DIY silhouettes

i've always looked at silhouettes and thought they were weird. i don't personally like my own, and they always seemed kind of ambiguously creepy. and old fashioned.

but apparently, they are big now. 

i have become obsessed lately with DIY blogs and especially in the home decor category, and have spent waaaaay too much time surfing around picking out fun little sewing and crafting projects. everywhere i look are silhouettes. and like everything cyclical in design, they've been modernized. and i saw people doing DOG silhouettes!! if you know me at all, you know duke was my first baby, and even after the birth of our first real child, our dogs are like kids. 

so i decided to give this project a whirl and i LOVE the outcome! 

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materials:

-a camera

-a printer

-a cute baby or fur baby (they don't have to be cure, but it sure helps)

-cardstock in any color. i used black.

-fabric in any pattern/color. i used tan.

-a frame. 

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cost:

relatively cheap. i used paper i had, and fabric i had. the frame was on sale at michael's for $4. i used a backless frame and used some cardboard from a package for the back. yay for recycling!! 

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step 1: take pictures of silhouettes of your subjects, making sure they are all about the same size. mine were duke, lola and baby girl. 

step2: print the pictures out. i printed mine out on my computer on normal computer paper. 

step 3: cut around the outside of the subject. make sure to include details, like curls and eyelashes to add the extra personality and charm. 

step 4:  holding the cutout against a black piece of paper, cut again around the shape. for dogs, you can cut out the line of the ears to add extra detail.

step 5: iron and cut your fabric leaving about 1-2 inches around the outside.

step 6: center fabric on cardboard or the backing of the frame so that the fabric is on the bottom (right side down) and the wrong side of the cardboard is facing up.

step 7: using fabric glue, glue the edges of the fabric around the outside of the board, making sure to pull it tightly and smooth it out across the front.

step 8: figure out the layout of your silhouettes, and then secure them with fabric glue.

step 9: frame, and voila! DIY silhouettes of all of your babies!!

my next one i will attempt is a piece for our bedroom of joel and me. i'll be sure to post the follow up.