Flotsam and Jetsam

Dear Monica,

I have come to believe that my children are hoarders.  They want to keep everything!  Every little piece of paper, broken crayon, or tiny trinket.  I keep finding little bits and pieces of toys or games laying around on the floor and that become potential chocking hazards to Mikey.  These things don't necessarily have a "home" either and if I try to throw them away someone will "need" it next week.

So I went to Target and bought some large, square cracker jars (on sale for $5 each YAY!).  And made these.

Now every little chocking hazard can be picked up off the floor and placed in the jar until someone needs it or thinks they need it.  

I used my Silhouette to make vinyl stencils which I stuck to the front of my jars.

Then I used Etchall etching cream, which you can purchase through Silhouette's website.  The Etchall is an acid that permanently etches a design on glass.

I loaded the cream on. Don't worry about using too much or wasting the cream (I will tell you why in a minute).  The directions said to let it sit 15 minutes, but after checking I thought it needed longer so ended up leaving it for 45 minutes.

Then I wiped the excess cream off and put it back in the bottle.  It can be used again.

Then I used warm water to rinse the rest of the cream off and remove the vinyl.

And now, we have a place for all that flotsam and jetsam that used to inhabit our floors, dark corners, and drawers. I anticipate that these will be pretty full in no time.  

XOXO

Emily