From art projects to fixing plastic items, hot glue is used by most everyone. But there are many more uses for this handy material that can be cool and exotic! For instance, one can make a stained glass cup saucer out of nothing but hot glue that is water proof, weight resistant, and really awesome!

This project is simple, easy, and loads of fun. It will take at least one and a half hours if you do it slowly and take your time. Once done, it is a very fun saucer that is completely home made and can be made for any time of the year!

CAUTION

This project is dealing with a hot glue gun and other hot items. While making this project, BE CAREFUL! Avoid contact with glue and the glue gun until it has completely cooled.

Step 1: Gather Materials

All of these materials are common household items:

1. Hot glue gun

2. Multicolored hot glue gun sticks (At least one of each color glue stick is needed. A black stick is necessary. if you do not have one, grab a brown or dark blue stick and do not worry)

3. Compass

4. Razor blade

5. Parchment paper

6. Black permanent marker

7. Pencil

8. Plain white paper

9. Stapler

10. Heat gun (If you do not have a heat gun, a hair dryer will work instead)

Step 2: Making the Pattern

The first step is to make the pattern and come up with what will be on the saucer. In this case, it will be a humming bird. Using the compass, draw a saucer sized circle on the piece of paper. Then draw the center piece (the humming bird) in the circle. Draw random lines going to and fro to make it look like a stained glass outline.

Once complete, using the permanent marker, trace the outline you made. Be sure not to trace the circle squiggly. That will mess up the entire saucer.

Then, take a piece of parchment paper about the size of the piece of normal white paper and staple it on covering the design. Make sure the parchment paper is not ripped or wrinkled.

Step 3: Making the Outline

This part is fun! Plug in the hot glue gun and make sure you have plenty of cord so you can move the gun freely. Use the hot glue gun and trace pattern you made in step one with the darkest glue you have (black, brown, dark blue, and dark green). Be careful not to blob the glue as it would make the outline look messy.

Once the entire outline is traced, let it cool for about two minutes. However, do not unplug the glue gun. Once the outline is traced, use the glue gun tip to smooth out the edge. You can do this by pressing the hot tip against the edge of the outline and move it back and forth until the edge is flattened. Do not keep the hot glue gun in the same spot at once or it will burn through the edge. Once done, let the trace completely cool but do not unplug the glue gun.

Step 4: Filling in the Blanks

This is probably the most exiting and nerve racking step of the entire project! But do not worry, there are not may ways to mess the entire project up.

To start, gently pull the remaining part of the dark hot glue stick out of the gun. This will not hurt the gun! If the end of the stick is hot and mushy, just let it dry and then use the razor blade to cut off the disfigured end. Once the dark stick is out of the gun, then put the prime color in the hot glue gun (The humming bird is mostly green, so I put green in the gun first). Squirt the dark out of the gun. There will be a large blob of dark glue on the parchment paper but do not be alarmed. Once the prime color starts to come out, fill in the desired sections. Once the center piece has the given color filled in, fill in some sections around the center piece. Once there are some blocks filled with the prime color, take that stick out of the gun and do the same thing that you did with the dark glue stick (take out the colored stick and set it aside). Squirt the remaining prime color and then put in the next color in the gun and do the same thing you have been doing with the other two colors. Do this with the other colors you want until you have filled in all of the blocks.

Note: If you have three to four colors that used, than you will need to squirt the glue out three or four times. If you do this next to each other, then you can make a hot glue snowman and when it is cooled, you can add a face an arm!

Step 5: Peeling the Paper

Once the saucer is done cooling, put the saucer, which is still on the parchment paper, into the freezer. Let it remain in there for about two minutes. This will help the saucer to come off of the paper easier. Once the saucer is in the freezer for the amount of time, take it out and gently pull saucer off of the paper. Flip it over and the side that was plastered to the parchment paper is the top.

Note: If you have a black or other colored outline that you are satisfied with, then you can skip step 6.

Step 6: Coloring the Outline

If you have an outline that is not the color that you wanted, then take the permanent marker and color the dark outline on the saucer. I used a black sharpy, but you can use whatever color you want!

Step 7:

Time to finish it off (Kind of)! Since the bottom of the saucer is the side that you filled in to make the "stained glass" look, it is all bumpy. That means that if you put a cup on it like that, it will fall off. So, to fix that, there is an extra step. First, put the flat side (or top) on a fresh sheet of parchment paper. Make sure that the parchment paper is double the size of the saucer so that it can fold easily over the top of it. Okay, now it is time for the heat gun (or hair dryer). Look at the switch on the heat gun. Flip it down to the side that has the "--" on it. This is the equivalent of the low setting on a hair dryer. Start to warm up the saucer. Do not warm up the flat side of the saucer. Once the saucer looks like it is warm enough, gently fold the parchment paper over the warm side of it. Gently press. The saucer should be warm enough to stick to the parchment paper so it does not unfold. Now, turn the heat gun on high and blow over the saucer about six inches away and blow evenly. If the parchment paper turns brown a little, it is okay. It was meant to go in the oven. However, if it starts to smoke, then turn off the heat gun immediately! Once the saucer sticks to the parchment paper almost completely, take the piece of cardboard (it should be bigger then the saucer) and place it on the parchment paper-covered saucer. Press lightly. Do this twice. When you are all done, place the saucer (still on the parchment paper mind you) in the freezer for two to five minutes. Then gently peel the parchment paper off.

Step 8: Almost Done!

Okay, do not freak out. the edges are squished but you can fix it. Flip the saucer over so that the smooth side is the top. You should be able to see the difference between the real edge and the squished out part. Use the razor blade and cut off the assess glue. And viola! You are done!

Step 9: All Done

You are all done! Now you can use the saucer outside, on the floor, on the table, and on many other places. A word of caution, however, do not use the saucer if there is a hot drink in your cup!!! Other then that, you are all set. Enjoy your new homemade stained glass hot glue saucer!