Anniversary Mugs

by Kathie Camara

A friend’s parents were celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary in a few weeks.  

She brought me some green coffee mugs, as her parents loved the color green, and asked if I could paint “55 Years” on the mugs.  Of course I thought of using my Etchall etching cream to prepare the surface of the mugs.  The etching cream removes the glaze and leaves a surface that is perfect for either paint or colored wax.  

Here’s what I did:

I created a stencil on my Silhouette Cameo machine and sized it to fit on the mug.  Then I cut 2 copies of the design out of vinyl.  After cleaning the mugs with alcohol, I attached the vinyl to the mugs.  After removing the parts of the stencil that needed to be etched, I applied the Etchall etching cream and set my timer for 8 minutes.  After 8 minutes, I moved the cream around to make sure I had applied it correctly, then I waited another 7 minutes.  With the plastic squeegee tool, I scraped off the etching cream and put it back in the jar.  (YES, you can reuse this cream over and over?)   Then, I removed the outer stencil and wiped the glass off with an unscented baby wipe, polished it with a paper towel and washed it.  

The words etched nicely.  Now, I could have left it like it was, the etching was that nice.  However, I wanted to add some color to the words and the Etchall gave the 

glass just the right amount of ‘tooth’ to hold the Rub ‘n Buff Wax Metallic Finish on the surface.  Of course I used the Gold Leaf.  

I used a Q-tip to apply the wax to the etched areas.  Then I cleaned up around the words with a paper towel.  The wax does not stick to the glazed finish of the mug,  just the etched part.  

I finished up by polishing the words on the front of the mug with a soft cloth.  

That’s it!  Such a quick and easy way to make a very special gift for a special couple.  

I hope you enjoy this project.  Always remember to “Have A Colorful Day”