I have an ever expanding collection of glass jars in my kitchen. I could simply recycle them, but some jars have such appealing shapes or details that they warrant adaptive re-use instead of recycling. So, my vanilla beans, nutmeg, and bay leaves are housed in old molasses jars with teardrop dimples around the bases, and my fennel, cloves, and chilies rest in jars sporting what to me look like little pleated glass skirts (they once held stem ginger in syrup–yum). And although I like these jars just as they are, when I came upon a collection of Chinese papercut designs at the Library, I decided to embellish these jars with etchings transferred from the pages of that book. Read on to learn how to etch images from book pages on one-of-a-kind upcycled spice jars.

You will need:
-Book illustrations (I chose bold and simple images like the cabbage and persimmon in order to save my sanity, because the pictures have to be cut into stencils with an X-Acto knife and my knife skills are limited!)
-Clear adhesive labels, one label per 8.5 x 11 sheet (I used Staples Clear Shipping Labels, Compatible with Avery 8665)
-Access to a photocopier
-X-Acto Knife and sharp blades
-Scissors
-Cutting board
-Glass jars (the taller jars pictured are from Grandma’s Original Molasses, and the shorter ones once contained candied stem ginger in syrup whose brand name I’ve long ago forgotten, alas)
-Glass Etching Cream (I used Armour Etch, which you can pick up in art supply stores)
-Small paint brush (I used a Robert Simmons Signet 40R Round, Size 1)
-Newspapers or other covering to protect your work surface
-Rubber gloves to protect your hands
-Soap and water for cleanup

Step 1: Prepare Your Art

The first step is to transfer your chosen images onto the clear adhesive label sheets. This is as easy as filling the paper tray of your copier with the adhesive label sheets and then copying your book pages onto these sheets. How many copies should you make? Well, keep in mind that each adhesive sheet will be used to make just one etching. If you want two jars to match, then print out two copies of the chosen image. Additionally, I recommend making a few extra copies, in case you’re like me and sometimes get a little clumsy with your X-Acto.

When you are choosing your image, look for single color ones in which the part that will remain (and become the stencil) can be held together in a single piece. That way you can avoid trying to cut out single bits not anchored to the main stencil. The Chinese cutouts I used had a few unanchored bits (like the petals on the persimmon) and I chose to leave most of them behind for simplicity’s sake. It’s up to you and your own etching ambitions, though.

And, when copying your image, consider the size of the jar you’ll be etching and make sure that the image you’ve selected will fit onto it—or reduce it on the copier in order to make it the right size. The image has to fit on the smooth portion of the jar (not on any bumpy or dimply bits). I had to reduce the Chinese papercuts a bit in order for them to fit on the smooth surfaces of my jars. You might also consider creating a stencil of just a part of an image; I stenciled just one of the persimmon pair on one of my jars.

Step 2: Create Your Stencil

With your cutting board underneath your adhesive label sheet, use your X-Acto to cut out the parts of the image that you want to etch onto the glass. In my case, I cut away the white parts and left behind the black.

Next, cut away the excess label sheet from around the stencil, leaving a nice square margin. The result is an adhesive stencil of the image.

Step 3: Apply Stencil to Glass Jar

If you haven’t done so already, soak the labels off of your glass jars and make sure that they are perfectly clean and dry with no sticky label stuff left on them.

Gently and slowly peel off the back of the adhesive stencil and hold it in place it where you want it to appear on the jar. Then, anchor one corner and slowly peel and stick down the rest bit by bit. Take your time.

Once the stencil’s in place, make sure that the entire thing is adhered thoroughly. Burnish the edges with the back of your fingernail to be sure that everything is stuck down nicely. This avoids etching cream oozing underneath any parts of the stencil.

Step 4: Brush on the Etching Cream

Now’s the time to apply the etching cream. Follow the instructions on your bottle of etching cream for both application and safe handling (including protecting your skin and eyes). Once the etching cream is brushed on, your work is done. Peel off your rubber gloves, relax, and allow the etching cream to do its magic over the next five minutes.

Step 5: Finishing Up

After five minutes have passed, put your rubber gloves back on and take your jar to the sink. Wash it in plenty of warm soapy water and peel off and discard the used stencil. Once the jar has dried, it is ready to hold whatever foodstuffs you please!

The just-finished spice jars and now-filled jars, back on their shelves: