Gild the Lily, Gild the Skull
My boyfriend asked me if this was like the thing he used to do with gum wrappers and it is.
It takes a lot of money to look this cheap, y’all,
Well, not really.
Okay so it’s a little late in the week for a Craft Cult and I meant to get this out earlier. At the start of this week I was working on a different craft, which I might still do, but it didn’t turn out quite right and it still needs some work. So I decided to do a smaller craft or rather more than a crafting method, which was still really fun to do.
I really love using gold leaf, especially for decor. You can add it really to anything, but I think it’s a great way to elevate vases, photo frames, you name it. However gold leaf can be really expensive and can be really finicky to apply. So this week’s craft is how to do gold leaf for practically free.
For this craft, you need 3 things; the item you want to add your gold leaf to, a tacky type of glue (I used modge podge, but most crafting glues work), and finally, a six-pack of Modelo beer bottles.
I decided by item would be a little skull that I got in an 8 pack from the dollar store.
I took off the handle and was ready to use it. I think I picked a skull because I am fully ramping up to spooky season, but you can really use anything. I would, however, start with something on the smaller side for the first time you try this.
Now it’s time to get your leaf. Grab a Modelo from your six-pack.
And I am sure you have guessed it by now, but we are going to steal that gold foil off it. Keep the beer closed and take off the paper from the base of the foil. Once it is off, find the seam of the foil. The seam will run from the base of the foil to the top of the cap. Now each bottle is a little different (I ended up using 2.5 for my skull), but somewhere along that seam will be a weak spot. In that spot the foil will be a little loose or folded, this is a great place to start to peel.
Sorry that the last photo is so bad. But it does show the seam and how I started pulling it up. You want to peel the gold off slowly as there is a layer of adhesive between it and the bottle and if you try to go fast it will tear. If it does tear, it is not the end of the world. Mine did a lot, but try to get as many big pieces as you can, it will make later steps faster. You don’t have to get all the foil off the bottle. If some parts are too stuck on, just go to a different one if you pack. After I peeled the foil off, I just stuck the beers in the fridge for later.
The next step is important because it turns the rough foil into something closer to resembling gold leaf. Take a credit card or the back of a butter knife or anything with a smooth hard edge. Apply light pressure to the edge and drag it along the piece of foil so it thins and smooths out. As you can see below, after running the edge over it, it is much less textured.
Now it’s time to prep your object. You want to make sure your object is clean and dry. Apply a thin layer of glue to a section and wait until it starts getting tacky. Since I used modge podge, it got tacky really fast, so I did very small sections, but if you are using other crafting glues this can be a longer wait and you might want to cover more area at a time.
When your glue is good and tacky, apply a piece of leaf. Fill up your pre-glued area with pieces of leaf, it is ok if the foil overlaps or the edges stick up, once it is dry you can brush any hanging pieces off (I used a fluffy makeup brush for that step at the very end.)
Keep adding foil. I started with big pieces in each area I glued and then added smaller pieces to fill it out. If you want an all-over gold look, try to overlap your foil rather than leaving white spots. As you can see below, I did not always do it perfectly. That is ok, you can always add another foil piece for better cover.
I continued to add foil until the skull was fully covered.
I then thought it was missing something, so I used acrylic paint to paint the inside of the skull red. It is a little hard to see, but I think it was a nice effect.
Finally, as I mentioned before, I took a fluffy makeup brush and brushed off the excess metal. This wasn’t a totally necessary step, but it did give the piece a more finished look.
Once I was done, I put it next to my other halloweeny decor and called it a day. However, I actually think I am going to put a succulent in it after the holidays.
This was a quick one, but I hope you liked it and I would love to hear what you gold leaf.
Honestly, this week has been a rough one. Like on all fronts. I personally have been fighting my own burnout and despair, but I think it’s important to keep doing what you can. You don’t need to do everything, but you need to do something. Do as much as you can and keep it up. Keep fighting for Breonna. Keep booing Trump. Call your representatives and ask them to stall in any way they can to stop republicans from filling RBGs seat. I know everyone is tried, but keep fighting.
And as always, stay safe and stay crafting.