I love bowls, dishes, trays, platters, you name it. It’s a problem that I will address in a future post. While I keep a clean house I am utterly messy, leaving a trail in my wake of dirty clothes, misplaced keys, magazines, coins, and receipts I need to save. I have tried many systems for organization but they are such a chore. I found that pretty vessels let’s me lazily contain my clutter. I saw some gold plated shells on One Kings Lane that were $60 each! Yikes! I thought - I could make those.
I happen to stumble upon four big shells at the thrift store for 50 cents each. I scooped them up, nabbed a gold leaf kit from the hardware store and decided to give it a go. This was the first time I had ever gold leafed something and I have to say I was impressed with the results. All items in my house beware! Here is how I did it.
Contains adhesive, sealer, two brushes, and the gold leaf sheets.
SUPPLIES
Get some shells (or small item you want to glitz out)
Gold Leaf Kit (I found one at my hardware store)
Paint Thinner (to clean the brushes)
Something to cover your work surface
DIRECTIONS:
The flecks of gold leaf got everywhere, even on Gracie.
Step 1: Apply the adhesive
Using one of the brushes apply the adhesive to all the areas you want the gold leaf to stick. I wanted to leave a rim of shell showing so I didn’t go all the way to the edge with exception of one of the shells (I wanted to see what it looked like completely gold leafed). You just need a very thin layer (you don’t want it to pool or bubble). Allow 1 hour to dry.
Step 2: Lay the gold gold leaf
Carefully lay a sheet of gold leaf over the area you applied the adhesive. Don’t worry about it being perfect. If it rips or bunches up you can smooth it out in the next step. I like it a little cracked and imperfect personally. Makes it look a bit older and vintage. Use your fingers to push it down and start to smooth it out.
Step 3: Seal it
Using the satin sealer, cover the gold leaf areas. I also brushed it on the exposed shell areas. This gives the whole look a shiny finish and helps protect the gold leaf. You also want to be conservative with the sealer. It can pool up if you use too much. Wait 2 hours to set.
Step 4: Second Seal (optional)
You don’t have to do this, but I applied a second coat of sealer to one of the shells to see what happened. It came out a bit shinier and adds additional protection to the gold leaf. Wait 2 hours to set.
BOOM! You got some faboosh little bowls. I use them in my desk drawer to hold loose things (paper clips, lip balm, rubber bands, whatever). It’s a nice burst of happiness every time I open my drawer. You need these in your life. Create your own show me what you make.
