Contributor post by Rachel of the Crafted Life


I absolutely love fall. The colors, the smells, the food, and above all, the decor. As much as I love flowers, they typically don’t last for more than a week. So, I thought it would be fun to make decor that could be displayed in the home over the next few months.

Adding copper and gold leaf to branches is a great way to bring fall indoors! Before starting, make sure your branches are clean and dry (I collected mine on a walk around my neighborhood). It also doesn’t hurt to test the arrangement in your vase before adding gold leaf, so you can tell if you have too many or not enough branches.





Time: 1 hour
Materials: gold/copper leaf, metal leaf adhesive, branches (clean/dry), sponge brush

**You can buy a gold leaf kit that has everything (leaf, adhesive and sealer!) Click here for more info.











Steps

1. Apply the metal leaf adhesive to the branch with a sponge brush and set aside. The gold leaf will only stick to where to applied the adhesive, so take that into consideration when applying. Once you’ve made it through all of your branches, rinse your sponge brush immediately and let dry. Wait approximately 30 minutes before adding the foil so that the adhesive becomes tacky to the touch (it will also change color).


2. Apply your foil. It will wash off your hands later, but you can use a latex glove just to be safe.



3. Use your sponge brush to wipe away any excess foil and smooth. I left my branches unsealed for aesthetic purposes (liked the texture of the branches peaking through), but the choice is up to you! Adding a sealer with prevent the foil from fading year after year.


4. Once done, arrange in your vase and display!




Meet the Contributor:

Rachel Mae Smith lives in San Francisco, CA. She loves do-able diys and strives to make crafting easy and fun over on her blog The Crafted Life. When she’s not pinning pictures, or brushing glitter out of her hair, you can find her exploring and photographing the Bay Area.