Gold Leaf Bar Glasses

Now that I'm an "adult" I think a lot more about our home as a whole. No longer am I buying lots of random knick-knacks, or the cheapest decor I can find that looks cute. Nowadays I'm on the look out for things to build our life around. The purchases that will stay with us through all our adventures. That being said, we're still newly weds and broke as a joke. I've always loved the the gold dipped look for glasses and goblets, but it wasn't until recently that I realized I may be able to create something similar for myself. While treasure hunting a couple weeks back Ryan and I stumbled upon a couple of mismatched snifter glasses and I decided to try my hand at gold leafing their bases for a similar dipped look. Here's what I did.

For supplies you'll need: Spray adhesive, masking tape, newspaper, clear varnish spray, paint brush, gold leaf, and goblets/glasses/snifters whatever you desire to gold leaf.

Step 1: Grab your glasses and wrap them in newspaper. Make sure to tape off the ends, and double check no glasses is showing through. You don't want any spray adhesive getting on the glass bowl.

Note: I scraped off the gold paint from the second glass before covering in gold leaf, it made the glasses look more cohesive.

Step 2: Pull out a couple of sheets of gold leaf, you'll need to work fast so it's best to have it ready to use immediately after spraying.

Step 3: Spray the base of your glass (outside somewhere) with the adhesive, and quickly bring it back to your workspace.

Step 4: Pull off a small strip of gold leaf, and lay it on to the base of your glass. Using the paintbrush gently brush it down and smooth the edges.

Step 5: Continue placing strips of gold leaf around the base, smoothing and brushing until the entire base is covered.

Step 6: Let everything sit for a minute or two. Now, with the tip of your finger gently rub the gold leaf, knocking off any rough edges and giving it the slight appearance of wear.

Step 7: Spray with the clear varnish and let it set for at least an hour. It's important to note that you'll need to be very gentle when washing the glasses in the future, and they should not under any circumstances be put in a dishwasher.

Voila, our .75 cent glasses now look like a million bucks, and I'm a happy wife. I love that I can continue gold leafing the additional snifters we find in the future to make a full set. This would make a great gift for friends or family getting married. The ideas are really endless. Happy crafting. big kiss, bekuh