DIY Silhouette Etched Statement Mirror

I have this mirror in my office that I’m constantly looking into, but I never actually “look into it”. Do you know what I mean?

You go up to the mirror to see what’s going on and then you realize one of several things which lead you to the conclusion that before you really even look at yourself, your mind is telling you “oh, you look fine”.

A few weeks ago I noticed just how often I do this. Because I had “looked in the mirror” loads of times that day but it wasn’t until Russell got home that I realized that I had a huge amount of orange paint on the right side of my face. That I had used around 9:30 in the morning. Ugh.

So I have a mirror in my office, which apparently does me absolutely no good, so I decided to turn it instead into an art piece or a statement of affirmation. Or maybe it’s just a shortcut to remind me to not even bother! And when Russell asked, why didn’t you put you look good, or nice, or great? Because most days, when I’m working 12 hours and I’m stressed out, even fine is a stretch!

For this project, I got to try out the Silhouette Etching Kit that I used with a Silhouette Cameo. I’ve done a little glass etching before, but not a whole lot. In the past, I’ve used store-purchased stencils or sticky contact paper cut with an X-acto knife, and while both options are totally viable, the Silhouette version is better.

I am so excited that I was able to make a pretty darn intricate design and have it turn out really, really well. It doesn’t quite look store-bought, but if you didn’t go up and eyeball it like crazy you wouldn’t notice the difference. There is no way that I’d cut all of these cuts by hand. None. But with the Silhouette, I spent the vast majority of my time on the project removing the stencil when I was done.

For this project you will need:

• Silhouette Cameo
• Silhouette Etching Kit
• gloves
• 12 inch x 12 inch mirror
• access to running water
• free Silhouette cut file – You Look Fine

Download your free cut file and cut the vinyl sheeting that came with your kit (it’s 9 inches wide, FYI). I placed mine on a cutting mat and let the machine do its thing.

Using the hook tool that comes in the kit, weed out the pieces that you don’t want in the stencil (the areas where you DO want the etching cream to go). Now weeding is just a fancy term for pulling those bits out, so don’t fret!

Take your transfer paper, it’s the stuff in the roll with the vinyl that has a brown paper backing. Remove that backing and carefully place the clear transfer paper sticky side down onto the TOP of your stencil.

Use the squeegee/scraper tool to apply pressure so that the transfer paper adheres really well to the stencil. You can use quite a bit of pressure, and if in doubt, give the whole thing another pass with the tool.

Remove the white paper backing from the vinyl stencil and take care to watch that the pieces of the stencil actually transfer with it. Everything is clear so it can be kind of confusing, but you’ll get it.

Apply the stencil on top of your mirror and use the scraper tool to make sure it’s really, really stuck on there. Take care of this part because if you place the stencil wrong, it’s not going to come back up with the transfer paper and you’ll have to start all over again with a new stencil.

Tape off or cover up any of the mirrors that isn’t covered by the stencil and you don’t want to be etched.

First, put on gloves. I didn’t but do as I say,  not as I do.

Dollop your etching cream on top of the mirror and use your scraper to push it into the cracks and crevices of it. Allow the etching cream to sit for just a minute or two and then rinse under water really, really well. I ran mine under the tub where I have the best water pressure. Take something like a paper towel and wipe away the excess water. Give the stencil a peek to make sure you’ve gotten all of the cream away because even watered down, it will mar your surface when we start removing the stencil.

 If you’re the type of person that likes popping bubble wrap, this is the fun part! Peel away the stencil carefully. Every now and again I got it stuck down so well that I had to use a razor blade to help pry it up. Take care when using blades.

Look at that difference! Isn’t it amazing? Plus we’re getting such nice, sharp lines!

The etching looks a bit blurry from the angles I took the photographs in, but that’s because you’re seeing a reflection of the etching or whatnot. Now, it’s not perfect everywhere, but it’s pretty darn good.

Do you ever have moments of craftiness where after you’re like, that’ll do, and then there are other times when you’re completely stoked? This is one of those moments when I feel like I made the coolest thing ever!

Now, remember, if you don’t want your mirror to say that you look fine, you can easily replace the text, OR there are some etching files you can download with a card that comes with your etching kit. Pretty nifty!

Allison

A crafter since her earliest years, Allison spends a little time every day making something. She crafts, sews, paints, glues things onto other things, and is a firm believer that a life spent creating is a life worth living. Visit Allison’s blog, Dream {a Little} BIGGER.