With Mother’s Day coming up, sometimes it’s hard to know what to get that lovely lady! So I’m etching a glass vase for my mom and mother in law this year, putting some fresh flowers in for their special day. (Mom, act surprised when you get one of these!!)
Supplies for Etched Flower Vase:
- Etching cream (Armour Etch from local craft store)
- sponge brush, watercolor brush
- glass vase
- optional: contact paper – found in the kitchen section (aka “shelf liner”)
I chose to etch these glass vases by hand, but you can also use contact paper, as I’ve done before with a Cake Pan and a Pie Plate, to make an image or even cut vinyl. Vinyl and contact paper give it more clean lines, but I was in the mood for free form decorating this time. But be careful, as what ever your etching cream touches, gets etched!
Read the instructions on the bottle. It’s pretty much: clean glass, dip brush in cream, paint glass, leave on for 6-8 minutes, wash off, and dry glass. The more you put on and the longer you leave it, the deeper the etched look. These are now ready to add flowers, a ribbon, and a card for Mom!
What presents have been a hit on Mother’s Day at your house? I’m always on the look out for more ideas.
Written by Marie LeBaron
Marie LeBaron is the founder and managing editor of Make and Takes. Always having a love of crafts, she enjoys getting messy with glue and glitter. There’s always some sort of project going on, her kitchen counter is often cluttered with crafts. When she’s not crafting and creating with her kids, she loves to run, read, and blog! Read other posts by Marie
{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }
Love this! I have some vases that would be perfect. I have been trying to think of a handmade gift for my moms and grandmas. It’s like you can read my mind! :)
LOVE this idea! Thanks for sharing!
Wow! This is great. I wouldn’t have thought about being able to do this myself.
One year I bought a journal and wrote my most favorite memories of my Mom and gave it to her on Mother’s Day. We sat for an hour and laughed reading and remembering the wonderful times we’ve had. She said it was the best present she’s ever recieved.
great idea! My kids found me some old glass bottles in the woods last year and I cleaned them up. I will have to try this technique on those.
Thanks for a great idea and for sharing!
Love it! What a simple, and pretty idea!
What a great idea! I’m going to have to remember this idea for another time!
What I did this year was super cheap and super easy….and super cute! Michael’s has dollar wooden frames. So I got my mom and mother in law each one, and picked out scrapbook paper for them. I traced the frames on the paper, cut out the paper and modge podged it on. I used my cuttlebug to die cut some shapes to put on as well. I added some rhinestones, and ta-da! A cute frame where a picture of my equally cute daughter is going to go! You could use all sorts of things to embellish them: ribbon, fabric flowers, rhinestones, brades….the possibilities are endless!
I love this idea! Thanks for sharing.
This is such a fun idea. We will probably be making these for the gma’s!
What a great idea. I’ll have to email it to my husband!
I love the polka dot one! Great idea.
I had no idea that was so easy! Glass vases are usually a dime at yard sales, so I think this is a project that even I could accomplish : )
LOVE IT! I have been wanting to try this on plates for some time now. I may just break down and DO IT now.
I didn’t know etching glass was so easy! I am totally going to try it!
Great idea!
What a great gift! I did this about a few years ago, for a herb container. Yours turned out great!
Love it.
Great idea! I ‘ll be linking.
What a great idea! My daughter will love doing this for her Grandma!
Thanks for sharing this idea again in a new way. I’ll be using a form of this idea for my MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group for one of our crafts next year. Looks fun!
What a great idea! I have etched my name on my Pyrex dishes with stencils but never thought of free hand etching on vases…very cute!
My mom doesn’t like me to spend money and buy her presents so I try to think of creative homemade gifts…one year I memorized a poem about mothers another year I wrote a poem for her. The last couple of years I have made her a DVD of the most recent home videos of my cute kids…homemade gifts are great because they feel more from the heart :)
I was so in need of an idea….with 9 people to give gifts to it can be expensive! Thanks. I’ll have to post how mine turn out.
This is SO GREAT! I am definetly going to try this. Wish me luck.
Cool idea! And great craft progect!
I have always wondered if glass etching was hard. Thanks for posting. It looks like something even I could do (not very crafty though I want to be).
Love, love, love this!!!!!!
Thank you so much for the idea.
I can NEVER find contact paper. Are you saying it’s in the kitchen section of a craft store? Even the employees at the 3 different craft chains I’ve been to claim they don’t carry contact paper, but I’d LOVE to prove them wrong!
I linked to this in my Friday Favorites!
Megan – I actually mean the Kitchen/Home section of a Walmart. It’s usually found with the wire dish washing containers. I guess it’s called “Shelf Liner”, same thing. I hope that helps. Sorry, I should have been more specific. I changed how it reads in my post!
I LOVE this idea but had a few questions. Is it dishwasher safe after the etching cream? Is it safe to wash off the excess down the sink? I just know how potent it is, so I wanted to check before I used it. Love your site and ideas!! You are so creative!
Meghan – Yes, it’s safe. In fact, if you etch on something edible, like a pie plate or pan, it’s best to dish wash it first. And I don’t think I use enough of the cream at one time to harm the sink. I’ve been making lots of these, so I think it’s okay.
I made my mom a basket type thing to hold a flower pot. I used newspaper and made paper mache, but in a pulp form, just throw everything into a food processor! Then formed it to a big serving bowl. As it was drying i added an assortment of wild flower seeds to the outside. So after mom received her pot she broke it up watered it down and threw it in and around the garden, then pop up came the flowers really really easy project, you can make it different colors by using food dye or even different colors of paper. Have fun!
hi,
thats a good idea sharing and im sure its will be benifits to who love glass vases..very love it
thanks,
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