How To Gold Leaf | Cashmere Pumpkin Makeovers

October 12, 2021 by Denise - 54 Comments

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HERE’S HOW TO GLAM UP DOLLAR STORE PUMPKINS WITH EASY TO APPLY GOLD LEAF

I’m one of those people who do an eye roll when stores display Christmas decor in September. And in blog land, holiday decor posts are usually featured months before the actual holiday — so these pumpkins may be a little late to the party. 😉 But I hope you love them as much as I enjoyed making them. And even more so, I REALLY hope you find the How To Gold Leaf tutorial inspirational. This gold leaf can be applied to almost anything so I hope it sparks some ideas!

It’s also TRASH TO TREASURE TUESDAY – one of my favorite days of the month where I join my blogging besties. I’m linking to their makeovers below… so be sure to check them out.

Here are the trash-bound dollar store pumpkins I started with. My sister was going to throw them away so I scooped them up for staging and styling my furniture. I previously painted them… but we can do better! 🙂

THIS POST IS SPONSORED/CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS TO PRODUCTS I USE. YOU CAN SEE MY FULL DISCLOSURE HERE.

SOURCE LIST

Dollar Store Pumpkins – SALVAGED
Oval Med Paint Brush
Chip Brush
Cashmere Chalk Mineral Paint (similar)
Buttercream Chalk Mineral Paint (substitute)
5 x 5 Gold Leaf Sheets
Mod Podge Glue

HOW TO GOLD LEAF

I’ve been wanting to try Gold Leaf on furniture for a while now. What better way to practice on a smaller project like these pumpkins, right?! I like calling this a build-my-confidence project before I jump in and use a project on a large piece of furniture.

You can buy gold leaf in REAL gold sheets. It’s made by hammering gold into super-thin sheets. For this project, I bought this imitation Gold Leaf which is less expensive and in my opinion, works just as well for most projects. Instead of using real gold, they substitute hammered zinc, copper, brass, and other cheaper materials are used to achieve a real gold look.

Here’s how these pumpkins came all together with a little gold glam…

PAINT

I decided to use Dixie Belle’s Fall Cashmere which is a gorgeous warm cream. A creamy white is always classic and elegant and it plays off the gold beautifully. I believe Dixie Belle has sold out of their limited edition Fall Collection (your local retailer may still have some in stock) or this Buttercream is the lovely substitute!

Two coats were applied to these pumpkins for full coverage.

GOLD LEAF SHEETS

I bought these Gold Leaf Sheets off Amazon for $8.99 for 100 5×5 sheets. As I mentioned these are faux gold leaf sheets. Perfect for this pumpkin project!

APPLYING THE GOLD LEAF

This was FUN and I’m pretty impressed how a little of this gold goes a loooong way. I only used 6 sheets in total. Six! Ninety-four sheets left to go!

The steps I took are ~

I applied Mod Podge Glue
Patted on a sheet of Gold Leaf
Used a soft brush to brush off the excess
Let it dry

Tip ~ I found using this really cheap chip brush to apply the Mod Podge worked great. I brushed it on where I wanted heavy coverage and then stippled on the glue where I wanted little flakes of the gold leaf to stick.

Here they are all finished… don’t they look amazing!

What a difference a little gold makes!

When the light catches the gold leaf, it actually glimmers like jewels!

I can’t wait to hear what you think of them!

AND NOW FOR SOME TRASH TO TREASURE FUN!

You’re going to LOVE what my creative team of T2T ladies do! Below are their BEFORE photos. Visit the links underneath to see the amazing AFTERS and learn how they did it! I’m heading over to take a peek as well! x

1. PRODIGAL PIECES

2. GIRL IN THE GARAGE

3. CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL DIYER

4. ARTSY CHICKS RULE

5. SALVAGED INSPIRATIONS (HAPPY YOU’RE HERE!)

Using Gold Leaf was A LOT OF FUN so if you’ve ever had an urge to try – JUST DO IT! It’s easy to apply/work with and looks amazing!

Here’s another look at this before and after. I hope it’s inspired you and given you some new ideas for your projects.

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THESE CASHMERE GOLD LEAF PUMPKINS. FEEL FREE TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE… I ALWAYS LOVE HEARING FROM YOU. IT MAKES MY DAY! 🙂

Happy DIY’ing friends!

Denise x

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