DIY Epoxy Resin Hanging Sun Catcher

This project was inspired by a pin I (Vicki) saw on Pinterest. It was a sun catcher made from glass. I wanted to recreate it, but not in glass. We decided we could use the Cricut Maker to cut shapes and use epoxy to create faux stained glass!

• For links to all the products we used, head to our website.
• Cricut Maker
• Cricut Heavy Chipboard 11x11
• Cricut StrongGrip Adhesive Cutting Mat 12"x12"
• Cricut Knife Blade
• Black Vinyl
• Cricut Premium Fine Point Blade
• Environmental Technology 33128 Casting Epoxy
• Alcohol Ink
• Mica Powder
• Pipettes
• Silicone Mat
• 3M Picture Hanging Kit
• Metal Wire
• Glue Stick
• Wood (Large Paint Stick would work)
• Drill Bit
• Hot Glue
• Disposable Epoxy Resin Mixing Cups

Steph created diamonds and triangles in various sizes and cut them out of chipboard on a Cricuit Maker. The SVG file for cutting can be downloaded here.

Once all the shapes were cut it was time to prepare them for the epoxy pour. The shapes were glued onto the silicone mat with a glue stick. Tape down the mat to keep it perfectly flat. Be sure to remove any excess glue from the inside of the shapes. It is important to choose a silicone mat that is slick with no texture. Even the slightest hint of texture will make the backs of the finished shapes look cloudy.

The 2-part epoxy was mixed according to the label instructions.

The shapes were filled with a pipette starting in the corners and then filling from the edge to the inside. The pipette insured the shapes were not overfilled and kept the epoxy off the chipboard shapes.

Alcohol ink was used on the multicolor shapes and a bit of mica powder was used on the purple ones.

The shapes were left to cure overnight. They easily removed from the silicone mat.

To mimic the look of leaded glass, the chipbord shape edges were colored in with a black Sharpie. Two sets of shapes were cut from black vinyl on the Cricuit Maker using the same SVG file and applied to both sides of the shape. To hang the shapes, we cut jewelry wire to 14" in length as that was the length of the longest hanging shapes. It was easier to cut all the wire to the same length and cut off the excess once everything was glued into place.

Once the vinyl was applied, we pulled back a bit of the vinyl at the top, added a dab of superglue, put a wire in place, and replaced the vinyl.

For this step, we laid all the shapes out in a pleasing pattern making sure they hung at different lengths. Some of the shapes overlap.

This step is best understood by watching the video.

To hang, we used a piece of wood (which we painted) that was about 1/4" thick, 19" long, and about 1 1/2" wide. I drew three lines down the length. We drilled holes into the wood on these three lines to correspond to the layout we had created with the shapes.

We pulled the wires through the drilled holes, hot glued the wires in place, and cut off the excess wire.

The finished piece was put into the top of a kitchen window with 3M picture hanging strips.

For more projects from us, please visit our website!