Easy DIY Child's Silhouette

I have always loved old-fashioned silhouettes of people. In fact, my original logo for my boutique, Lucy & Lloyd featured a man and woman's silhouette.

After Maddux was born, I considered hiring someone to do his silhouette, but I had a hard time finding an artist who was within my price range. I wondered if it was something I could pull off on my own, and after doing a little research, I found this great tutorial. Still, I couldn't seem to find the time to sit down and actually create something. With a one year old, it felt a bit overwhelming.

Then, my super crafty sister-in-law Megan posted this on her blog, and I was sold. Last week, I finally sat down and created my silhouette, and I absolutely love it!

Here is what I did:

1. First, you will need black acrylic paint. I bought two, unsure of how much I would actually need, but I only ended up using about half of one bottle.

I used a foam paintbrush, but I'm sure any kind would work.

2. I found a profile picture I had taken of Maddux and sent it to Walgreens to be printed off on photo paper. I chose 8 x 10.

3. I used some very fine manicure scissors to cut out his silhouette. I was extra careful to preserve as much detail as possible, in particular his curls and eyelashes.

4. I then started the process of painting the cut out silhouette, using long, even strokes.

5. I let each layer dry before starting the next. I wanted it extra black and thick, so I ended up painting 4 layers.

6. After the silhouette was completely dry, I mounted it to a piece of scrapbook paper that I liked, using double-sided scrapbook tape. The frame is a record size frame that Nate had that I repurposed. It is actually a little too big, so I may go back in and make a black, scalloped border. I'm also thinking about adding his name to the bottom. 

I really love how this turned out! It was super easy, and we now have a cute piece of handmade art that captures Maddux's sweet one-year-old profile.

Maddux's 2nd Birthday

This whole "time flies" thing is becoming more and more evident as the days go by. I still think of Maddux as a baby, but if his growing vocabulary and big boy mannerisms are any indication, he is definitely not one anymore!

To help reinforce this fact, we decided to throw him a "real" birthday party this year, as opposed to last year's celebration. He is obsessed with trains, or "choo choo's" so we really had no choice in the matter.

We had the party at a local park (with a real train!). Since it was Labor Day weekend, we got there fairly early to ensure a picnic shelter, strung up balloons and got everything set up. For food, we brought in an old-fashioned hot dog cart (like this one) and let everyone help themselves.  

We kept it a family party, so it was his Nashville cousins, some aunts and uncles and my mom. It was so sweet watching how excited he was, running around with his cousins, popping balloons and spreading icing all over himself (and anyone within his reach)!

1. Cupcake toppers I designed on my computer then printed and cut out. 2. Paper popcorn holders from Michael's. I couldn't find them on their website, but here are some similar ones. 3. I found this cute train conductor hat at the thrift store, but I found these with a little web search. His shirt is from Etsy. 4. I found this life-sized Thomas the Train on Craigslist. You can also buy it new here. Needless to say, it was pretty much the hit of the party. 5. We did a "help yourself" gift bag of Skittles, Fruit snacks and wooden train whistles, bought on Ebay.