DIY Valentine Etched Glass Candy Dish

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If you know me, you know that Valentine’s Day is my favorite holiday. And what could be more fun than using my favorite tool – my Silhouette Cameo – to create something special for my favorite holiday! This etched glass Valentine candy dish is quick to make and will look great filled with your favorite Valentine treats. Let me show you how!

What you’ll need:

• Heart-shaped glass dish (I got mine from the local Dollar Tree)
• Measuring tape
• Font & heart design of your choice
• Oramask 813 stencil vinyl
• Weeding tool
• Transfer tape
• Squeegee
• Rubbing alcohol
• Lint-free cloth or paper towel
• Painter’s tape
• Rubber gloves (optional)
• Etchall etching cream
• Silhouette Studio (any edition)
• Silhouette Cameo, Portrait, or Curio

 

Step 1: Measure the dish

I’m only going to measure one side of the dish and duplicate the design, so that I don’t end up with part of the design on either the upper crease or the lower tip of the heart.

 

 

Step 2: Create the stencil

1. Open a new design page in Silhouette Studio.
2. Draw a rectangle with the dimensions you measured in Step 1.

 

3. Type an “X” in your preferred font, sized to fit inside the rectangle. Select the “X” and choose Convert to Path. This will change the text to a vector image and the bounding box will be the exact size of the image without any additional white space.

NOTE: In this example, I used the KG Love You Through It font from dafont.com., 72pt, made thicker by creating a 0.04 in offset. An offset is a vector image, so there is no need to convert the typed text into a path. Simply delete the original “X” and use the offset in your design.

4. Add a heart. I used the Echo Park Heart from the Silhouette Design Store (Design ID # 43104) and resized it to approximately 0.9 in x 0.9 in (to match the height of my “X”).

 

5. Select both the “X” and the heart and copy and paste 3 times (for a total of 4 X’s and 4 hearts).

 

Now, here’s where the magic happens….

6. Position the first “X” approximately 0.2 in from the left edge of the rectangle. Position the last heart approximately 0.2 in from the right edge of the rectangle. Move the remainder of the X’s and hearts roughly into place.

 

7. Select all the X’s and all the hearts and choose Object>Align>Space Horizontally. With all the X’s and hearts still selected, choose Object>Align>Align Middle. Group them all together. You will now have a set of precisely spaced and aligned X’s and hearts.

 

8. Select the rectangle and the group of X’s and hearts and choose Object>Align>Align Center-Middle. (If Align Center-Middle is greyed out, align the objects in two separate steps by choosing Object>Align>Align Center, followed by Object>Align>Align Middle. Group the rectangle together with the X’s and hearts.
9. Duplicate the stencil design.

 

10. Cut the design from adhesive vinyl. My preferred material is Oramask 813 (click here to find out why) but you can also use Oracal 651.
11. Weed the stencil, removing the areas that will be etched (the X’s and hearts).

 

Step 3: Apply the Stencil

1. Wipe off the glass dish using rubbing alcohol and a lint-free cloth or paper towel.

 

2. Apply the first stencil to one side of the dish, using transfer tape. Burnish with a squeegee, making sure that all edges are securely sealed.

NOTE: Because you’re placing the stencil on a curved surface, you may find it easier to apply the vinyl in small sections, rather than as one continuous piece. Cutting notches between each letter will also help. Just be sure to cover any cut areas before etching.

 

3. Repeat for the second stencil.
4. Place blue painter’s tape around the edges of the stencil to be sure that no area outside of the design is etched.

 

Step 4: Etching

1. Wearing rubber gloves (optional), begin by placing a heavy coat of etchall onto an area of the stencil where glass is not exposed. Using your squeegee or other type of applicator, spread a thick, even layer of etching cream over the design. (I’ve had my bottle of etchall for quite some time and the cream has turned dark brown, but still works as well as when it was new.)

 

2. Allow the cream to sit on the glass for at least 15 minutes. It won’t hurt for it to sit on there longer.
3. After you’ve allowed it to sit for the recommended amount of time, scrape the excess cream back in the container (it’s reusable!).
4. Rinse the dish with warm water to remove any remaining etching cream.

 

5. Remove the tape and vinyl and admire your beautiful etched candy dish!

 

I love etching glass using etchall and stencils created with my Silhouette because I get great results every time! How about you? Have you tried glass etching? If not, I hope you will soon. Just remember, not all etching creams are created equal (I’ve tried them all!) which is why I won’t use anything other than etchall and why I encourage you to do the same.

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If you have any questions, leave me a comment below or come join my Facebook group. I’d love to hear from you!

Until next time,

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