Making a Child Silhouette

I remember seeing silhouettes in friends’ houses growing up and I always liked them.  They looked something like this:

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So, now I have kids and wanted them in my house.  But I didn’t want the old-fashioned 1800s style.  Four pieces of scrapbook paper fixed that for less than a dollar a sheet.  I really like the texture in the brown paper.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.  First I needed my kids’ silhouettes (and help from my sister with her Photo Shop skills).  We had the kids stand mug shot style next to a wall that had a lot of natural light for an initial photo. Yes, just like Matthew McConaughey but without the rap-sheet: 

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Learn from my mistake: Place tape on the floor where you want them to stand so their silhouettes will be consistent.

From here my sister took the photos and worked some Photo Shop magic and we printed a version of the photo similar to the 1800s style to cut.  You could just play with the zoom and print the photo out in the size that will fit your frame.   

Cutting this was stressful! (My son’s nose isn’t quite as pointed as the lower silhouette shows…) After cutting, I used double-sided tape to attach the silhouette to the background paper and placed it in the frame.   

Now, I have cute silhouettes of my kids at ages 5 and 2 to see at my front entry. And, the most expensive part of the project was the frames. :)

Have you ever tried this? Or did you have them done at a fair or something where they don't cut the tip of a kid's nose off? 

I'm linked up today with the Thrifty Decor Chick,  Between Naps on the Porch  , Home Stories A to Z, My Romantic Home, The Shabby Nest, Be Colorful, Nap Time Creations, Keeping it Simple, and Today's Creative Blog!