So, I think this might be my favorite DIY to date. It’s just so practical and pretty! A few friends and I decided we would get together once a month for an all day craft day. Just to create pretty things, simply for the sake of creating. Weather it be something we wear, or something for our homes, decorations for the holidays, or even little somethings for our babies. I tend to get wrapped up in projects for other people that I fail to do all the projects I want to do for myself! And although one day a month doesn’t sound like much, at least it is one day I can count on! Not to mention, it’s just a good excuse for girl time! This DIY was our first of many to come.
We’ve been dying to try out gold leaf for a while now. And we thought these paper mache bowls would be the perfect application. Our intent was to use them as jewelry dishes. Here is what you’ll need to create the shell…
ONE – To create your bowl forms, you’ll need to start with balloons. I bought a couple packages in different sizes, so that not all my bowls were the same. I used 5″, 9″, and 12″ balloons.
TWO – Cut up your newspaper into small strips. Using your foam brush, adhere the newspaper to your balloon using the mod podge. Be generous! The more layers, the thicker the bowl. (My first attempt was too thin so I had to go back and layer on more. Apply more than you think!)
THREE – Place your balloons upside down (or right side up, whichever way you want to look at it) inside paper cups and let them dry overnight.
FOUR – Once dry, pop your balloon and remove the latex. What you will have left is a bowl mold with imperfect edges. Just use scissors to trim it down to the depth you want. It doesn’t have to be perfect. I think the irregular shape is what makes these unique!
Paint your bowls entirely white (or any color of your choice). It may take a few coats. Let it dry.
I wanted my bowls to have a polka dot pattern within the gold leaf. If you want this look too, buy a pack of sticker dots and stick them down in a pattern on the inside of your bowl.
After your dots are adhered, brush on Gold Leaf Adhesive all over the inside, over the stickers. Make sure to use the adhesive sparingly and don’t leave puddles, otherwise the gold leaf will turn into a sticky mess!
Now for the fun part….carefully place your sheets of Gold Leaf all over the inside of the bowl, securing it to the adhesive. Overlap is fine. I used a soft paint brush to adhere the leaf and brush off any excess. This was definitely the trickiest part of the project. I found that the less adhesive I used, the smoother the finish. If you notice on the photo above, after I applied the leaf, I could still see the outlines of my sticker dots. One by one, I went through and carefully removed each dot sticker, leaving the white paint underneath to show through. The dots weren’t perfect, but the more I did, the easier it got! Last step is to seal your bowls with Gold Leaf Sealer!
I hope you all have fun with this project! Let me know if you try it out! It takes some time, but hopefully you’ll love your bowls as much as I do!
Amazing Kelli! I would love to try this to store some of my jewelry!
this is truly beautiful!! i am so excited to try this out!
So pretty!
I actually really liked them with just the newspaper too! ha! The gold is super chic as well. I’ve made jewelry dishes with air dry clay (http://www.etsy.com/listing/92302321/carry-your-heart-duo-trinket-dish-set) so this will be a good way to try a new method. plus, i’ve not yet worked with gold leaf. thanks for sharing!
I love these bowls! They turned out so great and would be perfect in so many homes. There is a new line at Target in the home section that this really reminds me of. Your projects always come out beautifully and they are thought out so well.
Thanks for sharing and I can’t wait to see what else comes out of your once a month projects!
<3Courtney
These are so gorgeous. “Beautiful” doesn’t even begin to describe. Gold and polka dots? Wow! Winning combo.
Thank you Aunt Peaches :) Means a lot coming from you! xoxo
kelli, these are beautiful! my favourite diy of yours to date!
love kat x
Thank you Kat!
These are freaking adorable!
Amazing idea …thanks for sharing!
Awesome! Reminds me of the bowls from Up in the Air Somewhere…
I might just have to try this! I need some bowls for my bedside table :)
These are just so, SO lovely!!
Definitely going to give them a go…
xx
Wow! One of the most beautiful DIYs ever!
