Tissue Paper Windows

French doors with tissue paper window treatment

In an effort to cover the panes in our french door windows without paying a fortune or blocking the light, I came up with an inexpensive, easy project.  I used tissue paper and 1/2 strength washable school glue to produce this great window treatment.  The above are the windows with the light in front and below are the windows lit from behind  You can see from the back lit windows the organic lines that appear with this technique.

I used tissue purchased from Costco during the holiday season, and school glue purchased during the back to school season.  This means little investment for such a great payoff!  And there is another bonus.  When I am tired of them, the tissue comes off with water leaving no damage to the glass or wood frame.  

How I created tissue paper windows:

Mix washable school glue with an equal amount of water.  For my two french doors, I mixed 8 ounces of glue with 8 ounces of water in a disposable deli container.  I didn't mix it all at once.  I mixed 2 oz of glue with 2 ounces water at a time and mixed more when needed.  

I cut the tissue paper slightly larger than each glass pane in order to be able to squish or wrinkle the paper when applying.  Using a sponge brush, apply the glue mixture to glass and then carefully apply the tissue paper.  I started by lining up the top of the tissue to the top of the glass pane and then carefully lining up the tissue along the sides and bottom of the glass.  Next, I carefully pressed and flattened the tissue down with the sponge brush.  

Once the tissue is pressed down, it should leave enough glue on the top to apply the next layer of tissue.  Each pane has 3 layers of tissue.  Again, line up the edges, and then gently flatten with the sponge brush.  

I found that if I tried to manipulate the tissue too much, I would create bald spots.  If it was really bad, I would just scrape off the whole thing and start over.  But most of the time, I would wait for the glue to dry a bit - about 20 minutes- and then apply new tissue that had torn edges.  The torn edges hide the seams and hide the bald spots.  

In my older son's room, I didn't use as many layers and I kept the tissue as flat as possible as not to create wrinkles.  I also cut our circles (2 layers) and added them for a different effect.

In my office I tried a different technique.  I started with strips of black cardstock to create the grid pattern, added the tissue paper, added another layer of black cardstock strips, and then painted a few of the spaces with acrylic paint.  I also left 2 spaces open in order to be able to view my backyard, but at the same time, not work in a fishbowl.  Please excuse the glue left in the large clear pane.  In this pic, I hadn't cleaned it yet- and it cleans with water followed by a little glass cleaner and elbow grease.

I don't have plans to cover all of our windows with tissue paper- but you never know.  If I come up with another fun technique, I may end up with tissue in every window!