Back to School: Teacher Pencil Cup

At the beginning of every year....I stock up on pencils....lots....and lots....and lots of pencils....lots. You can get packs of pencils for a penny at some of the local office supply stores around this time, and I do. By May....I always think....I need more pencils-emphasis on the eraser part of the pencil...or we just need to go back to chalkboards...you can erase those as much as you want! Anyway...I decided to try out a little glass etching paint....I need to work on this idea, but the concept is there, the technique just needs a little improvement.
I've seen pencil cups sort of like this with initials, but since I don't know who will get this cup...I decided to get ambitious and try out a teacher quote.
Supplies:
narrow vase (I got this at the dollar store)
pencils
glass etching paint (a little pricey, but I used a coupon at Hobby Lobby)
paper/cricut to cut out my quote

Steps:
I cut out my quote using the 1 inch setting on my cricut with the Applelicious alphabet. I punched OUT the letters, tossed the letters, and pasted the shadow of the letters on to the side of the vase.

I carefully dabbed on the etching paint using a thin paint brush. I was surprised that it didn't try to seep under the sides of the letters. It came out fairly clean. I just found I put too thick of a layer down. Less is more in this case. Live and learn. I pealed off the stencil I had created (which dried pretty quickly)....

The quote: Teaching is the profession that teaches all the other professions. -Anonymous


I added pencils, wrapped, and set it aside. This would also be a good way to deliver a mix of supplies, candies, or flowers. I'll probably try this out again at some point on candy jars, storage jars, or picture frames.