Simple Silhouettes with Dotty for You

Do you remember silhouettes from when you were a kid? I remember my teacher sitting me in front of a dark sheet of paper using a projector for light to create a shadow while she traced the shape of my head on the paper. It was a tedious experience, one I knew that I wouldn't be able to achieve with my wiggly boys. Thankfully, things are much easier now with digital cameras.

1. Stand your subject in front of a dark wall if you have one. Keep the subjects hairstyle simple (a ponytail is always cute for girls).
2. Take a photo of them using your digital camera. I used my flash to give a stronger contrast between the wall and my subject. 
3. Upload your photo to your computer, size your photo (I used 8" x 10") and print your photo on regular computer paper (preferably in black and white if you know how).
4. Using a temporary adhesive such as Dotto Dots, adhere your photo to desired cardstock. Get creative, you could go with standard black or branch out and experiment with other colors.
5. Using your photo as a guide, cut out your silhouette. If it makes it easier for you, you can trace the shape of the head first to give you a strong line to follow. Use good, sharp scissors for nice clean lines.
6. Now that you have your silhouette, decide how you'd like to display it. I have chosen to matte mine with our upcoming special paper packet called Dotty for You. For added dimension and shadow, I popped up my silhouettes with foam tape.
7. If desired, frame with a bold, solid colored frame.

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Art Philosophy: Perfect Finish for our Teacher's Christmas Gifts

Each year, I try to come up with something unique for the boys teachers. This year they will be receiving candy dishes decorated in buttons and crayons and finished with an Art Philosophy paper flower bouquet. (want another idea, see what I made for the end of the year gift)

Create custom sparkles with an inexpensive set of Bic Mark It permanent markers. You can even blend colors. The light gold wasn't dark enough for me, but the orange was too orange. I scribbled with orange on the carrier sheet and picked up some of the color with the light gold to make my own custom "gold" color.

For the flowers I used the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge and cut out Flower7 (pg 3) in Cranberry and New England Ivy in increasing 1/2 increments starting at 2.5". Attached each layer with foam tape for dimension.

To make them sparkle, I lined the edges with Red Glitz Glitter Gel. Then I finished them off with three sparkles in the center of each flower.

For the flower stems I used bamboo skewers and dyed them with our Close To My Heart New England Ivy reinker. Put a few drops in a bag to coat the skewers. Then roll them out onto paper towels to soak up some of the ink and make them dry faster.

Create a custom candy dish by gluing crayons around the outside of a glass dish with hot glue. My recommendation is to stick with a round dish wish straight upright sides and go smaller. I was amazed at how many crayons this took to complete. I bought the biggest box and used over half. Not as cost effective as I had intended, but still cute. You might want to consider stocking up on crayons at the beginning of the school year when they are on sale.

*I sprayed the bottom of the dish after the crayons were glued on with a clear spray paint to seal the crayons.

For the second candy dish I pulled out my stash of buttons. Honestly, I think I like the button version even better. Which one is your favorite?

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