Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend of Spring-like weather like we did. I am so scared it’s just a tease. Enough of your cruel ways already, Mother Nature. Bring me Spring!!!
I have a fun project for you today that can help you glamify (it’s a word according to me) any plain old glass bottle or milk glass piece you have laying around. And maybe soon you will be lucky enough to fill those bottles and milk glass vases with flowers from your garden!
One of my newest sponsors, Catfish Studios, provided me with Artisan Enhancements Gold leaf and Size. (FYI, their main page is down, but their shop link is working. If you have any questions or want to order the Gold Leaf and don’t see it, you can email [email protected]). I have used the gold leaf from Michael’s before (on my nightstands) and I have to say I love the Artisan Enhancements to much more. It comes in a cellophane type roll- no little squares like the other stuff. Also, because it comes stuck to the cellophane, it’s easier to maintain rather than losing any while you work (as I did with the other stuff).
The size comes in a can and you just brush it on and wait about a half hour for it to become supersticky. Once it is sticky, you can apply the leaf right from your roll, and you can cut pieces as needed if you wish. Another plus is that the size remains sticky UNTIL you topcoat it, so there is no rush or time limit on getting your leafing done as their is with the other products I have used. Also, in speaking with Terri of Catfish Studios, I learned that you can use rubbing alcohol or nail polish removed to remove unwanted size. Basically, I find this stuff SO much easier to use.
Now I am going to take you through my process. I did this with both glass and milk glass.
I used a foam brush to brush the size on where I wanted it. I did not cover all areas, but made different levels on the glass bottles, and on the milk glass chose to highlight details.
I allowed this to sit for a half hour (the size is milky white but becomes clear as it becomes sticky).
The next step I do not have a picture of since I had to use both hands. I took my pieces and pressed them into my gold leaf sheet and then pulled off. I repeated as needed to cover all the areas I wished to cover.
Also important to note is that if any spots are missed, you can easily put the size back on and repeat the process before you add your final topcoat.
Once I had pressed the leaf on, I applied a topcoat. Artisan Enhancements recommends that you use their topcoat. I unfortunately did not have any on hand, so opted to use Mod Podge, and it did the job. In the picture below you can see the left is there it has not yet been topcoated, and on the right the topcoat is evident and milky white. This will dry clear, and you won’t be able to see it at all. It is important not to skip this step as it will protect your leaf and also seal the sticky size.
Here is a look at the finished product on the clear glass bottles. You can see I gave them sort of a dipped look.
Now let’s check out the milk glass- I am in love with how this turned out! White and gold make my heart go pitter patter.
This one is my favorite- I decided to keep it for my Aloe plant. I just love how the golding highlights the details!
Just check out these details…
And the design on this vase is so cool- the gilding brings that out!
I love how easy this project was and it’s a great way to transform cheap garage sale bottles and vases! I am itching for yard sale season…. and I will be hoarding buying all looking for milk glass.
And I want to add that although I was provided with the gold leaf and size, I was not asked to review the products, and all opinions are 100% my own.
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