I love the look of a sun catcher in the window – it can add beautiful colors to our world even on a cloudy, dreary day. A lot of us grew up with the painted suncatchers, but those are sometimes hard to do with little kiddos or lots of kiddos, so I’m glad I can share this mess-free alternative to adding some color in your day!
Find a helpful how-to video below:
Materials
- Scissors
- Writing utensil (optional)
- Construction paper
- Clear con-tact paper
- Tissue paper (multiple colors)
- Tape
- Hole punch
- Suction cup, ribbon, etc. (something to hang your finished project in the window)
Instructions
- Using your scissors, writing utensil (optional), and construction paper, create and cut out an outline for your suncatcher design. If you aren’t a great artist, you can use things like cookie cutters, home décor, a clip art image off the internet, etc. for a starting point!
- Use the scissors to cut out the center of your design.
- Cut up tissue paper into one-inch squares.
- Using your design as a guide, cut out two pieces of con-tact paper that are about two inches bigger than your design.
- Pull off the backing to one piece of con-tact paper and lay it sticky side up on your workspace. Secure the corners with tape so it stays in place.
- Place your construction paper design in the center of the con-tact paper.
- Fill in the center of your design with tissue paper squares until it is full.
- Peel off the backing to your second sheet of con-tact paper and place it sticky side down over your design. This will seal your artwork in and keep other things out!
- Use your scissors to trim the excess contact paper off around the outside of your design.
- Use a hole punch to add a hole where you would like to hang your design.
- Using a suction cup, ribbon, etc., make a hanger for your suncatcher to hang in your window.
- Hang your artwork up for everyone to enjoy!
Tip: If you don’t have clear con-tact paper at home, you can also use things like laminating sheets (place your construction paper outline and tissue paper squares inside a laminating sleeve and run it through a laminator) or clear packing tape (lay down multiple pieces of tape with a slight overlap to create a sticky surface like the con-tact paper) to create these suncatchers!
Make-It Monday projects were posted in 2020 while we were closed for COVID-19. While we are open to the public again, we left these resources online for others to use. For a full list of previous projects, visit Make-It Monday.
Questions? Contact Sarah, the museum's education coordinator.