Homemade Gift: Etched Glass

Sorry the picture isn't better. It's kind of hard to get a decent picture of it.

I did this for four presents last year. They were a big hit and now I love making Christmas gifts. They are frugal and so much more personal. I etched some casserole dishes for my parents, my husband's mom, his dad and step mom, and brother's family. I bought a four pack of dishes for around $30 at Walmart. The cream, I bought (Armour Etch) at Hobby Lobby. It is $20, so make sure you bring a 40% coupon. You can get them in the paper or you can sign up for their weekly ad and get them sent to your email. I had a hard time finding it in the store. If I remember correctly, it's by glass panels to make stain glass. So basically I got 4 gifts for $42 (that's with the 40% Hobby Lobby coupon. I'm sure you can find this at Michael's or other craft stores and I know Michael's has 40% coupons every once in a while). And I have a lot left over for other gifts. I also made a bank for my nephew for his birthday using a KraftyBlok I found at Hobby Lobby. It's kind of like those glass blocks or bricks that you find in bathrooms. That's the best way I can describe it. My friend that told me about this says that she etches her name on all her casserole dishes so when she makes a meal for someone or brings a dish to a potluck, she knows she will get her dish back!

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Here are the directions from the bottle:

1. Cover the glass or mirror with Contact brand vinyl. Next, trace your design through carbon paper onto the vinyl [or you can use stencils to trace in on]. Cut out the design with a hobby knife and peel off pieces of the vinyl to create a stencil. Where the vinyl is removed will become the etched design when you are finished.

2. Overlap the outside edges of the stencil with masking tape to protect he surrounding glass from the etching cream.

3. Apply a thick layer of Armour Etch Cream brushing up and down, then left and right to spread the cream over the entire stenciled area. Allow etching cream to remain on glass 5 minutes.

4. Wash off all traces of Armour Etch Cream with ordinary tap water. Remove the vinyl and thoroughly clean the glass using window cleaner.

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To make life easier you can use a Cricut, if you have one, and use that to cut out your vinyl. I was going to do that this year with my mom's but when we pulled it out, the cord was missing.

I've also monogrammed a vase. And at my sister's request, I'm etching glass bowls for my nephew for Christmas. (I found clear glass bowls at Walmart for a $1 each!) Another project I've thought of, but haven't done yet, is etching a mirror. Just glue a ribbon on the back with a bow to hang it. Perfect for a little girl.

This is permanent. Some people think that it is just a film that makes it look like etched glass, but it's not. It's really etched. When I'm washing away the cream, I can feel pieces of glass. So be careful!