Etched Oregon Swing Top Bottle - May Silhouette Challenge

Create an etched glass bottle for homemade strawberry lemonade, a great hostess gift for Summer.

One of my favorite parts of Spring is the coming of the local strawberries! Sweet and juicy berries are already dotting the strawberry fields here in Oregon and pretty soon the hot afternoons will start to smell like fresh strawberry jam.

This time of year, I love to create a simple and fresh strawberry lemonade.

I thought it was about time to profess my love of both my state and strawberries by etching a state outline into a Swing Top Bottle of my homemade lemonade just perfect for sharing with a good friend. Start with a sweet little swing top bottle.

I found this one at Michael's

Then it is time to break out the Silhouette, etching cream and other simple supplies. Do you remember my "Hello Sunshine" etched glass mug tutorial last Spring? This is a similar project and just as much fun.

Don't forget to grab a pair of protective gloves, the etching cream is caustic stuff.

Create a stencil in the Silhouette Design Studio. For this project I searched for an outline of my state and then uploaded the image into my program and used the trace function to create my own design. With a heart added in the middle, I was ready to go.

Take care when transferring your stencil. If it is not a single object and requires alignment, be sure to use transfer paper.

Then I put in a little extra time smoothing down the corners. I ended up with a little bleed under the edges, but I liked the rustic look of how it turned out.

Then comes etching time! I dabbed on some etching cream and then scraped off the excess. After just 30 seconds it was time to wash off the cream before removing the stencil. It is always fun to see exactly how it turns out.

It is subtle, but noticeable. I really like how it turned out. Now, I am ready to share my favorite way to cool off this time of year.

Now that you know how easy it is to etch glass, what would you like to make?

Want to Check Out More Silhouette Projects?

My Silhouette Challenge buddies and I are all sharing projects on our blogs today, so peruse the projects below for a wealth of Silhouette inspiration!


1. Weekend Craft // 2. Where The Smiles Have Been // 3. Confessions of an Overworked Mom // 4. Simply Kelly Designs // 5. Adventures in All Things Food // 6. Sisters, What! // 7. Create & Babble // 8. Creative Ramblings // 9. Practically Functional // 10. Briick by Briick // 11. My Paper Craze // 12. DIYJustCuz // 13. Made in a Day // 14. The Thinking Closet // 15. Architecture of a Mom // 16. Get Silvered

Etching for Spring - Mug Personalization for the April Silhouette Challenge

Please don't bother me before my cup of coffee. With Spring here the days are starting out even earlier. Hello, Spring, hello caffeine. As the sun pours into my bedroom, I face the day by shuffling downstairs to the magnetic pull of my Keurig.

So it is only natural that this month I wanted to dress up my favorite mug. Yes, this simple glass mug not only holds an ample reservoir of caffeine to help me face the day and  three demanding children, but the clean, simplicity makes me smile. I have been wanting to try out the Silhouette stencil vinyl and learn how to use etching cream. This was the perfect chance.

Okay, this is what I used for my etching project:

• Silhouette, or die cut machine
• stencil vinyl - I  used the Silhouette stencil material that comes on a roll
• transfer tape
• etching cream
• hook tool - for weeding the stencil 
• scraper tool - to make sure the stencil vinyl doesn't have any bumps or bubbles
• rubber gloves
• an object to etch

I poked around the Silhouette site looking for an image that I wanted on my mug. I finally settled on a "Hello Sunshine" phrase. I just deleted the points in the "o" and replaced them with a cute flower.

After selecting the Silhouette stencil vinyl cut setting on my machine, I cut the stencil material and then used my hook tool to weed out the sections I wanted to etch.

The transfer tape was backed on brown paper. I lifted up an edge to apply the adhesive surface over my stencil. I cut the transfer tape to just cover my stencil.

With the scraper tool I made sure the transfer tape picked up every peice of my stencil. Then I peeled it off the stencil backing and placed it onto my mug.

Starting at the middle, I used my fingers to smooth the stencil outward. I tried to flatten all the edges around the letters onto the mug. Then I went over it again with the scraper. Any peices sticking up, or bubbles will allow the etching cream to get underneath the stencil. I wanted nice clean edges to my letters so I spent a little extra time making sure it was smoothed out.

See the bubbles in the right-hand corner? I worked those out with my fingers since the mug is rounded.

Then I removed the transfer tape and got my etching cream all ready to use.

Etching cream can settle as it sits. Give it a good shake before opening, and then I suggest giving it a good stir before using. I keep old popsicle sticks on hand just for projects like this one. Grab those protective gloves (because who wants to etch their skin, right?) and give it a good stir.

I applied my etching cream to the glass with Q-tips. I tried to keep the cream even and thick enough. With the scraper tool I wiped away the excess.

After 30 seconds, I wiped the cream clean and then washed the surface to remove any remaining cream.

I had a little moment of terror while washing my mug because it looked like my etching had washed off. *Gasp* Okay, it isn't as dark as frosted glass, etching is much more subtle. Once dried my "Hello Sunshine" showed right back up.

Overall I had a lot of fun. It is much faster than I would have imagined to complete an etching project. Now I just have to decide what I am going to etch next.

Okay, now I am finally ready to start my day. What do you think?

Want to Check Out More Silhouette Projects?

My Silhouette Challenge buddies and I are all sharing projects on our blogs today, so peruse the projects below for a wealth of Silhouette inspiration!

 
1. Dream a Little Bigger // 2. So Much Better With Age // 3. Adventures in All Things Food // 4. Creative Carnival // 5. The Kim Six Fix // 6. feto soap // 7. One Dog Woof // 8. The Experimental Home // 9. From Wine to Whine // 10. Architecture of a Mom // 11. Grey Luster Girl // 12. Minted Strawberry // 13. Designed Decor // 14. Tried & True // 15. Silhouette School // 16. Bringing Creativity 2 Life // 17. Weekend Craft // 18. Practically Functional // 19. Please Excuse My Craftermath... // 20. McCall Manor // 21. unOriginal Mom // 22. Creative Ramblings // 23. A Tossed Salad Life // 24. A Glimpse Into Barb's Life // 25. Kate's Paper Creations // 26. Simply Kelly Designs // 27. Cutesy Crafts // 28. Persia Lou // 29. Whats Next Ma // 30. Two Purple Couches // 31. The Frill of Life // 32. Nearly Handmade // 33. Get Silvered // 34. Ginger Snap Crafts // 35. Life After Laundry // 36. The Sensory Emporium // 37. Monograms & Cake // 38. The Thinking Closet // 39. My Paper Craze // 40. Chicken Scratch NY