Glass Etching

It is actually sooooo simple to do, and the results can be stunning. The only drawback of glass etching that I can see is the cost of the etching cream. It is EXPENSIVE! Oh man! A small 10 oz bottle of it was $34.99 at Michaels. Of course you should use a 40% off coupon and save yourself $14.00 to help ease the cost. I also purchased my mirrors at Michaels, for quite resonable prices.

Seriously I got a little carried away once I discovered how easy it was! I started with this small coaster set. Here's how:

Supplies:

piece of glass or mirror

plastic or paper stencil

etching cream

repositionable spray adhesive

flat bristle paintbrush

1. Clean your glass with Windex first, wipe until dry.

2. Spray the back of your stencil with the repositionable adhesive. ( I laid down scrap paper underneath to catch any overspray from the can.)

3. Position the stencil on your glass. Don't worry if you place it crooked or wrong, just peel it back up and position again.

4. Rub the stencil firmly to ensure complete contact with the glass, especially on any small pieces in the design.

5. Using the paintbrush, apply a thick layer of etching cream onto your stencil making sure to completely cover all open areas of the stencil. *Also be careful not to brush any extra cream in unwanted areas!!

6. Let cream stand for 5 minutes. ( I have found that adding additional time is not neccessary and doesn't improve the darkness of the etching very much, but it doesn't hurt if you accidentally leave it on too long.)

7. Wash cream completely off under running water. Dry, and clean with Windex again.

That's it! Just think about all the possibilities with all the stencils out there!

Glass Etching on votive holders is a little more difficult but worth the trouble for the beautiful outcome. When you think of all the glass items in your house that could be spruced up with some decorative etching I hope you'll be as excited as I am!