How to Make Puffy Paint Window Clings

Create you own puffy paint window clings in this easy and fun Halloween activity the whole family will love!

puffy paint window clings of a pumpkin and a ghost

They can be as simple or complicated as you want to make them. And they’re so fun!

puffy paint window cling of an eyeball — My husband free-handed this. I love the iris.

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Supplies For Puffy Paint Window Clings

The biggest thing to keep in mind is that you need to buy 3D (dimensional) fabric paint. That’s what you call puffy paint. Regular paint won’t work because it won’t really have enough thickness to it when it dries.

You can purchase 3D fabric paint from most craft stores or online or I’ve heard you can make it yourself. Just mix white school glue and shaving cream in equal parts and add a little food coloring.

spider and pumpkin puffy paint window cling — Someone aggressively touched the pumpkin before it was fully dry so there’s a little finger-shaped hole in the top.

–Tulip Fabric Paint Pack – this is the brand our local craft store carries

–Tulip Glow in the Dark Dimensional Fabric Paint – we only had one glow in the dark color and it was so fun to use!

–Wax Paper or Glass panes – We used panes of glass because people seem to throw them out regularly but wax paper works too. A picture frame or mirror would work also.

–Tooth Picks – these are good for finer details and pushing the paint around

–Glass Scraper – if you go the glass route, you need this to get the window clings off of the glass when they’re dry.

–Paper Towels – you know it’s gonna get messy

–Pictures to Trace – This coloring book looks like it would have good pictures to follow but you can just grab any book you have a home.

–Book to Trace – Click on the link to see the book I used to trace the pumpkin and spotted spider. It’s called Halloween Party by Kathy Feczko and it’s from 1985. You can just grab whatever you have you your house.

Fall in Texas is like a whisper in your heart that something is different and Fall is here but you can’t quite put your finger on why.

There are 2 methods to making window clings:

Pancake art – start with the outlines and details first and then fill in the colors. This results in a design you can’t see until you peel it and flip it around. This works well for older kids and you really can use it as a window decoration for the outside world to enjoy.
Glass Sticker – paint the picture like you would normally would. Start with the base colors and then add details on top. This works look like much on the other side of the window but you can stick it to a mirror or window to be enjoyed in the inside of the house. This method is easier for smaller kids to do.

This pumpkin is the pancake method with the details first.

I covered the details with orange, used a toothpick to smooth it out and added a second layer to the stem to thicken it up.

This spider is the glass sticker method. I made the shape just using it straight from the bottle and then fixed anything with a toothpick. You can see the white of the eyes ran together too much a first so I carefully scooped some of the white off and added a black line.

Choose a picture you want to trace or draw your own on paper. You can print out a picture, find a book that has the shape you like, or free-hand something.

I chose to trace a pumpkin and spider from a couple of pages of a Halloween kid’s book we have but my kids all wanted to draw their own.

Clean and dry your glass if that’s what you’re using.

Once you’ve got your picture, slide it under a piece of glass, or wax paper.

Now decide which methos you’ll be using, Pancake or Glass Sticker and get started!

For a little more control, squeeze out lines and use a toothpick to pull the paint out to your lines

I like to try the pancake method but then also add some details to the top, just in case I messed up the other side. This way it looks cute no matter how I’m looking at it!

Make sure you make it nice and thick and everything is connected well with thick lines of paint. It’s hard to peel up designs that are really flat and thin and easy to tear off little pieces on accident.

Have some fun with the glow in the dark paint!