How to Make a Glass Etched Ornament
Here’s another fun project for my 12 Days of Cricut Christmas Crafting. For Day 10, this is how to make a glass etched ornament.
I’ve done a number of etching projects, including stemless wine glasses and most recently, etching bakeware. Now for something similar – a Christmas Tree ornament.
I got some really nice, flat glass ornaments online. You can get them from a variety of other online sources, as well as craft stores. A flat surface is much easier to etch, which is why I’m not using bulb ornaments. It’s not impossible, but I just find the bulb ornaments more delicate as they are thinner glass.
Just like when I etched the bakeware, I’m using the Etchall Etching Cream provided by the good folks of Etchall.
Supplies Needed
- glass ornament
- stencil – I used some Oracal vinyl and my Cricut Maker to make my stencil. Because I wanted the etching to be on the underside of the ornament, I mirrored my image.
- Etchall etching cream
- transfer tape
What’s great about this project is that it’s small and relatively easy to do. The results are beautiful.
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How to Glass Etch an Ornament
- prepare your glass ornament – make sure it is clean and free from fingerprints. Wipe with rubbing alcohol if necessary. Make sure it is completely dry
- apply your stencil. As mentioned, I wanted it on the underside and so my graphic is mirrored.
TIP: I cut my stencil larger than the ornament and so all surfaces are covered – this way I don’t have to worry about etching cream getting in an area that shouldn’t be etched
See how the vinyl is cut larger than the ornament.
Your graphic will be reversed/backwards.
- apply your etching cream – remember you can use a fair amount. Make sure you have good coverage
- wait the allotted 15 minutes
- scrape off the excess etching cream and put it back in the bottle. I love how it is reusable
- rinse off with water
- remove the stencil
The stencilling process is pretty much the same whether you are doing a glass, bakeware or an ornament. This smaller project is easier to manage and you can do some really lovely things.
I really love the look of stencilled glass. These will make beautiful ornaments.
How to Make a Glass Etched Ornament
Materials
- Glass ornament
- Stencil vinyl
- Transfer tape
- Etching cream
Tools
- Cricut machine
Instructions
- Prepare your graphic on Cricut Design Space.
- Cut out your graphic on the vinyl. Be sure to mirror your design.
- Weed the graphic - remove the parts that need to be etched.
- Apply your transfer tape.
- Make sure your glass ornament is clean and free from dust and oils. Wipe with rubbing alcohol if necessary.
- Apply the stencil to the glass ornament. Make sure there are no bubbles.
- Apply the etching cream. Make sure everything is covered.
- Wait the allotted 15 minutes.
- Remove the excess etching cream - you can reuse this. Wipe off any remaining excess etching cream.
- Remove the stencil.
- Rinse with water to make sure all etching cream has been removed.
where did you get your ornament? I am having a hard time finding these flat glass ornament
I got those off of wish.com
Hi westcoastmom!
I love this and was looking on wish.com for the clear glass ornament you purchased and used. I’m having trouble finding it – might you be able to post the link? Did you create the holes at the top of the circles for the ribbon and if so, how did you go about doing that?
Thanks so much!
Hello! I’ve searched through Wish and they don’t seem to be available anymore.
I did find some here: https://www.alibaba.com/trade/search?fsb=y&IndexArea=product_en&CatId=&SearchText=flat+glass+circle+ornament
Also, if you do a search for “flat glass ornament”, you will also find some local suppliers, such as Etsy or stained glass shops.
Mine came with the hole and the ribbon included. I highly recommend that as I wouldn’t know the first thing about drilling a hole in glass!
Good luck in your search. Hope this helps.
Thank you so much – very helpful!