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You are visiting: Home » Decorating/DIY » Create Your Decor » DIY Gold Leaf Honeycomb Vase

DIY Gold Leaf Honeycomb Vase

by Jackie Hernandez on April 1, 2014 15 Comments

Hi, Jackie here from Teal & Lime.  This spring I am on a mission to help you uncover your inner decorator (complete with a free Decorating Style Crash Course video series).  One of my favorite ways to get in touch with your creative side is with a simple DIY project that will turn out so pretty you will grin from ear to ear every time you see it.  I’ve got just such a project for you today.

I feel like I am always scrambling for a pretty vase.  I have some nice decorative ceramic vases, which are not the kind I usually put fresh blooms in…they aren’t always suitable for water.  When I buy fresh flowers or someone brings me a bouquet, I dig through the kitchen cupboards for a glass vase that came with the last bouquet from the florist.  I am sick of plain glass vases.  So, I gave one of my go-to glass cylinder vases a fresh, glowing makeover.

Have you seen all the gold and hexagon patterns popping up lately? I for one love both these trends…and think together they are even better!

I love the honeycomb look on accent tables, lamp bases, vases, well pretty much anywhere.

What I don’t like is spending a lot of money on a trend I may not be as fond of in a couple of months. In those cases, I like to spend my time (a little of it) and make something trendy I will love for now without breaking the bank.

Today, I want to show you one of my favorite techniques EVER…gold leafing on glass. I first employed this method to decorate Christmas ornaments and vases for the holidays.

DIY Gold Leaf Honeycomb Vase by Teal & Lime for makelyhome.com

Now I am stepping it up a notch, by introducing pattern…with the help of a stencil.

To make your own gold leaf honeycomb vase follow these easy steps. Seriously, I made this vase in less than 10 minutes. (It took me longer to go buy flowers to put in it.)

Supplies:

DIY Gold Leaf Honeycomb Vase by Teal & Lime for makelyhome.com

  • Glass cylinder vase (try a dollar store or thrift store)
  • Small geometric stencil (mine is from the scrapbooking section at Micheals)
  • Elmer’s spray adhesive
  • Ready Leaf Gold Leaf (the stuff with the orange wax paper backing)
  • Soft bristle brush
  • Painter’s Tape

Step by step:

1.  Tape your stencil tightly around your glass vase.  It is easiest to tape one end, then wrap the stencil around tightly and secure the other end.

2.  Mask off any areas of the stencil you don’t want gold leafed.  I chose to make my hexagon pattern irregular, so I masked off all the spaces I didn’t want to use.  Using an irregular pattern helps disguise the fact that you are not going all the way around the vase with a seamless pattern.

DIY Gold Leaf Honeycomb Vase by Teal & Lime for makelyhome.com

3.  Lightly, but evenly, spray the open areas with spray adhesive.  This stuff is sticky and will make the glass look frosted, which is why masking any areas you don’t plan to gold leaf is super important.

4.  Quickly remove your tape and stencil while the glue is still tacky.

5.  Apply the gold leaf to the adhesive.  Use your finger to rub over the orange wax paper backing to ensure the gold leaf is well-adhered.  Note: The gold leaf will not stick to sections of the glass that have no adhesive, but it may appear to at first.

DIY Gold Leaf Honeycomb Vase by Teal & Lime for makelyhome.com

6.  Use a soft brush (I usually borrow one of my kids soft watercolor painting brushes) and brush over the gold leaf removing all the loose areas in between your pattern.  Keep brushing until all the loose gold leaf comes off.

DIY Gold Leaf Honeycomb Vase by Teal & Lime for makelyhome.com

Now, get some flowers to put in your pretty new vase!  And, every time you walk by marvel at the gleaming gold gorgeousness!

DIY Gold Leaf Honeycomb Vase by Teal & Lime for makelyhome.com

And, if you are up for the challenge and want to use more of your leftover gold leaf sheets, check out the gold leaf herringbone glass table top I created (in under an hour)!  Or, try my gold leaf lettering tutorial to make your own greeting card or art print.

About Jackie Hernandez

Jackie Hernandez is the self-taught decorator behind Teal & Lime and the founder of School of Decorating. Jackie turned traditional decorating advice on it's head with her first course Define Your Style, which empowers everyday women (like you) to uncover their individual style so decorating becomes a breeze. You can find Jackie teaching her signature simple approach to creating a dream home in any home at School of Decorating (coming this fall).

