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This post is part of my week of Christmas ornament DIYs series. I’m sharing 7 different DIY projects for clear ball ornaments, each of which you can complete in 30 minutes or less. Today I’m making DIY gold leaf ornaments. Gold leaf is an easy way to make anything beautiful.

Day 6, and today I’m doing one of my favorite things: gilding with gold leaf. Its messy but beautiful and easy. Here’s a peek at how some of mine turned out…

Pour paint into the ornament via the opening and rotate the bulb until the entire interior surface area is covered. Put upside down in a cup to drain extra paint out.

Use aerosol glue or a glue stick to spray or draw a simple pattern onto the outside of the ornament. You’ll see that I used the glue stick to draw designs onto the front of ornaments, and I used the aerosol to spray the bottoms for a “dipped” effect.

Then carefully lay the gold leaf down onto the glued areas. Pull off the parts that aren’t on the glue to save!

Like these? Check out my easy DIY glitter ball ornaments, my DIY marbled clay ornaments, and my DIY acorn and wood bead garland!

Go about your business while the glue dries, and then use a paper towel to rub the excess gold leaf off. Do not panic if it doesn’t stick to every glued area. It’s supposed to have a bit of an abstract and rough look.

Seal with a coat of glossy aerosol finish spray in gloss if you’d like. Thoughts? 🙂