Christmas is coming....

Chrismas is coming.  Check out this great gift idea for your favorite cook. 

This is a Pyrex 9x13-inch glass baking pan.  It's mine and it's well-used as you can see.  One of the reasons that you "can see it" is because whenever I take food to a neighbor or to a party I always get my glassware back.  It has my name sandblasted on the outside bottom of the dish.  If there are several dishes which are the same, it never gets mixed up with someone else's.  If I take dinner to a friend or neighbor, they never forget who brought it or to return it to me.  My dishes always return home.  I have my name on all my baking pans and a few pie pans as well.

I look for glassware on sale (restaurant supply stores are a great place to buy glass baking ware at a very reasonable price).  Then you need clear self-adhesive contact paper with which to make a reverse stencil.  Use your computer to print a name/pattern and make a mirror image template.   I put the pattern on a cutting mat (like Quilter's use).  Tape the clear sheet of contact paper over the paper pattern with the name, and cut the letters from the contact paper with an exacto knife.  (Be sure that you position the letters in reverse or mirror image).  You want to be able to read your name when you are looking through the pan.  Remove the cut contact paper letters from the whole contact paper sheet and discard the individual letters, leaving a reverse image of the name in the sheet of contact paper. Center the sheet onto the underside/bottom of your pan (the name should be backwards) and press out any air bubbles so that the plastic is secure on the glass.  Then blast away.   When you have the name etched in the glass, just peel off the stencil, which can be re-used a few times.  If you don't have access to a sandblaster, you can also do this using liguid glass etching fluid that you purchase from a craft store.

My brother-in-law owns a sandblaster.  He has gone to different groups and organizations and creates these for people on location as fund-raisers for their group.  Maybe you know someone who owns a sandblaster and could talk them into doing this for you.  You can also look for local businesses who might do the sandblasting in their commericial glass shop.  If you prepare the stencil and secure it on the pan yourself, it can be done for a reasonable price.

These make great wedding shower gifts, and I have given my share of them for those occassions as well as Christmas and birthday gifts.  Who wouldn't want a personalized baking pan?  And if you get on it now, you could have a jump on your Christmas shopping for the cooks in your life.

Linked to Tip Day Thursday and Fresh Clean, and Pure Friday.