My husband is a simple man with just a few loves of his life: the New England Patriots, a rare sirloin steak, yours truly and the pipsqueak (he better agree!), and Kentucky bourbon.  A couple months ago, being the awesome, crafty wife that I am, I surprised him with an etched glass to use while enjoying his bourbon concoctions.

I was really just looking for an excuse to practice getting my etch on since I’d only done one project so far (my Dad’s dual-sided “Dad/Grandpa Est.” glass), so I was a little surprised when he said “That’s cool!  When are you going to make me a set?”

Uhhhh, a set??  As in a small collection of objects?  Meaning he wanted more than one of these things??

No problem, and after getting a little more clarification, he didn’t want four of the same exact glasses, but he’d like to have more than one, each with a cool bourbon saying since that’s his libation of choice.

And since I’m not one to disappoint the love of my life, I finally finished up his DIY Kentucky bourbon etched glass set, and here they are!  It’s also Silhouette Challenge time again, and this month’s theme is DIY Gifts with the bonus challenge of Etched Glass….nailed it!

 

DIY Kentucky Bourbon Etched Glass Set

The original glass that I made was inspired by this beauty that I spotted on Kentucky for Kentucky’s Instagram feed one day.  I’m from KY and miss my beloved Bluegrass state dearly, and my husband, the Mainer, has come to love the land of fried chicken, fast horses, and amazing college basketball just as much as I do.

He lived there for several years thanks to a stint with the Army at Fort Campbell then us falling in love, marrying, and putting down roots in the central part of the state before a new job brought us down here to Bama.

 

Supplies

We’ve had this set of drinking glasses for years and years, and Matt is the only one who uses them.  I prefer to drink from our cheap freebie plastic cups that have been through the dishwasher so many times they’re warped and you can’t even make out the printed designs anymore.  Hey, what can I say, it takes me back to my childhood….no high-maintenance woman in these parts!

Here’s everything I ended up using for this project:

• Drinking glasses
• Etching cream
• Vinyl stencils created with Silhouette Cameo
• Transfer paper & painter’s tape
• Plastic knife
• Isopropyl alcohol & paper towel
• Disposable gloves
• Timer

 

Designing My Stencils

I fully admit that I’m not very clever or original, so I searched the interwebs for help in coming up with the other three sayings.  Here’s what I ended up going with:

• Keep Your Friends Close & Your Bourbon Closer
• Nothing But Kentucky Bourbon
• Creativity is 80% Bourbon & 20% Ice
• Can’t Spell Bourbon Without BBN
  • Go Big Blue!….this wasn’t part of the design, just cheering on the Cats! :)

 

Vinyl Cut Settings in Silhouette Studio

I used the default Vinyl cut settings but bumped the speed way down to a 4 since these cuts were pretty small and intricate:

• Speed: 4
• Thickness: 9
• Blade: 2
• Cutting Mat: Checked

{Note: Even though all four designs are shown here, I turned the cut lines off for the “Keep Your Friends Close” stencil since I had already etched that glass.  I just left the design on the page to help with sizing the other three.}

 

Cutting out Stencils on Silhouette Cameo

Now that my designs were ready, it was time to cut them out.  I’ve always had success with using vinyl stencils, whether it be on canvas, wood, or a tote bag, and since it worked well for my Dad’s glass, I decided to use more for this project.  If it ain’t broke….

I flipped through my vinyl storage organizer until I found a color that I had a surplus of and that I don’t have any plans for using in the near future: a burgundy red sheet.  So I loaded it up on my cutting mat, applied a couple strips of painter’s tape to the sides just to keep it nice and secure (my mat is very well-loved and therefore not very sticky anymore), then loaded it into my Silhouette Cameo.

 

Applying Vinyl Stencils

Once the stencils were cut, I trimmed them up, weeded (or removed) the excess vinyl, and slapped some transfer paper overtop.  Then I put on my gloves, cleaned the glasses off with some isopropyl alcohol, and using the hinge method (which I talk about here), I applied each stencil to a glass.

