Make Your Own Silhouettes

I've been seeing silhouettes everywhere lately and I really love them. 

Source:  Pinterest via  Emily A. Clark blog

Pinterest via Jones Design Company

Source:  Pinterest via The Nester

Source: Jones Design Company

And, probably like you, I've seen all sorts of ways to make them myself.  Everything from using Photoshop to printing out pictures and tracing the cut-out image on to black paper.  That's the method I'm using today because, frankly, I get frustrated with computer programs and going "old school" is often my method of choice. :) 

I started by taking a picture of my kids near my kitchen window so I would get plenty of back-light. 

Their hair was a little crazy because they had just been swimming, but it doesn't matter because you can do just about anything you want with the image after you print it out.

I forgot to adjust my print options but if I were to do it again, I would just print black and white on the lowest resolution to save printer ink.

After you print out the picture, start cutting.

Someone wanted in on the picture taking!  Maybe next time we'll do your silhouette, Boomer!

Then I traced the picture with a pencil onto black cardstock.

I decided to use some pretty scrapbooking paper for a little color since I'm placing these silhouettes on a shelf in my built-in.

And, there you have it!  A very easy project.  However, I kept it very simple because I didn't add any embellishments to their hair.  I've noticed on other silhouettes that they have had fun with the hair with bows or little spikes. I didn't do that because it didn't seem true to my kids style.  My daughter is not a hairbows and fancy kind of girl, so I kept her hair simple the way she wears it.

I love simple projects that don't cost a lot of money and in this case it didn't cost me a thing!  I already had the frames and the scrapbook paper --  love that!

Linking up to:  Keeping it Simple, Craft-O-Maniac, My Simple Home Life, Claiming Our Space, Savvy Southern Style, Skip to My Lou, It's Overflowing