DIY Stained Glass Ornaments

I love it when classic interior design and modern trends collide! Lately, I’ve been enjoying seeing a resurgence of stained glass in interiors, and I’ve also been obsessing over tumbling block patterns—so much that I finally decided to put it on the floor of my entryway. I thought it could be really fun to combine both of these design elements into stained glass ornaments for my Christmas tree.

These tumbling block ornaments are so easy to make, I feel like a whole new world of crafting has been opened to me! This would be a great project for a craft night with friends too.Supplies:
-lightweight flexible plexiglass (pulled from an old poster frame or purchased like this)
-glass paint (I used white, turquoise, lime green, amber, copper, lavender, and berry red.)
–self-adhesive lead strip
–craft blade
–steel ruler
–cutting mat
–tumbling block template

Not Pictured: Something to pierce a hole in the plastic, such as a small drill, Dremel tool, or even just a heavy-duty paper/leather piercer.

Step One: Print the tumbling block template and cut it out.

Step Two: Lay the paper template underneath the thin plexiglass. Use a fresh blade to cut out the shape. You will need to do several passes on each line to pierce the plastic. If you are struggling to go all the way through, once you score deeply enough, you can finish the cuts with scissors.

Step Three: Cut out pieces of the lead strips to make the lines of the block. I laid the lead strips in place, and trimmed it in place with my X-Acto blade to get a precise fit.Step Four: Peel off the back of the lead strips and lay in place, using the template underneath the plastic as your guide.

Step Five: Carefully add glass paint to each segment of the block. Go all the way up to the edge of the lead strip, without getting any paint on the strip. Use the tip of your paint applicator to spread the paint around. Your strokes will end up showing after the paint dries, so keep that in mind!

Step Six: Use a Dremel, small drill bit, or heavy-duty paper piercer/punch to create a small hole at the peak of one of the block segments. This is where you will insert the ornament hook for hanging.There they are! A nice little set of stained glass Christmas ornaments. I’m really loving the modern edge that a geometric shape gives this craft. But now the wheels in my head are turning, and I think I might make some star-shaped ornaments too! So many possibilities. – Mandi

Credits: Author and Photography: Mandi Johnson. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop.