Etched Wine Bottle Art: How to Etch a Glass Bottle

Instructions

STEP 1: GET THE WINE BOTTLE ART DESIGN

First, download Design #301 which is my free Wine Bottle Art SVG/DXF/PDF from my free resource library. If you're going to cut it on your cutting machine, upload the file to your design software. This is what my Wine Bottle Art SVG looks like in Cricut Design Space.

Tip: If you are not sure how to upload an SVG cut file to Cricut Design Space, watch this helpful video training series I made. If you are on an iPad or iPhone, here is how to download and upload SVG files to the Cricut Design Space app.

STEP 2: CUT THE DESIGN

There are two designs in the Wine Bottle Art file. You will need to ungroup the designs first, then choose the design you want to use and hide or delete the other.

Each design is ready to be made as it is on the canvas for the size wine bottle I used in my project. If your bottle is a different size, you may need to adjust the size of the design to fit your bottle.

I measured the height of my bottle where I wanted the design to lay, as well as the circumference of the bottle to determine the width I needed for the design of my Wine Bottle Art. My design needed to be about 9 1/2" wide by 7 1/2" high.

Once you have the design set to the size you need, click "Make It" and then click on "Continue" on the "Mat Preview" window.

Now, connect to your machine and browse to find the material you are cutting. I used "Premium Vinyl" and to find that I clicked on "Browse All Materials, typed "Premium Vinyl" into the search box, selected the material and clicked "Done."

I always set my pressure to "MORE" to make sure I get a clean cut.

Place your Premium Vinyl shiny side up on your Cricut StandardGrip Machine Mat and load it into your machine.

Then press the flashing button to start your cut.

Once your vinyl is cut, weed your vinyl with your Cricut weeding tools by removing the vinyl that you do not need from the design.

There are some extra elements included in both Wine Bottle Art designs that can be cut out of cardstock or your choice of material. I chose to use cardstock. Cut your extra elements on the "Cardstock" setting and set them aside.

STEP 3: PREP BOTTLE AND APPLY DESIGN

To prepare the wine bottle for good vinyl adherence, I wiped it with a little isopropyl alcohol and a lint free cloth. Coffee filters also work great to get the wine bottle nice and clean in preparation for your Wine Bottle Art! Set aside to let the bottle dry.

Next it's time to get your design ready to be adhered to the wine bottle by applying painter's tape on the design. I found that painter's tape allows for an easier vinyl application to the bottle than regular transfer tape because the painter's tape allows for more flexibility around the bottle. I just covered the weeded design with strips of painter's tape and trimmed all the edges so the tape did not go outside the paper backing of the vinyl. I burnished (rubbed) the vinyl to the painter's tape until it was adhered well, then removed the paper backing from the vinyl.

Lay the design on your table and line your bottle up to one end of the Wine Bottle Art design and lay it down on the design. Roll your bottle on the design to apply it to the bottle.

When you get to the end of the design, the bottle will be completely covered with the vinyl. Burnish down the vinyl to the bottle with your fingers. Begin to remove the painter's tape from the bottle. I began to remove the tape from where the two ends met. You may have one end that has overlapped the other a bit not allowing for the vinyl to adhere to the jar. If that happens pull up the painter's tape that is in the way, push down the other side to the jar well and then begin to remove the painter's tape slowly. If there are some areas that are not stuck to the bottle, push them down again with a little more pressure and continue to remove the painter's tape.

Once the painter's tape has been removed, go over your wine bottle and press down any vinyl that may not be adhered properly. If you have some spots that have creases in them, just use your weeding tool to lift them a bit so you can lay them flat.

If you choose not to use etching cream and just leave the vinyl design on the bottle, skip to Step 5 to add the finishing touches.

STEP 4: APPLY ETCHING CREAM

Once you're ready to apply the etching cream to your Wine Bottle Art, be sure to put on gloves and safety goggles. Also, apply the etching cream in a well ventilated area, with windows open or a fan running.

Apply the cream to the wine bottle with a paint brush (avoid foam brushes), using your brush to move the cream on top of your stencil. I applied the cream in one direction first, then used the brush to apply it in the opposite direction. Brush up and down, side to side and diagonally to keep the cream moving around your design and to get in every nook and cranny. Applying in this manner will provide a more even etching. Keeping the cream moving around the surface will result in a deeper and stronger etch. Overall, including stirring, the cream needs to stay on the glass at least five minutes.

Once time is up, take your wine bottle to the sink, and rinse the cream off the bottle with cold water. If you had a lot of excess etching cream, feel free to scrape it back into the container before you rinse off the bottle!

Dry the bottle with a towel and then use your weeding tool to remove the vinyl from the bottle.

STEP 5: FINISHING TOUCHES

To finish off the wine bottle, I wrapped twine around the neck of the bottle and glued it to the bottle at the end of the wrap. With this wrap I used approximately 10 feet of twine to get the neck covered the way I wanted it.

I then took about a two-foot piece of twine and tied it around the neck of the bottle with a bow. I trimmed my bow tails to the length I thought looked the best, and then glued the elements (bees or dragonflies) to the end of the bow tails. My Wine Bottle Art was almost done!

Now feed your fairy lights into the bottle, turn the lights on and enjoy!

STEP 6: SHOW IT OFF!

This is such a great way to use up some of those empty wine bottles we may have sitting around. And how cute they would be for a night light in a room!