This blog post is sponsored by Cost Plus World Market, but all opinions, photos, ideas and instructions are my own.
Handmade gifts are the best, don’t you think? There is nothing like someone taking the time to come up with an idea for a gift and then create it with their own two hands. I know that some people truly do not appreciate handmade gifts. I’ve heard people say that some individuals in their lives think that handmade gifts are cheap. Well, lucky for me, I don’t have many of those people in my life, I have quite the opposite. I was raised in an environment of incredibly creative women that were constantly creating…….a group, while I didn’t grow up living near most of them, were truly amazing women.
-My Grandma Marge (my Mom’s mom) was an amazing artist. She painted on canvas, driftwood, etc. The few pieces of art that I have of hers are some of my most prized possessions.
-My Grandma Peggy (My Dad’s Mom) has always been a doer and has such a creative soul. She would sew her children’s clothing, she would create the most beautiful custom gift baskets and she currently (in her 80’s) creates handmade greeting cards that she sells from time to time.
-My Aunt Sarah (my Mom’s sister) has been involved in art since she was little…….sewing her own clothing, majoring in art in college. She is an incredibly talented weaver and has become known for weaving her own textiles and turning them into wearable garments.
-My Aunt Susan (my Mom’s sister) is a graphic designer.
-My Aunt Nancy (my Mom’s sister) is a truly exceptional gardener and creates art in her backyard and has recently gotten into quilting.
-My Aunt Karen (my Dad’s sister) has always been truly creative in all aspects of her life whether it be sewing clothing for her own children’s clothing line, decorating her home, etc.
-Even my mother-in-law, Vicki, who I didn’t grow up around is an incredibly talented, creative woman. She makes art dolls, the most thoughtful and beautiful Christmas ornaments and has a creative and warm talent for decorating her home.
-And last, but certainly, not least…….my Mom (aka Grandma Jane) was the biggest creative influence for me in my life. She would sew us the most magical Halloween costumes, create one-of-a-kind dance costumes for my dance group, was creative in the home as well as in the kitchen. And now is one of the most talented and inspiring quilters that I know.
So as you can see, I have had the privilege of being surrounded by so many inspiring, creative and amazing woman in my life. And I feel so fortunate that my children are going to grow up surrounded by all this creative energy provided by such truly great women.
It’s been really special for me to see the bond and influence that so many of these women have with my children. When my Mom comes to visit, she brings art journals for the kids and leads them in different art exercises and she takes the time to sew something special with the older girls. When they go over to Vicki’s house (Gigi….my mother-in-law) she lets them create in a way that I don’t always have the patience for in our home. She lets them use glitter and finger paint and be messy……and they absolutely love it! When they visit Great Grandma Peggy, they get to do all sorts of seasonal crafts and she teaches them how to make thoughtful greeting cards using stamping techniques. All of these Grandmother’s are influencing the creative lifestyle in my children and I am so grateful that they are willing to take the time to be such a special part of their childhood. I know that they all adore their grandchildren and their grandchildren adore them right back.
So what do you give these amazing women who have dedicated so much of their time and creativity to their grandchildren? Well, I think I’ve come up with a project that any amazing grandparent would love to receive as a gift for Mother’s Day, a birthday, Christmas or as a ‘just because’ gift. Today I’m going to be sharing how to create a Silhouette Art Picture Frame using some great products from Cost Plus World Market. Yes, you could certainly walk into that store and find a million and one great gifts and ideas for these amazing women in your life, but nothing says ‘love’ like something truly handmade! So let’s get started……….
Silhouette Art Picture Frame
Supplies:
1 large picture frame (White Windowpane Frame)
Cloth Napkins
Card stock, manila folder or other heavy paper
Exacto knife
Scissors
Photo of child in profile position
Instructions:
Step 1: Have your child turn to the side and take a picture of the upper part of their body in a profile position. You can take this photo with as much or as little of the body showing, it all depends on if you would prefer the art be of their head or if you want their head as well as part of their body.
Step 2: Once you have taken the profile photo, print out the photo on your home printer. Cut out the child in the photo, making sure to preserve some details of the child’s face, hair, hands, ect.
Step 3: Depending on what frame you are using, your dimensions may be different than mine. But if you are using the White Windowpane Frame (like I am), you are going to cut your card stock into rectangles sized 5.75″ by 8.75″ or you can just simply use the glass as your template. You can fill all six windowpanes with silhouettes if you have six children you are including or you can leave some of them blank for text or whatever else you think to put in them.
*If you just have one child or maybe 2 or 3, you could do one of the many other frames such as these Telescoping Tabletop Frames (which I love) or this Metal 3 Photo Frame. All of these would be so sweet! I saw so many options at my local Cost Plus World Market store in Crystal Lake, IL, you can find your store by clicking HERE.
Step 3: Trace the outline of the profile photo onto one piece of heavy card stock. Or if you are trying to be thrifty, you can just use a manila folder.
Step 4: Using an Exacto knife, cut around the lines that you’ve already traced onto the card stock.
Step 5: Using your cloth napkins, cut a rectangle the same size as you cut your card stock.
Step 6: Place silhouette card stock into the frame first and then place the fabric on top. The printed side should be facing down so that it will show through the silhouette.
Additional Notes:
-You can use a different pattern for each cloth napkin to represent each child or you could decide to do them all the same. Cloth napkins are a great, economical use of fabric because they are fairly inexpensive and you get a large piece for not a lot of money. Plus you could easily make some matching pillows to coordinate with your frame by simply sewing two napkins together!
-Another alternative would be to use some of the gorgeous handmade gift wrap that is sold at World Market stores as the backing for your silhouettes instead of cloth napkins. I couldn’t decide which one I liked best, so I bought four. I can see so many beautiful craft projects made using these papers.
-If you are using a windowpane frame and you don’t have enough children to fill up each windowpane, consider adding a special quote, saying or poem into your project. Or just cut out a heart or other shape using leftover napkin fabric.
So that’s a wrap! How easy and beautiful did this project turn out? I absolutely love it and I know one of the amazing women in my life is going to love and cherish this handmade gift for many years to come. Pair this with one of the other beautiful gift items from Cost Plus World Market and you have a gift she will never forget.
To make your life a little easier, I’ve rounded up all the products that I used into today’s post. You can find them below:
1. 3. Decorative Papers and Gift Wrap
6. Paddywax Grapefruit and Sea Salt Candle
9. English Garden Lilac Bath Salts
Do you know any Amazing Women in your life that deserve something special? Well head on over to Cost Plus World Market and enter the Amazing Women sweepstakes in partnership with the American Cancer Society.
World Market’s Amazing Women Sweepstakes
Enter for a chance to win a $2,500 World Market shopping spree for you and a $2,500 shopping spree for an amazing woman in your life. Enter by 6/4/17.
Three First Prizes: $500 World Market gift card
Enter online at worldmarketsweepstakes.com
Dazzle & Donate
In May, buy your favorite jewelry and 10% of the sales price, up to $10,000, will be contributed to the American Cancer Society.
https://www.worldmarket.com/category/jewelry-clothing/shop-all-jewelry.do
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cost Plus World Market. I received free product as well as additional compensation for writing this post. Although this post is sponsored, all opinions, ideas and text are all 100% mine.
Lindsay Wilkes is the owner and designer behind The Cottage Mama. She creates timeless, vintage inspired sewing patterns for children’s clothes. She is also a fabric designer for Riley Black Designers / Penny Rose Fabrics, author of the book ‘Sew Classic Clothes for Girls’ and can be seen teaching nationwide and online in her video series ‘Lessons with Lindsay’ sponsored by Baby Lock Sewing and Embroidery machines.