These are so amazing! I am definitely going to try these. Thanks so much for sharing xoxo
I can’t believe how beautiful these are. Thank you so much!!!
I agree, the newsprint looks cool too. Maybe with the Sunday Comics or maybe I can get my hands on a Chinese newspaper?
Just Beautiful. My sister in law used to make these before she past away….she did flowers, so they were finished inside and out.
I’m glad you mixed some your time & time with friends & making something beautiful all together!!
Never would have guessed these were paper mache… stunning!
Nice! I’m not needing the gold leaf right now, but you have given me a great idea. When I get around to doing and blogging it I’ll post back to this as the inspiration. :)
This has to be one of the best diy project i’ve seen for a while! The bowls look really lovely.
Thanks so much Trishie!
What a great idea! It looks so pretty!
I love these! so incredibly stylish and not impossibly hard to do :)
I love this idea! I will definitely need to try this out with various finishes. Would a soft blush make-up brush be soft enough to finsihing the gold leaf?
Arrived here via Oh the Lovely Things. Your bowls are so pretty – I love it when paper mache looks elegant… kind of an oxymoron actually! Can’t wait to share your diy on my FB page.
I love these … they would make a great Christmas present !
For sure Chrissi!
Kelli, this is THE single most beautiful craft I’ve ever seen. So much so that it’s the first I’ve duplicated for my own blog. :) Kudos to you for such a creative idea…
http://practicallymartha.blogspot.com/2012/10/gold-paper-mache-bowls.html
LOL. She is not the first to use gold leaf on papier mache !
I LOVE this! Ive never actually used Mod Podge, but I think this will be the perfect project for me to try it for the first time. I always take off my rings by the kitchen sink when om cooking and cleaning and one of these bowls will make a pretty place for them to hang out. Thanks for sharing.
I am using one of my bowls just for that purpose Shavonda!
Oh wow- these are GORGEOUS! I can’t wait to try make one for my night stand. I would also love to link to your project if you didn’t mind.
Of course Rachel! Thanks!
I’m wondering, couldn’t you just paint the dots on after the gold leaf?
I absolutely love this project! I plan to make several for Christmas presents. One question….how did you remove the sticker dots? Did you just pull up the side of the sticker with your finger nail or did you lift the sticker with something? Like a knife? Thanks!
I just used my finger nail! It’s a little tricky to get a perfectly clean pull….but just do it as carefully as you can! Have fun :)
I am drooling over these! Who says DIY can’t be insanely posh-tastic?! Quick question – I’m new to metal leafing; is there a big difference between the brand you linked to and just ordering the combo Speedball set from amazon? I’d hate to waste precious crafty money…
This was actually my first leafing project Maegan! So I can’t say I know the difference. What I used worked great though…
Thanks for the amazing DIY project! Started my balloons tonight. So excited.
Question for you, Kelli: After painting on the gold leaf finish, could the bowls benefit from a layer of glossy mod podge to protect it? Or would that ruin the effect of the gold?
Thank you!
Hey Brooke! I think they could definitely use a protective coating….but i’m not sure if mod podge is the best as sometimes it leaves that milky finish…I can’t say I know a good one to refer to you though. I’d ask at the craft store! Good luck!
Wow, this is fantastic, I need to try this out… Thank you.
Hello! I am in love with these and making them this week. One question, did you wear gloves? Also, how did you cut the edge of golf leaf aropund rim of bowl?? Thank you so much in advance.
Hey Stephanie…no I didn’t wear gloves. And I didn’t cut the edge of the leaf at the top. I just rubbed it on and it only stuck to where I had the adhesive.
Kelli,
These bowls are absolutely GORGEOUS!! I was looking for something to give my mom for Christmas and this is exactly our style, plus there would be an added bonus in the fact that I personally made them!! Luckily, I found them on Pinterest! Thank you so much for sharing your brilliant and fabulous idea with everyone! I may just have to invite a few of my girlfriends over to make them with me like you did, for an excuse for a girls’ night! I love everything about these bowls!
