Make stained glass leaf suncatchers with kids! This autumn craft comes with five free printable templates and makes for a quick and easy way to decorate windows to celebrate the season.

It has been a while since we decorated windows with our homemade imitation stained glass – a whole summer has passed by. Meanwhile, those shabby old 1920s windows have been replaced. I often wondered how much sense it made to decorate them at all, but at least it served to distract from the cracking sills and scuffed frames. It sure is exciting to have new windows – and to decorate them!

Fall is probably my favourite season to inspire crafting, with all its vibrant colours, and I thought that a wreath or a frame of stained glass leaves would look nice on the windows.

Most excitingly, my two-year-old decided to help this time and did a very good job, so it was a project made with the cooperation of the whole family (dad changed the windows).

Black Glue

What is black glue and how to make it at home? The idea is to mix black acrylic paint with white Elmer’s glue, and then use the bottle with a nozzle that the glue comes in. The combination of acrylic paint and glue results in a mix that flows smoothly (more so than if you used straight acrylic paint!) and dries into slightly raised lines (which are easy to colour inside). It’s a lot cheaper and better overall than the dedicated stained glass leads you can buy, but you can try those as well.

My recipe for black glue:

Pour the excess glue into an empty yogourt container. The glue can be used later for a different art project or simply applied with a brush when you need to glue something.
My proportions are approximately 1:1 – one part glue to one part paint. I pour half a bottle of glue out and substitute it with black acrylic paint by squeezing it right into the bottle.
After that, I shake the bottle of glue for about one minute, then squeeze a little bit on a scrap piece of paper to get rid of the white glue that could have accumulated in the nozzle.

If you make black glue, you can also try these crafts:

How to Make a Suncatcher with Black Glue

Besides the black glue, you will need a piece of clear plastic sheet – use an empty plastic container from the store (the kind of clam shell package they sell fruits and pastries in), a plastic folder with clear sheets or an empty laminating pouch that has been run through a laminator. You will also need a design – you can download our five free leaf templates at the end of the post.

1 — Print the designs and slip them under the piece of plastic. You can even tape the designs to the plastic piece to keep them in place, which is particularly useful if a kid is doing this part.

2 — Now, draw the outlines with black glue. You can influence the boldness of lines by how hard you squeeze the bottle. And sometimes you don’t need to squeeze at all, but just guide where the line goes. Watch the video to see it done!

3 — Let the finished piece dry overnight or for about eight hours. The raised outlines created by black glue present very compelling borders, making it very easy for young artists to colour. They are also thick enough not to let the light through, therefore giving a convincing stained glass effect.

4 — Now, how to colour the clear plastic? The easiest and cheapest way is to use sharpies. Both my five-year-old son and my two-year-old daughter can do the colouring, using sharpies.

There are two ways of doing imitation stained glass with sharpies. You can colour each element with solid alternating colours, as if using different shades of glass. This is how we coloured these leaves below.

Alternatively, you can mix sharpies together, like you would with paint, creating even more shades. Interestingly, it was my two-year-old who invented this technique. I didn’t think it would amount to much, but the result is really nice!

Note: In the direct sunlight, sharpie-coloured suncatchers will fade in about 30 days. Since we do this craft just for temporary decorations with my kids, this time frame is just about perfect for us to enjoy the suncatchers, then take them down and make new ones! If you want something more permanent, use special stained glass paints.They’re also easy to use: we made a project with them here.

5 — After you’re done colouring, cut the shape out. Since the surface we painted on is translucent, you don’t need to cut very close to the lines. As a result, even children who aren’t expert at using scissors can do a good job!