Warning Labels & Glass Etching

You know a project is going to be fun when a label's warning reads:  

Eye Contact: May cause severe irritation with possible corneal burns.

Skin Contact: Causes severe burns and fluoride-like burns which may not be immediately evident. Skin contact may cause hypocalcemia by skin absorption. The fluoride components of this product can penetrate the skin and destroy the deep tissue layers, including bone tissue. This damage to the body's tissues may continue for days, as the fluoride ion reacts with the calcium in the skin and bone. Severe skin-contact exposures (especially when the skin contamination exceeds 160 Sq. Cm.) can cause hypocalcemia, a life-threatening lowering of serum calcium in the body.

Inhalation: May cause irritation to the respiratory tract and lung damage if exposure is excessive. Inhalation may lead to hypercalcemia, due to absorption of the fluoride components.

Hmmm... Sounds like a blast!! This particular project isn't the first that I've done using the glass etching stuff, but it was the only one I've remembered to photograph. And even at that, I didn't do any "during" photographs - too busy not getting hypocalcemia. Sorry (but not really), I can't risk lowering my levels of serum calcium to life-threatening levels.

The bestie had a birthday recently and I knew I wanted to make her some Rolo Cookies but I hadn't decided on an acceptable presentation of said delectableness. I found a simple white box with a "window" like those you might take home from a bakery; it was inexpensive and would suffice. But THEN I remembered that even a carrier should be used to enhance a gift - aesthetically pleasing and useful! For instance: I refuse to buy gift bags anymore - I buy those $1 reusable shopping totes; they're mega cheaper, generally have cooler designs, and the recipient is likely to get more use out of the bag - as opposed to using it just one more time to give away.

Anyways, here's the cookie carrier, in all it's etched "vintage" (read: imperfect) glory.

I used some glass etching crap I found at Hobby Lobby, a foam brush, some faded recollections of projects past, a razor blade, and contact paper. I can't recall the original tutorial I followed to make some Christmas gifts last year but basically went like this: 

• Find perfect "S" design and print it. Big.
• Reprint smaller.
• Revise fancy design.
• Find new, more simple design.
• Don't give up! (This step is crucial!)
• Figure out how you'll need to cut and then adhere your design to the sticky side of the contact paper. I have no more advice than this as I cannot remember how my brain worked it out.
• Clean glass, according to etching bottle mfr's directions.
• Stick contact paper to glass.
• Very carefully and patiently, with your weapon, start cutting out the portion that you wanted "etched".
• Foam brush the creamy stuff onto the glass and follow packaging directions from there. 

Boom. (not an action, simply an exclamation)

Hopefully yours won't look as "vintage" as mine :)

& Although she loved it, the lid didn't make it to the end of the evening; I knew I should've put a rim of hot glue around it... oh well. Now she can use it as a fish bowl. Or penny collector. Or cork holder. Or she can begin to collect cat hair; I hear there are tons of crafts that call for cat hair!