History

• Glass was first discovered on accident by potters in Egypt and Mesopotamia while they were firing clay. The first use of glass by artists can be traced as far back as 2750 B.C., when it was used for creating beads. The earliest use of stained glass in windows can be traced back to 686 A.D., where it was installed in England's St. Paul's Monastery. The effect of the stained glass window has been refined into a sun catcher so it's considerably less expensive and more widely available. Even more refinement came about with the creation of colorful window appliques that adhere to the window to create similar sparkling results.
  
  

Types

• Stained glass sun catchers come in an array of styles. Animal shapes are popular and feature owls, cats, dogs, hummingbirds, horses and even rats. Flowers, suns, moons, stars and other pieces of nature are another common style. Fantastical images are also popular, including fairies, gnomes, unicorns and angels. Thematic ones include cactus, cowboy hats, horseshoes and other southwestern or other themes. In addition to singular objects, stained glass sun catchers can contain entire scenes.
  
  

Features

• Regardless of the style, certain features of the stained glass sun catcher are consistent. For the best effect, they are usually very colorful. Flat, colorful pieces of glass are cut into shapes and most often arranged in a wire frame. A small loop is installed at the top and other areas around the sun catcher to hang it securely. The hook is usually attached to the glass with a suction cup.
  
  

Size

• Stained glass sun catchers are usually several inches in length and width to provide enough surface area to catch the sun. Smaller sun catchers make for a great addition for forgotten-about smaller windows. Some are large enough to cover nearly an entire medium-sized window. Regardless of length and width, stained glass sun catchers are fairly thin. This allows them to hang as flat as possible against the glass and remain light enough to be hung securely.
  
  

Effects

• Sparkling dashes of color across a room's wall, floor or even ceiling is the stellar result of the stained glass sun catcher. Depending on the position of the sun at any given time of day, blocks, swirls and patches of color can adorn various parts of the home. The most dramatic effect will be produced by the larger sun catchers with the most vibrant colors, but smaller ones can be clustered together for a similar look.
  
  Stained glass sun catchers placed in windows are not effective at all on cloudy days, but they don't have to be contained to windows. Sun catchers can be placed on lamp shades and other light fixture coverings to send a burst of color through the room every time the fixture is lit. The best effects will come from lamp shades or coverings that are fairly transparent. Small ornament hooks can be used to attach the sun catchers to the top of shade or fixture.