Thanks for the kind words, Phyl and I'm glad you enjoyed my window. :D Well, I was a career artist for Boeing but it certainly wasn't doing things like that. lol! I did my own designs but there are kits and patterns available so you don't have to make your own.

I've posted these before, but since you asked, here is the sidelight window I did for my son, and a cling I did for my sliding glass door. On the cling the clear areas hadn't completely cleared yet so appear a little milky. I apologize for the photos -- windows are hard things to photograph.

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It sounds like you're thinking of trying it? I really hope so! I'd be happy to help you if you have questions. What window in your house do you have in mind and what would you like to do on it? How easy is the window to reach and how big is it?

i knew it ... you are a PRO!!! (grin) here is a picture showing the individual sidelites i would like to attempt doing something with ... i don't want curtains, but could use a little bit of *privacy* going on here ...whatdoyathink?

in the *white, white bathroom* post i saw someone said something about their attempt looking amateurish; which is what i fear ... what say you ...

btw, by the timestamp of your post, i am wondering if you are a *nightowl* like me; or a *lark* who had risen for the day shortly after i *retired* for the night? (grin)

thank you, phyl

please forgive me for bumping up my own post ... but i was really hoping oceanna would see this ... helllooo ... anybody there?

thanks, phyl

It's perfectly fine to bump your own post to get the answers you need. I'm glad you did. Yep, I'm a west coast nightowl.

I'd work on my window for an hour or two at a time. I think the reason I was successful is because I reeeeaaaaallly wanted those windows. So it doesn't have to look amateurish if you're determined for it to look good -- just stick with it until it makes you happy.

I wouldn't use a metallic paint; it looks awful when it gets on the lines and real stained glass windows don't look like that anyway.

The good thing about redi-leading is it's flexible stuff. Put a line down (on the window glass) and if it's not right you can nudge it with your fingernail, or pick it up and put it down again. Just try not to stretch or dent it.

Paint a section and if you don't like it, add layers of more or a different color on it. Better to add a few thin layers than to get it on too thick and have it run if you're working on the vertical window itself. On the horizontal on clings it doesn't matter. Worst case scenario, if you make a booboo directly on the window, cut the dried paint section out around the edges with your exacto knife, peel it off, and start over again.

Let me give you a few tips about picking out a design...

The more simple your design the easier it is to do your window. Taping the black lines is the hardest part; the painting part went fairly quickly. So fewer black lines is easier. This goes for taping redi-lines on your window; it does not go for doing curvy lines on a cling with Marabu paint... do all the black lines you want if you're doing a cling.

Straight lines are harder to tape than curved lines. So curvy trees and flowers are easier than gridding things off perfectly. So building a few flowers is easier than putting squares all around the outside of a big window, for instance.

If you look at my son's dragonfly window, I did the flowers and dragonfly part on clings, sitting on my butt at the table. Fun and comfy. I wanted to do a million of them!

I did all the straight and connecting lines on my feet at the window, some of it standing on my stepstool. Not as fun.

Then I "glued" the whole thing together with the paint that goes between the lines. You need to touch the lines a little with your paint, as that helps cement the whole thing down. I wanted to be darned sure those clings were attached to the adjacent paint so they'd never have the option of deciding to UN-cling some day.

That said, pick whatever design you fall madly in love with because if you want it bad enough that will be the driving force behind your getting it.

If it were me, I'd pick a design with flowers for your window -- all curvy lines, which is easiest. I'd draw a few flowers that would fit well inside your little panes and connect them with curvy stems and throw some leaves on there. Then I'd make those with the paint that the gal sells at windowbutterflies.com. Her liquid leading is a lot easier to use than the GG product, and her colors are spectacular.

Just print or draw out your flowers and trace over them on clings -- she explains it to you in her video. If you want it to look like real stained glass, don't do that stylized painting she shows you (notice I did it on my hummingbird, but he's obviously a cling and not trying to be a stained glass window). Oh, and buy her little tool for popping bubbles -- it's fantastic. She's just wonderful to talk with on the phone and her paint is a joy to work with, so easy.

Once you have the flowers and leaves done, trim them off close to your outer lines and stick them on your windows. Then connect them with curvy lines or fatter stems. Then paint the rest of your window. For the painting you do right on the window you want GG paints. Oh, and stick the clings up soon after you make them -- I think it does make a difference on how well they cling.

Another way you could do it is get a big roll of paper from Staples or any office supply. Measure your windows side to side; that's your width. Measure one pane top to bottom and multiply by your number of panes (on one side) and that's your height. Draw that "frame" on your paper. Then draw your design. Then cut your paper into panes, just like your window. Then if you have cling blanks that are as big as or bigger than an individual pane, you could do the entire thing on clings with Marabu paint and it would be SO easy and fun!

Remember how glass is cut... if you wouldn't want to cut it out of glass, then you'll need to cut that piece up into a few smaller pieces with lines -- just as a glass artist would do it. For illustration, look at the dragonfly window I did. See the lines up at the top that seem to have no purpose? You'll see lines like that in all real stained glass because it's awkward to cut, say, a "c" shape out of glass. Make sense?

Well, I hope this post isn't TMI or confusing. I'm very excited that you're going to do this and I can't wait to see what you do! Promise me you'll post it.

For pattern inspiration there are books at your library on stained glass design, and pictures of stained glass windows all over the web. There are also a few copyright-free sites. Here are a couple you might enjoy:

http://chantalstainedglass.50megs.com/

Here is a link that might be useful: Free stained glass patterns

My goodness this gets kicked around the corner fast. Phyl, are you still out there? Do you need more help in finding a pattern? Did you go to Michaels?

oceanna---you are just *sooo* nice! ... i read you excellent instructions this afternoon; but have not had a chance to respond until now ...

my sweet hubby put me in an affectionate chokehold; and very calmly said: "please, my darling crazy wife, mother of my children, NO MORE new projects til after you finish the bazillion christmas projects you have already STARTED & have NOT FINISHED!!!

the bugger had a point ... so i have promised to wait until january (grin)

you instructions were marvelously detailed & i thank you so much for taking the time for me ... is it o.k. if i resume this conversation in a few weeks?

much thanks from phyl, who must go put an ice pack on my *wrung* neck ... wife abuse! wife abuse!

Thanks for reminding me of yet another reason why I don't have a husband - lol! I'm glad you got something out of my instructions. Sure, feel free to pick up this conversation whenever you feel ready. Just don't try to make me finish my projects. hehe