette projects. I would love it if you'd link this up to my Marvelous Mess party. I will be choosing one project to be featured on my sidebar for a week!! Here is the link: http://marvelouslymessy.blogspot.com/2011/02/marvelous-mess_20.html

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  12. Thanks for sharing. I have been wanting to do SOMETHING ANYTHING with silhouettes of my 4 children but have been a bit nervous about trying. This takes the guess work out of the projects. Thanks!

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  13. Darling idea. We did these in school when I was a kid. They used a projector to put our silhouettes on the wall and someone went over and traced them (by stepping in and out of the light source so they could see). My Mother had my own for years...makes me wonder now whatever happened to it. This is something I would love to do with my grandkids. Thanks for sharing the idea here- xxoo Diana

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  14. Very sweet! I think that picture with all four of them together would make a nice silhouette too!

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  15. I read this because I just did some wild sillouettes of my children and I wanted to see if I did them right. I did. Yours are very beautiful. Mine are on canvas with paint as the background and then the silouettes cut from patterned papers and modpodged on.

    You are crazy talented. I love the post about the master bedroom redo and your love affair with sewing. You were born to sew!

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  16. These are beautiful! Well done, on the project and the tutorial :-)

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  17. I am in the middle of working on my silhouettes, when I found your link-up, so I thought I would see if you had any tips. Wow! Your instructions are perfect and made the process much easier. TFS!

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  18. Very nice. Silhouettes are such classic designs and never go out of fashion. These are a lovely addition to the room. Super idea!

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  19. Adorably cute, & the silhouettes are great, too! I'm glad you can use the linky list and absolutely copy it if you want to.
    CAS

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  20. I have always been a big fan of silhouettes...you make it look easy!

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  21. Love this! I have been wanting to try this for a while, great tutorial! I am a new follower...

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  22. I loved this project and I am already a follower. I would love if you would come and follow me back at www.diybydesign.blogspot.com. Also, I am hosting a party...the link opens up Tuesday evenings at 8pm EST. Hope you stop by and join that as well.

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  23. They turned out great. I love this project. I'm totally going to try this... you make it look so easy!

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  24. WOW--what a great project. This is the best silhouette tutorial I have ever seen!

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  25. Wow, I have tried this before, but you really added a lot of the details that I was missing before! I predict silhouettes showing up in numerous places around our house-very soon! Thank you!

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  26. Cute Cute Cute! Thank you so much for linking your tutorial up to Tip Junkie so we can all enjoy it. don't forget to add the "Tip Me Tuesday" button. {{wink}}

    I've bookmarked this to feature!

    Laurie
    Tip Junkie

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  27. LOVE this idea! I have been following your blog for a while...always great stuff to look at and wish I could make!! Thank you for your dedication and generosity!

    I grabbed your button for my new blog about fun, family and faith. Hope you can stop by if you have a chance.

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  28. I love these!! I'm doing silhouettes of my kiddos right now. They are cut out waiting for me to frame them... you know how it goes. ;-)

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  29. Very nice touch to a Grandmother's room! This project brought back memories from around the time I was 5 or 6 and we made silhouettes in Bible School much like yours.

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  30. Hi!
    I just meet your blog and i love this silhouets, they are so cute.

    I'll try to do one for me.

    Thanks

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  31. Now you've got us wanting to try it on for size!Only one problem: How to go about it even if one's children are grown. I can see hours of fun searching for the right shot out of family photo albums--hopefully at least some shots will have the right angle! Wish I'd thought of this 18 years ago!
    Rose & Friends

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  32. maravillosa idea, me gusta muchísimo

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  33. Love this picture tutorial! Stopping by from Tutorial Tuesday. I will have to make these for my kids. Thanks for posting this!

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  34. This is great!!! what a fun project, I have always wanted to do this.
    I love it!
    Have a sweet day and hugs, Elizabeth

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  35. I added a bow to my daughters silhoutte. I love the buttons. Makes the silhoutte much more interesting.

    I am having 2 giveaways on my blog.A chance to win $15 store credit from LiaGeneFab11 who has fancy headbands and hair clips for your daughters and a fairy silhoutte tee from ElizabethHorton. Just leave a comment to win. http://houseonashwelllane.blogspot.com/2011/02/fancy-headbands-and-hair-clips-giveaway.html

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  36. I have seen silhouettes done many times before, but your additions and method for cutting them out truly make yours extra special and very beautiful. Excellent work & thanks for the detailed tutorial. I have been been wanting to try my hand at doing a silhouette of my daughter, I hope mine turns out have as good as yours!

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  37. Wow, you really wowed us on Wednesday! That is fabulous, what a cute idea!!

    Carol

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  38. coming over from Sugar Bee...very nice! I am going to use this idea for my grandmother and her great-grandchildren. and it looks easy, to boot!

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  39. Lovely!!

    I'm visiting from we did it wednesday and I'm your newest follower. :)

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  40. I love that you added collars, ribbons, and buttons. It makes the the project so cute!

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  41. Lindy, you always amaze me with your creativity. I love these. You could make these and sell them. Thanks so much for linking back this week!

