It’s been so long since I’ve done a DIY! This year I haven’t been able to invest long stretches of time on many crafts or big household projects. My favorite one this year is my DIY Vanity Makeover, but over the weekend I managed to fit in this super easy silhouette project. It’s affordable – all you have to buy is cardstock and a frame if you don’t have one already. Ted and I love vintage, historic decor and I was inspired by silhouette art which was popular in the 18th century. It’s like a version of a photograph before cameras ! Two fun facts I learned when researching silhouettes on the Silhouettes By Hand webpage are:
- People use to cut profiles free hand (makes my method below seem pathetic)!
- The word silhouette comes “from the French finance minister Etienne de Silhouette in the mid 1700’s, who was rumored to cut profiles in his spare time. He was disliked by those who were affected by his tax plans, chopping tax money from the rich and reducing cost expenditures in the French government.”
DIY Silhouette Supplies:
- Photos of the individuals you want to make a silhouette of – make sure you have a good profile!
- Black cardstock – make sure the paper is thick so its cuts well and holds small edges.
- Sheet of cardstock in any color of your choice to create the backdrop for the silhouettes. Mine are ivory.
- Cute frame – I used these from Walmart for $5.87 each
- Sharp scissors
- Small paper x-acto knife – my favorite one is made by Martha Stewart’s brand.
- Fine tip black marker
Directions
The hardest part about this DIY is sizing your photos. If you’re doing a set you have to make sure the ratios match and that the cut out is appropriate for the size of your frame. I used my computer’s pictures program to print out a .jpg I sized after some trial and error. I printed out a few extras in case I made a mistake while cutting. It may take a few tries, but once you have the right fit its smooth sailing.
On the printed image draw out the silhouette you want using your photo as a guide. Here you can fix areas like frizzy hair or add collars to make the profile more polished. I used a photo of me from my wedding day so had to draw over my veil and fix the shape of my hairstyle. For Ted’s I added a collar. I then carefully and meticulously cut out the profile make sure the edges were as sharp and detailed as possible. Once you’re done you will have your silhouette that you can then trace on to the black cardstock.
Thick cardstock works the best because its holds the details of delicate areas like the nose and mouth when your cutting (a flimsier paper starts to shred). Go slow and you’ll be surprised at how nice these turn out. Clean up areas that were too small for the scissors with a small paper x-acto knife.
Once you have your silhouette you’re free to attach it to any background that you want and add little details. I made a small monogram with the first initials of our names. It’s literally that easy! It’s an elegant project that’s very personalized and I think so cute ! Ted was shocked that I actually got these to look like us. Let me know what you think in the comments below.
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