D.I.Y. Gold leaf wreath

You will need: Round placemat Chalkboard spray or mat black spray Good quality glue Gold leaf Fine paint brush Soft wide paint brush Pencil Wreath template

Step 1 Spray your placemat with chalkboard spray.

Step 2 Download the wreath template. I designed this template so the pattern overlaps for easy assemblage. Just find the matching sections and stick the two pieces together. I made the pattern go over two pages so it could be easily printed from a home computer to the size needed for a standard round placemat.

Step 3 Flip the pattern over and cover the lines with graphite. This is to transfer the pattern to the placemat.

Step 4 Wrap your template around the placemat and tape the corners down to the back.

Step 5 Using your pencil trace over the design on the paper, transferring the graphite on the back of the template to the board. If you can't see anything on your board you might need to go for a softer pencil. I used a 2B.

Step 6 Carefully brush your glue onto the leaves just as you would paint. Be generous enough that the glue isn't going to dry before you get the gold leaf on but not so much that when you press it down it will change the shape of the leaf.

Step 7 Apply your gold leaf over the top and very gently press it into the glue. Only do one small section at a time. If the glue dries before you get the leaf to it you will get a very patchy end result.

Step 8 Once the glue under the leaf it totally dry use a large, soft brush to remove the excess gold leaf. Continue this process until you have a whole gold wreath!

Finished! You can use chalk to write a message in the centre or just leave it as is.
Honesty time... This wreath took me AGES to finish. In hindsight I wish I had just used a really good quality gold paint. Something to keep in mind if you are thinking of tackling this bad boy. :) Don't get me wring I love the result! It just took a lot longer that I thought it was going to...
This is my first post joining forces with the amazing ladies in the Quaterly Colab. Stay tuned and I'll share links with you so you can check out the other kick ass wreaths the girls have made!
Have you used gold leaf before? What did you make with it?
MERRY CHRISTMAS!! :) :)