Actually, the request was “something for their first Christmas with maybe a couple of lovebirds in a tree”.
This was my idea. Clear acrylic. Reverse etched. What I thought was the happy couple running to their future my wife & daughter suggested “disco dancers”
What are they getting? This one. Tweaked manual settings, a light sanding (it was unmasked - I…or should I say my wife…wanted a smokey old time look) and a couple of coats of shellac/alcohol mix for sealing but not a glossy covering.
Here’s a VW Vanagon ornament for my father in law. He drove these for years and years, going so far as to repaint new ones that he got so they would look the same as the old one.
i never leave it on that long. i press it down, maybe burnish a little with my thumbnail (if it’s small) or a burnishing stick. then immediately peel off. i may occasionally have to go back for a little piece here or there, but burnishing seems to take care of it most of the time.
I made custom ornaments instead of gift tags for family this year. I have a few more to go, but here’s the output so far (on Cherry Proofgrade plywood, which I’m a huge fan of):