Etched Mirror Gift

How in the world did I get the idea to make an etched mirror gift? Let me take you through my thought process here.

My oldest daughter will soon be a teenager! The thought of my baby being a young adult is just freaking me out! She’s already wearing my shoes. I have to admit, she does have great taste in clothes. But it’s getting a little harder to surprise her with small gifts.

Like so many other maker mommas, I love crafting and creating things that my family can use. Making small things like beaded bracelets or paper dolls are an easy way to connect with my kids. As you can imagine, though, a 12-year-old isn’t exactly thrilled with those exact things anymore.

As I was thinking of projects to create with etching cream, the idea of a mirror came to mind. As my daughter becomes a young lady, she’s also more aware of her personal appearance. She likes her hair braided a certain way. She tries on my earrings to see which go best with her outfit. So a personalized mirror seemed like a great idea.

Etched Mirror Supplies

The initial thought of etching glass may seem unfamiliar to you at first. Maybe you are thinking about a laser engraving machine. For the kind of etching I’ll be sharing today, you do not need an engraving machine. Instead, we’ll be using etching cream.

Etching Cream

Etching cream is basically a chemical. When applied to glass and left long enough, the chemical will break down the molecular structure of the glass. That is what makes the etching left behind.

There is a wide variety of etching creams on the market. I’ve used at least 3 different types. My favorite and preferred brand is Etchall. The odor isn’t as strong as other brands I’ve used. I also get a very crisp, clean, and clear etch. The link below will take you to the Etchall site.

Click here

Stencils

In order to get a particular pattern, design, or print onto the glass, you’ll need a stencil. Stencils can be easily made using adhesive vinyl and an electronic cutting machine. I’ll walk you through how I did this with my Cricut in just a bit.

Etching Cream Expense

I have to give you a fair warning before we proceed. Etching Cream is not cheap. In fact, it’s rather pricey. Recently, I did some research across 4 different craft and department stores. The results: a 3 oz bottle of etching cream (different brands), will cost between $10 and $15. That seems really expensive, right? But here’s the thing… Etching cream will last FOR-EV-ER! At least, a really long time. It seems like you’re using a lot when doing a project. However, the bulk of it is returned to the bottle and can be used for future projects.

The Right Etching Surface

The kind of glass also makes a difference. Etching cream will generally work on glass, ceramic, and porcelain. I’ve also heard from friends in the community that Etchall can also etch slate. (Can’t wait to give it a try.). Please note that if you have porcelain sinks or granite countertops, you will need to protect these surfaces. The etching cream can etch these surfaces if they come in contact with each other.

Let’s Etch This Mirror

Materials and Supplies

• hand held mirror (I used this one from Dollar Tree)
• Etchall Etching Cream
• permanent adhesive vinyl or etching mask
• transfer tape
• Cricut or other cutting machine
• weeding tools
• scraper tool
• small squeegie or craft stick
• card stock scrap
• gloves (latex or nitrile)
• water
• paper towels

The Process

Creating the Stencil

1. Measure the area you have to work with on the mirror surface
2. Inside of Design Space (or your design software), create an oval the same size as your mirror surface
3. Select or create the design you’d like to use. I used this one from Cricut Design Space
4. Size the design to fit within your oval template. Be sure to leave enough space around the outer edge to avoid bleeding when you etch
5. Once everything is sized and placed where you want it, select the design along with the oval (or other shape) and ATTACH.
6. Select “make it” and send your design to cut.

Cutting and Weeding the Stencil

1. Add your vinyl to your cutting mat, load it into the machine, and cut.
2. Weed your design in REVERSE. This means that you will remove the pieces of the design that you WANT to etch. For example, in the design I used, I will remove the actual frame and leave everything else.
3. Apply transfer tape to the top (front) of your vinyl design and burnish it down
4. Use the transfer tape to remove the stencil you’ve created and carefully place it on the mirror

Etching the Design

1. Burnish the design down onto the mirror. Pay special attention to the edges. Make sure they are smooth.
2. Put on your gloves to protect your hands and protect the working surface.
3. Use the squeegie or craft stick to add etching cream to the exposed parts of the mirror. The layer does not need to be super thick. But you want to cover all of the open areas of your stencil, since these are the parts that will be etched.
4. Leave the etching cream on the mirror for 15 minutes (refer to your particular package for specific brand instructions).
5. After 15 minutes, use the craft stick or card stock scrap to remove the etching cream from the mirror.
6. Place the removed cream back into the original bottle.
7. Rinse the remaining residue from mirror using running water. AVOID rinsing in a porcelain sink.
8. Remove the vinyl stencil and discard.

YOU ARE DONE! Wasn’t that cool?!

For an extra touch, I added my daughter’s name to the mirror using vinyl. I also added a pretty jewel embellishment from Totally Dazzled. A glue gun worked just fine to adhere it. You can also use any strong craft glue if you want to add any other embellishments.

Wrapping it Up

I absolutely love this mirror. My daughter made my heart so happy when I gave it to her. She smiled and her beautiful eyes just lit up even more. I hope that you’re inspired to give this project or a similar glass etching project a try. If you do, please tag me or message me. I am EJsFunCrafting everywhere!

If you liked this project, you might also enjoy this post about making glass tile name plates.

For more on etching with Etchall, visit their community and gallery pages. Also, stay tuned here because I’ve got more projects coming!

Follow: