Give an old salad dressing jar a frosty facelift for the holidays with a few dabs of etching cream. Well, actually, you’ll need more than a few dabs, but it’s still a great way to dress up recycled food jars in festive style.
Glass etching cream is available at most craft stores, sold by the jar or in starter kits that contain everything needed to finish several projects. But be prepared for sticker shock. You won’t pop into the store with a $10 bill and walk out with change. The kits cost about $25; the individual bottles, about $20.
That said, to give glass etching a whirl, you’ll need the cream or kit, a jar or other piece of clear glassware, latex gloves, safety glasses, a sponge brush, masking tape and stencils of some kind (optional).
For our samples, we decided to decorate some empty salad dressing jars and a small fishbowl. The jars we filled with holiday treats; the fishbowl became a candle holder.
We used the masking tape method for three of our treat jars, and applied random splotches of etching cream to the fishbowl and one of the jars for a more free-spirited look. We didn’t use stencils for our samples, as we wanted all-over patterns covering larger areas, but we did try out a few stencils on a piece of test glass and they worked well.
The process
(Refer to photos 1-3)
1. Rub-on stencils are available at most craft stores and are included in some kits. Apply stencils according to package instructions, then cover the stenciled area with a thick layer of etching cream. Take care not to get the cream on any part of the glass that you don’t want frosted.
2. Rinse the cream off with lukewarm water. Note that one fish on our test glass is a mess because we were careless when applying the stencil and it tore. Also note that we got cream on the outside of the stenciled area (for demonstration purposes) so there are random frosted spots on the glass.
3. Apply masking tape to clean glass for bolder all-over patterns. You might also want to experiment with decorative paper punches to make patterns in the tape. Apply the etching cream to the taped glass, let set, rinse and remove tape.
Dos and don’ts
We often skip over some instructions when trying out a new project — and often to our detriment (it’s a patience thing). If you are similarly inclined, at least be sure to read the first two DOs, for safety’s sake.
DO wear latex gloves when applying the etching cream. The chemicals are caustic and can cause skin irritations or burns.
DO wear safety glasses when applying the etching cream. If the chemicals are bad for your skin, imagine what they can do to your eyes.
DO follow package directions for cleaning the glass to be etched, applying the cream, setting time (usually only 1 minute or so), rinsing and drying.
DO apply a thick layer of cream with a sponge brush. If you skimp on the cream or use a stiff-bristled brush, you’ll have streaky, uneven frosting.
DON’T be surprised if some glass does not accept the etching cream. Advance testing is a good idea if possible. We tried to use the cream on some colored bottles and it didn’t take at all. Make sure your glass is clean, dry and untreated (as with color).
DON’T leave glass unprotected if you are using a small stencil. Protect a large area of the glass surrounding the stencil with masking tape. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to get droplets of cream where you don’t want them.
Note: While we recommend using a sponge brush for best coverage, we did use a round, bristled stenciling brush for the random strokes on our fishbowl and one jar.
Contact Jonetta Coffin at jrocoffin@aol.com
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