Glass-Etched Votive Holders

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Enjoy Watching The Magic When Someone Else Creates!
I had a few women over for a Valentine's Stamp-A-Stack this past weekend.  It was a bit more than just stamping on cards.  One of the projects was actually a glass-etched votive holder.  It was AMAZING to watch the women as each of them decided how they wanted to decorate their votives.  Some chose to mask areas with clear contact paper that had been punched with the large heart punch.  Others decided to just use the Versamarker and write their own messages (which were then temporarily heat embossed so that the areas would be masked to the etching cream).  Some chose to combine punches and words.  What I loved the most was after the etching cream had sat on the glass and needed to be washed off.  One by one the women would go over to the sink to wash off the cream and each one of them would say something like, "I don't think it worked."  The wonderful magic of etching cream is that when you are washing it off, the water makes it look like nothing has happened to the glass.  But once you begin to dry the glass, the etching appears.  I loved watching the magic sparkle come alive in the eyes of these women as they began to see their creation come to life once it was dry!  Yes, I strongly recommend watching the magic that happens when someone else creates - it will definitely inspire you!!!!!
Today I'm sharing two different etched votives with you.  The first was made by Anna B.  She used a Versamarker to draw the symbol onto the glass.  We then heat embossed it with black embossing powder (I like to use black so you can see what you have drawn and decide if you want to proceed or if you want to wipe it all of and start over).  She then used painter's tape to mask off the diamond shape and applied etching cream over the masked off area (including over the black embossed symbol).  Once the etching cream sat for the required time, she washed off the cream and used a tool to scratch off the embossing powder.  We used flameless candles inside the votives.  Here is a picture of the votive without the light:

This second votive was made by Jeanne.

She punched a heart out of a square of clear contact paper and applied the "negative" of the punch to the votive and burnished the edges down.  Next she used the Versamarker to write "I love Chad" and then heat embossed with black embossing powder.  She then brushed on the etching cream within the heart shape and over the embossing.  After she let the cream sit, she washed off the cream and the words came out perfectly!  I love how you can add the personal touch of your own handwriting to glass using a Versamarker - such a special gift!