Gold Leaf Christmas Ornaments

INSIDE : Learn how to take simple ceramic Christmas balls and transform them into gorgeous statement Gold Leaf Christmas Ornaments!  The gold foil will shimmer and shine on your tree.

Gold Foil Ornaments

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There is something about holiday decor that sometimes can read kitchy. Red and green, holiday traditions, santa claus, snowmen, mangers, etc… and before you know it there is every color under the sun strewn about your home. If that’s your jam, then by all means go for it!

However, if you are wanting more simplified holiday decor (me!) then read on for how to create these elegant Holiday Gold Foil Ornament Balls. And they make great gifts… we’ve given many to teachers over the years!

What supplies do I need to make Gold Leaf Christmas Ornaments?

How to decorate Christmas Ornament Balls with paint pens

There are endless ways to decorate a Christmas ornament.  

For this project, I picked four different colored paint pens (green, black, silver + bronze) and decided on a specific pattern for each ornament.

You don’t have to paint the pattern on the entire ornament. The lower half of the ball will be covered in gorgeous gold leaf in our next step.

Simply, draw your pattern onto each ornament and allow a few minutes to dry!

I painted a stripe with dots, an organic scallop style pattern, small crosses and fun polka dots.

Decorating Ceramic Ornaments

How to add Gold Leaf to Christmas Ornaments

Once your ornament paint is dry, it is time to add the gold leafing!

Turn the ornament upside down in your hand and squeeze out a small to medium amount of  Gold Leaf Adhesive glue onto it.  Using your sponge brush, spread out the glue every place you’d like to see gold foil.  

I preferred the slightly messy, not “perfect edge” so I made sure to have my glue mimic that.

Ornament and Gold Leaf glue

Adding Gold Leaf Sheets

Once the glue has become tacky, per the instructions, it’s time to add the gold leaf sheets.  

I found it easiest to simply place my ornament in the middle of a sheet and slightly roll it around until all the glue areas were covered.

Ceramic Ornament and Gold Leaf

The next step is one that I always make SUCH a mess!  So, whenever possible, I try to do it directly over a trashcan (or my preference is outdoors).

Gold leaf sheets are so thin that they move and blow all over the place, so be aware you might have lovely little spots of shimmering gold after this step.  (However, there could be worse things in this world.)

Using a clean sponge brush, gently brush away all the excess gold foil until all that remains is the gold leafing where the glue was.

Gold Foil and Ornaments

Gold Christmas Ornaments

You are then left with the most lovely gold Christmas ornaments! No matter if you add gold foil to the lower portion of the ornament or cover the entire thing, these gold ornaments are a sight to behold.

Green Cross Ornament and Gold Leaf

I have done quite a few gold leaf projects over the years.  And each time, I am blown away by their beauty. Gold is a timeless color and adding gold ornaments to your holiday decor is one that will last.

Gold Foil Ornaments

DIY Golden Christmas Ornaments

There is something so elegant and regal about gold leaf.  It is a technique that I will always love.

The golden color of these ornaments shimmer and shine during the day and then when the Christmas lights are on in the evening you will really see the gold take on a new life!

Gold Foil Ornaments with Black Patterns

Can you imagine how beautiful these ornaments would look glistening away on a tree full of other gold items. A gold on gold Christmas tree would be amazing!

Gold Foil Ornaments in Evergreen
Gold Leaf Ornaments

Gold Leaf Christmas Ornament Balls

Yield: Four Ornament Balls
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Estimated Cost: $30

Learn how to take simple ceramic Christmas balls and transform them into gorgeous statement Gold Leaf Christmas Ornaments! The gold foil will shimmer and shine on your tree.

Materials

  • Christmas Ornament Balls (Similar)
  • Paint pens (Black, Silver, Green + Bronze)
  • Gold Leaf sheets or Gold Foil sheets
  • Gold Leaf Adhesive Glue
  • Sponge Brushes

Instructions

  1. Select 4 different colored paint pens (green, black, silver + bronze), decide on a specific pattern for each ornament.
  2. Draw a pattern onto each ornament and allow a few minutes to dry.
  3. Turn the ornament upside down and squeeze out a small to medium amount of gold leaf adhesive Glue onto it.
  4. Using the sponge brush, spread out the glue where you'd like to see gold foil. (I preferred have an organic edge, so I made sure to have my glue mimic that.)
  5. Once the glue has dried, per the instructions, it’s time to add the gold leaf sheet. Place the ornament in the middle of the gold sheet and slightly roll it around until all the glue areas are covered.
  6. Using a clean sponge brush, gently brush away all the excess gold foil until all that remains is the gold leafing where the glue was.
  7. Enjoy!

Notes

- You can only add pattern to the lower half of the ball if you want, as the bottom portion will be covered in gold leaf.

- Whenever possible, brush excess gold leaf off over a trashcan because gold leaf flies everywhere.

Did you make this project?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

Looking for a few other fun DIY Christmas ideas?  You might like some of these.

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Holiday Self Care

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Fabric Photo Ornaments

Fabric-Newsletter-Ornament

Felt Ornaments

Felt Ornaments Green Pink

4 Comments

  1. Thank you, Amy! These sparkly gold leaf Christmas ornaments will be the perfect finishing touch I need at each place setting for our annual Christmas evening dinner. I always set the table with my white ironware dishes. To keep things fresh, every year I make a new dinner plate embellishment. My creative muse had yet to amuse me with this year’s adornment until I saw today’s post. Thank you for sharing!

    1. Well this makes me so happy! Be sure to tag me on Instagram or send an email with how yours turns out. Happy Holidays.

  2. I am having a hard time finding round ceramic ornaments. Where did you buy yours?

    1. delineateyourdwelling says:

      Mine were from Oriental Trading Co, but to be honest they don’t need to be ceramic… any white matte balls will do. Maybe Amazon has something that would work?

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