DIY: "Beauty & The Beast" Stained Glass Rose

'Sup, fam?

I napped most of my weekend, which was aces, but I also had what we're gonna call an "ouchie" (technical term) in a sensitive spot. One might even say the MOST sensitive spot. So when I wasn't napping I was hobbling around the house clutching a heating pad to my nethers or lowering myself verrrrrry slowly into a recliner while glaring at John so he wouldn't laugh.

I bet you're thinking John was too sweet to laugh, aren't you?

WELL.

Saturday night he found me spread eagle on the couch wearing a hot pack like a diaper and there were straight-up GUFFAWS.

And now I will think for a moment on how to transition this intro into a craft tutorial for faux stained glass.

::thinks::

::thinks harder::

A-HA. 

 I've got it.

Ahem hem hem.

Hey, kids, you know what ELSE is a pain?

[...]

GLASS PANES.




 

So today we're going to turn a dollar store frame and some nail polish into this beauty:

::hums "Tale As Old As Time"::

Check out the sparkle:

OoooOOoooh.

I bet you've forgotten all about that mental image of me in a hot pack diaper now, haven't you?

Excellent.

SO... this is a perfect Craft Night project for small groups, though it will take you 2 nights, so you can let things dry.

First find a stained glass pattern you like, and print it to fit your fame. I'm using a 5X7 frame here:

 I ended up switching the frame later, but no matter: the important thing is the glass.

And here's the template I used, in case you want the same one:

(This design is EVERYWHERE on free clip art sites, so I can't find the original source. Anyone know?)

If you're looking for more pattern ideas, I highly recommend my new Pinterest board, where I've been amassing dozens of simple and/or nerdy stained glass designs just for fun. So many pretties!

(I was almost embarrassed to admit I still use Pinterest... but then I remembered my intro to this post.)


Edited to add: I believe all my pins link to the original source, so you can credit the makers if you use their work as a reference - or go browse their shops!

Tape your glass over the printed out design, then trace with either a Sharpie or a paint pen. (I recommend a paint pen, since my Sharpie bled a little with the next step.)

Next fill in your design with either craft paint or - for extra shimmer - nail polish. By pure happenstance I already had two shades of green and some pretty reds to make the rose:

Pick the glass up between coats to see how well it's covering; it may take a few layers.

See how my Sharpie is bleeding on the bottom? That's why I recommend a paint pen if you're using nail polish. If you use acrylic paint for this step Sharpie is fine, though.

For the rose petals I swirled a few drops of fuchsia in with the red, though it only shows in strong sunlight. Then - my favorite part - I stippled on clear glitter polish all over the outside edges to add some sparkly texture:

It doesn't show well in photographs, but the glittery bits are SO COOL in real life.

Again you can see the lines in my rose are blurring, but that's ok! Because once the nail polish is dry (leave it overnight) we're going to outline the lines again - this time on the opposite side of the glass - with puff paint.

Any brand of black puff paint should work, but I recommend a small bottle so it's easier to draw with.

I was concentrating so hard I forgot to take a photo of this part, but practice a little first to get your lines smooth, and remember if you mess up, you can just wipe it off! That's the beauty (heh) of working on the opposite side of the glass from the paint/nail polish.

Leave your puff paint to dry overnight, then hot glue the glass back into your frame:

Add a sawtooth hanger if you want to hang your frame, or to set it on a shelf, hot glue two wooden pegs to the bottom like this:

You can cut the pegs off a craft dowel, or use Dollar Tree jenga blocks, or strong paper straws, or Barbie doll legs, or... you get the idea.

Now take your new stained glass art into the sunshine and marvel over your crafty genius:

Oh yeah. That's the stuff.

Trying to show off the glitter.

My favorite part is the stippled texture I did on the outside edges. The glitter completely disappears in certain light, leaving only the texture:

Such a cool effect!

You could stipple on Mod Podge for the same look, and then sprinkle on loose glitter - or not.

 I also glued 3 crystals to the top of the dome, because there is so such thing... as too much sparkle.

MUAWAHAAHAHAAA

Here's a look at it indoors:

I made this to add to the Squeegineer Give-Away board, but John vetoed that decision and claimed it for his game room, which is pretty much the ultimate John compliment. :) So maybe I'll make a second one for y'all later.

You can also use this tutorial for reverse glass painting, just leave off the puff paint. Here's one John did using acrylic craft paint:

And here's a honeybee design our friend Karen did (reference here), using the same glitter polish for the wings:

BEE-autiful, right?

The other colors are all nail polishes from my stash, so our only costs were the $1 frames from Dollar Tree and a bottle of puff paint for mine. Not too shabby.

(The bee design Karen used is over on my Pinterest board, if you're curious.)

Welp, I hope this gave you a giggle, if not some crafty inspiration. And for any who might be concerned, rest assured I'm on the mend and feeling loads better. Plus now I know a surefire way to make John do a spit-take, so, bonus.



*****

P.S. Every other Friday is Movie Night on the Epbot Discord, and this Friday we're watching one John and I've never seen: A Knight's Tale! Care to join us?



We also have a matinee showing Sunday afternoon, if your Friday nights are booked. Click over to the Epbot server to check out all the different chat rooms, get the details on movie night, and maybe say hi to the regulars, 'cuz they're good people.