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Creating faux stained glass using plastic plates

Learn how to create stunning faux stained glass using plastic plates with this easy and eco-friendly DIY project. Discover creative ways to reuse plastic plates and bring a beautiful stained glass effect to your home decor.

Hi everyone! I'm excited to share a quick craft with all of you. I am reusing a plastic plate, giving it a stained glass look. I will run you through two options.

I'm joining the Sustainable challenge with a group of other bloggers, sharing eco-friendly and sustainable craft ideas. This is my first time participating. I am thrilled to share this upcycled craft with you all. The theme this month is sunshine.

I chose to go with this project since I had extra clear plastic plates stored away since my oldest turned 12 this past April. I purchased a pack around her birthday and stored away the plastic plates that weren't used. 

Faux stained glass on plastic plate

Creating faux stained glass using plastic plates


Bird stencil, stained glass paint, and plastic plate on a table with pencil and paper

Materials


One plastic plate
One sheet of paper for creating a template
Pencil
Stencil template, or a picture of the design you would like to use
Acrylic paint or gallery glass

I will show you two ways to create this stained glass look using gallery glass paint, and the second option is using a permanent marker and acrylic paint. Using the gallery glass paint will give it more of the stained glass look, but the marker option with acrylic paint is a great option if you don't have the glass paint and still would like to create one.

This collage shows the marker and acrylic paint option


Collage to show use of markers on plastic plate

Creating your stained glass design

Traced bird design on paper

Begin by taking your stencil template or picture and tracing it onto a sheet of paper. This helps when applying your gallery glass paint. 

If you want to use a permanent marker option, take your stencil, add it to the center of your plate, and trace it out using a thinner marker.

Traced design, plastic plate and stained glass paint on table

Next, take your plastic plate and place it over your traced design. The gallery glass bottles have a pointy tip, which makes tracing lines easy. 

Begin to trace out your design using the color of your choice. I traced my bird and branch using black. 

With the permanent marker option, you will take a thicker marker and trace over your design. The reason to use a thinner marker when starting will depend on the stencil used. The thicker marker would make it a little difficult to trace the design if it is smaller.

plastic plate with green stained glass paint

Plastic plate near yellow stained glass paint

Take your gallery glass paint colors and begin to fill in the areas of your design. I decided to paint my bird using a sunny yellow color. 

If you are using acrylic paint, be sure to thin your paint out by using some water. This will create a thinner layer when applied.

close up of bird on plastic plate

plastic plate with yellow bird, showing black lines and green round circle

Continue to create your design.

Painted plastic plate with yellow, red and green and bird design



Plastic plate with blue stained glass paint along with other colors

This took me a few days since it is recommended to allow the gallery glass paint to dry for at least 24 hours.  

faux stained glass plastic plate

I finished my design by adding blue and white to the center of my design.
 Once my white paint dried, it appeared to be clear and more of a glazed look.

Hole puncher near plastic plate and twine

The last step is to add some twine or string to your plate. Since my plate was not thick, I used a hole puncher. You could also use mounting tape squares or clear tape to attach your string.

I punched out a hole on top, took twine, and pulled it through. After, I tied it off in a knot and that was it. 

Twine looped through hole on plastic plate

Two images comparing faux stained glass and marker used on plastic plates

I found that using the gallery glass paint really helped with bringing out the stained glass look. The marker and acrylic paint are a great option for those who may already have those materials on hand. It keeps things a little more simple.
 Both are great options! All that is left is to hang your beautiful design and let the sunshine bring out the many colors. 

Thank you for stopping by and creating this craft with me!

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Pinterest pin image with title and text



Be sure to check out the other bloggers that have participated in the sustainable craft challenge: Themed Project Sunshine








Comments

  1. This is such a lovely idea, both ways look great. I love the transparency of the glass paints but the vibrancy of the acrylic paint is great, especially with the colours you chose.
    I would have been so nervous to punch a hole after painting in case I cracked the plate and messed up all my hard work, you are very brave!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Julie, thank you. Yes, I love how they both turned out as well. I was a bit nervous when punching out the hole. I practiced on an extra plate right before. I really enjoyed this project and participating in this challenge.

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  2. Hey, I'm back again to say thanks so much for linking up at #IMadeItMondayLinkParty 18. Pinned.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I agree with everything Julie said, both ways look awesome! And I love the look of each one! You certainly provided us with options on which one we prefer most! Both would be perfect for decorating near a window or outdoors! And I love that!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gail, thank you. Yes, I wanted to make sure I provided both options. Happy to hear you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for stopping by.

      Delete
  4. Both faux stained glass versions turn out looking great! I was recently looking for the black faux lead paint and couldn't find it. I'm happy to see how well it works on your projects.

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    Replies
    1. Allyson, thank you. Yes, I went to Michaels to look for the paint. They had a great selection. You can purchase in a set or individual bottles.

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  5. I love this idea Stephanie, especially since you were able to use a plastic plate for it. I can't decide which paint I like better, I think they both look awesome!

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    Replies
    1. Cara, thank you. Yes I like how they both turned out.

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  6. I enjoyed reading about these stained glass plates. I was inspired to see how I could use them for Christmas. I think a simple nativity scene would be adorable here.

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    Replies
    1. That would be so pretty to create one around Christmas time. I love that idea. I'm so happy to hear it helped inspired you. ✨️

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  7. CONGRATS Stephanie! This post and your 'quick artwork with rub on transfer' are both FEATURED at #IMadeItMondayLinkParty 19.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dee, thank you so much. I'll be sure to Stop by. 😊

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  8. What a beautiful idea! I think my favorite is the acrylic paint. Thank you for linking up with Tell It To Me Tuesday, I hope to see you again this week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lyndsey, thank you. Yes, I love how it turned out as well.

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  9. Wow! Steph, I love both ways. Great job, well done.
    Thanks so much for sharing this with Sweet Tea & Friends this month.

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  10. This is so awesome, so cute and creative. I am happy to feature your Faux Stained Glass at Love Your Creativity.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Linda, thank you! Happy to hear that you enjoyed it. 😊

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  11. It's so pretty! I like the blue one, it does really look like stained glass work!

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    Replies
    1. Aw, thank you! I was really surprised at how well it turned out. This was a fun project for sure. Thanks so much for stopping by.

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  12. This is so pretty! I'm definitely going to try this with my kids. We made a similar one before using dollar store picture frames. We used black glue tinted with black paint on the glass, and then when it dried we used acrylic paint to color them in. It was fun and easy, but this looks like something we would have a blast with.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Megan, that sounds like so much fun. I've seen the glue technique and thought it looked fun. Yes, give this a try and see how you like it. I appreciate you visiting. Thank you. 🙂

      Delete
  13. What a great idea! The glass paint really makes it look like stained glass!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed this idea; yes, it's a great way to create your own stained-glass look. Thank you for visiting! 😊

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  14. I think I said "Wow!" six times while reading this post and looking at your pictures. This is AMAZING, Stephanie! Pinning to save and share. :) Visiting from the Wednesdays in the Studio linkup.

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    Replies
    1. Jennifer, you are always so supportive and kind, and I honestly appreciate that. Thank you so much! 😊 I'm so happy you enjoyed it.

      Delete

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