A Very Belated Mother's Day......The Silhouette Necklace

I never knew how special Mother’s Day was until I became a mommy!  It’s the one day set aside for loved ones to recognize how hard you work as a mom to keep the family going!!  And boy, I’ll have to say it’s a lot of work!!  It’s a day to feel special, a day to relax, a day to enjoy with the family, and a day to give thanks!

Now, I know Mother’s Day was well over a week ago!!  But in my defense, my mom has been out of town, and I did not want to post this tutorial until she had received her gift!  Forgive me mom….but this is worth the wait!!  J

The moment I saw this necklace, I was in love!!!  It’s so vintage, so trendy, yet full of meaning!  I thought this would make the perfect Mother’s Day gift!  Thank you lessthanperfectlifeofbliss, for giving me the idea!!

photo by lessthanperfectlifeofbliss

So here we go….This is sooo easy to make!

Supply list:  Scissors, pendants, chain necklace, decorative paper, and modpodge. 

Step one:  Buy your supplies.  I found everything I needed at Hobby Lobby.  The pendants and the chain necklace were in the jewelry section, and the decorative paper was near the scrapbooking area.

Simple Pendants.......

                                                             

I chose neutral decorative paper with a little splash of color......

Step two:  Find or take a profile picture.  (I love this snapshot of Julia because it shows off her pigtails!!  We waited 19 months for those bad boys!!)

Step three:  Open the picture in the design program of your choice.  You could use paint, photoshop, illustrator, etc.  Carefully trace around the face, hair and neck of your picture.  Then color the inside of the silhouette black, leaving the background white.  Next, play with the scale.  This was compete trial and error.  Keep shrinking the profile picture until it fits inside your pendant.

Step four:  Once you have your scale correct, with careful hands, and sharp scissors, cut around the silhouette!  Be extra careful cutting, so that you don’t change the shape of the profile!

I added mine and my brothers silhouette.....

Step five:  Cut your decorative paper to fit inside your pendants.  It doesn’t have to be perfect!  (see above)

Step six:  Now it’s time to assemble the pieces!  First, use the modpodge to attach the decorative paper to the inside of the pendant.  (Be careful not to use too much glue, or your paper will wrinkle.)  Next, attach the silhouette to the decorative paper.  After everything is perfectly in place, apply a thin coat of modpodge across the top of your beautiful piece of art to seal in the beauty!

Step seven:  Last but not least…let it dry (only 15 min or so) then weave your necklace chain through each pendant hook.  And Wahlah!  You now have a beautifully handmade necklace!!  I like this so much that I’m making myself one next!!

So for all of the mothers out there....Happy Mother's Day!  And to my mom.....For all of the days you said "just wait until you have children," I now understand!  It's not as glamerous as it sounds!  Being a mom is more than following the routine of feeding, bathing, and bedtime.  It's kissing the boo-boo everytime they whine and point to their toe, it's playing the peek-a-boo game over and over and over, it's being paitent while they reach thier milestones and become more independant!  It's tough, it's constant, it makes us who we are!  So for all of the Mother’s Days that I brushed off as just another holiday, I sincerely apologize!!  I now understand how special this day is!!  Happy Mother’s Day mom, I hope you love your necklace!