"While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about." Angela Schwindt

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Glass Etching

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 The picture above is a 13x9 Pyrex pan that I etched my Mom's last name in and also a pretty bird.  I did tons of glass etching for Christmas.  It is my latest crafty addiction!  My Silhouette SD and adhesive vinyl make it super easy!  I etched 20 regular glasses,  12 wine glasses, 1 13x9 Pyrex dish, and 6 plates before Christmas, and all were gifts!  I wish I had pics of how the wine glasses turned out but I could never get a good pic of them! 

Are you wondering what glass etching is?  Your basically applying a cream to the glass to give it a frosted look in a specific area.  How do I do it? 

First I create a stencil using my favorite machine, the Silhouette SD.  It is an 9 inch electronic cutting machine very similar to the Cricut except no cartridges to buy.  You can use any image on your computer.  The machine come with software to design your project in.  They now make a 12 inch machine called The Cameo which is awesome!  

After I am happy with my stencil design I have my Silhouette cut it out on a roll of adhesive vinyl.  I use colors I have no other plans for since I am just using it as a stencil.  Hobby Lobby 40% off coupons help me to not feel guilty about wasting any vinyl too! 
After you have your stencil all cut out remove it carefully from the backing and apply it to your glass.  The picture below is the snowflake glasses that I made for my sister.  Applying whole glass stencils like this one take a little time.  You want to make sure the stencil lays flat and there are no air bubbles for the etching cream to bleed into.  Once you have all your air bubble taken care of you apply the etching cream using a foam brush.  You need to apply a thick enough coat that your design basically disappears.  I used Etch All that I purchased at Hobby Lobby with a coupon. 
 Before you start your project make sure you have some gloves around the house.  You don't want to get the cream on your skin anywhere!  After the cream is applied I let it sit for 15 minutes.  When doing Pyrex you have to let it sit longer (25-30 minutes).  When your time is up put your gloves back on and take your foam brush and carefully scrape off any excess cream and put it back in the bottle.  Save as much as you can!  This stuff is pretty pricey!  Then take your project to the sink and rinse the rest of the cream.  You can then remove your stencil and admire your work!  Make sure to wash your project with soap and water when finished!

Here are a few more of the gifts I made this Christmas:

All my neighbors got their cookies on these this year.  Dollar Store plates made pretty by me!  

Matt's Grandma (and the rest of us) is a huge Cubs fan and also hard to buy for.  Finally decided to create these.  I was really happy with how they turned out! 

I have not etched since Christmas but I do have a few designs in the works!  I will take some better pics of the whole process when I get to doing some of those projects!

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