Holiday Window Silhouettes Make Decorating Easy Even At The Last Minute

Lighted windows are a winter holiday essential. A warm glow coming from a home is cozy and welcoming after the sun disappears much too early. Illuminated holiday silhouettes are an easy upgrade to your glowing panes. One of Housetalk's clever creatives put together a YouTube tutorial for tracing, mounting, and lighting a tableau in a picture window. The charming results will help set the mood for the holidays. To make this simple, inexpensive project, you'll need several sheets of foam board or even repurposed empty cardboard boxes, and a string of white holiday lights at least 20 feet long.

As for tools, you'll need a projector that you can connect to a computer or another device, a roll of tape, a utility knife, and a pencil. If you don't own a projector, many areas have companies that rent them out. Even better, find out if your local library has a tech lending program that includes projectors. Most importantly, choose a large window that will grab attention, and make sure it's one that has curtains or blinds you can close over your lit cutouts.

To create each image, set your foam board or cardboard pieces in your window (you may need to add a bit of tape to hold the board in place). On your tech device, search for holiday-themed images like snowmen, pine trees, deer, sleighs, menorahs, or dreidels. Project the images onto the boards you've taped to your window panes. Adjust the picture until it's a size you like, and trace the shape in pencil. Make sure that each of your images are similar in size so that you'll have a unified look. However, our YouTuber also cut out an oversized pine tree that sits behind the smaller shapes. With all of the lights on and some separate blue lighting behind the pine tree, the effect is lovely.

Cut out the shapes with a utility knife. If you're using upcycled cardboard from boxes and they have logos or text on them, add a coat of paint to the sides of your cutouts that will be showing through the window during the day. Attach the silhouettes to your window panes with transparent glue dots or rolls of clear tape. Starting with one shape at the outer edge of your tableau, begin looping the lighting along the backs of the cutouts and attaching them with tape. Once night falls, close your curtains, plug in your string of lights, and marvel at how this simple holiday DIY elevates your windows.