Article Photo

Paws-itively practical: How to make your own playful glasses holder

29 May 2025

If you’re sick of having no place to put your glasses, or maybe they keep getting scratched in that key and trinket tray on the kitchen bench, then this DIY glasses holder project is the perfect solution! These cat and dog designs are also very fun. Head to your local ReseneColorShop to pick out your favourite testpotand stain colours and get decorating!  

You will need: 

  • A small length of untreated pine board, about 20cm long x 23cm wide x 18mm thick 

  • Jig saw or band saw 

  • Sandpaper 

  • ReseneColorwood Dark Ebony wood stain 

  • Paintbrush 

  • Wood glue 

  • ReseneAquaclear satin 

Step 1: Draw a simple cat outline on to your piece of wood. Fleur’s is 17cm tall to the top of the ears and 11.5cm wide. Draw a nose shape and a bracket for the back. The end of the bracket that is glued to the back of the cat needs to be cut at an angle so that the cat leans back slightly, about 10 degrees. Fleur’s bracket is 8.5cm tall and 11cm long. Cut these shapes out with a jig saw or band saw and then sand any rough edges smooth, wiping off any excess dust. Cut a 2.5cm length from a 22mm diameter dowel. Stain or paint these four pieces in your chosen colour. Fleur used ReseneColorwood Dark Ebony wood stain.  

Step 2: Use wood glue to glue all the pieces together.  

Step 3: Paint on the details of your cat’s features in your chosen Resene paint colours. Fleur used Resene Black and Resene Rice Cake for the eyes, Resene Rice Cake for the ears and whiskers, and Resene Glamour Puss for the nose. She also added a touch more Resene Rice Cake for some of the cat’s fur.   

Step 4: Finish by painting on two coats of ReseneAquaclear satin over the top to protect your wonderful design.This will also make it easier to wipe clean. 

If you’d like to try the dog glasses holder instead, as in the above image, Fleur stained this one with ReseneColorwood Bask, and painted the eyes, nose and whiskers in Resene Black and ears and fur in Resene Rice Cake. 

Top tip: If you’d like to add a little texture to your glasses holder, apply one Resene colour, then Resene FX Crackle, then a second colour.  TheResene FX Crackle will crack the topcoat so you can see some of the basecoat colour. 

Wall painted in Resene Element. 

project and images Fleur Thorpe 

Published: 29 May 2025