We all love a good silhouette. Especially of sweet little faces.  So {as promised} I’ve put together a tutorial on an easy way to make one.  Now, easy may be relative so bear with me. 

But first, a little silhouette inspiration:

 

 

 

  

Feeling inspired?

Here we go …

First, you’ll need a camera, a subject, a computer and some type of photo editing software {I use paint.net {a free downloadable software with similar features as photoshop. Any expert graphic designer would laugh at me for using such ‘sub-par’ software, but it works. And it’s free}.

When taking a photo of your subject {in my case my No.2}, use a background that contrasts with the skin {in my case a dark background}.  Be sure to get a good profile shot from the top of the head to below the shoulders. Keep in mind that this was in the morning {hence the p.j’s} and I stuck some gel in his too-long hair and it looks very funky.  I swear he’s a cute kid.

So, first up, open your photo in your photo-editing software.

 

Change the image to black and white

In the adjustments drop down menu, select brightness/contrast and adjust so that there is a greater difference between light and dark in the photo.

You may have to play around a little with this to get it right.

Now, using the Magic Wand tool {see the one that is blue in the Tools bar on the left}, click on the background. This will highlight everything that is that color on the photo. You can see a tiny dotted line where the outline is.

Now delete what you’ve just selected {press delete on your keyboard} and the background is now transparent.

Using the eraser tool {again, the blue one in the Tools menu on the image here} erase the extra stuff in the background that was not deleted. I also shaved off a little bit of Brady’s hair and cut off his shoulder.

Now, use that Magic Wand tool again to select the background.

Then in the edit menu, select Invert Selection so that just the silhouette is selected

Again in the Edit menu, select Fill Selection.

With the eraser tool, make any adjustments to the silhouette

And you’re done!  Before saving, I cropped mine using the Rectangle Select tool

and then that cropping tool that is blue in the top menu bar {the jaggedy square – that’s the technical term}. Now save the image as a .png {so that the background will remain transparent} and you are finished!

If you want to get a little bit crazy, here’s another thing you can do.

Figure out the size of your image {go to Image, then Resize and this menu will show. Look at both the Resolution and the Print size}.

Then open up another image of some type of background paper. This one is a free download found here. You’ll need to adjust the size of this to a slightly larger size than your silhouette image {for example, my silhouette is set to 300 resolution and 4 inches by 4.3 inches. I resized the background to also be 300 resolution and 5 inches x 5 inches}.

Now click on your silhouette image {up in that top right section where the pages you are working on are held} and use the Magic Wand tool to select your silhouette

Now copy

click over to the background image {again in that top right spot} and Paste as a New Layer

You’ll have this

Now in the Layers menu, choose Layer Properties and change the Opacity to 0. This will make your silhouette layer transparent but you’ll be able to see the outline {can you see it?}

Press that same jaggedy square cropping tool and you’ll get this:

If you copy and paste it to a new background, you’ll have this:

 

Super cute.

Here’s another:

And just for fun, one more:

{That’s my niece who is perhaps the cutest child I’ve ever seen}

So as you can see, it is not a hard thing to do, it just takes a lot of steps. I hope I haven’t thoroughly confused you.  I know there are about 25 other ways to make a silhouette, but this is one way to do it.

Happy silhouetting!

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We’ll call this post a hodgepodge of my thoughts and observations, some cute pictures of my kids, answers to a couple of questions and a new button.

First up, my kids:

Audrey-girl can now sit up.

Ryan says she looks like she has a garter belt on her head. Don’t worry, she doesn’t.

…………

It makes me happy that 1. my kids like to be together and 2. they like craft projects.

{and for good measure} 3. that Mason carries a sword with him at all times.

Oh, no, baby girl. Those are not for you!

I also like that they like books.

…………

I have a red horse on my desk and it makes me smile.

Here is how it got that way:

Easy. Weird. But I like it. And my kids didn’t play with it anyway so now it is mine.

…………

I’m not sure how they’ve missed it, but we put a gigantic ship ladder in our living room and the boy’s haven’t tried to climb it. Yet.

…………

I hung my book page wreath on the front door and it’s covered in little fruit flies.

See those little black things? Eewww. I don’t like fruit flies. And I don’t understand why they are nesting on my book page wreath.  Every time I open the front door, a few make their way into our house and I definitely don’t like that.

