Are you tired of Winter? Do you long for warmer weather?? Do you wish Spring would hurry up and arrive already??? Then it’s time to make your own sunshine! It’s quick and easy to do!!
Start by inviting the kids to paint several coffee filters with watercolor paint — the brighter, the better!
We love painting on coffee filters because they hold up very well to lots and lots of water — a big plus for the little ones!
Shelf liner makes a great reusable art mat. Projects stay put while the kids are painting, and the shelf liner can easily be rinsed clean to be used over and over.
Once the filters are completely dry, cut them out…..
….to look like flowers!! The next day, we attached them to our glass door with scotch tape. While Emily was in school and Clara was napping, I used acrylic paint to fill in the stems, leaves, and sun. Instant sunshine!!!
One FFFB reader suggested mixing the paint with a bit of dish soap to make for easy clean up — great tip!
Our window displays are getting to be quite popular around here. I love how they make our neighbors smile!
Also?? Can I tell you about the reaction Emily had when she came back from school and saw our front door??? Well…..
….this photo just about sums it up!!
Behold — the power of paint + coffee filters!! Amazing!!!!
Have fun!!
April 6th, 2011 on 2:59 pm
That last picture of Emily is adorable! Absolutely worth the effort of the art project
April 6th, 2011 on 3:27 pm
Thank you, Michelle! It was so easy, and it made the girls SO happy!!
April 6th, 2011 on 3:09 pm
So sunny – making me smile too!
April 6th, 2011 on 3:27 pm
April 6th, 2011 on 3:17 pm
So cute and nice. Does the acrylic paint goes out easily form the windows??? The photos are very cute and she seems so happy. A smile never to forget, PEPI
April 6th, 2011 on 3:25 pm
Pepi, I used acrylic paint on the same glass door last winter, and it comes off with dish soap & water. If you mix a little soap in with the paint, it comes off even easier. Hope this helps! They are lots of fun to make!! xoxo
April 6th, 2011 on 3:42 pm
Wowzers! The flowers are so realistic, I sure hope no on in the neighborhood tries to come and pick them… ;0)
April 6th, 2011 on 3:50 pm
Very pretty pictures! I love Emily’s expression. Coffee filters are great for art!
April 6th, 2011 on 3:53 pm
so fun! It reminded me that I used to have my kids draw on coffee filters with markers and then use a spray bottle to spray them with water for a watercolor effect. The kids love using the spray bottle! I don’t know it never occurred to me to just use watercolor paints
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April 6th, 2011 on 3:54 pm
Emily has such an awesome smile! Your door looks fantastic, I wish you lived across the street from us! Maybe we’ll do something like this on our glass sliding doors when we get home, since we don’t have a glass storm door to decorate!
April 6th, 2011 on 4:18 pm
I just added this to my Tumblr and Facebook account so I wouldnt forget to come back and try it. My only hesitation is getting the paint off the window but we’ll try and if it doesn’t work, I’ll blame you! Haha! Just kidding, thanks for the awesome idea. I’ll post pictures on my blog once we have completed it.
http://www.thetuckerstaketennessee.com
Meghan
@meghantucker
April 6th, 2011 on 5:12 pm
LOL — My advice is to try a small section, maybe in the corner of the glass or something. Wait for it to dry, and try wiping it off w/dish soap & water. See how it goes from there.
I learned that acrylic paint comes off of glass with dish soap and water from our local art supply store last winter, and I’ve been painting windows ever since. They are fun to make!!
April 6th, 2011 on 4:32 pm
Beautiful!
April 6th, 2011 on 6:20 pm
We could use some sunshine around here–I’ll definitely be trying this soon (and I might not even wait until there are any kids around to help me). One question: what brand of water colors do you use? Your painted coffee filters are always so bright.
April 6th, 2011 on 6:34 pm
And is that tissue paper for the centers of the flowers?
April 11th, 2011 on 2:43 pm
Yes, I traced the bottom of a cup to make them. Have fun!!
April 11th, 2011 on 2:42 pm
Thanks, Tera! They are Crayola watercolors.
April 12th, 2011 on 11:04 pm
That’s what we use, too. Hmmm…maybe it’s a case of “the paint is always more vibrant on the other side of the coffee filter” or something like that
We painted on Monday, but I didn’t get around to putting them up today. Maybe tomorrow.
April 6th, 2011 on 7:22 pm
Oh, this is so very pretty! I might try it here, but use window markers instead.
April 6th, 2011 on 10:56 pm
Thanks for the tip about acrylic paint and dish soap! We love coffee filter art too. Your house and everyone in it are always full of sunshine!
April 6th, 2011 on 11:33 pm
We’ve started making coffee filter eggs here. But, I do like the flowers, they’re so pretty.
April 7th, 2011 on 8:00 am
I just wanted to let you know that we did the birds on a wire craft and I posted it yesterday!!! So fun!!
April 7th, 2011 on 5:26 pm
What a pretty front door!!! That sure brightens the day.
April 7th, 2011 on 9:18 pm
Wow so pretty!!! I would love to do this. We are moving into a new house and it would be a fun way to decorate the windows. The paint really comes off?? It scares me a bit
But that makes sense that it should come off, especially if you mix it with some soap.
Is there like a time frame for keeping it on so it comes off easily?
April 11th, 2011 on 2:43 pm
Yes, I’ve done it lots of times before! Have fun, Heather!!
April 9th, 2011 on 9:38 am
The project is cute, but I ADORE that last photo of your daughter! Her expressions is priceless!
April 11th, 2011 on 2:44 pm
So sweet, thank you!! xoxo
April 11th, 2011 on 1:38 pm
Oh I am digging this! My 4 daughters and I are going to do this in our sun room. It is 3 walls of windows. I am thinking trees on the sliding doors and flowers on the windows! Hello Spring!
April 11th, 2011 on 2:44 pm
Yay!! That makes me so happy to hear that!!! Have fun!!
April 11th, 2011 on 10:16 pm
Gorgeous! I love these. They are going in the next Things to Write Home About for sure.
April 14th, 2011 on 10:57 pm
Thanks so much for linking, Tara!! I really appreciate it! xoxo
April 16th, 2011 on 1:10 pm
This has got so many teaching opportunities in it as well as the art & craft ones! Brilliant!
January 15th, 2012 on 11:00 pm
I do this with my students and they love it! We use markers and then spray it with water and it turns into what looks like Tie Dye. Really pretty.
April 5th, 2012 on 2:28 pm
Oh wow! I love this ! I just love your site so much! We will be doing this activity this week!