Gold Gnome DIY

I have a really simple and fun DIY for you all today!

As I've mentioned here, Andrew loves gnomes. Or as he says, he "has an affinity for gnome culture" haha! It's almost embarrassing how many gnomes we have hiding around our house. 

I was so excited when I saw Danielle from Breakfast at Toast, apartment tour last year on The Everygirl. I spotted this cute little guy on her mantle, and knew that was a gnome I would happily add to our collection. BUT I wasn't about to spend  $50 on a little gnome, sorry Andrew. 

Lucky for us, shortly after Andrew moved to the city, Andrew's mom sent us a little house warming package. Inside was this cute little ceramic gnome from the craft store. It was just an unfinished white gnome, perfect for a simple DIY!  

First, he needed a coat of glossy white paint since he was currently just naked ceramic. I am a fan of Rust-Oleum spray paint, so I picked up a can of white gloss paint. I gave it two thin coast of paint and let it dry for a couple days. Since I would be taping off the hat, I wanted to make sure the white paint was really dry so it didn't peel off when I removed the tape after spraying the gold. 

Looking better already! Next, it was time to tape off the hat. I wanted to be sure it didn't bleed, so I spent a lot of time making sure there were not air pockets where gold paint would seep through. First, I did a layer of tape around the base of the hat. 

Next, I used a plastic produce bag, and taped the bottom of it to the gnome, directly on the first layer of tape I used. Once I made sure that was secure, I repeated the process with another grocery bag. This was probably excessive, but I didn't want to find drips of gold paint anywhere other than his hat. 

Once he was all taped up, it was time for paint! I went back and forth with which paint to use. But after looking at this review of gold spray paint I had pinned, I decided to stick with Rust-Oleum. Again, I did two thin coats, making sure to get an even distribution so there were no drips. I also let this dry overnight before removing the tape and bags to find the finished product. 

I LOVE the way this turned out! He is so cute, and for much less than $50 too! I'm not sure how much the gnome cost, but I'm sure it wasn't more than $20 or so. And the spray paint was less than $10 for both cans, so it's definitely an affordable project. 

He might not be a container like my inspiration, but I think he's just as cute, if not cuter! I'm definitely on board with the gnome thing now :) 

I'm still trying to figure out where his home should be. I don't love how our mantle is styled now, but I think he could look cute up there. After all, this was my original inspiration. I love how the little gnome looks on Danielle's mantle. I also put him over on our bar area, but I think he was a little cluttered there with all the bottles, too much going on. So for now, he's on the mantle, but his permanent residence has yet to be determined.