I don’t know what it’s been like where you live, but the weather here in Iowa has been A.M.A.Z.I.N.G the last few days. We spent every minute of the weekend outside… riding bikes, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, swinging, YOU NAME IT! Fresh air and sunshine is just what I needed in the middle of any soul-crushing winter. As a resident of a Midwestern state, I’m painfully aware that winter will return any day now… and probably stick around until April (or May?) UGH, so I’m just trying to enjoy it to it’s fullest. My children think this is the new normal, so they might be confused next week when I *GASP* make them put their shoes on to go outside.

P.S. if you don’t follow me on Instagram… WHY NOT? I love sharing lots of inspiration, project sneak-peeks, and recently I’ve even started jumping into the world of Insta ‘Stories’. WHO AM I?! (@RealityDaydream, that’s who)

So today I want to show you a little project that is FUN and SIMPLE… and totally customizable! These ‘Skyline Stemware’ wine glasses are of the Chicago skyline, but you could do any city’s skyline for these!!!

If you’ve never ‘etched’ anything before, it’s the process of engraving permanently… in this case on glass (or even mirror)! I’m going to show you the method of ‘Acid Etching’ on these very basic wine glasses. As long as they’re glass and aren’t coated in any sort of protective sealant, then you’re golden!

*this post contains affiliate links*

Skyline Etched Stemware Supplies

Basic wine glasses (mine are like these)
Etching paste
Craft paint brush
Skyline cut out of VINYL via your Silhouette cutting machine
Scissors

The fun part about this project is that you can use the skyline of ANY CITY! If you’re using your Silhouette machine, you can just find your city’s skyline silhouette on google images as your template.

Peel back the part of the vinyl that you want to be ETCHED on the glass. In this case, I wanted the actual ‘buildings’ to be etched. But you could do it opposite where the buildings are left as clear glass, and everything around it is the cloudy etched glass. Your choice!

Cut a piece of transfer paper to size, and press it onto your vinyl decal. You can use an old credit card to really press and smooth it into place. Then peel off the thicker paper backing… exposing the sticky side of the vinyl.

Lay your wine glass stemware on it’s side, and stand directly over it so you’re looking straight down on it. Hold up your skyline vinyl, center it just how you want it… making sure it’s straight. Then very gently touch it in the center to stick it to the glass. Carefully wrap the vinyl all the way around so that it’s only touching along the widest part of the glass. Then use your finger to spread out from the center and push down all the black parts. It’s ok if there are wrinkles on the transfer paper, but try your hardest not to have wrinkles on the black vinyl skyline.

Now peel off the transfer paper! You’ll want to meticulously push down the edges and make sure they’re all sealed off real tight. If you have a crease, press it down good and hard with the edge of a credit card.

And now we’re ready for the etching! This is the easy/FUN part! Just dip the tip of your craft paint brush into the etching paste, and start painting it on! You want the entire exposed glass part covered in a good thick coat! I find that ‘blotting’ the past on puts it on thicker than just brushing it. I etched all the way down to the stem.

Let it rest for a few minutes to give the acid time to EAT AWAY at the glass. Then simply rinse it off in the sink! Use your fingers to help it rub off under the running water… it won’t eat away at your fingers. Hehe! Promise!

Finally, peel off the vinyl… and THAT my friends, is permanently etched, dishwasher safe, skyline stemware!

They turned out sooooo amazing! Wouldn’t these make a great personalized housewarming gift with a bottle of wine? Or for a newlywed couple as a wedding gift?! YES!

I actually made these as a Christmas gift for my bro and his wife who reside in Chicago. If you’ve been reading my little blog for many years, you might remember these Skyline Curtains I made for them back in the day. They’re proud of their city, okay?

What city would YOU permanently etch onto your stemware? I guess that’s just a really creepy way of asking where do you live? Bahaha! I hope this tutorial inspires you to roll up your sleeves and ETCH something asap!. And if you do, I wanna seeeee! Tag me on social media (@RealityDaydream on Facebook and Instagram!) or just straight-up email me at beth@realitydaydream.com. Seeing things you guys create is the best part of my days! Second only to my morning coffee.

~Bethany

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Oh! P.S! Assuming you like wine, I also have a tutorial for this Wall-mounted Wine and Stemware Rack that I’m pretty proud of.

Also in the wine category, Nick transformed this old sewing table into a Wine Rack with LED Lights that turn on when you open the cabinet, and turn off when you pull out a bottle of wine. Also, that ‘WINE’ design on the top? STAINED WITH RED WINE. #excessive