I love being able to recreate the holiday home decor I see in some of those high end department stores. Not only can I usually do it for a lot less but I it's also much more fun. There's just something completely enjoyable about making your own home accents. A real sense of artistry comes out with each piece you create. They become completely unique. I especially love this next tutorial because it's so easy that anyone can do it. I'll show you what you need and the steps to make this easy holiday monogram. You can happily display it on your front door or anywhere around the house.
- Wood Letters
- Gold Paint
- Gold Gilding Sheets
- Gilding Adhesive or Sizing
- Ribbon
You're going to want to sand your wood letter to give it a more finished look. I even chose to round off the edges with a rasp (a microplane type grater/file for wood.) You may also want to distress it by purposely giving it dents and nicks with a hammer or similar tool.
Paint the wood with two coats of gold acrylic craft paint. I love Martha Stewart Crafts line of paints. They're thick yet fluid with great coverage.
Use a natural sea sponge to blot on the gilding adhesive also know as "size." You want to create an aged appearance to give a vintage feel to the letter. By using a natural sea sponge you'll apply the size sparingly which will give a worn look.
Apply the gold leaf after the adhesive had dried to a tacky finish. If you're going to display the letter where it will be exposed to the elements you may want to seal it. There are a lot of great clear acrylic spray sealers on the market. This one is specifically made for sealing gold leaf.
The only ribbon I could find in the size and color I wanted was wired for bow making. I found that removing the wire lets the letter hand more naturally on the ribbon.
And the finished product:
I hope you enjoyed this quick holiday tutorial!
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