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If you have a favorite picture of a child, a beloved pet, a colorful garden, or anything else you would like to display, this craft will make a wonderful decoration and preserve those memories.

You will need:

• About 10 to 12 days (the time it takes for everything to dry and cure)
• Stained Glass panels to match the colors in your picture
• Metal stained glass nippers
• A clear glass panel from a picture frame (glass, not plastic) either 5 x 7 or 8 x 10
• A sheet of stained glass for each color in your portrait
• Clear, window and door silicone sealant (it comes in a tube from your hardware store)
• Unsanded dry grout 1 # or less
• A roll of peel and stick clear laminate (adhesive on one side only)

Directions

Center the clear picture frame glass on the part of the picture you want to copy, and draw around the edges, so that your picture is framed within the glass. (You want the glass shards to line up inside the edges of this line exactly).

Cut a piece of clear laminate to fit your picture, plus two inches extra on all sides. Leave the paper covering on until you are ready to start sticking the shards onto it. Copy your picture (in color), and place underneath the laminate (paper-covered sticky side up), and staple together.

Choose a stained glass color for the bottom of the picture, and starting at the lower, right edge of the sheet, nip small shards from it (about ½ “ to 1” in length, and about 1/8” to ¼” in width). Depending on the size of your picture frame glass, you will need from 50 to 100 pieces.

Peel about two inches of the laminate covering from the bottom, leaving the sticky side up. Begin placing the glass shards onto the sticky laminate, fitting each piece like a jigsaw puzzle, and leaving up to 1/8” between pieces. Work your way up to the next color, nip those shards, and place them on the sticky laminate. You may have to custom-nip a few pieces to get a good fit. Make sure your edge pieces fit flush to the edges, and they don’t always have to be straight edges. A little variation adds to the home-made look of your portrait.

When your portrait is finished, Place a piece of laminate over the entire panel (sticky side down), making the panel stable, and keeping the shards in place. Peel off the bottom sheet of laminate, taking care not to dislodge any of the shards. If they come loose, just stick back down. You are now looking at the back side of your portrait.

Spread a thin to medium layer of the silicon sealant over the entire picture frame glass panel, and let sit for about 15 minutes. Then place the clear glass panel onto the back of the stained glass portrait, sealant side down. Take care to center your portrait. With your hand, press down on the portrait to seal the glass panel to it. Set aside for about a week to cure.

After about 7 days, mix the grout according to directions, and spread onto the portrait, taking care to get it down into all the cracks. Wipe gently with a damp cloth to remove grout residue. Let sit for another 3 days to dry.

These make great Christmas presents too.