adminI came across an old Mom and Pop’s store a while back that was full of silhouette art using all sorts of mediums as backgrounds. One of my particular favorites was a framed newspaper article that had the shadow of charming birds flying around printed on top, which later inspired me to create something similar of my own. I ended up with a sassy cat that my 4-year-old-at-the-time helped paint. We opted to use watercolor art instead of a black silhouette and it ended up being a heck of a lot of fun, and it looked stunning once it was completed – to check it out, click here!
With Christmas around the corner and decorations coming out of the attic, something reminded me of that little Mom and Pop’s store. I decided to try something else with a holiday-inspired twist. I was delighted to find free, printable, vintage, sheet music on Flickr that I used to paste a silhouette onto of a girl decorating a Christmas tree! With the addition of some sequins for a 3-D effect, this project turned out ah-may-zing. In fact, two neighbors have asked me to consider making more to sell! Which got me to thinking… this could be a really cool gift to give to friends! And it’s basically free if you already have a frame! If you don’t, your local thrift store is the first place you should check out. 🙂
I don’t have a fancy shape-cutter-outer (also known as a Silhouette or Cricut machine) so I drew my shapes by hand and uploaded them so you can download and print them for free, for your own personal use. That is, if you like my drawings! 😉 With those things at your fingertips, this is all you will need:
- Light brown construction paper*
- Sheet music that you can find on Flickr (Jingle Bells, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, O Come All Ye Faithful, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Away in a Manger)
- These printables of a tree and girl
- Sequins or small gem stones
- Frame
- Glue stick and liquid glue (such as Elmer’s®)
*If you do not have light brown construction paper, you can dab a wet tea bag over a white sheet of cardstock to make it appear aged.
Step 1) Visit the links I have listed above and print your choice of sheet music onto light brown construction paper. Also print the drawing of a tree and girl that I have provided above as well. You can print these shapes on to white paper and color them black yourself or print them out and then cut them to use as a stencil and trace them out on to black construction paper. (Keep in mind that the bow on the girl’s dress looks best if it is red – therefore I opted to color my shapes in with marker.)
Step 2) Once your silhouettes are cut out, glue them to your sheet music. I used a glue stick so the paper wouldn’t wrinkle with a wet glue.
Step 3) Add sequins sparingly to the tree using liquid glue and add one to the girl’s hand. Top the tree with a nice star.
Step 4) Frame! I thought a gold frame looked best but use whatever makes your heart happy!
I love the way this picture glows in candle light! It’s hard to capture on camera (or maybe my photography skills are just lacking… that’s quite probable) so you’ll have to make one and try it for yourself! I am sure you’ll love it!
What sheet music would you prefer to use? I’d love to see your finished products! Share your photos and comments below!
For more fun, holiday crafts visit MyMilitarySavings.com!
MyMilitarySavings.com was not compensated by the company, service or product mentioned in this blog. This is strictly the honest opinions, findings, beliefs, and/or experiences of the author. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are purely the bloggers’ own. Any claims, statistic, quotes or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question. MyMilitarySavings.com is not liable for any risks injury or illness that may occur if you choose to act upon the bloggers’ suggestions stated in this blog.
Cassi Anderson
Katie Freeze
