{Teacher Appreciation Gift} Etched Monogrammed Jar

Our kids have always been lucky to have great teachers whom they adore. Every school year has been a wonderful experience, and that's mostly because of their awesome teachers. I love making little treats for them throughout the year, and with this being Teacher Appreciation Week, I thought it a perfect time to try etching cream.

I'm always a sucker for monograms, and who isn't a sucker for chocolate!?

The supplies are simple...any glass vessel (I used an oversized mason jar with smooth sides from Michaels), etching cream, stencil, and a popsicle stick or brush.

I wanted the teacher's personalized monogram, so I made my own stencil. After creating the free monogram here, I printed it to fit my jar. Using the same method as the Otomi Stenciled Table, I taped a piece of contact paper to a cutting board, then taped the monogram on top of it.

Then I used an Exacto knife to cut out the monogram, pressing hard enough to go through to the contact paper.

I used drinking glasses as templates to cut out the circle that borders the letter, then pressed the stencil firmly to the glass.

Then spread a thick layer of etching cream over the exposed glass...I found a popsicle stick worked best. The instructions on the etching cream basically threaten mutilation if your skin comes into contact with it, so you may want to wear gloves. It also said to leave on 60 seconds before rinsing with water. It was more like 30 minutes before I saw results. I think the type of glass makes a big difference in the timing. So it's a good idea to leave the stencil on until you're sure it worked. I just reapplied the cream each time after rinsing.

It's really hard to photograph since it's so subtle, but it looks great in person. And since the cream permanently alters the glass, it's dishwasher safe. (Unlike these chevron glasses using another method.)