How to Make a Gold Leaf Gilded Leather Clutch
Another January day, another DIY! Today we’re hitting up two of our favorite luxe materials: gold and leather. In this installment of #31DaysofDIY we’ll show you how to turn an inexpensive faux leather clutch into a conversation-worthy accessory.
No idea what #31DaysofDIY is? It’s a brand new tradition here at Brit + Co that’s all about kicking off 2015 right. We’ve challenged ourselves to make or learn something new every single day for the month of January, and we’re inviting all of you along for the ride. From DIY basics like Sewing 101 to learning to design and laser cut our own stencils, we hope this month of making inspires you to make all year long.
Now, let’s make like King Midas and gild it up.
Materials:
– leather or faux leather clutch, wallet or anything else you want to gild
– gold leaf
– varnish
– paintbrush
Instructions:
1. Brush a thin layer of varnish on the outside of your clutch. Create a shape that you want to cover in gold.
2. Place clutch onto a sheet of gold leaf and press firmly.
3. Tear off any excess gold leaf.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for all areas you’d like to gold leaf.
5. Paint a second layer of varnish over the gold leaf.
6. Let dry overnight and you’re good to go.
Meet gold leaf and varnish, your two new besties. We actually repurposed these materials from our Gold Leather Valet Kit — a little gold leaf goes a pretty long way :)
Brush a thin layer of varnish onto the sections of leather you want covered in gold. Then place the leather onto a sheet of gold leaf and press firmly.
Tear off any excess pieces. Because of the shape of the gold leaf sheet, we had to do an extra round of varnish and press to cover the corner of our clutch. Tear off excess pieces again, then cover your gold leaf in varnish.
Goldilocks, up in here.
We wanted to create a dipped V-shape so we did the same exact thing on the other side of our clutch.
Again, tear off excess pieces and cover gold leaf in a second layer of varnish. You can go ahead and cover the entire clutch in varnish to create a more even finish.
Let dry overnight and voila!
We couldn’t help but create a few more gilded accessories with the extra gold leaf.
Put a gold-dipped bow on it? Don’t mind if we do.
You can easily apply to the same method to any leather or faux leather goods you like. We think gold leaf would look mighty fine on a sunglasses case or iPad sleeve.
Facebook, Tumblr or Twitter using the hashtag #31DaysofDIY. We’ll feature our favorite projects and makers throughout the month of January here on Brit.co. 