How to Make Gold Leaf Ornaments

I have wanted to make these gold leaf ornaments for some time now, but time was getting away from me, so today was the day!

This year, why not make a statement by trying out one of the hottest trends in home décor: gold leaf ornaments? These shimmering decorations bring a luxurious glamour that will lighten up any room while adding sparkle and elegance. Read on for some inventive ideas on creating a fantastic gold leaf ornament!

Step 1: Start with clear glass balls from amazon.

I bought them with silver tops and painted them gold with spray paint.

You cannot use acrylic balls. They must be glass.

Step 2: White acrylic paint

( I bought this at Michaels)  squirt some into the glass ball and shake it until the white paint covers the entire inside.

Step 3: Let the paint drain.

Turn the ornaments upside down and let the residual paint drain out of the ornament into a plastic cup. I like to let them sit overnight and drain.

Step 4: Let them dry.

Remove the ornaments from the cup and let them air dry for several hours.

Step 5: Time to make them shine

Put the ornament back onto the plastic cup and paint on the gold leafing adhesive with a brush; only put the glue where you want the gold leafing to adhere to the ornament.

Let this sit for around 20-30  minutes until it is tacky to the touch. After that, it only takes a little bit of adhesive. You don’t want it to drip, so watch it to be sure you have not put too much on.

Step 6: Time to remove

Remove one sheet of the gold leave ( keeping the orange backing paper on ), place it over the bottom of the ornament, rub it lightly, and then remove the orange backing paper. It should look like the one below.

Step 7: Let them dry again

Using a dry inexpensive paint brush, burnish the gold foil and remove any loose pieces.

Step 8: The final touch

Tie a piece of gold ribbon to the top and hang it on the tree or display them in a lovely bowl.