How to Etch and Color Glass

Learn how easy it is to etch and color glass with etchall etching creme.

with etchall

final colored jar

This is such a cute and playfully colored jar that is very practical to use. I placed tissues inside so you can see the different colors applied to the etched flowers. This project is very easy to do with minimal tools needed. I used a paper punch to create the flower shapes and etchall etching creme for etching.

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materials

I started with the glass jar and decided on a design. Then, I used hand sanitizer to clean the surface of the jar because my bottle of rubbing alcohol was empty. So, in a pinch, hand sanitizer works to clean your glass. A paper punch easily creates flower shapes from the vinyl and gets applied around the entire jar. After the etching process was finished, the flowers were colored.

jar with vinyl

This photo shows the jar covered in vinyl flowers and etchall creme. It only takes 15 minutes for the etching process to work.

etched jar

The jar pictured above is shown after being etched and cleaned. The design is really sweet and I could be satisfied with the project right now but my original idea was to add color.

The video tutorial below will walk you through the entire process. If you have never tried etching glass, I think the video would be a great way for you to better understand the entire process.

Video Tutorial:

jar with blue

Here is the finished jar in metallic blue. I used metallic wax paste in the color Bora Bora by Zuri. The flowers remind me of clouds in this version.

close up

I actually removed the variety of colors and switched to a buffing wax. In the close-up image, you can see the metallic quality of the wax. While the color in the photos shows up well, in person I was a bit frustrated by what appeared to me to be light and not as dramatic as I wanted.

I was probably just too close to the project and should have left well enough alone. The multi-colored version seems more whimsical to me while the metallic cloud version seems more sophisticated. Let me know which version you like best in the comments below.

How to Glass Etch a Lucky Shamrock Mug

St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner so you might want to make this Lucky Shamrock Mug now to get ready. Why is it lucky? Because there is one four-leaf shamrock among all the three-leaf ones. So just like in nature, there is luck in finding it! Can you spot it? And of course, the design is on a beer mug. Don’t you drink green beer on St. Patrick’s Day?

I want to thank Cricut and Etchall for providing materials used in this post.
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Materials:

Directions:

Download the free SVG file and size it to your mug. If using the mug from the Dollar Tree, I found 10″ wide for the design to work well. I didn’t use one of the shamrocks. Make sure to clean the surface of the mug with rubbing alcohol.

Cut the vinyl on your cutting machine. 

Weed away the design and keep the strip of vinyl

Wrap it around the mug in your desired location.
I liked the top rim of the mug for my design. I found wrapping around the mug to be a bit more difficult to get straight than I anticipated.
Remove any air bubbles and rub the vinyl down really well.

Cover the design with Etchall cream using your paintbrush and allow it to sit for 15 minutes.

Remove any excess cream and put it back in the jar. Then wash the mug in warm water, you can also use soap.

Remove the vinyl and discard it. Now the mug is ready to use and enjoy!