Crystal Flowers

It doesn’t take much to turn a plain second-hand vase into a unique work of art.

For this project, I started with a vase I picked up at Goodwill for less than $2. I used washi tape to tape off the area I wanted to etch. Then I used Crystal Flowers Peel-Offs from Elizabeth Craft Designs to create my design.

Then I coated the entire area with Etchall etching cream. Spread it on thick with a squeegee (a brush will not get it thick enough) and let it sit for 15 minutes. Then scrape it off and put it back in the jar for next time (it’s reusable!!). Wash off the residue and then peel off the tape and stickers ….

(I put a towel inside so you can see the etching.) But I didn’t stop there … I knew that etching made glass easier to paint because it gives it tooth so the paint can stick. So, I decided to try an experiment — and it worked!

I painted the area with Distress Paint (Distress Paint is thinner than most acrylic paints and reacts with water while wet … I’m not sure if this technique will work with traditional Distress Paint or not …) As soon as I painted the glass, I took a paper towel and wiped it off. The paint stuck to the etched parts, but not the rest of the glass. If you make a mistake, you can wash it quickly and all of the paint will come off and you can do it again.

After it was completely dry, I sprayed a bit of Windex on a paper towel and used it to get any remnants of paint off of the glass.

I love how much easier the paint made it to see the etching, while still remaining light and transparent. Gorgeous!