etching glass. skull coin jar.

Glass etching is one of those really quick and easy crafts that turns out super satisifying and tempts me to etch every shard of glass in site. Essentially, glass etching paste is an acid that creates a frosted effect on clear glass.

Kirsten was working on a project at work and got me in the mood to do some etching myself. I decided to etch recycled food jars that I had saved for a future craft project. I've been wanting to use my all-time favorite special Halloween edition–now discontinued :( –Martha Stewart Crafts oversized skull punch and thought hey why not!

I punched the skull out of a piece of contact paper & stuck it to a squatty jar. To get a crisp punch, and so the contact paper doesn't get stuck inside the punch, I recommend sandwiching the contact paper between two pieces of regular paper.

I taped off right where the jar starts to curve on the bottom and top, with vinyl tape (contact paper works too but I like the tape because it's a tad stickier). I want this jar to have a frosted band all around with a clear skull.

Armour Etch is the only etching paste I have ever used and it seems to work pretty well.

I caked it all over the jar with an old paint brush, dragging the brush over and over again the area being etched to ensure its getting complete, flawless coverage.

Wait just 5 minutes and under running water, wipe off the etching paste with an old sponge.

After peeling off all the tape, give the jar a good cleaning with soap.

Now, for the reverse effect—or so the skull is what is frosted—I again placed the contact paper skull punch out on a jar and painted over and around the skull with nail polish.

The etching paste cannot penetrate the enamel-based polish so it works perfect. Peel away the contact paper after the polish is completely dry.

Paint the etching paste all over the skull. Let it set for 5 minutes and rinse with water.

Once it is rinsed and clean, use nail polish remover and a cotton swab to clean off the polish.

I decided to make these jars coin banks. I spray painted the caps with a grey paint and carefully cut through the metal cap with a craft knife. I used a sliver of tape as a guide because the knife blade tends to pull and slip when cutting metal. I recommend doing this slowly and carefully, making many lighter cuts than trying to get through it with fewer, harder cuts. Cut fingers are hard to craft with.

Once you are through, a quarter fits and the lid is on, you have a cute bank.

I am not sure what a skull has to do with saving money but I do like the graphic!

xx