Brighten Your Home with Beautiful Handmade Suncatchers

DIY projects to add a little color and sparkle to your window
By Rue Reynold

Create intricate designs or large vibrant pools of colors—the sky’s the limit with glass paint!

Materials

Clean the glass or acrylic sheet thoroughly using alcohol and a cotton ball.
You can find a template online and tape it to the back of the glass if you need a little extra guidance.
Outline the template or create your own design on the glass using the marker. A cotton swab dipped in alcohol will erase any accidental lines.
Use glass paint (or a dab of other paint mixed with clear school glue) to create your masterpiece.
Let the paint dry completely and use another coat if necessary.
Securely attach a suction cup to the top of the sheet. You may need to hot glue this to the sheet if it doesn’t stick well. Suction the other half to the window and attach the suncatcher.

Make as many or as few string beads as you like. Play around with bead sizes and string lengths to create whimsical designs!

Materials

Cut thread to desired length and tie one end around the ring. Leave a 2–3-inch tail for securing.
String a glass bead onto the thread and tie a knot below it just large enough to block the bead’s entrance. String the next bead and tie another knot below it. Repeat stringing and tying until you have about 2–3 inches of your working thread left. Tie a slightly bigger knot below the last bead.
Repeat stringing and knotting until you reach your desired number of beads, spacing them evenly around the ring.
Wrap or tie thread or ribbon to the ends of the dowel or rod. This will be used to hang the suncatcher.
Wrap or tie thread to one or opposing sides of the ring to attach to the rod. Use a suction cup with a hook to hang your suncatcher.

Using only a few clear rhinestones in key areas will add a beautiful sunlit sparkle to any design.

Materials

Arrange and stick the plastic jewels or rhinestones on the clear shapes to create your desired design.
Thread a strip of ribbon or thread through the hole and loop onto the hooked suction cup.

Rue Reynold is the editorial assistant for Carolina Country