Homemade Window Paint Recipe #2

First I tried this recipe, which I thought was for window paint, and then discovered that it was quite tricky to remove from windows. This in turn, led me to decide that the first recipe was really meant for glass objects, NOT windows. Then, I tried this recipe, which I believe is a true window paint recipe. The colors are less vibrant, more translucent, in fact, than the first go-round, BUT this paint is much, much easier to remove from windows!! I think we can all agree that this is crucial for window paints. This paint recipe for "Window Art Paint," also came from the website where I found the first one.

It worked great! And, now we have a shark-infested dining room window to go along with Mia's undersea scene on our sliding door. To create the sharks, I used some shark stencils that I purchased at the rainforest gift shop on our Puerto Rico trip. I just painted some blue waves above, and some green seaweed below my sharks to complete the scene. This will be perfect for Logan's upcoming shark-themed birthday party. FYI: It's gonna be "jawsome!"

Materials:

• muffin tin (you could also use bowls)
• 1/2 tablespoon powdered tempera paint
• 1 tablespoon dishwashing liquid (clear is recommended)
• spoons for mixing (optional)
• paint brushes (NOT foam)
• paint shirt/smock/old clothing
• something to protect work surface (I used cereal box liners.)
• damp and dry cloths for cleaning up spills

Directions:

1. In a muffin tin (or bowls), add powdered tempera paint and dishwashing liquid. I used green, blue, yellow, and red, which are all the colors of powdered tempera paint that we have. (Note: Clear dishwashing liquid was recommended by the site I got the recipe from. I didn't have clear, so I used green Palmolive. This worked fine for my red, blue, and green. Unsurprisingly, however, I ended up with neon green instead of a true yellow. This didn't bother me, but that is why you might want clear dish soap, depending upon what colors you are trying to produce.)
2. Mix together. Tip: I used spoons for this, but you could also use paint brushes. Note: You can also mix colors together. I decided to keep the proportions of the recipe the same, and then later mix two colors together to get a second color. For example, I mixed some yellow and red together in another muffin compartment in order to make orange.)
3. Protect area under windows. I was the only person painting today, so I just laid a cereal box liner down to catch drips. Tip: If painting with kids, I would recommend taping it to the window sill and more on the floor.
4. Paint your window. Tip: Use regular paint brushes, not foam. For whatever reason, foam paint brushes did NOT work for this. I know I normally suggest them for most all painting projects, but today I found myself pulling out the regular bristle brushes after the foam was absorbing too much of the liquid in the paints.
5. Allow paint to dry. Tip: This doesn't take too long, but it may dribble during the process. If you want the painting to look neat, just remove the drips with a dry cloth or paper towel, being careful not to smudge the rest of the painting.
6. HOW TO REMOVE PAINT? Happily, this paint cleans up very easily! To remove dried paint, simply wipe it off with a damp cloth and then follow with a dry cloth. The dishwashing liquid, I believe, is what makes this a breeze! (Note: It also makes it super easy to clean your paint brushes and muffin tin. The original directions had suggested first lining the muffin tin with aluminum foil, but I suspected that this was unnecessary. This was confirmed by the quick, simple clean-up process.)

{This actually looks cooler than the photograph shows.}

Homemade Window Paint Recipe #1

Well, we're gearing up for another birthday party, and this time my little man has requested a shark theme. (It made no sense to me, but he has stuck with the idea for a few months now, so I'm going with it.) One idea I had for decorating was the paint the windows so it would look like we were under water. On a recent rainy day, I tried out this recipe for homemade window paint, or "Goofy Glass Paint," which I found on this website. (In looking at this again, I see that in the directions it says to apply it to a glass surface, not a window per se, although this did work for us. That said, it is somewhat labor-intensive to clean up, so you may want to try the next window paint recipe that I will be posting soon.) Since it was the first time I made this paint, I reduced the quantities from 1/4 cup to 1/2 tablespoon, after noting that it essentially just called for equal amounts of white glue and liquid tempera paint. Mia enjoyed painting an under-the-sea theme on our sliding door. Good thing it fits in with the upcoming party theme, because this is not coming down any time soon!

Materials:

• white school glue
• liquid tempera paint/s
• bowl/s (1 per color)
• spoon/s (optional, for mixing)
• paint brushes
• glass item to be painted (jar, window, etc.)
• old clothes/smocks (optional)
• something to protect work area (cereal box liners worked for us)

Directions:

1. Protect work area using cereal box liners, newspaper, a vinyl table cloth, or even a drop cloth, whatever you have that is handy. Old cloths or paint shirts are also recommended.
2. Using one bowl per paint color, mix equal parts white school glue and liquid tempera paint. (Tip: I used spoons for this, but you could also use your paint brushes.)
3. Let kids paint on glass objects (or windows, like we did). Paint may dribble a bit, so having a damp cloth on hand is helpful. (Tip: It wipes up easily while it is still wet, so take care of any messes as soon as you notice them.)
4. Allow paint to dry. The directions I read said to let it set over night, but we found that it dried much quicker than this.
5. HOW TO REMOVE PAINT FROM WINDOWS? I have found two ways to do this, but neither one is ideal. The first is with a damp cloth and plenty of elbow grease. This takes some effort, but it is doable. The second method takes less effort, but it is much messier. Simply take a straight razor blade/utility knife and scrape away the dry paint. You will want to first lay down some newspaper or something to catch all the scrapings, however. NOTE: I honestly don't recommend using this paint recipe on windows. Next time around, we will paint some other glass objects!

{Fun on a rainy day...}