Faux Sea Glass

I love sea glass!  In fact I love anything that has to do with the beach.  My sister and I have spent countless hours collecting shells and sea glass from beaches from the west coast of the US to the east coast of England.

It's not surprising when I kinda fell in love with some sea glass vases I saw in an online catalog.  I was about to "add to cart" when I suddenly realized I could make my own at a fraction of the cost and here it is:

I've been Spring cleaning lately and discovered a box full of these little heart shaped glass bottles. I wish I could tell you where I found them, but you can use this technique with any glass.  All you need is etchall® dip'n etch reusable glass and mirror etching liquid and a plastic container slightly larger than the glass piece you want etch.  You can find an inexpensive collection of glass bottles and vases, etc at your local Dollar store, or even Goodwill.

Here's what you do:

1.  Fill the bottle with WATER then place it inside the plastic container.  Fill the container with water until the water level reaches the top of the bottle.  Remove the bottle and the water level will fall. Mark the water level on the outside of the plastic container with a marker.

2.  Pour the water out of the container and the glass jar then dry both pieces thoroughly.

3.  Fill the plastic container with dip'n etch up to the mark you made.  Fill the bottle with dip'n etch then carefully place it inside the container.  Leave for 15 minutes.

4.  Remove the bottle and pour the dip'n etch back into the dip'n etch container.  Pour the dip'n etch from the other container back into its original container to be used, again and again.  Rinse the bottle thoroughly with water.  NOTE:  I etched 3 bottles, so after removing the first one, I poured the dip'n etch into the second bottle then placed that into the liquid in the container.  After 15 minutes I repeated the process to etch the 3rd bottle.  After you have finished, return all the dip'n etch liquid to its original container.

The bottles are now etched on the inside and the outside giving each piece the look of sea glass.  Leave pieces plain or embellish with shells, charms, beads, etc - anything you like to match your décor.  This is such an easy process and the results are fabulous.

CAUTION:  Please read directions on the container carefully before starting your project.  This is an etching product and it will etch other shiny surfaces like granite, porcelain sinks, etc.

You can find etchall® glass and mirror etching liquid and crème at www.etchall.com.  Click on the graphic below for their dip'n etch special, just in time for Easter.  Don't forget!  This product is re-usable, so you'll be able to make a lot of faux sea glass! 

Enjoy!  Y'all come back now..........

Yours truly,
Julie :)

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING! 

Sea Glass

Back home today, swapping the cool sea mists and ocean waves for parched dirt, blue skies and the hot Texas sun.  But home is where we are and it makes being away so much more special.

We collected a bunch of sea glass for Carole's jewelry pieces and I left with a bag full of shells.  I LOVE shells and have tins full of them from everywhere I've been where there was a beach....  I've used them to decorate mirrors, frames, boxes and more.  However, for those of you who aren't sure what sea glass is, here's a photo of Carole's collection.  Notice she collects small pottery pieces too.

And this is a piece of jewelry she made.

It takes dedication (and good eyesight) to find all the right pieces and they're not that easy to spot.  Look at this photo below and see if you can spot the piece of sea glass:

Can you see it?

 Here it is - right inside the circle!

As you can imagine, I came home with a severe case of "beachcombers' back"...........LOL, but it's back (no pun intended) to work this week.

Lots going on next week that I have to get ready for.  Designer Crafts Connection members will be posting First Monday projects on October 3rd featuring Westcott brand product and a fantastic GIVEAWAY.  I posted a photo about a week ago, so be sure to check it out.

I'm also participating in the Sizzix Fresh Vintage blog hop to support fellow designer, Eileen Hull and I'll be posting my project next Tuesday!  As you can imagine, when I said I had to get to work - I meant it!  Plus there's lots to catch up with from last week.  Y'all come back now....................

Yours truly,
Julie :)

Sea Mists and Sea Glass

There's nothing more serene than watching the mists roll in off the ocean, covering the tops of the trees like a lightweight blanket.  There's the sound of a lonely bell chiming in the distance with the swell of the waves and the delicate swooshing noise as the touch the sand.  However nothing deters the intrepid Sea Glass hunters as they continue the hunt......  (we are Brits after all and certainly not strangers to this kind of weather).

  

  

Now we're just waiting for a ghost ship to appear out of the swirling mists and an army of zombies to jump out from behind the rocks.....    y'all come back now...........

Yours truly,

Julie :) 

Oh What a Beautiful Morning!

This is what I was looking at while drinking my morning cup of tea!  Now I'm off sea glass hunting with my sister.

Y'all come back now.........

Yours truly,
Julie :)