Upgrade Your Wine Glasses with Custom Etching Using a Cricut Machine
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Skill level: Beginner
Time: 25 minutes
This is among the easiest, most beginner-friendly Cricut crafts. In fact, it was the very first I ever created. It looks so much more impressive than the process actually is. Cheers!
Materials
Wine glasses (<— perfect for etching).
Cricut (any model; I used Cricut Explore 3)
Design
Download my free wine glass stencil template
Open Cricut Design Space
Click “new project.” This will open a blank canvas
Click: “Upload image” (on the lefthand side of your canvas)
Locate my free stencil template in your downloads
Click on the free stencil template; then click “add to canvas”
Once your chosen stencil template design is on your canvas, toggle the image to an ideal size for your wine glass (4.5” works for the glasses I used)
Click “make it” in the upper right hand corner of design space
Settings:
Mat size: 12 x 12
Material size: 8.5 x 11
Material: Stencil vinyl
Pressure: More
Insert fine point blade into clamp B
Place your stencil vinyl on your Cricut cutting mat, face up. (If you’re using the vinyl I recommend, the blue side should be facing up on your mat)
Insert your mat into your Cricut’s designated slots; press the flashing arrow button on your Cricut
When instructed in Design Space, press the flashing Cricut (“go”) button to begin the cutting process
Wait while Cricut cuts your stencil, approximately three minutes
In the meantime, apply rubbing alcohol to a lint-free cloth and wipe the surface of your wine glass
Weeding
Once your stencil paper has been cut, press the flashing arrow button again to unload your mat
Weed your design (i.e. remove all of the excess stencil vinyl material that’s not part of your stencil design. If you’re using my template, simply remove the letters.)
Using scissors, cut your transfer paper to a size that will fully cover your stencil vinyl cutout
Peel off the transfer paper backing (you should be left with a clear, sticky material)
Place the sticky side of the transfer paper directly over top of your stencil
Firmly smooth over your transfer paper using a scraper or credit card to ensure adhesion to the stencil vinyl below
Slowly peel your transfer paper towards you. The stencil vinyl design should come off with the transfer paper
Once the entirety of your stencil vinyl design is stuck to your transfer paper, carefully place, sticky side down, on your wine glass
Smooth over your wine glass to ensure adhesion.
Etching
Slowly remove your transfer tape from the wine glass surface; this will leave your stencil vinyl behind, stuck on your wine glass
Put on a pair of protective rubber gloves
With the cap on, shake your jar of etching cream
Remove the etching cream cap. Dip the foam or brush side of your applicator into your etching cream
Dab, brush, or stipple a thick layer of etching cream directly on top of your stencil vinyl, ensuring you do not get etching cream outside of beyond the edges of your stencil
Set a timer for 15 minutes; halfway through, carefully brush over and redistribute the etching cream to ensure even coverage
Once your timer is up, wipe off the etching cream with a paper towel (ensuring your don’t smear the etching cream outside of your stencil template).
Remove your gloves and run your wine glass under warm tap water to ensure all of the etching cream has been removed
Peel your stencil away from your wine glass
Cheers!
