Glass Etching - Very Simple Project with Amazing Results

I have to admit this is the first time I have ever etched glass...and I am officially addicted. Have you ever used this stuff?!? It is a little pricey for the etching cream but with a 40% off coupon at Michaels, I could justify it. Thankfully my husband was with me and he convinced me to buy the bigger bottle instead of the itty bitty one that would only do a couple of projects.

I bought a vase at Ikea ($6) along with some rocks and bamboo. I will share the rock and bamboo project with you soon. I share this only so you know why I spent full price on a vase when I could have got one at a thrift store for next to nothing.

I cut out a 3x3inch piece of vinyl  with my Cricut (you could easily used contact paper for this too but I had a scrap vinyl that size) using the K monogram SVG files from My Vinyl Designer (K monogram I used ). I have used these monograms for so many project and they have worked great every time.

If you don't have a Cricut or Silhouette, you can still do this. You can:

• design and cut an image out, by hand, using painters tape or contact paper
• use hot glue to make a design and etch around it
• use sticker letters or dots
• use stencils adhered with spray adhesive

I wanted a reverse image etched so I removed only the vinyl that I wanted to become etched glass. If you look at the image, the black will not be etched.

Using painters tape, I removed the vinyl image from the backing.

After measuring over and over again, I finally place the vinyl on the glass and removed the painters tape. I should have given a little extra room on the top of the image in case the etching cream creeps over the edges..but I didn't. So I added one row of painters tape. Be sure to remove all bubbles around the edges of the vinyl. If there are any bubbles, the etching cream will seep under the vinyl and you will not get a crisp line.

For some mysterious reason, the etching cream sold here in Canada is full of warnings and lovely danger symbols...but contains absolutely no instructions on how to use this wonderful product! I guess warnings are more important than telling someone how to use it :) As a result of not knowing how to use it, I watched a few (dozen) videos on this product and there seemed to be a lot of different ideas as to how it should be applied, how much, and how long it should stay on.

So armed with all the knowledge I could find on YouTube, I applied the Armour Etch cream with a foam brush. It seemed the people who applied it sparingly did not get a great result, so I applied A LOT of etching cream. Trust me, do this.

Then the next debate was how long to leave it on. There were four different times that people said to leave it for: 1 minute, 5 minutes, 15 minutes or 20 minutes. I decided on the 15 minutes and it worked great!

I wiped the large amounts off with paper towels and then rinsed the excess off with lots of water in my laundry sink.

I then removed the vinyl and squealed with joy at how it was looking.

Amazing! It is a little hard to see in the photos but it looks fantastic.

Just imagine what can be etched. I can etch coasters, glass plates (with cookies on them), vases, apothecary jars, mirrors, clear mugs...oh the possibilities are endless.Think about the gift ideas! My family might be getting these along with the Marble tiles.

Have you ever used this stuff? If not, run out to Michael's or Joanne's (with a coupon in hand) and grab some. You will not be disappointed.

Happy Etching,

Stephanie

Here is what I am planning already:

• Glass plates etched with homemade cookies on them
• My friend's company logo on clear mugs and coasters
• Apothecary jars with my initials on them 
• Beer steins for my brother and husband