…………

A few of you asked questions about Audrey’s room.

The striped fabric is actually a Potterybarn bedskirt that I purchased on ebay for $12.  I cut it up to make the crib skirt and used the extra fabric to make a pillow & cover the lampshade.

The yellow flower is literally bunched up silk with some stitches in the back to hold it together.

The ‘wallpaper’ is flat gift wrap from Caskata. I applied wallpaper paste to the back side of the paper with a paint roller, then pressed it onto the walls.  The pattern does not repeat perfectly, so you can see where one sheet ends and the next begins, but only if you look hard enough.  What is it with me and fake wallpaper? One of these days I’ll use the real stuff.

I made the bumper using linen curtains from ikea. The sheet is a yard of fabric tucked under the mattress. It is Patricia Bravo French Riviera Damask in slate, but I can’t seem to find it on the internet, so maybe it is discontinued. That would be a tragedy because it is lovely fabric. I didn’t notice the little crowns on it at first, but I love their subtlety – especially since Audrey’s name means ‘Noble Ruler’.

And the rug.

You’ve seen it here:

here:

and if you go way back, here:

Now, it is here:

Clearly, I like the rug. It is from here.

…………

And just to round out the randomness that is this post, I’ll get serious on you for a minute.

The post I wrote yesterday was a big step for me. It is hard to write so openly about your faith – basically giving anyone the opportunity to bash you or boycott you.  But I knew it was what I needed to write and I am so thankful that it seemed to be something you needed to hear!  I am so appreciative of your encouragement through comments and emails – it just reminds me that what I’m doing and saying is making an impact, however small or large it may be.

I created a button to add to my sidebar as a reminder to simply be the girl I was created to be.  If you’d like to join me, you are welcome to add it to your blog as well.  You can either link it back to the original post, or not.

We can have our own little ‘twirl’ club. Except, of course, everyone is welcome!

{copy & paste the code to your website}

<a href="http://jonesdesigncompany.com/thoughts/twirl/" border="0"><img src="http://jonesdesigncompany.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/twirl-150.png" width=125 height=125></a>

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It was so fun to post new photos of Audrey’s nursery last Friday and you all said some very kind things about it. Thank you!

But the best part for me was that many of you were somehow impacted by the scripture in her room.  For some, it is your favorite verse. For others, it meant something special to you at that particular moment. I love how God’s word can do that … it is living and can speak different things to different people right when you need it most.

So today, I want to share with you why I chose that verse to be Audrey’s.  It is sort of a round-about story and this may go all over the place, but I’ll give it a shot.  Here it goes …

When I was pregnant with our No.1, I read Wild At Heart, by John Eldredge.  I think deep down I knew I was going to have a boy and so I wanted to learn a little more about how they are made and prepare myself for raising a son {as a side: you should read it whether you have boys or not … it’s a great book about manhood}.

When I was pregnant with No.2, I read Captivating, by John’s wife, Stasi.  Perhaps I read it because I thought I was having a girl {which, clearly, I was not}, or maybe it was just because I loved Wild At Heart so much, but truthfully, it didn’t have the same impact. Good, but not great.

Skip forward a few years {in between No.3 & No.4}.  I was at our Ladies’ bible study during worship time and had the sweetest picture dance across my closed eyes.  I saw a little girl, with the sun shining down on her, spinning.

She wore a light dress and with her arms outstretched and her face looking to the sky, she just twirled.

And what I heard in my heart was, “Emily, you’re my girl. I am so pleased with who you are and now I want you to twirl”.

It seemed so strange – twirl? What does that mean?

But because of the book I had read a few years before, I knew.

Stasi Eldredge wrote about little girls who stand on the coffee table and spin while their daddies watch them, adoringly.  That desire to be adored by our dads is ingrained in us from such an early stage.  We want to be beautiful, cherished, captivating.  We twirl without a care, simply because we feel lovely and we want the world {or our daddy!} to see us.

So that Thursday morning, in the middle of bible study, I knew what the Lord was trying to say. He wanted me to know that just as that little girl spins freely in front of her daddy, I, too, can twirl without inhibitions before my Heavenly Father.

I am His girl.

He is delighted in me.

Not because I am great at twirling, but because I am twirling.  I am just being His daughter, His girl and He is pleased.

