As I mentioned here, one of the first DIY projects I undertook was creating a special etched glass to gift to my sister. As a back story, she completely loves a glass my father got as a wedding favor many years ago. She has claimed this glass as her own, even though it is etched with my father’s name. I wanted to give her something of her own that would be similar to this treasured vessel of Kahlua Sombreros.
Supplies:
Armor Etch Glass Etching Starter Kit
(Amazon.com)
Obviously, you do not need the kit, just the glass etching cream but since I didn’t need a lot this was cheaper for me than buying the 10oz. glass etching cream.
Lolita Stemless Wine Glass, Pointelle
(Amazon.com)
Again, use any glass you would like. I liked this because it was reminiscent of the “special Kahlua glass” and I liked the painted dots better than the other options for my sister. I also wanted to find a “fun” glass that had plenty of room for etching and this fit the bill.
I also used some silver vinyl to cut with the cricut (similar found here), but you could use contact paper or even painters tape if you were just stenciling some letters. You obviously do not have to use the Cricut for this either.
Process:
I followed this tutorial pretty closely.
Once I selected the font, it was really a pretty simple project. I just cut the vinyl with the Cricut. It’s important to just cut through the vinyl, no need to go all the way through the backing as well. I didn’t have transfer tape and that probably would have helped with getting the letters transferred over to the glass better, but it worked fine just putting in the triangle for the “A”.
I just applied the vinyl stencil to the glass, being very carefull to avoid any air bubbles near the letters I was going to etch.
As you can see, there were some wrinkles and bubbles on the glass, but as long as the letters are securely on the glass it doesn’t matter so much. The masking tape is covering an earlier failed attempt at cutting out the letters- hence the note about not having to cut all the way through the backing. Lesson learned.
Then you just cover the letters in a THICK layer of etching cream. Don’t skimp on the etching solution, even though it is costly. You want a decent amount of coverage.
I let it sit for about 3 minutes. In my experience, it depends on the type of glass how long you should let it sit for. The instructions I had said 1 minute, but that didn’t work in my “trial run” so I upped the time and 3 seemed to work well for me.
Then you are going to rinse ALL of the etching cream off. Make sure to get it all off and be careful to avoid touching the cream because it will burn your skin if you aren’t careful. I probably should have worn gloves but I’m just a risk taker and did it without. Oooh, such a rebel.
The finished product.
I like how quick and easy this was but that it makes a big impact and really personalizes it. I may be breaking out more glass etching for gifts for people in the future.
Did you try any new DIY projects that you found amazingly simple? Have you etched anything and, if so, how did it turn out?