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Comments

  1. Lara says

    April 1, 2014 at 9:48 am

    I love this project! I have a bunch of plain glass vases looking for a makeover! Just yesterday I wanted to put flowers in one of them and thought “meh”… Used a pail instead, which looks more rustic than I was looking for. Gold on glass truly looks more glamorous:)

    Reply
  2. Cindy Lyon says

    April 1, 2014 at 2:51 pm

    What a simple but beautiful project!

    Reply
  3. Marty@A Stroll Thru Life says

    April 1, 2014 at 3:09 pm

    I love, love, love this idea. Such a great tutorial and so pretty. I am definitely going to try this. I would love for you to link up to my Inspire Me Tues. party. – – -http://www.astrollthrulife.net/2014/03/210th-inspire-me-tuesday.html –Hope to see you there. Hugs, Marty

    Reply
  4. Julia@Cuckoo4Design says

    April 1, 2014 at 8:51 pm

    Looks like so much work but so worth it because it’s gorgeous!

    Reply
  5. danielle says

    April 2, 2014 at 9:52 am

    I love this – it looks so chic

    Reply
  6. Laurie S says

    April 4, 2014 at 1:09 am

    Did you have to use any sealer? Its gorgeous!! I am definitely making some 🙂

    Reply
  7. Nicole says

    May 19, 2014 at 10:32 am

    Hi. I’m about to try to knock one of these vases out as a wedding gift; I came across your tutorial on the bride to be’s DIY board on Pinterest. I was wondering how the gold leaf is holding up with the Elmer’s adhesive… I haven’t tried gold leaf before, and came across some info stating that spray adhesive doesn’t hold as well as the gilding glue you can purchase in craft stores… I purchased more than one vase to cover my potential learning curve, but now I’m reluctant to get started without the proper glue. 🙂

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. How to Make a Plain Glass Vase Gleam | Teal and Lime says:
    April 1, 2014 at 11:17 am

    […] See the full tutorial today on Makely! […]

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  2. Weekend Reflections - Up to Date Interiors says:
    April 5, 2014 at 7:38 am

    […] 3.  Jackie from Teal and Lime contributed a DIY Gold Leaf Honeycomb Vase tutorial at Makley: School for Girls. […]

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  3. AMLI Blog: Loving Apartment Living 3 DIY Projects That Will Give Your Apartment a Heart of Gold says:
    August 22, 2014 at 6:07 am

    […] If you feel artsy and ambitious, you can draw or trace designs on gold leaf paper, cut them out, and stick them on the pots. Another option is to sketch a design using the Mod Podge adhesive and then sprinkle gold glitter over the area with glue on it until the design is illuminated with golden gleam. For maximum effect, purchase white flower pots or paint existing flower pots white before adding the gold leaf. The backdrop will really shine the focus on the gold leaf or glitter. The same general idea can be used to decorate vases and candle holders. […]

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  4. DIY Gifts for $5 says:
    November 11, 2014 at 2:05 pm

    […] DIY Gold Leaf Honeycomb Vase from Makely School for Girls […]

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  5. My DIY Gold Foil Vase Fail - says:
    May 28, 2015 at 4:37 am

    […] happened to me way more than I care to admit, but during one of those nights I found this adorable DIY Gold Foil Vase project and I simply HAD to try it out!  (Please note: I am not too into DIY crafts these days; I […]

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    […] Image via makelyhome.com […]

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  7. 100 DIY Vases or Centerpiece - Unique Ways to DIY Your Vases - DIY & Crafts says:
    April 24, 2018 at 1:18 pm

    […] Here we are to give a wake up to your inner creative persons! Here is another DIY project to double up the beauty of your home, it is all about ingenious gold leafing of old vases! Choose a custom stencil and put it around your glass vase, now simple gold leaf it! Here hexagonal patterns has been used! Full DIY guide and rest of creative details here makelyhome […]

    Reply
  8. 40 Spectacular Flower Vase Ideas To Showcase Your Creativity says:
    May 17, 2022 at 3:25 am

    […] that will most likely fade soon, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to follow it. Here is a budget-friendly way to include honeycomb patterns in your interior […]

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About Makely

Lindsay Ballard is a former college mascot turned political geek turned roller derby playing, DIY fanatic.

Lindsay chronicles her projects, design ideas, and lifestyle tips here at Makely, where she shares tutorials and inspiration. Her DIY designs are bold and graphic, while her spirit is fun and full of color.

Lindsay lives outside of Austin, Texas with her husband (Tom), children (Zack and Emma), and dogs (Duke and Jill). She plays roller derby for the Rockin' City Rollergirls out of Round Rock, Texas.


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