I originally shared this project over at My Favorite Finds, where I contribute, but I love the way it turned out, so I just had to share this over here with you!!  If you're looking for a last minute way to dress up a bouquet of flowers for Valentine's Day, or if you just want a great way to upcycle a florist vase,  may I suggest a modern monogrammed vase?

I know that most folks think that  I'm here to tell you that a monogram does not have to be traditional--in fact, you can be very "mod" with a monogram...and with etched glass.

You just need to think about a monogram, well differently. Here, I made a list of what I normally think about monograms, and then how you can make them modern...

Traditional Monograms are:

Now that we've had a little design discussion, I'm sure that you want me to show you how to actually make this monogrammed vase, right?

Here's what you need:

A vase (mine came from Ikea)

Rubbing alcohol

Stencil material and something to cut it

tools to apply the stencil vinyl

Etching cream

water and a rag or paper towels to remove the cream

This process is pretty easy. First, select a geometric pattern that you like. I liked this fun hexagon pattern from the silhouette store.

I found that it was easier to visualize if I used a color fill to mark where the etching was going. I then trimmed down the pattern to match the size of my vase. I added my letter in Bebas Neue, a modern sans serif (I simplified the hexagon that I placed the letter in for clarity, too). I made a couple of circles, for accents too.

I cut this pattern using my Silhouette Portrait with stencil vinyl. I cleaned my vase using rubbing alcohol. After weeding my pattern out, I used transfer tape to place my vinyl on the vase.

The key to success with etching cream is to make sure that you get every bubble out of the stencil vinyl, especially out of the edges--make sure that you use a tool to really press it down.  Then, apply your etching cream according to instructions. You want a nice, thick, even layer.

Wipe of the cream before you rinse it off.

Remove the stencil vinyl...and enjoy a fun, modern monogram.