Powercat Etched Glass Dish

I know there are a lot of tutorials for this out there because I looked at them to figure out how to do this.  My goal was to be able to do this without having to buy a fancy machine to cut vinyl or pay (and wait) to have someone do it for me. 

I made this glass dish for my husband's uncle and aunt, who are huge K-state fans.  We were staying at their house while Matt went to a farming and ranching conference, and I wanted a little something to give them.  This fit the bill nicely! 

Here is what you will need:

1.  Armour Etch
2.  Clear Contact Paper
3.  Masking Tape
4.  Scotch
5.  1 inch foam brush
6.  Exacto knife
7.  Latex Gloves
8.  Basic computer skills

I used Microsoft word to print their last name and a powercat on either side.  I had to play around with the size a bit until I got exactly what I wanted.  I also put a rectangle around the text and powercats to help with centering the design.  I used the font Cinnamon Cake, which you can find here.

Then I cut out the rectangle and centered it behind where I wanted it to be on a glass Pyrex dish.  I taped it in place with Scotch tape.

I don't have a picture of this next part, but basically I just put a piece of clear contact paper on the front of the glass over where the picture was.  I smoothed it out with my fingers to make sure it was well-adhered to the glass.  Using the printed piece as a template, I used my exacto knife to cut out the powercats and the letters from the contact paper.  I carefully peeled away the contact paper that was over the top of the powercats and the letters, leaving the rest of the contact paper in place.  Can I just say how handy it was that their last name was only three letters?  Tip:  make sure to change the blade when it starts to feel "draggy."  You will get a much cleaner cut!

I then placed masking tape around the edges of my contact paper.  To etch, I put a towel down in my utility sink in the mudroom and placed the dish on its side inside the sink.  Using latex gloves and eye protection, I then used a foam brush to place the Armour Etch on the areas where I had cut out the contact paper.  I left the Armour Etch about 13 minutes.  If I do it again, I will leave it on a bit longer so the etching will be a bit more visible.  Update (5/21/15--I find now that the etch shows up much better if I leave it on about 40 minutes!)

After the time was up, I rinsed the etchant off and remove the contact paper and my template.

So, if you are looking to make a personal gift for someone without breaking the bank, keep this idea in mind!