Stunning Silhouettes

Make your own silhouette frames of your kids

By Megan Murray Elsener

Nothing can be sweeter than the profiles of your little ones. With this craft, you can create your own personalized custom silhouettes to display in your home.

Let your kids pick and paint their own plaques to make them even more unique.

Supplies
• Wood plaque
• Mod Podge gloss
• Foam paint brushes
• Paint
• Scissors
• Camera
• Medium stock print paper (optional)

 

Directions
1. Take a profile photograph of your child with them facing sideways. It’s best to take it against a plain wall so it’s easy to distinguish their features. Try to get your child to stand up as straight as possible with their chin up.

2. Either print your photos yourself on medium stock print paper or have a local store like Target or CVS print the photos for you.

3. Carefully cut out the silhouette with scissors. Make sure to keep the details like eyelashes, wisps of hair or bows to personalize the profiles.

4. Take the cutout silhouette and place it on something you can paint on, like cardboard or newspaper. Use black paint and a foam brush to paint the entire cutout. It may take two to three coats to fully cover the profile. Let dry completely.

5. Paint the wood plaque in any color of your choice. Again, this may require more than one coat for full coverage. Let dry completely.

6. Once both the cutout and plaque are dry, apply the Mod Podge gloss to the back of the cutout silhouette and place it in the center of the wood plaque. Make sure all the edges are glued down and the image is smooth. Apply the Mod Podge gloss in even vertical strokes over the entire cutout and plaque. Once dry, add more coats as needed.

7. Mount on the wall or display on a bookshelf to enjoy your own silhouettes!

Megan Murray Elsener is a Chicago mother of three.