Welcome to day 17 of my 25 Days of Craftmas series! Today I’m showing you how to make an etched holiday candle holder. Have you ever used etching cream before? If you haven’t, you need to try it! You can use it with vinyl stencils and create all kinds of awesome projects!
HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED
- Mason Jar (I used the pint size)
- Vinyl (Color doesn’t matter)
- Etching Cream
- Brush
- Gloves
- Mod Podge
- Epsom Salt
- Hot Glue Gun
- Tealight Candle
- Christmas Trimmings (Berries, Branches, Etc.)
- Transfer Tape
- Electronic cutter (cricut explore, silhouette or other cutter)
- Cut File (available for free in my resource library)
HERE’S WHAT YOU DO
Start by opening the design in your software. Size it accordingly and place a rectangle around the design to create a stencil. I used a pint sized mason jar and sized my image at 2.75″ x 2″. Cut out the vinyl with your machine and remove the excess vinyl.
Do you need help creating a stencil design? Check out this step by step tutorial for Silhouette Users here and for Circut Users here.
Apply your transfer tape and trim off the excess.
Position the vinyl over the center of the mason jar and use of a piece of tape to hold it in place.
Fold one side of the vinyl over the tape and separate from the backing. Then, cut off the backing.
Start pressing down on the vinyl right next to the tape and work your way to the outer edge of the design.
Fold over the other side of the vinyl and remove the remaining backing.
Press the rest of the vinyl down on the glass. Then, remove the transfer tape. Press over the entire design with your hands, making sure all the vinyl has adhered to the glass.
Apply a thick layer of etching cream over the design. Just kind of dab it on. Don’t brush back and forth. It should be thick enough that you can’t see the stencil through the cream. If you have gloves, you should wear them. If you don’t, make sure you don’t touch the cream at all.
Leave the etching cream on the glass for about 5 minutes. When the time is up, rinse off the etching cream. Rinse from the top of the project down and work quickly. Use plenty of water and wash thoroughly until all etching cream is removed.
Dry off the mason jar and then apply a layer of Mod Podge around the outside rim of the jar.
Then dip the jar in a bowl of Epsom Salt. Move the jar around until the rim is coated with the salt.
Glue on some Christmas embellishments like pine and berries to complete the candle holder.
You can add a votive candle to the bottom or fill with water and add a tealight to create a floating candle.
Seriously, it’s so pretty!