Sorry about missing Photo-take-outter Friday last week – sometimes you just need a break ;)

This weekend I tried glass etching for the first time, and lo, it turns out to be incredibly easy. I picked up a bottle of etching cream from the craft store called ‘Armour Etch’.

Then I picked up some stencilled stickers from the dollar store, along with a few paint brushes and little mason jars.

Brush on a thick layer of the etching cream, and let it sit for 5 minutes.

Voila! If you scoop the cream off your piece and back into the jar it’s still good, and can be reused. If you’re like me, you’re way too disorganized for this and just wash it off in the sink.

Of course I tried it on my beads, the right one is the original finish, etched version on the left.

I re-purposed some of my blocking gear to get an even coat on my beads – using t-pins and a bit of my blocking mat to hold the beads up.

Here’s another before and after – I’m lampworking again tonight, can’t wait to take this a bit further! The idea machine is on fire – I can think of all kinds of fun ways to expand on this – from decorating mirrors and vases to seeing if it affects the glass in pottery glaze, or using a resist to form patterns on the glass. Can’t wait!