ORIENTAL SUN CATCHER |OIL TRICK

It is about time to nicely decorate our windows and bring in a bit of a Ramadan atmosphere to the home. The perfect way todo this is with: oriental sun catchers depicting mosques, houses, minarets, camels and palm trees that you can always get as a download option from my shop or you can get directly mailed to you by using the available printing services. With a very special oil trick, I would like to show you how you can create a sun catcher that is visible from both sides.

YOU WILL NEED:

• Watercolor paintbox or watercolors
• Paint brushes
• Colored pencils
• Scissors
• Baby oil
• Sponge
• Iron
• Paper towels

PRINT OUT CRAFT KIT

The first thing you will need in order to begin crafting is the matching craft kit for this blog post. Either you download it as a file and print out all the elements from home or you use my new printing services. In case you don’t have a high-quality printer or high-quality paper, you can always just check out my shop and have the craft kit directly sent to you. Or even if you would just like to start on it without any major organizational effort.

COLORING/PAINTING

At first, you color/paint the oriental sun catchers. I picked out three specific watercolors but you are more than welcome to use a traditional watercolor paintbox. You get the same results by using either option. The general rule here is: the stronger the color of choice, the more colorful and shiny the finished sun catcher turns out to be.

Especially with the outer margins, you don’t have to worry too much about painting over them. Since we will be cutting out the sun catchers later on, it’s perfectly fine if the paint goes over the margins. This type of activity is especially great for kids to relax. In order to add more details, such as shadows and window casements, you can also use colored pencils.

CUTTING OUT MATERIALS

Now the sun catcher needs to get cut out. This step also doesn’t require to keep 1:1 within the margins. You can generously go over the margins, in particular, when coloring/painting the delicate elements, such as the crescent on the dome.

MAGIC TRICK BABY OIL

For the sun catcher to be visible from both sides, so that you can see its color from inside as well as from outside, there is a small but classy trick. This includes taking a sponge soaked in baby oil and covering the sun catcher with the oil.

While doing this part of the project, you will notice very quickly how much oil you are needing. The color changes fairly quickly so that one dosage should be easily sufficient.

USING THE IRON

Now the oriental sun catcher gets ironed. First, in order to smooth out the waves that formed while applying watercolors and second to also absorb the oil. This means laying the sun catcher on a paper towel that is big enough and to cover it again with another layer of paper towel.

Now the sun catcher gets ironed at medium heat.

DECORATING

You repeat this step with all of the oriental sun catchers that you are planning to make.

It is recommended to hang it up so you can see the painted/colored side from the outside of the window. By using the oil trick, the sun catcher becomes visible from both sides, however, the original side is always more intense.

The sunlight that reaches the window creates an equivalent intensity level if you hang up the original side pointing towards outside. The light lets the back side that is not that intense in color still appear very flashy and colorful.

YouTube Video

Would you like to watch the instructions on video? With pleasure! Definitely check out mydattelbeereYouTube channeland watch the videos showing my DIY crafting ideas. Of course, I would be even more delighted if you subscribe to it, since the dattelbeere community should grow there as well.

I hope you liked today’s crafting idea and that it helps you to overcome these difficult times that we are all facing. I am sending you a lot of creativity to your home.If you craft the orinetal sun catchers according to my instruction then, of course, I woudl love to see it in a post and have it tagged with @dattelbeere on Instagramso that I can also admire your creations.

Stay halthy and safe!

Much Love and Salam

Your Vanessa