The following is a post from contributing writer Lana (like banana).
This is one of those crafts that I couldn’t wait to share! I love stained glass and the joy that it brings to windows. My 8-year-old daughter actually helped me make this cardinal which made it even more special. Plus, it was super inexpensive. I didn’t have to buy anything to make it and it was so much fun!
Faux Stained Glass
Originally inspired by this Peacock.
Supplies Needed
- 8 x 10 inch Frame with Glass
- Permanent marker
- Acrylic Paints (Colors of your choice plus black.)
- 2 bottles of White Glue that dries clear (One for black outline and one for other colors.)
- Q-tips
- Paint brushes
- Toothpicks
- Paper Towels
- Paper Plates
- Coloring Sheet or Stain Glass Template (I found tons of these for free by just Googling.)
Instructions
- Take the glass out of the frame.
- Lay the template under the glass.
- Trace the outline with a permanent marker.
- Add a few drops of black paint to a bottle of glue. It only takes a few drops. Shake the bottle until the glue is mixed well.
- Gently outline the traced permanent marker with the glue paint mixture. Use a toothpick to correct any mess-ups.
- Wait overnight or a few hours until the paint is completely dry and hardened.
- Prepare your palette of paints for your project. Pour a little mound of glue and add one drop of paint. Mix with a Q-tip or toothpick.
- Apply your paints with a Q-tip. (You can use a paintbrush, but I found a Q-tip worked better and had less streaks.)
- Correct any errors with a toothpick.
- Enjoy your beautiful project. Let me know if you do this – I’d love to see it!
Other tips:
- I didn’t have any black paint. So I used blue, green, purple and red. After it dried it was dark black.
- I also didn’t have any orange so I mixed red and yellow.
- Look for cheap frames at the Goodwill store or at garage sales.
- A little paint goes a long way. Use sparingly.
- If you mess up, all the paint will come off with a little elbow grease.
More fun DIY projects:
Heather says
This is a fabulous idea! I love it and plan to do this with my girls!
Lana @ ilovemy5kids says
I’d love to see what you come up with Heather! 🙂
Rebecca says
That is awesome! We have a ton of those paints…I’ll have to put that on the ‘to do’ list for this week!
Lana @ ilovemy5kids says
Rebecca,
I’d love to see a photo! I just found a stain glass book of templates for really cheap. I can’t wait to make some more.
crystal says
What a great idea! I think we’ll do this for Christmas and Valentine’s day. Thanks for sharing!
Lisa Hall says
What a great idea! Would love to do this with my Granddaughter!
Thanks for the inspiration!
Erin @ DIY On the Cheap says
Great idea! This would be a really fun project to do with my kids. Thanks for sharing!
Kelly says
We’re about to try this out… looks lovely. Wondering how you keep the glass in the frame since you want the light to shine through and can’t put the back on.
Thanks!
Brenda says
If you super glue the glass in the frame you don’t need to reattach the back.
Barbara says
Some ideas to add
-You can use a razor blade to cut out sections to change colors or make corrections
-No need to buy stained glass templates when kids coloring books have large pictures and come in popular characters or images
Linda says
Looking at the project, gave me another idea to mind. I’m going to try this instead. Starting out with the black outline(glue&bulk paint) as always, next instead of painting my idea I’m going to use my alcohol inks instead. This will give me a more stain glass affect. Once I do my idea I will post it for you to see.
Robbie V. says
Once done cover with coating of m odge podge or the like. Give stroke marks, t he more swirl the better, to imitate blown glasa and a nice gloss.