Once the vinyl was applied, I then went and added a border of painter’s tape around all the edges, just as a little safety net of sorts.  I’m a pretty messy DIYer and need all the safety precautions I can get to help save me from myself.

 

Adding Etching Cream

It was finally time to get my etch on!  You can check out my first post on glass etching where I talk about this etching cream in more detail.  Basically, make sure you’re wearing gloves and eye protection because this stuff has some pretty intense chemistry going on (I mean, it’s permanently scarring glass, so it oughta!), and watch out for powder that *poofs* out when you first take off the lid….it gets me every time!

I set the timer on my iPhone for five minutes and then grabbed a super cool, neon green plastic knife (a remnant from my son’s first birthday party) and started smearing the etching cream onto the first glass.  Once the first glass was fully covered and finished with application (which took about 30 seconds), I moved onto the second and did the same, then finally onto the third.

Then, instead of just sitting and waiting around for the remainder of my five minutes to pass, I went back to the first glass and started moving the etching cream around some more with my knife.  I’m not sure if it’s necessary (probably not), but I think it helps for a smoother and more even etching (I could be crazy though), and it also helps the time fly by (added bonus).

 

Washing Off Etching Cream & Removing Stencils

Once my timer buzzed, I scraped the excess etching cream back into the bottle, and then it was a mad dash to the sink!  The etching cream washes off really quickly and easily, so once all three glasses were cleaned and dried, I started peeling away the painter’s tape and vinyl stencils….and held my breath to see if this was a successful project or a craft fail.  Ahhh, the anticipation was almost too much to bear!

Luckily, it was a success!  The vinyl stencils are the bee’s knees and provided crisp lines with NO bleeding of the etching cream.  Wahoo!  It took a few minutes to peel away all the little bits of vinyl off the three glasses, and once they were bare, all I needed was another rinse with some soap and water and this project was complete!

 

The Final DIY Kentucky Bourbon Etched Glass Set!

And here they are!  A complete set of custom-made etched drinking glasses from which my husband can enjoy sipping his sweet Kentucky Bourbon.  I’m such a good wife. :)

{And let me just say that I absolutely HATE photographing etched glass!  It is so dang difficult to get a good, clear shot.  Even adding black paper inside these glasses didn’t work, and The Hubs wouldn’t let me fill an entire glass up with bourbon to try and make the etching appear better….he was all “You can’t do that!  Then everyone will think I’m a raging alcoholic!”  So friends, my apologies.  These were the best shots I could get. ;)}

I even went and picked up a new bottle of the good stuff for the fella to enjoy in his new glasses AND I placed a festive (and left-over Christmas) bow on it. {*I’m so fancy….*}  It’s not his favorite brand of brew, but this was on sale so I couldn’t pass it up….must be in my chromosomes to leave no sale behind. ;)

 

***UPDATE!!!!  Please READ!****

I’m sorry but I am not selling any sets of these glasses, any sets of vinyl stencils, or the cut files at this time!  I’ll be sure and update this post if I ever get around to opening up a shop!  I’m glad to hear there’s interest though! :)

 

The Silhouette Challenge

But wait!  There’s more! ;)  This is this month’s Silhouette Challenge post, and 15 of my bloggy buddies are also sharing projects with DIY gift ideas they made using their Silhouettes.  Hop on around to them all for lots of inspiration!

1. Weekend Craft // 2. Where The Smiles Have Been // 3. Confessions of an Overworked Mom // 4. Simply Kelly Designs // 5. Adventures in All Things Food // 6. Sisters, What! // 7. Create & Babble // 8. Creative Ramblings // 9. Practically Functional // 10. Briick by Briick // 11. My Paper Craze // 12. DIYJustCuz // 13. Made in a Day // 14. The Thinking Closet // 15. Architecture of a Mom // 16. Get Silvered

 

Also, come check out my board on Pinterest that is dedicated to all things Silhouette!

Follow Christine at Where The Smiles Have Been’s board Silhouette Cameo: Tips, Tricks, & Tutorials on Pinterest. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!