These glass bead heart suncatchers are so cheerful, and they look so beautiful with the sun shining through them! Hang them in your window or give them as a Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or Father’s Day gift to show your appreciation and love!
We had so much fun making our glass bead suncatcher last year that we decided to make another one, but this time in the shape of a heart! To make this DIY suncatcher, make a simple mold out of tin foil and add flat glass beads into a layer of clear glue. It’s so easy!
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DIY Glass Bead Heart Suncatcher
Materials:
- Clear glue
- ~10 Clear glass beads
- ~15 Red glass beads
- Fishing line
- Suction cup (with hook)
Equipment:
- Heart outline (optional)
Check Out The Video Tutorial:
Instructions:
Step 1: Find what you need
- Gather your supplies and materials.
Step 2: Make a heart shaped mold (optional)
- Instead of making your own heart shaped mold, you can also use a silicone heart mold. Link in Tips section below.Cut a piece of tinfoil that's about 8 inches wide.Use a Sharpie marker to draw a 4 inch heart shape in the middle of the foil.
- Tear off another piece of tin foil, this one 5 inches wide. Fold 2 inches over lengthwise.
- Place the folded tin foil along one side of the heart. Bend the foil so that the single layer 1 inch piece lays flat outside of the heart, while the 2 inch piece stands up straight forming a "wall".Tape the foil into place.
- Bend the foil along the curved line of the heart, taping it in place as you go.
- Cut the foil wall at the bottom point of the heart.
- Bend the foil into a distinct point at the bottom of the heart, taping it into place.
- Cut another 5 inch piece of foil and fold it like the first piece. Connect it to the heart and wrap it around, completing the wall around the heart.
- Cut off any extra from the top and bottom of the foil you drew the heart on, leaving a couple inches on either side.Then cut the foil base up towards the bottom point of the heart. Repeat at the top, cutting down to the indent.
- Fold the base tin foil over to reinforce the walls of the mold. Tape them into place inside the heart.Your foil heart mold is ready to use!
Step 3: Add glue and beads to the mold
- Add a thin layer of clear glue, a few millimeters thick, to the bottom of the mold.You need enough glue that the beads will stay together, but not so much that they'll be completely submerged.
- Press a glass bead into the glue, flat side down.
- Continue adding red and clear glass beads into the glue. You can create a pattern, or place them randomly.
- Allow the heart suncatcher to dry for 2 - 3 days.
Step 4: Remove suncatcher from the mold and hang it up
- Once the suncatcher is dry, remove it from the mold. It's okay if it's still a tiny bit tacky feeling - it will dry quickly once it's out of the mold.The foil should peel off easily.
- Trim off any extra glue pieces around the outside of the suncatcher.
- Use a large needle to poke a hole through the glue near the top of the suncatcher.
- Feed a length of fishing line through the hole and tie it in a knot. Attach the fishing line to the hook of a suction cup.
- Your glass bead heart suncatcher is complete!
Helpful Tips:
- Place the heart mold on extra tinfoil while the suncatcher is drying. This will make for an easy cleanup in case any glue leaks out.
- To make this craft even easier, make the glass bead heart suncatcher in a heart shaped silicone mold!
What type of beads are used to make a glass bead heart suncatcher?
The “beads” used to make this suncatcher are not typical beads (the kind with a hole in a middle). These glass beads are sometimes called “flat glass marbles” or “flat glass gems”. You can usually find them in vases or candleholders as decoration, but they’re also great for crafting!
If you don’t have glass beads you can use any other type of flat, smooth glass (like sea glass) to make this suncatcher. You can even use regular plastic or glass beads (the typical kind, with holes in them), as long as they’re clear or translucent.
Where can I buy flat glass beads?
Check the dollar store for glass beads first, since they’ll be a lot cheaper there! The colour selection will be limited though, so you can always buy red glass beads at Walmart, a craft store like Michaels, or on Amazon.
How many glass beads do I need?
We used about 15 red glass beads and 10 clear glass beads per suncatcher. You can see that our red beads are a lot smaller than the clear ones, which is why we used more red.
The amount of beads needed per suncatcher will depend on the size of your heart and the size of the glass gems. Plan on using between 25 – 30 glass beads per 4 inch suncatcher.
How can I draw a perfect heart shape for the mold?
You can freehand draw a heart like we did, or you can print out a heart template and trace that! If you have a large enough heart cookie cutter you can trace that onto the tin foil as well.
How long do these glass bead heart suncatchers take to dry?
Our heart suncatcher was mostly dry after 2 days, but we left it in the mold for 3 days to be completely safe. This was in a dry, cool environment.
Meanwhile, our DIY suncatcher with glass beads was made in the summer, in a more humid room, and it took close to 5 days to fully dry. So drying time will definitely depend on the humidity and temperature of the room you’re in.
Make this super cute glass bead heart suncatcher with dollar store supplies. It’s such a fun way to use glass beads, and these suncatchers will brighten up any room they’re in!
Here’s even more glass bead craft ideas:
Glass Bead Christmas Candle Holder
DIY Suncatchers with Glass Beads
Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!
Where to buy:
You can purchase Low-Mess Crafts for Kids from Amazon, or wherever books are sold:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books- A- Million | Indiebound | Indigo | Amazon Canada
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