American Girl Craft for Merriment in Georgetown

Today on WUSA 9 we demonstrated a craft that we will be doing at the
Merriment in Georgetown on December 6.

If you don’t know about Merriment in Georgetown, you should check it out.
It is going to be a great event with a special book signing with Valerie
Tripp, author of the American Girl books. Here is a link to more
information.
http://www.merrimentingeorgetown.com/


The American Girl Felicity Merriman, described as the colonial girl living
in Williamsburg, VA, was the inspiration for FAMILY Magazine's craft we
will be doing where we will be making silhouettes.

A silhouette or a shadow picture was very popular during the 18th Century.
It was the only method of capturing someone's image before cameras were
invented other than an expensive self-portrait.

This craft would be great for kids to do for grandparents. It is very
personal and a great keepsake.

INSTRUCTIONS

Materials Needed:
-Black construction paper
-White regular or thick paper
-Scissors
-Glue
-Tape
-Flashlight or lamp
-White chalk or white colored pencil
-Ribbon
-Glitter
-Doilies (optional)
-Buttons (optional)

1. To make a silhouette, sit the subject 12-18" in front of a wall, facing
parallel to it.

2. Shine a bright light on them, so their shadow falls on the wall. You
may need to adjust the light until you get their shadow as sharp and
detailed as possible.

3. Tape a black piece of construction paper on the wall where the shadow
is falling. You should see it clearly on the paper. 4. Now, carefully
trace the outline of the shadow using your white chalk or colored pencil
including everything even their eyelashes. The subject must sit very
still for it to work.

5. Once you've completed the tracing take the black piece of paper and cut
out the picture you made along the white lines. Do this CAREFULLY!

6. Paste your silhouette onto the white piece of paper.

7. To finish off your project make a fun ribbon frame cutting a strip for
each side of the paper and glue it on. Doilies can be used in place or
along with the ribbon to give the picture more of a winter holiday feel.
Decorate your frame with buttons, glitter, or anything else you'd like.
Enjoy!


Do you have a favorite American Girl Doll in your house? We would love to
hear from you.

Happy Parenting -- Brenda