Silhouette Gifts

 My sisters and I are trying to keep Christmas inexpensive this year, so that means homemade or small gifts.  So I put on my thinking cap and came up with a perfect gift idea that was virtually free-silhouettes of their families!

 

Last week, we all ended up taking a walk on the beach, and it fell into my plan beautifully- the ideal time to shoot some photos.  However, it wasn't as easy as it sounds... The family with the children were all over the place, and never once held hands with each other!!  So I just shot lots of pics, hoping I could find something to work with! 

 

When I got home, I did some major cropping and editing on my computer- an arm from this photo, legs from this photo, the faces from this photo, the dog from a different photo, you get the picture!  And I fudged to make it look like they were all holding hands- ha!

 

 But in the end, it came out beautifully! 

 

 

My other sister was a little easier.  She and her fiance just got engaged, so they're still pretty lovey-dovey and naturally held hands!  I did a tiny bit of editing, and it turned out great as well!

 

I thought it would be fun to do something different in the backgrounds, besides just a solid color.  The stripes worked out really well- fun without being too distracting.  These are done on 1" thick plywood, and are about 12" tall.  I plan to mount them on another piece of wood so that they "float" out from the wall.

 

I've been so busy lately- working on different Christmas presents, etc.  I'll be sure to show you more once I've finished them!