This customized stained glass made from an old window could save you hundreds

Looking for the ultimate farmhouse or shabby chic accessory? A weathered, stained glass window adds undeniable charm to any room. Although you could scour antique shops and garage sales for one until the cows come home, expect to shell out big once you find it. Instead, save yourself some money and get a one of a kind creation with this DIY stained glass project made from an old window.

This project gives you the freedom to pick out the designs, colors and even the window frame. If you don’t have an old window, look for one at an architectural reuse center or the free section of online classified ads. The window in this project perfectly fits four letter-sized pieces of paper, but if yours has different dimensions, simply resize your designs or cut them to fit. Choose pictures with plenty of white space or the outlines might run together.

Materials
- Old window
- Sponge
- Soap
- Water
- Towel
- Painter’s tape
- 4 black and white printed pictures of flowers
- Wooden board
- 2 bottles Elmer’s School Glue
- Acrylic paint in black
- Craft stick
- Acrylic paint in other colors
- Disposable muffin tin
- Artist's paintbrush
- Acrylic paint in light blue

Instructions
1. Wash the window with soapy water, and dry it with a towel.

2. Place the window flat and right side up. Divide the window into quadrants by placing a piece of painter’s tape down the middle of the window and crosswise across the middle.

3. Print out four pictures of flowers or another design. The outline of the stained glass runs a little, so choose designs that aren’t too detailed and have plenty of white space.

4. Turn the designs upside down and tape them to the window, one in each quadrant.

5. Flip the window upside down. You should see the printed designs through the glass.

6. Add a small squirt of black acrylic paint to a bottle of Elmer’s School Glue and mix it with a craft stick. Put the top back on the bottle and shake it well.

7. Using a wooden board as a straight edge, draw lines with the glue and paint mixture that re-create the quadrants you made in step 2.

8. Trace the designs directly onto the glass with the black glue and paint mixture. Allow it to dry overnight.

9. Fill the bottom of each section of a muffin tin with plain white glue. Add a small squirt of acrylic paint into each section, and stir with a craft stick.

10. Fill in the outlines with paint, and allow the images to dry.

11. Turn the window right side up. Remove the painter’s tape and paper.

12. Turn the window upside down.

13. Create a glue and paint mixture as you did in step 9 but with light blue acrylic paint.

14. Paint the window around the design light blue to give it the appearance of frosted glass. Allow to dry overnight.