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Friday, February 03, 2012

Gilded Pears!

Look what my big sis bought me!

Life: Designed
I had bought these $1.50 paper mache pears from Michael's last week with the thought that I was going to spray paint them:

Life: Designed

I love spray paint- it's so quick and easy. The only thing is, I have to do my spraying outside and... it rains a lot in Vancouver.


So my poor pears have just been sitting around for a while.


A couple days ago I had the thought to gold leaf them! I've never done it before so why not try something new?


I had no idea how much gold leaf paper costs but I had a feeling it wasn't cheap. So I asked my big sis to come with me to Michael's since she's a teacher and gets an extra 15% off.


When we got there, I saw the liquid gilding (pictured above). It was $10 and I had a 40% off coupon PLUS my sis's discount! Sweet!

Life: Designed
Oh and look at that! The packaging has painted pears on them! Hmm... Feeling not so original....


Across the aisle, they had the gold leaf paper for $15. What to do... Of course I went for the less expensive one! (Not to mention you have to purchase special gold leaf adhesive? What is that? I didn't see any there.)


When I went to pay, my sister put my credit card away and bought it for me. Being the baby of the family (and an unemployed student) has it's perks! I should have gotten the gilding AND the gold leaf paper!


It's been a big adjustment to go from having a full time job and a steady income to... nothing. Every penny counts. I use 40% off coupons for $1.50 items at Michael's!


As soon as I got home, I started painting my pears! Word of warning... this liquid gilding stuff STINKS! Even for me and I like the brain-cells-killing-marker smell.

Life: Designed
I'm glad I didn't go for the gold leaf because the paper mache already gives it a textured look.


I love them! I admit it. I'm a sucker for cute accessories.


I have these black birds:

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These owls which I love Love LOVE!

Life: Designed
And now these beautiful gold pears! I've wanted silver (or gold) pears (or apples) for a long long time and now I finally have some!

Life: Designed
I don't know yet how I'm going to style them. For now, I just like looking at them!


Life: Designed
Note: I'm calling them gold but the colour is officially brass. The one they called gold is more orange? It's in between copper and this "brass". I chose brass because I like the  more yellow look. (I still consider it gold...)


Thanks again big sis! I have some old candle stick holders that need a coat of this gold!


I used to be a silver only girl. But for the past couple of years my favourite necklaces have been gold and recently I love gold for home decor!


How about you... are you a gold or silver gal?
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8 comments:

  1. May5 February 2012 at 02:07

    Heey you could use those as christmas ornaments! Or how about a wreath made of pears? Hmm.. Maybe not.

    Anyways, I love gold! When I went for my vacay in the Philippines 2 years ago, I kept buying gold accessories while my Aunt (from Manila) kept suggesting Silver for a more muted look.

    I love silver and gold. But I sometimes I find gold very classy.

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    1. Nancy @ Life: Designed5 February 2012 at 20:16

      Haha I looked up pear wreaths and they do exist! I like gold. I hope it sticks around for a while.

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  2. Jane @ urbanejane.5 February 2012 at 15:53

    Hi Nancy! They're 'pear'fect! ;)
    And to answer your question, I used to be an only-silver girl, but I'm slowly starting to love gold. a lot. I think I kinda drive my husband crazy because he's an all-silver kinda guy. :)
    well, on a side note, I had no idea your sister was a teacher! (I am too!), but rather than waiting for the 15% off, if you download the app, they have the 40% off one purchase and sometimes the 25% off your entire purchase. If you don't have a smart phone, their website has printable coupons on it all the time. :)
    just thought that might help (with you dishing out more of your awesome projects!)

    take care! :)

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    1. Nancy @ Life: Designed5 February 2012 at 20:20

      'pear'fect - haha love it! Thanks Jane! I do both! I always have a 40% off coupon with me. I rarely buy anything at Michael's at full price. Cool! What grade do you teach? My sister doesn't currently teach but her husband teaches 4th grade. or maybe it's 5th... Heh.

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  3. Stacey13 February 2012 at 03:49

    Very pretty! You could go bananas with that stuff!
    Stacey of Embracing Change

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  4. Dwell on Joy16 February 2012 at 19:36

    Nancy - I love these and secretly want to STEAL your owls! So cute - where are they from, may I ask??? Thanks for sharing this project at Dwell on Fridays! I love your projects! And I'm with you on the Michaels and coupons - I use them EVERY time :) Have a great weekend & don't forget to link up tomorrow!

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    1. Dwell on Joy16 February 2012 at 20:39

      And...I'm featuring these at Dwell on Joy tomorrow! Come by and grab a button when you link up!

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    2. Nancy @ Life: Designed17 February 2012 at 20:26

      Thanks Sarah! Sorry I forgot to answer your question! I got them at Nood.ca a while back. I LOVE them! Unfortunately the store is closing down!
      Nancy

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