How can I think outside of the box when sandcarving glass?

You might naturally think of common glass items in the gift industry, like glass mugs and wine glasses, glass vases, bowls, decanters, paperweights, etc. But keep in mind that you have the ability to create custom-etched designs on any glass item that could conceivably be given as a gift. This includes things that might not normally be thought of as gifts, but that could easily become gifts if they were personalized with an etched design that a recipient of the gift would really appreciate. An example of this is a common wall mirror with a beveled edge.

Mirrors do not generally come to mind as gift items but there are more possibilities of different ways to etch mirrors than with almost any other type of glass item. In addition, mirrors are inexpensive, so etching a custom design can create a lot of added value. This added value goes right to your bottom line by allowing you to charge substantially more for the customized mirror than you would ever get for a plain mirror. Since the process of etching the custom design is not very time consuming, this creates a high profit margin.

-Ruth Dobbins, EtchMaster