I finally caught up to the curve!

Remember when, oh say, six to twelve months ago etching glass was all the rage? Well, I finally did it! lol (yup, I'm usually behind the curve!) I have to say, this was NOT as easy as I anticipated - in fact it was quite frustrating. But we'll get to that.

First I want to show you this card (it goes with the etched glass). I made it for my friend's birthday (happy birthday chica!) which comes just a few days after mine. Sort of quiet - I'd call it understated I guess. The base is 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 (another unusual size for me) because that was what really 'fit' the tree image. Graduating half circles were cut using my Curvy Cutter on the front of the base, a patterned ivory paper and the main panel.

The tree image is a new stamp from the people who put out Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels). I didn't use the screen (which I also bought), but it does look mighty intriguing! The technique is called Pierced Spotlight from Technique Junkies - not that you can see it all that well from this angle. The spotlight was colored with green and bronze perfect pearls, with a dab of blue burnished in.

I added some perfect pearls to the edge of the back panel that shows also. You can't really see it in this pic, but I stamped some of the tree branches in the corners and brushed them with the same green/bronze mix. It is much more interesting in person!

Since the card was for my friend's birthday, I decided to make her a matching candle holder as well. This is where the frustration began! lol First I stamped the tree with versamark, then embossed with clear. Since this was my first try (and I didn't know if I'd even like doing it) I only bought the small bottle of etching creme. Ummm, yeah. If *you* are going to try this - READ THE BOTTLE FIRST! Apparently this creme isn't for 'large areas', and worse, their definition of a large area differs greatly from mine!

After my first 'thin layer' (another definition that greatly differs) I washed it off and... WHAT?!?! It was patchy! Horribly, horribly patchy! Some areas looked great, most looked half done and some weren't etched AT ALL! Now, before you ask, yes I cleaned the glass with rubbing alcohol before even starting - so I know that wasn't the problem! I kid you not, I must have applied at least a dozen different coats of this creme. I actually had to go buy another bottle (the big expensive one, thank god for 40% off coupons!) so I could complete it.

I finally got it looking pretty good (ummm, yeah, use thicker coats than you think you'll need) - not perfect, but pretty good for a first try. Of course by now all the blog posts about actually doing this are impossible to find, so I had to guess the best way to remove the ep without messing up the glass. I grabbed a bunch of paper towels and the heat gun & went to town. lol I have to say, this was one of the most frustrating things I've ever attempted. I'm happy with the end result, but I imagine it will be a *long* time before I try it again! On the other hand, I now have a large bottle of etching creme.... *sigh*

It does look pretty awesome when lit up, and I love that the card & glass matched. And my friend is absolutely worth every minute! There were some more candle holders in process while I was doing this one, but they're for a different post! Drop by soon - they've got beads (and thread!) on them! LOL

Thanks for stopping by!