When I was pregnant with Audrey, I was, again, at bible study when the word DELIGHT came to my mind.  I looked up the word in the concordance of my bible {that back section where it tells what word is found in what scripture verse} and came to Zephaniah 3:17:

I had read the verse before, but I read it this time with fresh eyes.

He will take great delight in you … He will rejoice over you with singing.

Well, no wonder He wants me to twirl, I thought. It’s because He is the one doing the singing!

Do you see it? Do you see that He loves you SO much that He sings over you?

In a society where we are never good enough, never pretty enough or thin enough or stylish or creative or talented enough, the Lord says,

STOP. I am with you. I am MIGHTY. Strong enough to save you from whatever it is that is after you. Let me quiet you with my love. Will you listen to my sweet voice as I sing my songs of delight over you? You are just as I want you to be. Now be free.

And twirl.

This is such a deep truth that I want for myself and one that I want for my daughter.  I want her to know that above all else, she is perfectly and wonderfully made. She doesn’t need to strive for her God’s love. She doesn’t need to hide from her God’s love. She just needs to accept it.

And twirl.

And so, that is why I chose that verse for my baby girl. And I pray it for you as well.  It is hard being a woman – we feel so many pressures to be what we are not and far too many of us struggle with insecurity.  Oh how we long to be free! How wonderful would it feel to put on our best twirling skirt and dance – and feel beautiful doing it!  I know it is hard and sounds so lofty, but it is what I believe we are to do as daughters of the Most High God. Surely, if He can sing over us, we can step out and dance.

Perhaps even twirl.

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Well, what do you know … our house is being featured over at

and

what a total treat & honor!

If you are visiting here from there, welcome!

Please look around and don’t forget to sign up for the

Now, on to Audrey’s room.

I really loved the way the nursery turned out …

… but it didn’t quite feel finished.

Granted, I still needed a chandelier and was looking for the perfect rug to fill in that gaping space on the floor.  I loved it, but something about it bothered me.

So yesterday, in a spurt of sudden inspiration, I made some changes.

This room has strange dimensions with those poorly placed three little windows throwing the whole thing off.  By moving the bed to the center of the room and placing the dresser under the windows, I think they make a little more sense.

I bought this sweet paper last weekend not really sure of where I’d put it:

But it has all sorts of sweet treats and my baby girl is pretty sweet, so seemed fitting to add it to her room.

And because of the touch of golden yellow in the print, I decided the room could use a little touch of golden yellow as well {in the form of a fabric bunched-up flower pinned to the pillow}

It works well with the gold frames, the wallpaper and old painted chair

I have been trying to decide how to put Audrey’s scripture verse over her crib.  I wanted it to be it’s own piece of art {not directly painted on the wall}, but I also didn’t want it to be something heavy that could potentially fall on her in the middle of the night.

So I embroidered her verse in a piece of {what else?} IKEA curtain fabric and mounted it to foam core {with some upholstery tacks added for fun}.  I think it does the trick.

Oh, husband, how I love you for hanging this chandelier.

with a little glittery bird clipped on.

So there’s the room as of today.

I think I like this version.

…….

We’re hunkering down this weekend while the kids are away at grandma camp to work on the Be Inspired {small business}Workshop which starts on September 16th.  Thank you to all {hundreds!} of you who have already signed up on the early bird list.

As of now, the plan is to walk you through starting a business from start to finish. My goodness, that’s a lot to write about, and believe me, I’m working hard to deliver it in an interesting, entertaining and practical manner.  It will be online in a separate page on my blog, so you’ll be able to join from anywhere.

If you’d like to take part in this workshop, sign up below:

Enjoy your Friday!

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I love reading blogs. I love witty writing and gorgeous photos and sweet personal reflections. I love seeing real life homes and magazine-worthy homes and over-the-top party ideas.  I love how each blogger can make her space unique and infuse such personality into a virtual speck of zeros and ones that is the internet.

I often times find myself so intrigued by a blog and so inspired by ideas seen elsewhere that I have to consciously remind myself to step away from the computer.

I’m sure you all have a list of your favorite blogs, but today I thought I’d share a few of mine with you.  The keyword being few {my complete list would surely overwhelm you as I am adding to it every day!}

So here they are in no particular order {click on the image for links}:

See what I mean? And this is truly only a few!

I hope I’ve totally distracted you from your real responsibilities today …

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