A couple weeks ago, I shared a recent upcycling project where I gave an old stand-up mirror a little makeover.  Part of that beautification process included slapping on a decal with some etched glass vinyl.

Well, I’ve had several people ask me for some more specifics about using this type of vinyl, so here they are!

I loved using this stuff for this recent project because it:

• Is super affordable.
• Is easily cut and used just like any other vinyl.
• Comes in various colors: Silver (which is what I used), Red, Blue, & Green.
• Is non-permanent.
• Is mess-free and takes no time at all, unlike what you’d get when using etching cream or sand blasting.
  • If you’d like a tutorial on how to use etching cream, check out this dual-sided custom “Dad/Grandpa Est.” glass I made for my old man!
• Gives the appearance of genuine etched glass…..it’s the perfect imposter!

[Full Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.]

 

How to Use Etched Glass Vinyl

Supplies

• Silver Etched Glass Vinyl
• Silhouette Cameo
• Cutting Mat
• Transfer Tape
• Painter’s Tape
• Scissors, Hook Tool, & Scraper

 

Create Design

I cut out my vinyl design using a Silhouette Cameo, but the same principles will probably apply when using another machine.

First up, I created my design in Silhouette Studio.  I wanted a simple little positive phrase that would be nice to see when looking in the mirror, and I thought “Hello Gorgeous” would be perfect….I mean, isn’t that what everyone wants to be told when checking out their reflection?!

{Oh, on a side note, Hometalk shared my mirror makeover post on their Facebook page, and someone felt the need to post the following comment: “It should have a comma after Hello.  Just sayin’.”  Well, thank you very much, Mrs. Grammar Police!  It’s so nice of you to take the time out of your day to share that.  But you’re upset by the fact that there’s no comma, yet you have no problem that I left off a period or exclamation point at the end??  Besides, this is a DECAL, not a research paper!  Chill. And another person said they “like the saying but hate the color [of the mirror]….yuck.”   Ahhhhh, you gotta love people on the internet.} ;)

 

Load Etched Glass Vinyl into Silhouette

Now that my design was ready to go, it was time to load my vinyl into my Silhouette Cameo.  I purchased a 12″ x 24″ sheet of silver etched glass vinyl, so I needed to use my 12″ x 24″ cutting mat with it (normally I like to cut full sheets of vinyl without a cutting mat, but this did not want to cooperate on its own, so it was my cutting mat to the rescue!).

Once my vinyl was on my mat, I loaded it into my Silhouette using the ‘Load Cutting Mat’ option.

 

Adjust Silhouette Cameo Cut Settings

I then made sure the design’s lines were set to ‘Cut,’ and I adjusted my Cut Settings.

Silhouette Cameo Cut Settings for Etched Glass Vinyl: I initially tried the recommended cut settings from Expressions Vinyl, however, a test cut revealed those weren’t the proper settings for me….so hooray for test cuts!  (Always do them first to save yourself tons of product, time, and frustration….seriously, don’t skip this simple step!)

A couple more test cuts and I had the perfect settings for this etched glass vinyl:

• Speed: 5
• Thickness: 9
• Blade: 2
• Cutting Mat: Checked

 

Weed Cut Etched Glass Vinyl Design

Now that my design was cut, I trimmed it off the sheet of vinyl and stuck the remainder in my handy dandy super awesome vinyl organizer for safe keeping until my next project.

Then, with the help of my mat and hook tool, I got my weed on!  That just means I started removing all the excess vinyl.

This took some patience because it sure doesn’t weed like Oracal vinyl, but I still got it all weeded in no time.

And here it is, looking all perfectly cut, weeded, and {almost} ready for application!

 

Transfer Cut Design to Project

All that was left was to transfer my decal to my mirror!  I first applied some transfer tape overtop the whole design, using my scraper tool to get a nice adhesion and make sure there weren’t any air bubbles.

After a nice trim with my craft scissors, I started transferring it to my mirror.  Once it was in position, I adhered it with some painter’s tape….

….then applied it using the hinge method.  {You can read more about this awesome, fool-proof way to apply vinyl here, here, or here.}

I gave it another good scraping to ensure complete adhesion and zero air bubbles, then carefully removed the transfer tape.

[NOTE: You *really* want to take your time when applying this to your mirror or glass, because any and all air bubbles will be very noticeable since the vinyl is transparent…..boo!]

 

The Final Etched Glass Decal!

And HELLO GORGEOUS indeed!  No one will ever know it’s not real etched glass because it looks so authentic!  Plus, it’s removable, so if I ever feel like giving this mirror another makeover, I can easily peel away this decal and create a new one….I just love having options. *wink*

 

Hello Gorgeous Mirror Makeover

If you’d like all the details on how I upcycled an old stand-up mirror from blah to beautiful with the help of this etched glass vinyl decal, check out my full tutorial!

 

If You Enjoyed This…

Be sure and check out my Project Gallery for lots of other posts with Silhouette tips and ideas!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you enjoyed your visit and that you’ll come again!