Etched Glass Bottles

The possibilities for etched glass projects are ENDLESS! Here’s how you can make custom etched glass bottles.

There’s almost nothing I love more than making cute little custom gifts, so when deciding I was going to ask my brother to officiate my wedding, I couldn’t think of a better way to ask him than with an etched glass bottle of his favorite whiskey.

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Prep your Glass

Remove any existing labels from your bottle. I used a small metal palette knife under warm running water. The warm water softens the glue and makes it easier to scrape/peel off. I used Goo Gone to last of the glue that was still stuck, then rinsed with soap and water to make sure it was completely clean.

Design

Start with a simple design (the one I used had a bit too much small text). I make most of my designs in Adobe Illustrator and then import the SVG’s into Cricut Design Space. There are TONS of designs available in Cricut Design Space, and it’s pretty easy to make your own as well.

Side note: If you don’t have a Circut, get ready to jump down this rabbit hole. Brian got us one for Christmas a few years ago, after the many not-so-subtle hints I dropped regularly. I’d still have loved to have seen him in Joann trying to find ‘crickets.’ I’ve since taken over the bar in the basement as my crafting area. Drawers are full of vinyl. Shelves are full of blanks and card stock. It’s my happy place! There are all different materials you can cut, fabric included – I’ve made my puppies some adorable bandanas. I recently ordered the knife blade and some thin wood and leather to cut with it. Cricut occasionally has some awesome 40% of sales on their website if you keep an eye on it. That’s how I ended up with my light pad too. #bargainhunter

this is the Circut Maker I use

Cut the Stencil Vinyl

I used Circut Stencil Vinyl for this project. It’s sticky without being too sticky and perfect for this application. I didn’t have a lightweight transfer tape, so I used Glad Press’n Seal and it worked perfectly.

Pro tip: lay your bottle next to a lint roller to keep it in place.

Be sure to clean and prep your glass before applying your vinyl or Armor Etch cream. A little alcohol wipe does that job! Yup – like those little things you get after eating hot wings.

Once your vinyl is cut and weeded, you’ll apply the transfer tape (Press’n Seal) over the top and remove the vinyl backing. Carefully place the stencil vinyl onto your bottle. Once I had it down, I wasn’t going to be able to pull it up and try to replace it.

Using the small scraper tool, make sure your vinyl is sealed tightly around all of the edges. If you have any air bubbles, wrinkles or gaps, you’ll notice them when you’re finished. It’s not the end of the world! These few little imperfections add to that ‘hand crafted just for you’ feeling. #addscharacter

Apply Vinyl & Armour Etch

Shake up that bottle of Armour Etch for a good 30 seconds before opening it. Apply using a small paintbrush to the negative area of your design to be etched. I’ve found the best practice to get the most even results is to move the cream around while it’s working its magic.

Apply Armour Etch. Rest 90 seconds. Move it around. Rest another 90 seconds. Move it around. Rest for a final 90 seconds.

Rinse under water and peel off stencil vinyl. You’ll be able to see your design clearly when it’s dry.

Gift it!

I packaged this lovely personalized gift and gave it to my brother as his ‘official invitation’ to the wedding. “With the power vested in you by the internet, will you officiate our wedding?”

He said, “yes!” Actually I think he said, “That’s awesome! Let’s do this” but that’s kind of the same thing AND he totally loved the special bottle.