I'm labeling this little hare-brained DIY a "Crazy Craft"...which basically means that you can most definitely do this yourself, but you should be forewarned that you might get a few odd looks from concerned friends and family who fear that you've taken one step too many off the Pier of Crazy. Behold...DIY Gilded Flowers!!!
A few years ago I decided to play Mother Nature and painted some wild apples in a bright shade of fuchsia. It's still one of my favorite projects ever (not functional, but just really fun). So after picking up three bunches of fresh zinnias from our local Farmer's Market this morning I decided to bust out some gold acrylic paint and gave a few of them the Midas Touch.
To create: Start with flowers with firm and distinct petals such as zinnias, daises, or open roses. Using a small paintbrush and gold acrylic paint (of course you could use any other color you'd like) paint a random number of petals on your flower. Since you are only painting a handful of petals on each, this is actually a pretty fast project. Paint all the flowers in your arrangement, or just a few. It's up to you. I'm not sure how long they will last painted in this fashion, but they sure do look pretty sitting on my desk right now.
If you have a bit of extra time on your hands, these would make a really great accent to a party centerpiece...and will definitely be one of those elements that makes your guests take a second look. For something a little bit different you can also paint the petals with craft glue and then dust them in glitter for a fun effect (perfectly suited for a girl's birthday party or baby shower). What do you think? Is painting flower petals completely bonkers or something you might actually try? xo Ez
Credits: Acrylic paint found at my local Michael's | Martha Stewart Glitter in Kunzite - part of a set purchased at Michael's | Bangles by Fail Jewelry. All photos by Ez Pudewa (me).