Wildflower Day 3: Another Kind of Gold

Welcome back to our exploration of different things to do with Wildflower, a gorgeous set from Concord & 9th. Day 1's card showed the set used with Delicata gold ink, but today's card uses another kind of gold: the real thing!

Card Size: 4.25" square

Isn't it amazing how one small spot of genuine gold leaf can elevate a card from simple to spectacular?

To apply gold leaf, put down a bit of glue from a glue pen on the center of the poppy and let it dry completely. Then, lay the backing sheet of gold leaf* gold-side down over the glue spot and rub lightly using an agate burnisher (fancy tool from my calligraphy/illumination days). Repeat until you're satisfied.

After layering three or four layers of gold leaf and burnishing them smooth, I got this brilliant gold spot!

Of course, if you don't have real gold leaf, you can use any of the alternative leafing products. You could also use metallic gold gouache paint (an opaque watercolor), a gold leaf pen, or any number of other gold-ish products.

But nothing looks as bright and shiny as the real thing.


Supplies
Stamps: Concord & 9th Wildflower, Gina K (sentiment)
Paper: Papertrey white
Ink: Memento Luxe love letter, Impress Fresh Ink mojito and black
Accessories: gold leaf, agate burnisher, glue, craft foam

*Real gold leaf comes in two forms: loose leaves of gold and leaves attached to a backing sheet (a.k.a. transfer gold). Go for the transfer gold. The loose leaves are so thin, it's easy to crumple them and waste them, plus you need some extra supplies. What a nightmare! Buying the transfer gold can be pricey, but I've had my packet for 15 years and it's still more than half full. A little goes a long way! An agate burnisher will last a lifetime or two.