DIY: Glammed up Gold String Lights

DIY Vintage Looking Gold String lights by The Sweet Escape

DIY Vintage Looking Gold String lights by The Sweet EscapeI’ve been meaning to post this Gold String Light DIY ever since I shared my living room makeover with you ages ago. Sorry for the extremely delayed follow-up. 

It’s a known fact that I’m a gold leaf junkie and when I saw these string lights on sale at Lowe’s I knew immediately that I was going to give them a little glam makeover before stringing them. I thought about using gold spray paint but I really wanted the more luxe look of the gold leaf plus although it’s a bit more messy to work with it’s easier to control than spray. 

DIY Vintage Looking Gold String lights by The Sweet Escape

WHAT YOU’LL NEED: 
• gold leaf
• spray adhesive
• green paint tape
• clean dry small paint brush
• paper towel or tissue

First remove all the bulbs and fill the sockets with some loosely balled up paper towel or tissue. Tape off the portion of the cord that you don’t want gold. 

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Next you give the socket a fairly even spray of adhesive. Give the adhesive 30 seconds to dry then carefully layer on a sheet of gold leaf using the brush to softly wrap it around the socket. Gently brush off the excess gold leaf. 

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That’s it! When you’re done, remove the tape, add the bulbs and you’re hardware store set of outdoor lights will look like a million bucks. So will your hands. 

DIY Vintage Looking Gold String lights by The Sweet Escape diy-gold-string-lights-5

Now that they’re decked out in gold leaf, they are strictly indoor lights so don’t go getting crazy and blitz out the backyard with these guys. The gold really elevates them and makes them a modern and stylish lighting feature in any space. I tried to hang them horizontally but it just didn’t work in my space with the high ceilings so I opted to hang them from my curtain rod for a more casual look. I love turning just these on at night time for the perfect amount of glow when kicking back to relax. 

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If you like this, don’t forget to check out our DIY gallery full of creative projects for your home.