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Use your creative energy to transform a plain olive oil bottle into a beautifully etched work of art! You can customize it to make personalized gifts for friends and family.
This project uses glass etching liquid to etch any part of the bottle that is not covered by a sticker or stencil.
I made 11 bottles for Christmas gifts one year and was able to customize each bottle for friends and family. It was really fun to create a unique gift for each of them, and to receive pictures back with how they are using and enjoying the gift.
Steps:
First, be sure to thoroughly clean your olive oil bottle. Soap and water will work. If there is residue from labels on the outside, Goo Gone works well to remove. Rub the entire outside of the bottle with rubbing alcohol to remove all oils - then try not to touch with fingers and hands again.
Next put stickers on the bottle in the design pattern of your choice. I used my Cricut Maker 3 to create a pattern and cut the stencils out. You can find the pattern I made here: https://design.cricut.com/landing/project-detail/5fc1455cc85eab15cc5d3656
I put the larger olive leaf wrapped around the bottle neck
Two smaller versions of the same leaf on the bottom of each side
Family/friend name on the front just above the bottle curve
Olive bunch on the back - I have to admit that the pattern I picked for the olive bunch took a lot of patience to weed!
Once the stickers are on, make sure they are very well adhered around all of the edges. I used a scraper to go around the edges really well and remove any bubbles.
Now your ready to dip your bottle in the etching liquid following these steps:
Find a plastic container that your bottle can completely fit into. I used an old zip tie container that was tall enough. Do not use a glass container! The liquid will etch that too ;-)
Before pouring in your etching liquid, you need to determine how much you need. Follow below to make sure you don't have too much in the container - it there is too much, it will spill over the top when you put your bottle down into the liquid:
Place the bottle in the empty plastic container
Pour water into the container until it is up to the level you want it on the bottle
Remove the bottle from the water, then mark the water level on the outside of the container. This is the same level you will want your etching liquid to come up to.
For the ones I was making, I didn't want the bottle to sit on the bottom of the container and cause an un-etched rim, so I made a contraption out of wire hangers to hold the bottle just above the bottom (picture in gallery).
Fill your container with etching liquid up to the line you made in step 4.b.iii.
Fill your olive oil bottle with water. This will let it easily sink down into the etching liquid. I capped mine off with a wine bottle stopper so etching liquid wouldn't get into the bottle. It also provided a way to attach the wire hanger contraption.
Slowly lower the bottle into the etching liquid.
I watched quite a few YouTube videos on how to do this as well. There are several opinions on how long to leave the bottle in the liquid. I did 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, pull the bottle out of the liquid. I immediately put a paper plate under the bottle and carried it over to a utility sink.
Run water over the bottle to get all etching liquid off before you remove the stickers. I wore gloves and used warm soapy water.
Remove the stickers and wash again.
Materials needed:
I used the Siena 16 oz olive oil bottle. You can get on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3NRbyEY), or if you want to make a lot of these you might want to try a restaurant supply site to try and get a bulk price. I ordered 12 from Webstaurant Store
Glass etching liquid. There are several brands to pick from. I used Etchall Dip-n-Etch (https://amzn.to/3flYg52). It seems expensive but you can use the same liquid over and over again. I've been using my same liquid for several years.