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  42. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Every other tutorial I had seen to make these required a silouhette machine- which I don't have! So, thanks- great tutorial! Now, if I can only get my 2 yr old & 7 month old to sit still so I can take their pictures! Haha

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  43. I luv this tutorial. I usually do mine in photoshop. Will try this.

    Don't forget to add this project in our linking party where every Wednesday we showcase projects for our readers to discover.
    http://www.passionatelyartistic.com/2011/02/colours-of-spring-be-inspired-linking.html
    Thank you,
    Maggie
    http://passionatelyartistic.com

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  44. Wow, these are adorable. You are extremely talented....fabulous.

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  45. These are so cute, Lindy!

    Sue @ Beach Bungalow
    xo

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  46. Hi Lindy, The silhouettes are adorable and I bet the grandmother loved them. I still have silhouette of my son from 25 years ago.
    Hugs,
    Sherry

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  47. Adorable! I'm planning a new photo wall, and I plan on adding a silhouette of my dog, no children yet :)

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  48. Girl

    That is so talent

    I love silhouettes can I send my picture for you to do me one? There goes your next money maker LOL


    Janice

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  49. Thank you for the tutorial, they turned out so nicely!

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  50. Those are so cute! I had one made of my son, and I love it.

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  51. This is so adorable! Thanks for posting. I came over to check out via Kelly's Korner.

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  52. Adorable idea and they will make great gifts! Thanks for the tutorial.

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  53. Oh what a great idea! This would look great in our family room! I'm the least crafty person ever, so I will be in touch with you soon :-)

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  54. I'm seeing silhouettes all over now...I just watched Dear Genevieve (probably rerun) but she did a play room with silhouettes. I just assumed you had to do it with software. But after reading your post I might have to give it a try. Thanks!
    Emily

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  55. Wowzers!! Look at these darling little girls! These came out adorable, and look just like each girl! thanks so much for sharing this. I am going to try it out.

    Debbie

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  56. Wow... I love what you made! I made some years ago! I am a follower!

    http://justcrafttytoday.blogspot.com

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  57. Adorable! And this is probably the best tutorial for silhouettes that I have seen out there! Thank you so much for linking up to Inspiration Friday this week Lindy! :-)
    Vanessa

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  58. Great tips, I really like the addition of the buttons, I never thought of that.

    Wonderful finished display - very professional.

    Visiting via the Weekend Wrap Up.

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  59. Look at all these comments! You're famous! I love your detail additions as well. Great job!

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  60. These are so great! You are so smart. Thank you for sharing the how-to. laurie

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  61. How cute! I'm a girl scout leader and have been trying to think of something different for our girls to make for Mothers Day. Guess what? I just found the perfect project for them to do :)

    Thank you so much!

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  62. Once Again, Thank you for posting this project tutorial. I finished my silhouettes and blogged about it with links back to this page.
    http://veryverdant.blogspot.com/2011/02/deck-walls.html

    Sonja

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  63. Those turned out lovely. I'm your newest follower. It would be great if you could stop by my blog Monday and add your project to The More The Merrier Link Party.

    http://diyhshp.blogspot.com

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  64. This is beautiful!! I can see a project coming up on my to-do list :) Thanks for sharing Lindy!

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  65. Great tutorial and perfect finished product! I'd love for you to submit this to the M&T Spotlight: http://www.makeandtakes.com/spotlight

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  66. Thanks for the great tutorial! I made one and it turned out great, thanks to you! Thanks for the inspiration!
    http://allthingserika.blogspot.com/2011/02/how-to-make-silhouette.html

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  67. These are wonderful, and your tutorial is so well written you make them sound doable! Thank you for sharing! xoxo

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  68. This is darling Lindy!! I love it- I am thinking I might have to try this! Thanks for sharing at FNF! :)

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  69. I love this idea.. you did a beautiful job.

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  70. I usually read your blog in Google Reader. This post is excellent, I´ll try to do it. Congratulations.

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  71. great post and great information, i never knew that making silhouettes could be so creative and so easy to do at home. great information

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  72. lovely lovely silhouettes! (and War Eagle to those little Auburn fans!)

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  73. This is a nice project! Nice share!

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  74. So very cute! Unbelievably cute! Thanks from your newest follower.

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  75. Thanks for the inspiration! Check out my post…

    http://minimatisse.blogspot.com/2011/03/beautiful-silhouettes.html

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  76. You're brilliant! I've loved the look of silhouettes for years & now you've shown me a super easy way to make my own. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

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  77. When I was in first grade, my teacher did silhouette for each student in the entire class. We sat against a white wall while she traced our outlines on some heavy black shiny paper. Her detailing was beautiful! Each silhouette was then put onto a large stiff paper cover of a booklet she made for each of us. In it, she glued several of our own worksheets, penmanship examples, art work, etc. My mother still has that book saved at home. I'll always remember that teacher and her creativity and of course her wonderful gentle nature and how much I loved learning from her.....

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  78. Love your site. What a creative mind you have. Can't wait to try the silhouettes.
    Thank you for sharing.

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I'm excited you're leaving a comment. I can't wait to read it...L.