DIY Sun Catcher
How do you make a DIY sun catcher?
These sun catchers are perfect for getting the kids' creative juices flowing. The project does require a bit of patience while the glue dries, but watching the colours change over those few days is half the fun.
The idea is simple: a thin layer of PVA wood glue is poured into a jar lid, coloured with food dye, and left to dry into a flexible translucent disc. Once it is dry it peels out of the lid in one piece and clings to a window without any adhesive at all. It comes off again just as easily, which is what makes it a good project for a rental or a child's bedroom.
What you need
- Selleys Aquadhere Interior
- A variety of plastic or metal lids — jam jar lids, Vegemite lids and the like
- Food colouring
- A toothpick
- String or wool
- Glitter, if you want it
- Scissors
How to make a sun catcher
- Squeeze a thin layer of Selleys Aquadhere Interior into a lid, making a nice even cover over the lid.
- Put a few small drops of food colouring on the glue. Less is more. If you want to get really creative you might like to sprinkle some glitter on a couple of the lids.
- Use a toothpick to make patterns and swirls with the colours. Try not to overdo this step — it does not take much to go from a pretty pattern to a blurred blob.
- Leave to dry for 3 days and watch how the colour patterns change over time.
- Once the glue is dry, gently remove the sun catchers from the lids. You may need to run a knife around the edge of the lid, so get an adult to help with this step.
- Trim around the circle to tidy it up, or get creative and cut into different shapes.
- Place the sun catchers straight onto your glass window. They will easily stick on and easily peel right off again.
Why it works, and what to watch
Thin and even is the whole trick
The layer of glue wants to be thin and evenly spread across the base of the lid. A thick pour dries unevenly — the edges skin over while the middle stays wet, and you end up with a disc that is cloudy in the centre and impossible to lift out cleanly. Tilt the lid to spread the glue rather than adding more.
Three days is a real figure, not a rounded one
PVA dries by losing water to the air, and it can only do that from the top surface, because the lid is sealed underneath. That is much slower than a normal glue line between two porous timber faces, and it is why this project takes days rather than hours. If the discs are still tacky or cloudy, they are not dry — give them longer rather than trying to lift them.
Warm, dry, well-ventilated spots dry faster. A humid laundry or a closed cupboard will stretch it out. Do not try to force it with a heater, which dries the surface into a skin and traps water underneath.
Why the colours keep changing
The food colouring is suspended in wet glue, and while the glue is still wet the dye keeps migrating slowly. That is why the patterns move over the three days and why the finished disc looks different from what you swirled. This is the point of the project rather than a problem — but it is also why heavy-handed swirling turns muddy. Two or three drops and a few gentle passes with the toothpick will give a better result than a lot of stirring.
Why they stick to glass
Dried PVA is slightly tacky and very smooth, so a thin disc makes close contact with glass and holds by surface contact alone — the same reason a wet piece of paper clings to a window. There is no adhesive involved, so nothing is left behind when you peel it off.
Limitations — what these are not for
Selleys Aquadhere Interior is a PVA wood adhesive for interior use. Two things follow from that:
- It is not waterproof. Sun catchers belong on the inside of a window. Put one on the outside, or on a window that runs with condensation, and it will soften and eventually go milky.
- It is not for structural use. This project uses the glue as a casting material rather than an adhesive, which is well outside anything the product is specified for — it is fine for craft, but do not extend the idea to anything that has to hold.
Also keep in mind that a bathroom or kitchen window gets steam. The best spot for a sun catcher is a dry room with good light.
Ideas and variations
Different lid sizes give you a set of discs to hang together on string or wool. Cutting the dried discs into shapes — as in the DIY Halloween decorations version, where they become pumpkins — turns the same technique into a different project. Glitter sprinkled onto the wet glue in one or two lids gives contrast against the plain ones.
For more craft projects using the same glue, see DIY air dry clay, how to decoupage and DIY Easter string egg.
Common questions about making sun catchers
What glue do I use for a sun catcher?
Selleys Aquadhere Interior, a PVA wood adhesive. It dries translucent and flexible, which is what makes the disc work.
How long do sun catchers take to dry?
Three days. The glue can only dry from the top surface because the lid seals the bottom, so it is much slower than an ordinary glue line.
Can I speed up the drying?
Choose a warm, dry, well-ventilated spot. Do not use a heater or hair dryer — that skins the surface and traps moisture underneath.
How much food colouring should I use?
A few small drops. Less is more; too much dye turns the swirls into a blurred blob.
Why did my colours move overnight?
That is the project working. The dye keeps migrating while the glue is still wet, which is why the patterns change over the three days.
Mine won't come out of the lid — what do I do?
Run a knife carefully around the edge of the lid first, and have an adult do this step. If the disc still feels tacky it is not dry yet, so give it more time before trying again.
What sort of lids work best?
Plastic or metal lids from jars — jam jar lids, Vegemite lids and similar. A mix of sizes makes a better set.
Do they need glue to stick to the window?
No. They cling by surface contact alone and peel off again without leaving a mark.
Can I put them on an outside window?
No. Aquadhere Interior is not waterproof and is for interior use, so keep the sun catchers on the inside of the glass and away from steam.
Will they last?
Indoors, on a dry window, they will keep. Moisture is what breaks them down, so a bathroom or a window that runs with condensation is the wrong spot.
Can I add glitter?
Yes — sprinkle it onto the wet glue before you swirl the colours.
Can I cut them into shapes?
Once dry, trim the circle to tidy it up or cut it into any shape you like with scissors.
What glue do I use for a sun catcher?
Selleys Aquadhere Interior, a PVA wood adhesive. It dries translucent and flexible, which is what makes the disc work.
How long do sun catchers take to dry?
Three days. The glue can only dry from the top surface because the lid seals the bottom, so it is much slower than an ordinary glue line.
Can I speed up the drying?
Choose a warm, dry, well-ventilated spot. Do not use a heater or hair dryer — that skins the surface and traps moisture underneath.
How much food colouring should I use?
A few small drops. Less is more; too much dye turns the swirls into a blurred blob.
Why did my colours move overnight?
That is the project working. The dye keeps migrating while the glue is still wet, which is why the patterns change over the three days.
Mine won't come out of the lid — what do I do?
Run a knife carefully around the edge of the lid first, and have an adult do this step. If the disc still feels tacky it is not dry yet, so give it more time before trying again.
What sort of lids work best?
Plastic or metal lids from jars — jam jar lids, Vegemite lids and similar. A mix of sizes makes a better set.
Do they need glue to stick to the window?
No. They cling by surface contact alone and peel off again without leaving a mark.
Can I put them on an outside window?
No. Aquadhere Interior is not waterproof and is for interior use, so keep the sun catchers on the inside of the glass and away from steam.
Will they last?
Indoors, on a dry window, they will keep. Moisture is what breaks them down, so a bathroom or a window that runs with condensation is the wrong spot.
Can I add glitter?
Yes — sprinkle it onto the wet glue before you swirl the colours.
Can I cut them into shapes?
Once dry, trim the circle to tidy it up or cut it into any shape you like with scissors.