Birthday Etched Mug & Keep Calm Themed Idea

I thought I would share this idea of a recent mug that I etched for someones birthday. One side says their name, along with “EST’D 1986” which is short for established. I thought etched mugs for a birthday would always be a interesting idea that you might want to try whether for friends or family or as a business selling idea.

How to Add More Character to An Etch Glass Mug

Just a close up of the etching on a diagonal view to show depth. I always like to etch deep to show it isn’t just a laser etch.

Add Icons

I always like to include some sort of icon that is relative to the person to make it extra meaningful and spice it up more. As you can see, I added a musical note symbol.

Contrasting Positive & High Relief Etched Designs

Another interesting idea is to etch items that incorporate both positive and negative designs into a glass. I etched the name into the glass, but the lettering for the date is a high relief etching.

Bordering Designs

Although it is a simple idea, adding some sort of border around an etched name or statement has always been a favorite of mine. I typically use a sign element design found online or in some of my vector graphic CD collections used in the sign making industry.

Etch Both Sides of the Mug (Keep Calm Phrases are Always Popular)

Those “Keep Calm and …” phrases have become quite popular over the last ten years or so. You can search for ideas online in Google by searching the phrase and something that is relative to the birthday boy or gal. That is exactly what I did. It says “Keep Calm and Sign Your Heart Out.”

Don’t Etch Too Deep Near Drinking Area

Since the light etching is noticeable in the below photo, I also wanted to point out that deeper etchings near where someone’s lips sip out of the mug may be aggravating or even cut them while drinking. As you can see, I tried to align the design down as far as I could and did a very light surface etching of the musical note. Remember to pay attention to whether they are left or right handed also.

I tried to have a minimum space of at least 1/4″ to 1/2″ space.

Have any other suggestions or ideas to add to this? Please let me know your thoughts in the comment section below. I would appreciate it.

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7 thoughts on “Birthday Etched Mug & Keep Calm Themed Idea”

That is so cool! You say it’s easy but I don’t think I would be able to do that! I love it though.

I like it! But I didn’t know the abbreviation for established was est’d, I’ve always just used est. for family and wedding gifts. Hmmm, I learn something new every day. Gotta love it!
And you mentioned to keep in ind whether the person is left or right handed, and by looking at the mug, I would say the receiver of the gift is left handed so that when they are drinking out of it or have it sitting in front of them, other people will be able to read it…but something tells me it should be the other way around? Please tell me if there is a rule or standard…I’ve not given it much thought before (probably because I have only done wine glasses so far and there is no handle, LOL), but have plans to expand to glasswares other than just wine glasses.
Thanks for posting, I appreciate your sharing your experiences, ideas, and knowledge.