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Gilded glass burlap ornament

  In my latest quest trying to make my own ornaments, I came across a product I bought last year but never used. It was never even opened. So I thought it was about time I tore it open and tried it out. It's called Liquid Gilding and it's made by Martha Stewart Crafts. At first I thought it was basically the same as gold paint. It seemed to just be a more fluid form of paint. Once I saw what it looked like when dry, I realized the difference. It wasn't like gold paint at all. It has this quality that makes it actually look like gilding. It even has a bright shine like gilding. I think this is because it contains a soluble form of copper. Anyway, it does actually give a nice effect to whatever you are using it on.

























  In my case, I wanted to try using this on the inside of the glass. I thought I'd give it a try. Well it did actually turn out very nice. It didn't adhere to the glass as I had anticipated though. The gilding  "ran" slightly down the glass. In the end, the result was a sort of crackle antiqued look. I like it. I thought I need to pair it with something opposite the brightness of gold. What better to compliment the shimmer and shine of gilding then plain, rustic burlap. I love contrast. It can really work sometimes. In this case I found out that gold and burlap go very well together. The only thing I later changed that is not shown in the pictures is the metal top of the ornament. I replaced the silver with gold but not until after I'd already taken the photos.
  So here are the super easy steps if you want to try making this yourself.



 
You will need:
  1. Deco mesh burlap or any type of burlap
  2. Liquid gilding
  3. Jute twine
  4. Glass ornaments, a pencil and paintbrush.



Grab some glass ornaments from your local craft store. This time of year they are always on sale and cost around $3 for 6 small or 4 large ornaments.



With the other Martha Stewart Crafts paints and decoupage products you can find the liquid gilding.



All you need for this is about a 1foot square of burlap. I purchased this deco mesh version of burlap from AC Moore for around $5.



What you need to do for this part is a little tricky. Since the liquid gilding is so fluid you need to sort of 'pick it up' with the brush and drip it into the ornament. If you want to achieve the effect in my ornament, make sure you tilt the ornament nearly upside down so the gilding doesn't drip to the bottom of the ornament. The gradually turn it sideways while rotating it.






After the gilding dries(about 2hours) you grab the burlap and fold it diagonally until you have it small enough to roll up and fit inside the ornament.




Slid it un-folded side first into the ornament. Use a pencil to move the burlap around inside the ornament until it looks nice. It will take some effort to unravel it inside the ornament.




Now your almost done. All you need to do is tie some jute around the top into a bow. You might want to unravel it or mess it up a little for a shabby look. Also try raffia or gold satin ribbon. Use the same material you chose for the bow to hang it by the metal hook. You're all done. How easy was that! You've made your own rustic burlap gilded ornament that looks something you'd buy from Pottery Barn or on Etsy  for a much higher price. And what's so great about this ornament is that you've made it yourself.

Thanks for visiting my blog and stayed tuned for many more ornaments......