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As crafters, let’s all agree on this one simple truth: it’s NEVER too early to start holiday crafting… amiright?!
So, let’s kick things off with this fun and festive etched wine glass using Cricut removable vinyl as a stencil.
Not ready to start holiday crafting just yet? Don’t worry, you can use this technique for projects all year around! So, settle in, pour yourself a glass of wine, and let’s learn to etch glass, sis!
Here’s what you’ll need:
Step 1: Cut & Weed Your Design
Start by cutting your design with your Cricut machine just as you would for any other project.
I am using a hand-drawn image that I created especially for my Patrons in this project. You can get access to this cut file and 200+ more by becoming a Patron. Click here for all the details!
Because we’re making a stencil with our design, you’re going to want to weed away the parts of your image that you’d normally keep, giving you a negative effect. Take extra care to leave all of the inside parts of the letters in place.
Step 2: Prep Your Glass
Now it’s time to prepare your project surface for etching.
I like to spray the entire surface with alcohol to remove any oil or residue, giving my vinyl a clean surface to stick to.
Pro Tip: When working with anything unstable – like a glass, tumbler, or mug – I always place it on a towel to help keep it steady and make sure it doesn’t roll away from me while I’m working.
Step 3: Transfer
Next, apply the transfer tape to your weeded stencil and transfer the entire image to the glass.
Pro Tip: When cutting the vinyl away from the larger sheet or roll, leave a bit of extra room on all sides. This ensures you won’t accidently get any etching cream outside of the area you’re stenciling, even if you get a little messy with the application. You want the edges of the stencil to be completely sealed so that no etching cream is able to seep under the edges.
Once you’ve placed the stencil on the glass, remove your transfer tape and make sure you don’t have any wrinkles or bubbles in the vinyl, especially around the letters.
Step 4: Apply Etching Cream
Now we’re ready to apply the glass etching cream – for this project I am using Armour Etch.
Use a paint brush or sponge to gently apply the cream over the entire design.
Pro Tip: With etching cream, more is better than less, so I like to apply it super thick! This ensures we get a nice, even result. Just be sure to keep all of the cream inside of your vinyl stencil.
The instructions on the etching cream say to leave it on for one to two minutes but I’ve found that I get a better result when I leave it on a bit longer, so I allow the cream to set for a full 15 minutes before removing.
Step 5: Remove Etching Cream & Stencil
When you’re ready to remove the etching cream, simply run your cup under running water until all of the cream has been removed (etching cream can be irritating to your skin so be sure to wear gloves for this step!).
Dab away any excess water with a towel and gently peel away your vinyl stencil.
You may need to use your weeding tool to remove some of the smaller pieces of the stencil.
Lastly, give your finished cup a thorough hand washing. The results are permanent! And that’s it, you’re done.
So, what are you going to etch first? The possibilities are literally endless! I’d love for you to leave me a comment down below and let me know what etching projects you’ve got on your crafting to-do list!
And as always, if you enjoyed this tutorial, head over to YouTube to see all my projects in action! And while you’re there be sure to subscribe to my channel for lots of crafting tips, tricks and more tutorials just like this one.
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