Hi there, fellow Persia Lou readers! I’m Amy from Homey Oh My! and I blog about DIY home decorating and crafts. I’m super excited to be here as a contributor to the Handmade Holiday Series because I *adore* Alexis and her blog, just like you do :). Today, I’m sharing how I made these gold leaf holiday cards.
My main goal with these cards was to make the design simple. Especially with how hectic this season gets, it’s ideal for me to keep holiday DIY projects easy, although really… I like to keep all my projects easy. So for anyone looking to make quick and simple handmade cards, I’ve got your back with this one.
What you’ll need is a pencil, gold leaf pen (I used the one by Krylon), string or ribbon, and a pack of blank white cards. Now before you get started, it is critical to get used to the gold leaf pen and practice on a scrap piece of paper if this is your first time using one. You not only want to get used to the shape of the pen tip, but also become familiar with how to control the flow of the gold leaf so that you achieve steady and consistent coverage.
The first step is to apply the gold leaf pen on the front side edges of the card to create a border.
The edges of the card should help physically guide your pen and make it easy to create straight lines.
After letting the edges dry for a little bit, lightly write out in pencil whatever it is that you want on the card.
Next, trace over the pencil with your gold leaf pen. Take your time and don’t feel like you have to trace over everything in one go. I used short strokes, stopping at the corners of the letters or in places that made sense to take a break at.
Give this some time to dry! I made a mistake in my first attempt at this card by moving on to the next step immediately and ended up smudging the gold leaf. Learn from my fail.
Finally, wrap string or ribbon around the top of the front flap of the card and tie it into a bow.
Something you’ll see over and over again on my blog is my profound love for gold. I especially love combining it with black and white, like I did with the string for these cards. The string makes the gold more casual but is still consistent with keeping the design chic. It’s everything I love! Thank you so much for reading this little guest post of mine. If you’d like to see more of my DIY projects and gold adventures, please visit my blog and connect with me on my social media!
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Comments + Project Love
amy says
These turned out so adorable! Love the simple gold print tied with the black and white bakers thread. Thanks for sharing Amy and Alexis!
Ashley C. says
So beautiful! Thanks for sharing, Amy and Alexis!
Deonna Wade says
It's Deonna from the Child at Heart blog! I love this post and would love for you to link up to the Merriest Blog Hop and share your creations! These are so simple and beautiful!<br />http://www.thechildatheartblog.com/2013/11/the-merriest-blog-hop-week-2.html<br />
Kait says
Amy! Love this idea 🙂 keep 'em coming!
Barb Marshall says
Love the font you chose here to highlight in gold. Really nice. So fun to make your own cards. Thanks for the inspiration
Amy Lee Scott says
Oooh, I love this! Shiny anything makes me happy–make it gold, and I am 500% sold!
Krista thehappyhousie says
I absolutely love these – so stunningly simple!! Like everything that Amy creates:)
Carolyn says
Alexis – wonderful as always! I featured your project today! xxoo Carolyn
Sumo @ Sumo's Sweet Stuff says
Classy and simple, just about perfect in my book! I'll be featuring these on my blog on Saturday. Thanks for linking up to the Block Party!<br />Sumo:)
Melissa Viscount says
I love love love these gold Christmas cards! They are so simple and so beautiful. I have picked them as a feature this week on the Link It or Lump It Link Party! Come on over and grab a button and link up again this week! – Melissa http://www.twoityourself.com/2013/12/link-it-or-lump-it-link-party-17-plus.html
Kayla @ Home Coming says
Just wanted you to know that I loved these so much, they've been featured on The DIY'ers today! http://homecomingmn.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-diyers-41.html
Karen Simon says
very cute holiday cards ! <br />maybe you could photograph them and upload here on this page from there you can send them as E-cards ! <br />https://www.christmasstories.smart.com/en/ie/<br /><br />alternatively you can also upload pics from your instagram and send them out! it is fun and takes no time 🙂