why glass etching is one of the best crafts invented

I love crafting, and i love the idea of personalized gifts. glass etching has always been one of my favorite crafts because its so easy yet the results are classy, pretty, cool and can be personalized in many ways. One of my favorite gifts to give is glass-wear with a person's initials - i think guys seem to like this gift maybe more than women - for a woman i might add flowers, bamboo or any number of pretty adornments.

the results are subtle yet really beautiful. I've also experimented with different colors of glass which also provide a neat effect - light blue in particular

To start you'll want to buy some glass etching cream..I've found Armour Etch to be the best leaving the nicest finish , but there are many brands out there that you can try - even leaving different finishes such as silver or gold glitter varieties from "Plaid" But I think simple is better and have found those to not leave as great an imprint as the Armour Etch.

Next you'll want to get a stencil, or other type of sticky design maker - masking tape works great for lines, hole punch protectors work great for polka dots, and there are all kinds of specially made stencils just for glass etching which are re-usable as opposed to a sticker which is only good for one use. For my project I used these alphabet stickers - using their outline as a stencil.


Next just place the stencil on the glass where you want your design - remember it is the hollow of the design that you'll want to etch or inside.

Then just take a brush and fill in the space left by the stencil - leave on for 10 minutes and remove the stencil - and voilà - you're left with a beautiful personalized gift.

These glasses are a present for a friend with the initials N.F. - let's hope he likes them.