DIY Gold Leaf Pumpkins

Add some shine to your fall with these DIY gold leaf pumpkins! 

Traditions are something to cherish, and the holiday season is when most of us celebrate them. Halloween always seems to kick things off with notes of fall being ushered in and around the house and one of my favorite things to do this time of year is decorate pumpkins. I had so much fun with the wood burning and henna technique I showed you all last year that I wanted to try out another unique spin this time around. Gold leaf is perfect for adding a touch of embellishment and shine, so I thought it would be the perfect thing to experiment with this year. If you want to make a bold statement with your pumpkins, here’s how we’re doing it, 2015 style.

1

What you need:

Gold leaf (available at most art supply stores.)

Metal leaf liquid adhesive (found in the same aisle as the gold leafing)

White pumpkins — any size will work! I grabbed a variety from Whole Foods.

Black paint

Paint brush

Scissors

Smoke bombs (optional)

2

First, paint your pumpkins with a coat of the metal leaf liquid adhesive. I chose to paint one of my pumpkins black, so I made sure the paint was completely dry before painting on the adhesive.

3

Wait until the adhesive is dry before adding on any gold leaf. It will be sticky to the touch. You can go about applying the gold leaf in any way you see fit, but I chose to cut some strips and place them around one of the bigger pumpkins.

4

Gold leaf can be tricky to work with as it’s very delicate. Keeping your design simple ensures easy application.

5

With the smaller pumpkin, I crumbled up the sheet of gold leaf a bit in my hand before laying it over the top. It will crackle and flake, but this adds to the beauty of gold leaf. Use the end of the paintbrush as a tool to help press down the gold leaf. I used the same technique on the black pumpkin.

I love how the gold leaf can turn a pumpkin into something that’s elegant and eye-catching. A few of these placed on a table would make a great centerpiece!

6

Now, here’s where the smoke bombs come in: I lit a few off, just to add extra effect for the final photo, but I realized the heat from the smoke bomb actually caused the gold leaf to turn a beautiful copper color! It might have been a mistake, but if it’s a pretty one, so i’ll take it. See the difference below!

7

I ended up liking the burnt orange color almost better than the regular gold, so if you want to experiment, grab yourself some smoke bombs and have fun!

pumpkins2

More DIY Projects from the BLDG 25 Blog. 
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8 years ago

Those look amazing, I especially love the white and gold colour combination. It’s a shame that you can’t keep them all year long!
https://www.makeandmess.com/

8 years ago

Although I’m a huge fan of white and gold pumpkins, I never thought to put them next to a painted black one. Very Chic!

8 years ago

They look beautiful, so sparkly! I have never thought of using gold leaf before cute idea :) x

http://ellaelizabeth.co.uk/

8 years ago

Simple but pretty!

Khadija
http://creativekhadija.com/

8 years ago

I love these pumpkins! They look amazing.