Craft Junkie Too Design Team: Glass Etching with Alcohol Inks

Hey everyone!  This week for the CJToo Design Team, our task was to create a Christmas project of our choice.  I've been Christmas decorating like crazy for the past few weeks, and I really wanted to make some pretty glass vases for the mantle.  I wanted to try glass etching for the first time, and I also wanted to play with my new Alcohol Inks for the first time, so I combined them both!

Recipe:

• Glass Vases (I got mine from Dollar Tree)
• Glass Etching Cream
• Cricut Winter Lace Seasonal Cartridge
• White Contact Paper (or vinyl)
• Transfer Tap
• Foam Brush
• Ranger Alcohol Inks in the following colors:
• Aqua
• Sailboat Blue
• Stonewashed
• Silver Metallic Mixative
• Ink Applicator

These were a little time consuming, but totally worth it.  I have a video walking you through each step, but basically you need to cut a stencil with your Cricut.  I used contact paper because vinyl is EXPENSIVE and I didn't feel like buying some just for a stencil.  I used the Winter Lace cartridge for my snowflake, but any ol' flake will do.  Just make sure that it isn't too detailed or fragile.

Lay the stencils on your glass and then apply your cream.  Has anyone else freaked out while looking at the price of glass etching cream?  HOLY COW!  Luckily I bought mine when I had a 50% coupon, but STILL.  That tiny bottle was EXPENSIVE!  The nice thing is that it doesn't take a lot to cover the stencil, and you can scrape it back in the bottle before washing, which is good, because at that price that bottle had better last me FOREVER!

After the etching it done, you put the INSIDE of the stencil (the part you usually throw away) on top of your etched image, making sure everything you want to see is covered, because the alcohol ink covers up EVERYTHING.  Including mistakes, which my first vase had a TON of.  I put on way too much etching cream on my first try and it ran EVERYWHERE, but luckily after inking you couldn't even see it.  Then, the fun part, the alcohol ink!

I want this stuff in every color.  It blends great and there really is no wrong way to apply it.  Don't like it?  Go back over it!  It's so great.

They turned out so pretty and unique looking.hard to believe they started as $1 vases!

Here's the video walking you through it:



Have a great day everyone!