Profile Silhouette

Here's any easy idea for a gift. I have seen silhouette's everywhere this year, from stationery to Christmas ornaments to family room walls. There are many ETSY sellers who will let you submit a profile photo of your child and turn it into a wonderful keepsake for your walls, your tree, or your keychain. For me, seeing that someone else can make it, gives me a challenge to try and create one on my own rather than paying someone else to do something for me.

{our youngest nephew:2010}

I tried to stick to handcrafted Christmas gifts this year, and I'd say about 85% of our gifts we gave were in fact handmade by either Nick or myself. Not too shabby for a couple who both hold down full-time jobs.

To make a silhouette of your child, take a photograph of your child's facial profile. Have your child stand against a solid background to make your next step ( photoshopping) a bit easier. Next, play with the contrast and lightness/darkness settings on your photo editing software. Make the face as dark as possible. Print out photo once this step is completed. Then, using a sharpie marker in black, color in the profile's lighter spots with sharpie for a uniform "blackness". I then cut out my silhouette with my scrapbooking scissors ( this was a time consuming activity), laid it on my scanner and scanned it back into my computer ( re-scanning made the silhohuette pitch black..which is the look I was going for). I then picked out a light blue colored cardstock, added "2010" below the silhouette and printed onto the cardstock from my printer. Add a cheap frame or go big and mat it.

Voila, instant gift!

Side note: I am hoping to make silhouette ornaments next year just like YHL did of their daughter Clara. I think I just need to adjust my scale size, scan it to my silhouette cutting machine and anything is possible! How neat would it be to have your child's silhouette year after year to watch them grow in a shabby chic way?