Bring a Little Spring In!

Have always loved stained glass, and with all the snow lately I decided I needed a little spring!

What u need:
A picture frame or piece of glass
Rubbing alcohol
Liquid lead
Glass paints
Paint brush
Tooth pick
An oven
A steady hand would be appreciated too!





Either draw a picture or make a copy from something u like. I found this online. I made one copy in color to follow and one in black and white to trace.
You could even turn u r kids picture into art!





Take u r glass out of the frame. I used a picture I got at the thrift store for a buck. Make sure u clean the glass with alcohol so the paint adheres.
Center and tape u r picture to one side..flip it over and get ready to create!





U can use either liquid lead, a paint like product or the precut strips.
I chose the liquid. It goes on like a thick paint.
Just out line your design , making sure the lead line connect. The side lines give it that "stained glass" look.
You have to let it set up over night. Waiting is always the hardest part!





Once it gas dried, u can use an exacto knife to trim up any bo-boos or just neaten up the lines...
Wobbly is good, makes it look more authentic!





U can choose whatever colors you wish, just make sure they r for glass and that their curing processes r similar.
Both brands I used suggested a long air cure time or an oven cure of about 30 minutes..





Then just fill in the spaces, the lead lines keep the colors from running together. You can use a brush or a tooth pick to spread the paint, try to keep it even and make sure u have the paint touching the lead lines, there is some shrinkage as the colored paint dries. Make sure there r no bubbles, they will NOT go away in the oven, so use u r tooth pick to pop them and smooth out the area.





I also used clear with a few drops of purple swirled in on the outer edges for contrast. I left the clear part around the flowers unpainted. Let it air dry flat over nite.
The scary part is the baking! Scary for me any way, first time.
it is important to place your class in a COLD oven, turn it on to recommended temp, 250-275--look at u r paint.
Bake 30 minutes, turn oven off and crack open the door to cool. Wait until the glass is completely cool before removing from oven.





Put it back in u r frame. One of mine had little staples to hold the glass in. The other one I just ran A thin line of E6000 around the frame edge. Worked great, nice and secure.
Word of caution, if u are going to hang your picture, make sure u use something secure.
Have fun with u r design!





As I said I'm always on the look out for interesting frames. You can usually get them super cheap at thrift stores, flea markets, etc. Their possibilities r endless!





This is the frame I chose for this project. Has an antique feel that seemed to go with the pansies.....
This frame held the original picture in place with staples into the wood. I bent them back and removed the picture, then cleaned with the alcohol. When the glass was finished I just rebent the staples to hold it in place. If in doubt GLUE!!!
I wouldn"t recommend baking the picture in the frame......
Sure to brighten any dreary windowsill !!






Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/13967225/bring-a-little-spring-in site