Glass Etching, Easy as Pie!

My Recycling Illness

I love Kombucha.  But O my, the stuff is expensive.   My co-worker bought me one as a treat and now I am doomed to drink the stuff until I die.  Good thing it's healthy, otherwise I would never forgive the girl who started this whole obsession.

So now that I have this habit, I figured out a way not to feel so guilty.  Yes, the bottle is glass and it can be recycled, but better yet, reuse it in a new and pretty way.

Have you ever tried glass etching?  

Glass etching is fun and easy.  I can even do it by myself and I usually need my husband to help with everything.  Etching makes me feel smart and creative.  And Happy!

Shopping List:
Etching Acid
Pen
Clear contact paper
Sharp exacto-knife
Tape
Small paint brush

Step One:

Choose a cute font and type the words or letters you want to etch.  You may have to experiment with the size or bold your text.  For my design, I chose the font Big Caslon, the size is 144 for the 'H' & 'O' and the '2' is size 96.  Testing fonts and sizing could take hours.  Soooo much fun!  Print your text.  You can also etch designs instead of text.  This is where you can really go crazy!

Step Two:  

Place the contact paper over the text and tape in place.  Trace with a non-smudgy pen--not a felt tip.  For this design you will have to move the contact paper to trace the '2' so that is lower.

Step Three:

Peel the contact paper backing and position on your glass bottle as desired.  Carefully smooth out all the bubbles.

Step Four:

With an exacto-knife, trace the pen lines, pressing firmly enough to cut in one, clean line.  In other words, you want it to be as straight as possible, not hacked.  I am not that great at this part, but you will improve with practice.  Don't fret, just do it!  Once you trace the letters, use the point of the blade to pick out the contact paper from inside the lettering.  If you missed a spot with the blade and it doesn't come out cleanly, recut the area instead of pulling and stretching the contact paper.

Step Five:

Paint on the etching acid and let sit for 10 minutes.  The bottle directions instruct 5 minutes, but we have found that 10 is better.  We also discovered that it's best to lay the bottle flat instead of up right.  This will prevent the acid from running onto the glass.

Step Six:

Rinse the acid off the bottle before removing the contact paper.

Step Seven:

Rejoice that you have have just created Splendid Trash!  We keep these babies filled with water, stocked in our fridge.  Water tastes better in a glass bottle labeled H2O.

Selling Crap on Craigslist Part 2

If you want to sell your crap on Craigslist, you need a good photo and a great description.  I tried to hawk this sweet little table last week to no avail.

Maybe the electrical outlet is too distracting.  I would give this photo a 'B'.  I also had a few close-ups attached to the ad.  My description went something like this:

Shabby Chic side table.  Features beautiful leather-like insert and a handy cubby for storing books, magazines or a basket.

I included the measurements and $30.00 cash price tag.

Not one bite!  I had multiple inquiries on the other side table and sold it right away.  So, I had two options.  One, lower the price.    Two, change the wording and try again.  I already had a lot invested with the walking next door in the dark and hauling it into the house.  Plus hiring my husband to paint it for free.  So you can understand why I had to charge the full 30 bucks.  The change I made to the ad was minimal:

Madmen meets Shabby Chic, side table.  Features beautiful leather-like insert and a handy cubby for storing books, magazines or a basket.

Boom! Four people wanted it!  Boom!

I just love selling crap on Craigslist!  My sister and I have an idea for selling chairs on Craigslist!  Coming soon!  

Charming Recycled Key Hook

Are you still there?  If you are, this post is dedicated to you!  Especially Lindsey, who requested that I write another one.   That request came about a year or so ago.  Briefly, there were technical difficulty.  A plethora of technical difficulties too boring to get into.  I'm over it!

 This post features this lovely key hook, constructed of discarded (trash) objects.  The wood: trash!  The hooks: trash!  Some people throw away the most beautiful trash!

Now for the back story... Here at the Hess House, we have some members that have a little difficulty keeping track of his or her keys.  I'm not naming any names, but let's just say that a certain person in this house got tired of looking for another certain person, or persons' keys.  I, or should I say, a certain person would advise the other certain persons to make a habit of putting his or her keys in the same location every time they entered the house.  Unheeded.  Repeatedly.  Soooooooo.....The hooks were born.  Or should I say reborn.  This took a lot of begging, but eventually a certain person made this out of a bunch of junk found in our dungeon.  That's what I call our basement.  Have you seen it?  It's a dungeon!  Tours are available upon request.




Check it out, it conveniently features 3 hooks, and 3 people live in this house (up until recently)!  Notice the nice frame constructed by a very talented member of this family!  Admittedly, the peeling paint is not for everyone, but I love it!  It reminds me of the passage of time, and survival.  If you can't relate, fine...you can go to the store and buy some shiny hooks and mount them near the front door so that you don't waist time searching for keys.

But look, after all that begging and then the labor involved crafting this little beauty, one little set of keys hangs.  One lonely set of keys, hanging forlornly on its prospective hook.  Longing for it's fellow keys.  Oh well.  Attempts were made!

Up next....a rehabilitated dresser from the trash!!!!  

Splendid Scraps! A Unique Use For Quilt Scraps.

If I had to use all my fabric stash before I entered the kingdom of heaven, the gates would rust while I worked my fingers to the bones.  I have a problem.  I think I'm over the acquisition phase, but I have trouble getting rid of even the smallest scrap of fabric, because I am sure I could find a use for it.  My husband tries to slip little pieces into the trash when we are making a quilt together and I snatch them up and put them into my 'some day I will make something out of this' box.  After all, they are lovely little treasures!

Just look at these precious scraps!  Now tell me you wouldn't risk ridicule over each and every inch.  I acquired the green flower print from my grandma after she died.  She was in the process of making a dress, which she  probably started before I was born!  She was the ultimate recycler! I could tell you some stories about my grandma and her husband, but I will save that for another day!  Remind me to tell you about the collection of elastic saved from her unmentionables.

Soooooooo....what does one do with all this rescued fabric?  I made miniature quilts, to be used as coasters!  I asked my husband to make a little holder so that when they are stacked, it would evoke images of 'The Princess and the Pea' children's story.  The wood came from an old discarded church window.  Splendid Trash?  No?

I would rotate this picture, but I don't know what I'm doing!  The remnants you see are lovely memories of little dresses, baby quilts, party napkins, pillows and the fabric I bought to make my daughter an outfit that never materialized.  At least my grandma cut her pattern out.  Oh my, I am sentimental~

There you have it!  I love my little quilted coasters!  Grandma would be proud that her dress has a purpose, even if it's mission is to keep the coffee table clear of unsightly stains.