Thanks!
Jessica
Hey! I am in the middle of this project (lots of layers of newspaper and modge podge along with many coats of white paint) and my bowls are still a little flimsy. Did I do something wrong, or is this how they are supposed to feel? Thanks! Can’t wait until the final product!
Keep going with layers ALyssa! You need way more than you think to get a sturdy bowl! I’m sure you’re not doing anything wrong!
This project looks amazing! Definitely going to get a couple of great christmas gifts out of this tutorial. One question: on step four, it looks like both the inside and outside of the bowl is covered with newspaper. So after applying the newspaper to the outside of the balloon and letting it dry, do you repeat the process on the inside after popping and trimming the balloon?
No Olivia…you just apply the newspaper to the outside. Once you pop the balloon…you’re first layer of newspaper is what you see on the inside…the balloon completely comes off.
WoW! I want to try to do it very soon, can you please let me know more details about the paint you use for the inside?
xx
Love your blog!! I’m going to make the gold leaf paper mache bowls for my parents 50th Anniversary present. I lost my job in April, so I have to be creative, which is great, because I haven’t been in years. I even already have modge podge, newspaper & brushes! Thank you so much. I’m very excited!
~Kj
Kelli, thanks for this pretty DIY! I made 4 of these bowls for gifts this Christmas. Few suggestions – Smaller strips of newspaper the better. Do at least 5 layers. Don’t use spray adhesive for the gold leaf! Use the paint on like Kelli did, and less is more. I used turquoise and black paint instead of white and those look nice too. I also gold leafed a little on the outside of the bowls, which I liked. Cheers!
Thanks Whitney! Less is definitely more with the glue! I bet your turq and black bowls looks really pretty.
Its simple , easy to understand!! I am excited to try this.:)
Hi Kelli, I LOVE these and can’t wait to make them. One thing I don’t understand though… how do you remove the stickers if they’re already covered with adhesive and the gold leaf? You don’t scratch through the gold leaf to get at them, do you? Thank you so much!
Sheila in Oregon
You kind of do Sheila :) There may be a better method, but this worked for me! You just have to be pretty careful when pulling off the adhesive dots as to not pull off any of the surrounding leaf.
Ok, that makes sense. I just love them! It is so kind of you to get back to me. I love your blog too!
Sheila in Oregon
These are so cute, I really want to make them! And a monthly craft day sounds like a great idea, it makes me wish my friends liked crafts ;)
Kristina
Kristina does the Internets
How gorgeous! I would love to make these.
beatifull
These are so great :) I’ve been looking for a new project and I think I actually have all the supplies on hand! I love the poka dots with the gold… must have been tedious to get those stickers off!
Instead of using the stickers under the gold leaf to get the white polka dots, couldn’t you use those little circle page reinforcements to paint them on top of the gold leaf with acrylic paint and then seal it using something?
Yeah, that might work too Kalie
Coral, we couldn’t agree with you more! Especially about growing as a person. I think you really reveal layers of yourself through experiences that challenge you- layers of strength, fortitude, creativity, patience and generally overcoming of negative thoughts and behaviors. Your advise is so good: breaking things down and moving out of your comfort zone. Tomorrow we’ll have a video with a special guest and he has so cool thoughts around risk taking that I think will be right up your alley! Thanks for sharing. – Jen
it appears that you have placed a lot of effort into your article and i require more of these on the net these days. i only wanted to comment to reply wonderful work.
Ah, I love these (i'd only see the one by Wandaaaa before and one similar to the first photo).. people are so creative! I thought the photos were impressive, but that video = ah-may-zing!
Thank you (: ! What would you use to seal it?
I didn’t seal mine….but I did a bit of searching and most people recommend it. Here is a link to some acrylic topcoats – http://www.gildedplanet.com/sealers.asp
Lovely! I like everything that’s golden. Thank you!
Love these!! I haven’t played with paper machier since I was a child! x
That’s soo pretty :)
, American media is not the Fourth Estate but a Fifth Column undermining the country, it stands to reason the Pali media must be worse. Lie? Sure. But disguising Israeli casualties as Arab ones is a first, as far as I know.
