DIY Lighted Glass Block

Have you ever wondered what you can do with those square glass blocks in the craft store? Actually, they can be used for a variety of projects, but one of my favorites is to make it a light! This fun project can be completed in a day and you can make it as simple or as fancy as you’d like. They can be made for any holiday, season, or decor style. I am going to share with you how I made my glass block and then you can make your own!

Choices .. so many choices. First, you need to decide, what theme you’d like for your light … maybe spring, summer, fall, or winter … maybe Easter, 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas … or maybe you are making for a gift and you want it to go along with a certain style, decor or theme, such as coastal, farm, wine, dinosaurs, mermaids, fishing, hunting, ballerina, etc. You get the idea … use your creativity! My home has a coastal/beachy theme. I love lighthouses so I decided to make a lighthouse glass block for my home.

Your next choice involves size .. yes those glass blocks come in different sizes. You can make a small glass block, a large glass block, or even a rectangular glass block. For my project, I am using the smaller glass block. Hobby Lobby also sells stands for the glass blocks, which are nice (see photo above).

Finally, you have to make choices about your vinyl design, whether or not you will use Frosted Glass Spray or Sea Glass Spray on your glass block and what types of embellishments you will use, if any.  I will go over all that as I explain how I made my glass block below. 

Supplies Needed:

Glass Block

Stand (optional)

Vinyl Design (purchased or made on your cutting machine, such as a Cricut)

If making your own design, you will need vinyl or your own color choice as well as           transfer vinyl, a scraper, and a weeder.

Frosted Glass Spray or Sea Glass Spray (optional)

Lights (there are many varieties you can use including mini strand of Christmas lights, a tea light, fairy lights, or the lights Hobby Lobby sells by the glass blocks – big bulb)

Embellishments (Dependent on your theme. This is totally up to you .. for example, if your theme is coastal, you could add shells on the top, if your theme is 4th of July, you could add a big red/white/blue bow on top, if your theme is spring, you could add bunny ears. You also do not have to add anything to the outside.)

How I made my Lighthouse Glass Block:

1. First, I cleaned off the outside surfaces of my glass block with rubbing alcohol to make sure there was nothing on there to mess up the design or sea spray. You can also use Windex or warm soapy water.
2. Then I created my design using Cricut Design Space. I had previously purchased a design with a lighthouse. So I uploaded the design to CDS and sized it to fit onto the front of my glass block.             
3. Next, I cut out the design onto black permanent vinyl using the Cricut. If you do not have a cutting machine, you can purchase a vinyl design either at the craft store or online from Etsy.
4. After my design was cut, I weeded out the negative space areas. At this point, I decided I wanted to put blue adhesive foil to fill in the small water spaces. I thought it might be a nice accent.           
5. To make the blue water pieces, I simply created a square in CDS, overlapped it with the water area of my design and sliced. I cut only the sliced portion with the Cricut using blue adhesive foil. I used the middles of the waves (cut out pieces).                 
6. Next, I used Cricut Transfer Vinyl to adhere the lighthouse design to the front of the glass block. The Cricut transfer has lines which is helpful in lining up the design straight. Then I transferred the small blue pieces to fill in the water areas.
7. Looks great and at this point, it good be finished (see photos below) … but I wanted to frost my glass a little so the light strand doesn’t show too much. Some people will say to spray your glass before applying vinyl. That is not a good idea. I did that once and I ended up scratching up the surface trying to apply my vinyl.
   

   
   Create a workspace in a ventilated area and cover your workspace with paper or paper towels. Lightly spray one side of your glass block with the Frosted Spray or the Sea Glass Spray. I usually go back and forth, top to bottom. You will probably want to spray a couple of coats (maybe more). Let it dry between coats. Then flip your glass block over and repeat on the back side. You will be able to see your vinyl design through the spray, I promise (see photo below).
8. I like to let my glass block dry overnight before I put the lights in. You can use any sort of light source you’d like, just make sure they are safe and appropriate for the glass block. The types of lights I listed above are appropriate and can be purchased at any craft store. I put my glass block in the stand and inserted a tealight underneath. I like how it looks but I might try to find a light that I could make the light shine higher up on the lighthouse … stay tuned for an update later.

I hope you enjoyed reading about how I made my Lighthouse Glass Block. Remember, this is just a guide. Below are other lighted glass blocks I have made, a couple even have glitter inside (see photos below). Get creative. And if you do, please stop by My Pinterest page and share your creations with me by adding a photo comment underneath my Lighthouse Glass Block. Be sure to follow my blog for more fun and easy crafting ideas! Until next time, keep on craftin’! ~Kristina~

Another blog that deals with glass projects is jfamilycrafters.com.  He has a really great project here, check it out!