How to Make Valentine's Day Window Clings

Window clings are a fun, easy to make craft that can be adapted to Valentine's Day. Kids will have a lot of fun with it, and as long as they are old enough to color within the lines, they will be able to make these Valentine's Day crafts on their own. Following these simple instructions will have your family making window clings for each and every holiday.

First, you will need several bottles of white glue. You will need enough to make a bottle of each color. You will also need food coloring and a small paint brush. The paint brush should be able to fit inside the top of the glue bottle. Put a few drops food coloring inside each bottle, and use the paint brush to stir them thoroughly. Instead of food coloring, you can use paint, but you should be sure to use only a small amount. This will give you a wider range of colors. Make sure you have one that is black for outlining.

One special thing to do with the paint is add a small amount of glow in the dark paint or glitter to some of the paints. It gives the design texture or cool features, and makes the design really noticeable.

After you have your paint ready, find some Valentine's Day designs from the internet or a favorite children's book. You will need a piece of clear plastic. Ideally, this should be flexible, but also have a little more rigidity than something like saran wrap. A sheer sheet of uncut stencil plastic is a good solution, and can be found in many stores, but in certain areas it can be difficult to locate. If you cannot find a suitable piece of flexible plastic, use an empty CD case. Take the top off so that it lays flat against the design you choose.

Use the Valentine's Day design as an outline. Lay the CD case or plastic on top and trace around the edges with the black. This should be a very thick coat because it makes it easier to peel off later. After some experimenting, you will figure out how hard you need to squeeze the bottle to get the right thickness. Let this outline dry for a day or more before you begin painting the inside of the design.

After you outline it, fill in the inside with whatever color you choose. For most Valentine's Day window clings, this will be red, pink, or white. The inside of the design should not be done as thick as the black outlining. You will need to decide for yourself how thick you want to make it. If it is thin, it will not peel off easily and may tear or stretch. Stretching distorts the shape and should be avoided if possible. However if you get it too thick, it will take longer for the design to dry. The best solution, until you get the hang of it, is to make it thin and then add different layers for thickness. This is difficult is you have multiple colors that would easily blend together, but with some careful painting, it can be done.

Don't forget to let these dry for quite a while. It's not a process you want to rush. These window clings can be used year after year if they are properly made and stored. A good way to store them is to get a sheet of plexiglass or a sheet of plastic. They need a hard, clean surface to cling to, otherwise the window cling will stick to itself. Remember to use these instructions for other holiday window cling decorations.