Here is a simple craft project to make DIY gold leaf candle holders. Wait until you see what they are made from!
Bring a touch of luxury to your home with these dazzling DIY gold leaf votive candle holders! This easy and elegant project is perfect for anyone who wants to add a touch of glamor to their décor. In this step-by-step guide, I will show you how to transform ordinary yogurt glass containers into shimmering centerpieces using the magic of gold leaf.
Whether you’re a seasoned crafter or a complete beginner, this project is a fun and affordable way to create stunning candle holders for your home or to impress your guests hosting a party.
These gold-leaf candle holders are a budget-friendly solution for a party. Whether you are hosting a birthday party, brunch, baby, or bridal shower, these dazzling DIY gold leaf votive candle holders will add that perfect touch.
I’m a big believer in giving new life to old things, and these Oui yogurt jars are the perfect canvas for a creative project. Their size and shape sparked so many ideas! Initially, painting them seemed like the obvious choice. But then, with my blush pink table runners in mind, the idea of gold kept popping up. Gold leaf – that’s it! The perfect touch of elegance to elevate these plain little jars.
DIY Gold Leaf Candle Holders: Easy & Elegant
Supplies
Empty OUI Yogurt Jars – Purchase at a local supermarket or Target for pickup. After the family ate the yogurt, we removed the labels and placed the jars into the dishwasher.
For the shower, two votives were used on each table for a total of 12.
- 12 OUI Yogurt Jars or glass votives
- Artist’s Brush
- Gold-Leaf
- Kit Gilding Adhesive &Varnish
- Plastic gloves
1. Wash Yogurt Jars
If hot soap water does not remove any adhesive residue from the yogurt label, Goo Gone works great. I like to keep this product on hand around the house.
Wash off any of the Goo Gone with hot soapy water. Rinse thoroughly and allow the jars to completely dry.
2. Apply The Adhesive
Follow the directions on the adhesive. The kit that I ordered came with gloves, and two brushes for applying the adhesive and the varnish.
Put a drop cloth over your table to protect it. I used a paper plate to sit the jar on.
Determine how high you want your gold leafing to be on the jar. Brush on the adhesive where you will be applying the gold leaf. It looks like cloudy white glue going onto the jar.
As it dries, the adhesive will become clear and tacky to the touch. The directions said to wait 1 hour before adding the gold leaf.
3. Add The Gold Leaf
Carefully, separate the gold leaf sheet from the paper. You will need to tear it in half and wrap one piece around half of the jar. I repeated the same process lapping slightly with the second strip to cover the rest of the jar.
With my hand (wearing a glove), I patted the gold leaf onto the adhesive. Then smoothed it with my finger. Using an artist’s brush, I went over rubbing to press the gold leaf into the adhesive while removing the extra.
You will need to pat over the entire surface with an artist brush to remove or put extra on in spots missed. You can keep the jar on the paper plate to keep the gold leafing contained. Be careful not to cough or sneeze while working on this part. You will have specks of gold leafing go everywhere. It happened to me with an expected cough.
Here is a short video of me applying the gold leaf to the jar.
4. Final Step – Applying The Varnish
Now that the gold leafing is on the jar, let’s finish the project. The final step is applying a coat of varnish over the top of the gold leaf. The varnish will protect the gold leaf from chipping off or scratching. It’s essentially adding a protected top coat to your project and sealing the gold leaf.
A light coat of varnish goes a long way. It dries quickly within 30 minutes.
Styling Your New votives
WARNING: I highly recommend that you use battery-operated tea lights with these votives and not real candles. The varnish over the gold leaf is flammable. It is a beautiful votive but for safety switch to battery-operated tea lights.
The votives look beautiful with tealight candles on each side of the flowers. The gold leafing adds a touch of elegance to the table.
After the shower is over, here are some other ways to style these beautiful gold-leaf votive candle holders.
One votive was placed on my painted table. It ties in the gold paint details of the legs and hardware.
These votives make great accent pieces on the back of the toilet in a bathroom or on the buffet. They are perfect for many areas of the home.
Hope this inspired you to save some jars and make some of your own. You can also use the gold leaf on thrift store vases. The possibilities are endless!
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Your once-ordinary yogurt jars are now gleaming works of art. Gold leaf adds a touch of magic to anything it touches, and these votive holders are no exception. Happy crafting, sweet friend!
