DIY Gold Leaf Anthropologie Vase Dupe

Metallics are a surefire way to add some chic to your home decor. We were inspired by a stunning copper foil vase from Anthropologie, but unfortunately for our wallets, that vase will set you back some serious moolah. Luckily, we worked some DIY magic and came up with this Ikea vase hack that only cost a grand total of about $15! Learn how to make this easy DIY vase with a little just a little glue and gold leaf.

We are huge fans of Anthropologie and drool daily over their inventive and bohemian decor. We’re all for investing in a piece that makes your heart sing that you’ll have forever like large furniture or a one of a kind rug, but when we see a smaller project that we can put our own creative twist on AND save money? We DIY it, baby!

Side note: This gold leaf vase looks great on our other Ikea hack of Anthropologie-inspired marble and gold nesting coffee tables!

We loved this copper foil vase from Anthro but the price tag was a bit too much for us to handle. So we went to our trusty Ikea for some colorful glassware we could upcycle with some gold leaf and a little glue. See how we did it!

Step 1: Clean your glassware and make sure there aren’t any smudges or fingerprints that could interfere with the adhesive sticking properly.

Step 2: Use a ruler to measure exactly how far up the vase you want the gold leaf to go. Since we’re working with glass, you can use a dry erase marker to mark the exact spot you want to add adhesive.

Step 3: Follow the dry erase marks and use painters tape to tape just above the marks. This way you get a perfectly measured area for the gold leaf to go! You can wipe away the dry erase marker after you’re done taping the vase.

Step 4: Now that you’ve prepped the vases, you’re ready to add some adhesive! Use a foam brush to apply a thin layer of mod podge or other craft adhesive. We learned through trial and error that you actually want the glue to dry a little bit before attempting to attach the gold leaf.

Step 5: Once the adhesive is tacky to the touch, lay your gold leaf paper over the glued area. Remember, if the glue is too wet, the leaf paper will just slide right off and you’re left with a bit of a gooey mess. But if the glue is halfway dried and sticky, the leaf stays attached to the glue on the vase.

Step 6: Leave the leaf paper on for a minute or so and rub it down using your fingers to get rid of any major creases or air bubbles. We decided we wanted a more rough, speckled look with our gold leaf rather than a solid gold ribbon so we weren’t too intense about this step. If you want the solid look, leave the gold leaf on for longer and use a sponge to fully smooth out the paper side so every little bit sticks to the adhesive.

Step 7: Once you’ve smoothed out all the kinks, slowly peel the paper back to reveal your beautiful gold foiled vase! Tap down any stray pieces with the back of your fingernail or with your finger and the now blank wax paper. Fun fact, gold leaf looooves to stick itself to your fingertips.

Step 8: Once the adhesive has completely dried, peel back the tape to reveal your finished vase! Stunning, right?!


Bonus Tip: 
You may have seen our recent series of Girl’s Guide to Floral Arrangements where we showed you how to choose and place flowers for every occasion from a big soiree to a tiny everyday bud arrangement. We love having fresh flowers in the house- it’s an instant mood booster and majorly elevates your home’s decor. For larger, open vases like these cylinders, you can use scotch tape to make a grid across the top that holds flowers in place and leaves your arrangements looking full in the center without having to mess with floral foam. Pretty cool, right?!
And there you have it; a seriously chic and drop dead gorgeous DIY that will have people thinking you spent your whole paycheck on this metallic masterpiece.

Did you try this tutorial? Show us how yours turned out! Tag us on Instagram and be sure to use #bemakeful.