Cricut Craft 2: Glass Etching

I once went with a friend to this antique shop and in the back of the shop this woman personalized glass coffee mugs in under 30 minutes. The first thing I thought was impossible, she'd have to have more time to do some of the designs she was advertising. Well friends I'm here to tell you, it can be done!

I was meandering around Hobby Lobby one day between classes and clinic and let me tell you, you can find beautiful treasures when you have time to look and talk to the employees, who are fabulous by the way. One of the many treasures I found was Armour Etch, it's glass etching cream (yes, way!). It is a small bottle that was about $8 but I used a 40% off coupon (you can pull up on your phone at the register) so it was cheaper. This puppy was the star of my Christmas craft making, nine gifts and I even have some left over. 

Now on to crafting.

You will need:

Armour Etch (I've only used this bottle so I'd recommend this bad boy)

Glassware of your choice (I've used glass from the Dollar Tree, clear and tinted, and Pyrex cookware)

A sponge brush or paint brush

Vinyl to use as your stencil

Cricut and cartridge of choice

1.  Wash and dry your glass. Make sure it is fully dry before applying your vinyl and cream

2. Using your Cricut, find and cut your image. I used the Team Spirit cartridge for the Hog, 50 States, and Plantin School book on the soup glasses and the baking dish. 

When applying your vinyl, it doesn't matter if there are bubbles as long as all the edges and anything that's going to be covered in the Armour Etch is adhered completely to the glass surface. Do not worry about the vinyl coming off afterward. If you use vinyl, it will come off cleanly and very easily but it is only a one time use.

3. Apply cream liberally to the glass surface making sure to keep within the confines of the vinyl. Once your surface is covered, let sit for 10-30 minutes. It's up to you really. I experimented with the times and they all seemed to have the same results. I left it on a little longer for my piece of mind.  

4. Rinse off. Under the facet, using the paint sponge wash off the cream. 

5. Peel off the vinyl, dry, and admire your handy work. 

Yes folks, that easy. I was surprised at how easy it was and so made several custom gifts for my in-laws for  Christmas. My husband got in on the action and etched his Dad a set of black tinted glasses with a piston on each for his shop. My husband designed and hand cut the pistons on his own. So there is no cartridge he cut from. Amazing, that man is.

As you can see the Razorback head is very popular the whole family (and state) loves the Hogs. For the baking dish, I inverted the design and etched it on the back of the dish. It is not on the inside of the dish.

I hope your creative juices are now flowing, happy crafting and DFTBA!

Updated: 28 May 2014 

I was asked a few times on Pintrest and Twitter, how you to the Razorback image because some of the mascots on the Team Spirit cartridge are layered. There is a vinyl option on the cartridge. I whipped out my machine and went through the steps both on the machine itself and through the Craft Room. Here you go:

 On page 59 of the cartridge manual there is an option for vinyl, it's "shift" then the "lockers" image on the image pad. I used that option to cut the image. On the Cricut Craft Room there is a tab that says vinyl. if you click in that then click on the "show shift/lock images it will pop up in the place where the lockers image was. I hope that helps.

Jade

DFTBA

DIY: Angry Birds Game

For the last year, maybe even longer the Angry Birds apps have been on every ipod, ipad, and iphone my family owns. I wanted to find a way for my kids to play the game without having to spend too much on the table top versions. With that I started racking my brain for ways to bring Angry Birds to life. I pondered for days, even took to walking around with Gavin's small stuffed red bird (not sure if they have names). I started planning for his birthday party and it hit me, Angry Birds Bowling! Then, I had a face palm moment when I realized that I could have just hopped on Pintrest to begin with because when I typed Angry Birds in the search box, I quickly saw that my great idea was already done.

You will need:

• Cans (any size you want)
• Dark green spray paint ( I used Valspar Paint + Primer in satin Tropical Foliage it was a little over $3
• Acryllic paint in white, red, and citrus
• Black sharpie
• Ball of choice 

So, I got to work. I gathered several soup cans from under my kitchen sink (yes, I keep anything I can upcycle), pulled out my acrylic paint and after class swung by Home Depot and picked up some spray paint and got to work. On a nice day outside this doesn't take very long. I did this in two and a half hours including, set up and clean up.

After spraying the cans and letting then dry long enough to go inside get a drink of water and grab my "paint sheet," and get all my paints, I was ready to start. Now, I free handed the faces (using the citrus paint) but I'm sure you can find a template online if you want to use one. 

I let those dry for a few minutes while I organized my other colors. I painted on the faces with the white and red and then used the sharpie to outline in black. I tried using black acrylic paint but my hand is just not steady enough to do something that tedious the Sharpie was much faster, and easier. The best part? They were completely dry by the time cleanup was done!

 Super easy, fun craft that kids can do with minimal adult hands.
Happy Crafting!
Jade