Three years ago we celebrated Teagan’s 5th birthday party Rainbow Unicorn style! It was such a fun party and she still talks about the fun activities we had for her and her friends to do. One of those activities was painting unicorn shaped suncatchers. Now, when I first bought the suncatchers I was so excited until I found out how much it was going to cost to buy suncatcher paint for 25 kids! Eeek!!
That’s when I started researching and experimenting with a few different things to make my own suncatcher paint rather than buying it. I am excited to share this super easy DIY tutorial so you can make your own suncatcher paint for your next indoor party!
Make Your Own Suncatcher Paint
Now, I wish I could tell you that this post is going to be full of information and tips but the fact is…this DIY tutorial will literally only take you a few seconds to create!
1. Set your containers or cups out and carefully fill each cup with a little bit of clear school glue. Since we made a lot of containers for our 25 guests we did not fill the containers because most of it would have gone to waste.
2. Carefully put a few drops of food coloring into each cup. It goes a long way, I never added more than 3 drops to each cup.
3. Using a stir stick or spoon, stir in the food coloring to the desired color.
4. Sprinkle some glitter into each cup and carefully stir in the glitter to the paint.
5. DONE! See, so easy! Using a paintbrush carefully dip into the paint and add a layer of the suncatcher paint to the suncatcher.
Tips For Preparing and Storing Your Suncatcher Paint:
Before our party we made all of the suncatcher paint ahead of time. Because the base of this paint is glue, as long as it is kept in an airtight container, the suncatcher paint should be fine for a few days prior to use.
Because it is so easy to make, it would also work to make this on demand – think rainy day activity with your kids.
When using the paint, make sure the kids are aware that the food coloring can stain clothing and fingers.
This suncatcher paint will dry just like glue, however if the kids put a big glob of it on their suncatcher, it will take awhile to dry.
Glitter is optional but you can really see the “sparkles” in the paint when dry.
Make sure you check out Throwing A Rainbow Unicorn Birthday Party post to get more ideas on fun unicorn activities and decorations. All of our guests, both the kids and adults, thought this idea was great. It kept the kids busy, and they were able to leave the party with a fun art project to enjoy in their window. And to be honest, this simple DIY project helped us save a TON of money on our party. Love finding ways to make parties more affordable.
What is your favorite way to entertain school aged kids at indoor birthday parties?
Post contains affiliate links. If you decide to make a purchase through my link, Amazon will pay me a commission for it. This doesn’t cost you anything additional. These commissions help to keep the rest of my content free, so thank you!
This post was originally published on February 6, 2018 and updated on June 28, 2021.
Wow it really is that easy to create your own sun catcher paint! This will be fun! I have everything needed on hand! Always looking for a fun – fast AND easy way to spend an afternoon! This is it!
Wow this is so cute, I love it. I have always been a fan of arts and crafts with the kids and this sounds perfect. When my daughter was little we were always being creative, I enjoyed it while it lasted. Now it is much harder to get her to do stuff like this but occasionally we get into it, I am going to have to show her this and get crafty. Thanks for the inspiration!
How neat! I didn’t know that’s called a suncatcher. Thanks for sharing. It gave me a lot of ideas for our party. My girls will love when they are bored as well.. which is always in spite of the ton of toys they have.
Ann Snooksays
I never even thought you could make your own suncatcher paint! This is a really smart idea. I used to love making these when I was little, so I wish I had had this DIY back then.
Bernie Wallacesays
My wife loves doing crafty things like this. I am going to recommend this to her. Thanks for sharing.
Wow it really is that easy to create your own sun catcher paint! This will be fun! I have everything needed on hand! Always looking for a fun – fast AND easy way to spend an afternoon! This is it!
Wow this is so cute, I love it. I have always been a fan of arts and crafts with the kids and this sounds perfect. When my daughter was little we were always being creative, I enjoyed it while it lasted. Now it is much harder to get her to do stuff like this but occasionally we get into it, I am going to have to show her this and get crafty. Thanks for the inspiration!
How neat! I didn’t know that’s called a suncatcher. Thanks for sharing. It gave me a lot of ideas for our party. My girls will love when they are bored as well.. which is always in spite of the ton of toys they have.
I never even thought you could make your own suncatcher paint! This is a really smart idea. I used to love making these when I was little, so I wish I had had this DIY back then.
My wife loves doing crafty things like this. I am going to recommend this to her. Thanks for sharing.