It’s always a relief when someone with obvious expertise answers. Thanks!
I love your t-shirt. This food looks absolutely delicious…and I agree that eating lunch with a good friend and some amazing food is the perfect way to spend a Sunday…or a Saturday…or just every day.
what a great project
I really enjoyed reading this blog post
What kind of paint is the white paint? Can’t wait to try this.
JB – i just used a white acrylic paint (Golden brand)
Kelli, What a beautiful project!!! Your instructions are excellent and easy to follow! BTW, found my way here by way of Etsy!
Betty
Thank you so much Betty!
Hi–Can you please help me? I was thinking about this project for a kids two hour art workshop (ages: 8yrs to 12yr olds) for 12-15 kids. How long does the whole project take?
How long did the Modge Podge take to dry?
How many pieces of gold leaf did you use per bowl?
How much Modge Podge did you use for each bowl?
I hope you can help.
Thx
Mary
Saudi Arabia
This took a lot longer than two hours.
I had the mod podge dry overnight.
I used about 5-6 sheets of gold leaf per bowl.
What type of paint did you use to paint the bowls white?
…ah sorry didn’t see your earlier response.
Kelli these are so beautiful! I started my project last night and just have a few questions. How many layers do you think you did and did you use strips or more random shaped pieces? Mine seems thick in some spots and a little thinner in others, it was difficult to keep track of putting down the layers. Did you find that you had to use your fingers to smooth down the newspaper?
Thanks for your help!!
Hey Annabelle! I used WAY more layers than I thought I would! I just kept going until I thought it was study enough. I used more random tears….not necessarily even strips. I would just add more to the spots that you feel like are too thin. It’s better too have it thicker than too flimsy. I didn’t add anything to the bottom so they don’t lay perfect. But I liked it that way. They don’t roll around when I have jewelry in them.
xo Kelli
Sorry one more question, did you do anything to the bottom to keep the bowl stable? I used a quarter on the last layers of mine but I miss judged the center so I think I want to try another one without it. Just want to make sure it doesn’t roll around with my jewelry in it.
Thanks for posting this!! I made them and they came out beautifully! I will give them as gifts. Thank you so much for your inspiration and beautiful creativity. xo
I feel this is one of the such a lot significant information for me. And i’m satisfied reading your article. However wanna observation on few normal issues, The website taste is wonderful, the articles is in point of fact nice : D. Just right process, cheers
wonderful project wish i can join you kelly once a month i am overseas though. we should figure a way to work and share online.
I’m ready for the summer and for a good time with the podcast.But however it runs out, it just doesn’t matter.Saw this movie at the cinema and it blew me away.I was expecting to have fun from knowing Bill Murray from SNL, but I was about Rudy’s age and it was like having a big brother presence in my life for that summer.I went back to see again a few times.(movies and popcorn were cheaper then. And phones had rotary dials and cords and stayed in the effin’ house… Eh, it just doesn’t matter *breathes deeply*)
The material above is really valuable. I have uncovered lots of techniques.
It’s properly called papier maché. There is no reason to call it paper mache. Google it.
If you don’t have something nice to say, perhaps keep scrolling.
Absolutely beautiful! We love this idea, so much fun and so beautiful to really hold anything in your home with elegance.
What a great idea! I love the gold leaf paper mache bowls!!
I made these for my boyfriend’s mom as a Christmas gift! She absolutely adored them! Instead of using gold leaf, I just painted the bowls! This diy definitely takes a lot of patience and time. Overall, it took me two days! Thank you so much for posting this tutorial. :)
You need to be a part of a contest for one of
the finest sites on the net. I’m going to highly
recommend this blog!
Your dear oldd uuncle has passed away but has
offered you the subject of his old home in North Park, California.
TESTING THE WATER: if you are getting, your hould purchase a water check iincluded in thee evaluation
process.
