Etched Glass Vase: Friday’s Project #9

I’m a little behind on a Mother’s Day gift post (don’t worry, Mom, your gift is in the mail!), but thought I would still post a Mother’s Day-inspired project for those of you who are also behind. (I’m not the only one, am I?)

An etched vase filled with real (or handmade paper) flowers is springy and pretty. I used a simple pattern that is a little funky and doesn’t require super precise cutting (always a bonus in my book). Etching a vase takes about 45 minutes and looks much more difficult than it is.

You will need:

• a clean, dry vase
• self-adhesive contact paper
• a pen
• a craft knife
• scissors
• a dry foam brush
• glass etching cream

1. Cut pieces of contact paper to fit the sides of your vase. Use a pen to mark the general rectangle shapes on the paper side of the contact paper.
2. Wash and dry your vase well, then wipe it down with rubbing alcohol. I skipped this step and have some smooth spots in my etching. It doesn’t bother me too much, but I may try to fix it later.
3. Remove the paper backing from the contact paper and place it on the glass. I only etched the wide sides of my vase. Make sure there are no bubbles in the contact paper and all edges and securely adhered. Apply pressure to the edges of the design a few times to ensure a good seal, otherwise your design won’t be crisp when you pull off the paper.
4. Following etching cream instructions, apply with a clean, dry sponge brush and let sit (about 10 minutes). Be careful not to get the cream on areas you don’t want etched.
5. Rinse off etching cream with warm water, peel off the contact paper, and check out the results.

The flowers in my picture above are flowers I’m actually making for my wedding…look for an upcoming tutorial. In the meantime, here are links to instructions for making paper flowers from some other sources:

• These crepe paper flowers from How About Orange (a great blog, too) are light and airy looking. You could add some floral wire and make a great bouquet with a dozen or so.
• Maddycakes Muse posted instructions for a larger pom-pom like flower made out of tissue paper. Three of these bigger flowers in varying shads of the same color would be beautiful.
• And, my favorite paper flower makers (and they’re local!), the folks at aNeMone, created a tutorial for the Spokesman for paper roses . They also have two shops in downtown Spokane if you’re in the buying mood. I love the precision and elegance of their flowers.

Happy Mother’s Day to al!