Garden Decor: Family Silhouette Bench Project

Silhouettes have become very popular in home decor, and the garden is no exception! This family silhouette bench project takes a big of time and ingenuity but looks quite neat when finished.

For this project, you will need (per bench):

- One unfinished wooden bench (available at home improvement and garden supply shops)

- Medium or fine grit sandpaper

- Tack cloth or other similar style soft cloth

- Krylon Indoor Outdoor Primer in All-Purpose White

- Krylon Indoor Outdoor Paint in Gloss White

- Side view photographs of each family member facing the same direction

- Copy machine

- Scissors

- Black cardstock

- White chalk

- Mod Podge or other decoupage medium

- Sponge brush

- Pour on latex glaze

- Paint stick

- Cardboard

- Newspaper and/or a large drop cloth

Before you begin, it is important to know this is a very messy project. Cover the space you will be crafting your silhouette bench at with lots of layers of old newspaper and/or a large sized drop cloth. Gently sand all surface areas of the unfinished wooden bench with medium or fine grit sandpaper. Use a tack cloth or other similar style soft cloth to remove any dust left on the bench.

Prime the entire bench with a few even coats of Krylon Indoor Outdoor Primer in All-Purpose White. (You should not be able to see any of the wood tone through the primer.) Dry completely. Paint the bench with five or more even caots of Krylon Indoor Outdoor Paint in Gloss White. Dry overnight.

Decide what photographs to create silhouette images of your family from. A good candidate photo will include a side profile of the person and only one person per photograph. For a best look, use images where everyone is facing the same direction. Take the photos to your local copy and print shop. Have them resized so that the subject is at least five inches tall.

Use a pair of scissors to carefully cut out the profile of each face. (Have extra copies made in case you mess up.) Place each face cutout against one sheet of black cardstock. Trace the outline of the face with white chalk. Cut out the black silhouette by cutting around the white chalk lines. Wipe away any remaining chalk dust on the paper.

Apply a generous amount of Mod Podge or other decoupage medium to the back of each silhouette. Adhere them in a desired order across the back of the painted bench. Dry completely.

Turn the bench so that the back of the bench is resting on the ground and the seat is pointing up. Arrange cardboard around the back of the bench. Pour on latex glaze over the silhouettes and back of the bench. Use a paint stick to even the glaze out and spread to the edges. Make sure the layer is at least a half inch thick. Cure for a couple days before enjoying your new bench project.