Don’t be tiid about asking lots of questions of people who
know a lot more than you. You will be financially rewarded ffor the gold judgment on the way.
Therefore, you should retaiun an advisor that you trust.
Money-making niches manjy rewards linked to hiring a pro lawyer to getting on your side.
They want to become one within the biggest lawyers of the country.
Beautiful ???? just wondering, what is the cost of using gold leaf? Would it not be rather expensive? I do like the idea of it though! Absolutely gorgeous.
I can’t wait to try it out it will be awesome
location within my public complexes! cfbkecckkddc
These bowls are lovely! I’ve worked with gold leaf before, but never gilded a bowl. Such a nice idea.
To answer ANGEL’s question, 23K gold leaf can run $35-$90 and above ,depending on the vendor. It helps to shop around. You’ll also want to buy loose leaf, also known as surface leaf, rather than patent leaf where the sheets of gold are attached to a pice of waxed tissue paper. Imitation gold, or Dutch gold, is a cheaper alternative to 23K.
To add a few more suggestions, for a richer gold look, the surface of the bowl can be painted red (or black for a different look). Also, a second coat of leaf can be applied. You have to be sure the first surface has dried completely before adding the second coat of size on top of the first layer of gold.
To protect your gold, it’s a good idea to top coat and seal. Gilded surfaces are delicate and can be easily damaged with regular daily use . Top coating will dull the shine a bit, but it will still be gold and shiny for a lot longer time.
Hope this was helpful information.
I have learn several good stuff here. Definitely price bookmarking for revisiting.
I wonder how much attempt you set to crete the sort of great informative website.
Hello! I’ve been following your blog for some time now and finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from
Lubbock Texas! Just wanted to mention keep up the great work!
I love what you guys tend to be up too. Such clever
work and reporting! Keep up the fantastic works guys I’ve included
you guys to blogroll.
Am vazut ca nu ati raspuns la comentariu meu in limba franceza ( poate de asta, sau din alt motiv, cine stie). Oricum , as vrea sa va intreb ceva : stiti daca Rudolf Dreikurs a fost tradus in limba romana, si in special cartile “Children :the challenge” si “Encouraging children to learn”? Cunoasteti scrierile acestui psihiatru? Credeti ca metoda de educatie pe care o prezinta se preteaza la societatea romaneasca actuala?
this is almost exactly the same, http://www.thekimchronicles.com/diy-gold-paper-mache-jewelry-bowls/#comment-976 are you 2 friends? or are you both on commission from mod podge….? or did someone copy? I would be interested to know who came up with the original, it is fab,
Well, my post is from 2012. The other one you linked to is from 2014. Can’t say she copied, but it is very similar.
Stunning! Love it
http://www.aboutfoood.com
Well, the more I read from you (granted, it’s only this and part I), the more I feel inspired. ++demand for “How I made a reasonable living freelancing on sites such as vWorker”.
That’s a smart answer to a tricky question
These look amazing! What type of paint do you use?
Beautiful , I will try it
Smadav 2019 that is able to restore a file that was hidden, and also very Compatible with other Antivirus do not make weight the process of computer work you guys.
creative and innovative, thank you for sharing
this article is great. Keep on writing informative articles. Thanks
Absolutely beautiful! We love this idea, so much fun and so beautiful to really hold anything in your home with elegance.
Cara daftar google adsense
Very Pretty and inspirations, I like this post, I will try to make it
creative and very nice. I also want to give it a try
Fantastic article, if you like automotive you can read much article on our story.
Visite back: 2020 Toyota Tacoma Redesign
Your article is very good, and so useful, good work
Thank you for sharing the information, bro
but frankly I’m still confused
Good article. Thanks for sharing the information. I like it.
Visit back: cara membuat akun google
creative and innovative, thank you for sharing
Good and creative.
https://rinjanimission.com
I feel this is one of the such a lot significant information for me. And i’m glad reading your article. However want to remark on few general things, The web site style is perfect, the articles is actually nice : D. Good process, cheers|
Kinemaster is just one of the most effective Video editor apps readily available for Android and also iOS. Like the video modifying Software for PC, Kinemaster Pro additionally offers you with the features to include numerous layers of photos (layers), video, audio, message, all type of results as well as far more.
