DIY: Easy and Budget Friendly Silhouettes
6 Materials
$10
1 Hour
Easy
I've always been fascinated with the booths that sold Scherenschnitte, the art of paper cutting design. I remember standing in disbelief at local Craft Shows in Pennsylvania that these women, with their tiny little scissors, could create something so intricate and beautiful. I would stand and peer over the shoulder of a Pennsylvania Dutch woman and watch her in awe.
When I became a mom, I was eager to have these perfect little silhouettes of my kiddies. As crafty as I am, I knew there was no way I could pick up some black paper and scissors and cut silhouettes freehand.
Here was my easy and budget friendly solution…
I took quick profile images of my kids and printed them out. It took some playing around with size to get just the right scale for my frames.
I wanted to be as precise as possible so I would know that the cute little nose, the hair cowlick, and that signature bow I captured in the image belonged to my kids.
After cutting with my sharpest scissors, I placed each image on a paper plate and gave it a quick coating of black matte spray paint, making sure not to saturate it and tear the paper.
I was looking for some added texture to my frames so I mounted each little silhouette on a piece of burlap, but these would also stand out and look gorgeous on simple white paper or any other background of your choice.
It’s not the intricate work of the ladies doing Scherenschnitte but for the price and ease, I just love these sweet little silhouettes of my kiddies.
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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4 of 8 comments
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Wow adding in the eyelashes on your own was so detailed and I love love LOVE it!!
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Thank you!
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I had my kids' silhouettes done many years ago at a Disneyland shop. Kids are now 44 and 49. Still have those silhouettes on the wall. Now with two grandsons, I'm thinking this is a great way to capture their precious profiles to add to what I have AND be a winning gift for Mother's day for my daughter! Really great idea. Yours are excellent. Thank you so much for your inspiration!
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This is a beautiful story! Your homemade silhouettes will be so special to your grandkids!!! Enjoy the project!
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Tell us how you did the eyelashes. They don't extend past the bridge of the nose in photos. And aren't they places a bit low? I've wanted to do this forever, but never got it all worked out. This might do it!