Gilded Christmas Ornament

Hi, I’m Amy from Atta Girl Says, and I love decorating, crafting, cooking and sharing ideas to make your home brighter and your heart lighter.

Today, I’m sharing a simple tutorial for making gilded Christmas ornaments that will really make your tree shine.

Don’t they look so luxe?

I’m using gold throughout the house for Christmas, so these ornaments are perfect for my staircase and also for (one of) my Christmas trees!

Here’s what you’ll need to make them:

Clear glass Christmas ornaments
Adhesive size for metal leafing (you can find this in craft stores and art supply stores)
gold leaf sheets
2 paintbrushes
soft cloth
sheer ribbon
clear sealer, optional

To make the ornaments, begin by coating the outside of each glass ball with adhesive size, which is a thin, ultra-sticky glue made especially for metal leafing. Allow the adhesive size to dry for 20 to 40 minutes, until the surface of the ornament is sticky to the touch, but not dry.

Carefully, place a sheet of gold leaf over the ornament. It will adhere to the glue.

Gold leaf is very thin and it tends to turn to dust when you touch it. So handle it gently and be sure you’re not sitting near a fan, vent or open window — anything that will kick up a breeze and blow the leafing away.

Use a soft, dry paintbrush or a soft rag to burnish the gold leaf onto the ornament and remove any excess. You can reuse any pieces of gold dust that fall off.

You may need to fill in some spots you missed with more adhesive size and gold leaf.

Use a soft cloth to carefully smooth the ornament’s surface and brush away any excess gold leaf.

Gold leaf will develop a patina over time if you don’t seal it. Most gold leafing kits include a clear sealer that you can brush over the surface of your ornaments. Or you can use a spray sealer. I did not seal mine, as I prefer to allow a patina to develop. But this does make the finish more fragile, so I will wrap the ornaments in tissue when storing them after Christmas.

Finally, thread a piece of sheer ribbon through the ornament, knotting at the top, and hang on your tree.