How-To: Gold-Dotted Lamp Base

Re-create this trendy piece on a budget with this step-by-step from a crafty blogger featured in HGTV Magazine.
Gold-Leaf Dotted Design Lamp

Gold-Leaf Dotted Lamp

This DIY project uses little more than a pouncer and gold-leaf to elevate a plain white lamp.

Photo by: Courtesy of Emily Hart

Courtesy of Emily Hart

By: Jessica Dodell-Feder

Emily Hart, a stay-at-home mom from Oklahoma City and home design blogger at recentlytheblog.com, creates DIY masterpieces. She enjoys turning off-the-shelf furniture and accessories into upgraded custom pieces. Her motto: "Patience and a willingness to do some digging go a long way when it comes to DIY."

Materials Needed:

  • glass lamp that’s open at the bottom
  • gold-leaf kit
  • pouncers (aka round sponge brushes)
  • crafts brush
  • quart of latex paint

Step 1

Turn the base on its side so you can reach inside its open bottom. Wrap the cord that runs down the center of the base in painter’s tape.

Step 2

Dip different-sized pouncers into the gold-leaf adhesive (called sizing medium), and dab them inside the lamp’s base. Following the kit’s instructions, apply the leaf. Use the crafts brush to remove excess leaf. Let set for a few minutes.

Step 3

Pour about half the paint into the base and swirl it around to fully coat the glass. Stand the base on a paper plate and let drip-dry. Remove the tape, screw in a bulb and add a 10-to-12-inch-diameter shade.

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