Thank you for sharing the information
Hi to all, it’s in fact a good for me to pay a quick visit
this web page, it contains priceless Information.
Everything is very open with a really clear explanation of the
challenges. It was truly informative. Your website is useful.
Many thanks for sharing!
Fastidious replies in return of this issue with genuine arguments and explaining everything on the topic of
that.
I’ve learn several good stuff here. Definitely price bookmarking for
revisiting. I wonder how so much effort you put to create this kind of excellent informative site.
of course like your web site but you need to check the spelling on quite a few
of your posts. A number of them are rife with spelling problems and I in finding
it very troublesome to tell the reality however I will certainly come back again.
It’s actually very difficult in this full of activity life to listen news on TV, thus I simply
use web for that purpose, and obtain the newest information.
It’s going to be finish of mine day, however before end I am reading this fantastic post
to improve my knowledge.
I believe what you composed made a ton of sense.
But, think on this, suppose you added a little information? I mean,
I don’t wish to tell you how to run your website, however suppose
you added a headline to possibly grab a person’s attention? I mean Kelli Murray
| GOLD LEAF PAPER MACHE BOWLS is kinda boring.
You ought to look at Yahoo’s front page and see how they
write article headlines to get people to open the links.
You might try adding a video or a picture or two to get people interested about
what you’ve got to say. In my opinion, it might make your blog a little livelier.
Pretty! This was a really wonderful post. Thank you for providing these details.
What a beautiful paper mache project. The gold leaf really makes the bowls quite elegant!
Thanks designed for sharing such a good idea, post is pleasant, thats why i have read it fully
What’s up, I would like to subscribe for this weblog to
take hottest updates, so where can i do it please help out.
Zelorra/a is India’s largest cost-effective online platform with engaging millions of people. The firm utilizes in-house technology to take care of entire products covering wide range of Seller Services and tools that help creative entrepreneurs start, manage and scale their businesses. With having a network of more than thousands of online partners stores we have established a world-class position as per the Indian Market strategies. Our mission is to renovate online shopping that constructs a more fulfilling and lasting world. Online SHopping Site/a Download Zelorra App Now DOWNLOAD ZELORRA APP NOW/a We’re committed to using the power of business to strengthen communities and empower people.Zelorra Vendor Marketplace (B2B)Zelorra.com is a B2B2C Marketplace. We provide the tools & services to help you expand into new markets and connect with business buyers all around INDIA. An Indian community of Buyers & Sellers. Shipping labels you can print at home, with big discounts on postage. Seller protection and customer support to help you sell your stuff. We are committed to 24×7 for Every seller & buyer for their help with support & Education knowledge.It Takes no fees to start your Business JourneyIt doesn’t cost a thing to list up to infinite items and you only pay after your stuff sells. It’s just a small percent of the money we earn /a
This is an amazing blog where I have developed my skill and my personality if you want to get Hollywood movies information or Bollywood movies related information or you want to know movie downloading websites then you can visit on my blog whose name is – bollyquick
I like this site because on this site I get useful and valuable information always if you want to get Indian govt schemes, banks related information or movies related information then you can visit on my website – Websitesihizmeti
The other day, while I was at work, my sister stole my
iphone and tested to see if it can survive a 25 foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation.
My iPad is now destroyed and she has 83 views. I know this is
totally off topic but I had to share it with someone!
Hi, i read your blog occasionally and i owwn a
similar one and i wass just wondering if you get a lot of spam responses?
If sso how do you reduce it, any plugin or anything yoou cann advise?
I get so much lately it’s driving me mad so any help is very much appreciated.
Feel fre to surf to my website: Lazy
thechosen10.com This is an article about self-care routine you will definitely get some helpful information after reading this and you can take care of your skin too.
Might help :)