DIY gold foil moleskines

next
a simple navy dress (+ a giveaway)
I can’t get enough lilac, lavender, violet, purple or gold these days. Am I alone? Is everyone else on the emerald train? Am I alone over here in purple valley?

I’ve been considering doing a gold foil craft for many months. I first saw The Nester do a project with gold foil and I thought, “cool!”, but I didn’t want to do plates so I wrote it off. And then it hit me. 

“Can I gold foil a journal? And not just any journal, a Moleskine journal?”

So I tried it. And it went “medium well”, like a perfect steak

Before you begin this craft, read the next paragraph.

Gold foil is lighter than air. If you even so much as breathe around it, it will fly everywhere. It’s delicate and thin. So, if you are heavy handed, impatient, detail oriented, or high strung, this is not the craft for you. If you don’t mind a little “creative detailing” aka mistakes, or messing with gold flecks while you craft, go ahead and try it.

I bought this kit at Michaels, along with adhesive and an aerosol sealing spray (cannot find online, ask at Michaels or a craft store near you).

First, prep your journals with the adhesive. Follow instructions on jar. 

Next, “pick up” the foil by pressing a piece of wax paper against in, and then place on the journal.

Use a soft brush to smooth the gold onto the journal. 
Once the gold is adheared, use the brush to smooth away the extra foil on the edges. It’s not going to be perfect. It’s okay.

Finish with a sealer, and enjoy your new journals! 

comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Home and Fashion Collective says · 04.17.13

Awesome Idea! They look awesome. I guess I am going to have to go to Michaels today 🙂

Reply
elizabethashleyphoto says · 04.17.13

I have been loving purples lately too! I really haven’t been that in to the emerald, and haven’t found much that I like in the color. I don’t really see any…it’s mostly mint. Anyway, never really been a purple fan until this Spring!

Reply
Kat McEachern says · 04.17.13

Oh I been wanting to decorate some doodling/creative inspiration journals and this is AMAZING!!! I will be off to the store soon to get the supplies!! Thanks Kate for sharing!!

Blessings!
Kat
http://www.aandfphotos.blogspot.com

Reply
eatgreatbegreat says · 04.17.13

You’re not alone…purple is my favorite color!!This is a great idea…I love it!

Reply
Kat says · 04.17.13

Where are the little mini colored pencils from?

Reply
Kait says · 04.17.13

I liked these on Twitter & Instagram, so it was only necessary I come over and see them live and in living color on the blog! As always Kate, LOVE IT!

Reply
Naomi Wade says · 04.17.13

These are beautiful! I love the accent of the gold, it’s very girly 🙂
Naomi
neuroticnaomi.com

Reply
Maggie B. says · 04.17.13

Those look fabulous. I’m afraid it’s too fussy of a craft for me though. =(

Reply
Lindsey Hohman says · 04.17.13

I am obsessed with gold and pink right now…. so pretty 🙂 Great job!

Reply
Lauren Dark says · 04.17.13

You’re not alone! I’m on the lavender/lilac/pastel pinks train like nobody’s business! I don’t have one single thing in emerald this season. Hey, we like what we like!

Reply
McKenna Ryan says · 04.17.13

I love these!! So perfect. How well does the gold leaf stick to the books? Have you noticed that it gets flaky at all? xx. McKenna Lou
http://www.lynnandlou.com

Reply
Kate says · 04.17.13

All you need to do is follow the directions in the kit, and the gold should stick just fine!

Reply
creatingclassy says · 04.17.13

Hi I am Laura!

This is so simple and oh so classy!

creatingclassy.wordpress.com

Reply
Kari says · 04.17.13

These are adorable!

Reply
Leila xoxo says · 04.17.13 Reply
Melissa says · 04.17.13

I thought I was alone in my love of purple. Just one more reason I love your blog!

Reply
Kayla Gilbert says · 04.17.13

This is so neat! I will have to try that! : )

Kayla
http://www.lovelucygirl.com

Reply
Dayleen Yoerger says · 04.17.13

I once tried to use gold foil on a vase with a stencil and that was a nightmare. But this looks so easy and super cute! I’ll have to give gold foil a try again.

Dayleen
http://simplydivineblog.blogspot.com

Reply
Leigh says · 04.17.13

I am also obcessed with lilac, lavender, purple….I have even been trying to convince my husband to let me add a little lavender to our navy and white bedroom. He’s almost on board. 🙂

Thanks for the info on the gold foil. I tend to have perfectionist tendancies and it would likely make me crazy, but your journals look great.

Reply
Andrea Kaplan says · 04.17.13

LOVE this!! such a cool idea and what a great gift it would make.

xo Andrea
http://www.sophisticatedsass.com

Reply
Sara Miller says · 04.17.13

I am totally not on the emerald train! I love purple! This is such a cute idea! I’ve used the gold foil on my nails before– it’s so fun, but same issues with the mistakes ha.

Reply
Ginny says · 04.17.13

You are not alone! I even thought of designing my new blog in gold and purple…hmmm. Love the gold foil!

Ginny
http://www.moderncommonplacebook.com

Reply
Meredith says · 04.17.13

I might try this on another journal, but not a moleskine. The perfection that is moleskine lies in it’s simplicity. Now that they have become “big”, I find it difficult to even find the original little black book. Somehow, I can’t see Hemingway writing in a pink one, and it makes me sad.

Reply
Kate says · 04.18.13

I doubt they made pink ones in Hemingways time 🙂

Reply
Ashley @ Always Ashley says · 04.17.13

And now my weekend shall include…lol

xoxo

Reply
Kristina says · 04.17.13

These turned out super adorable! I’m one of those crazy detail oriented people though so this project probably isn’t for me 😉

Kristina does the Internets

Reply
Angi Engle says · 04.17.13

I constantly choose to live my life surrounded by different shades of purple and gold <3 #ECUgrad

Reply
jackie jade says · 04.18.13

really love this project. I love using little notebooks and am obsessed with everything gold right now.
jackiejade.blogspot.com

Reply
Mary Cosedine says · 04.18.13

Well, while I know they are very popular colors, they do not attract me I am afraid – I think our two daughters have done their fair share for our family in upholding the use of pink,lilac,purple color.

But hey, I can still appreciate the delicateness and charm of what has been created!

Reply
Emily (Louisiana Bride) says · 04.18.13

Love this! I’ll definitely be trying it out:)

Reply
Ashley Brooks says · 04.18.13

Kudos for giving this a try! My husband is a custom furniture maker, usually for churches. One day I watched him gold leaf part of a statue using this method, and I was amazed to see how much patience and talent he had for it! (Of course, since it was for work, his had to be perfect, so it took a few days.) Sooooo since he’s already got this down, I’ll just buy the journal and sweet-talk him into doing the gold leaf part 😉

Reply
Heidi says · 04.18.13

I am so into gold these days!

Reply
Alice says · 04.18.13

Wow I love these!! x

Reply
Cali_zta says · 04.20.13

Oh my gosh! I JUST ordered a moleskin (smart for Evernote), and I am SO doing this. No boring black 😉

Reply
Amanda Paige Twohig says · 01.02.14

Where did you get the pencils?

Reply