The Instagram account of Gilded Twig, aka Deborah Bigelow, who is by Instagram's definition an "Art Conservator, Master Gilder, Building Renovator, and Landlord" (she owns the building that contains Nixie Sparrow and Beahive), is quite curious. It's not often that you come across a professional gilder who knows how to cover walls in gold and renovate the precious details of this world with fresh gold (and we share love for the same hairdresser!). Her projects have included Salon Dore at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and an installation at Walter De Maria Enterprises. So when I began thinking of pumpkin decorating ideas for our front porch for this year's Halloween, it hit me - I bet Gilded Twig would know how to cover a pumpkin in gold! (In another attempt to decorate sans carving, I tried my hand at another Pinterest-inspired pumpkin project: I used a power drill to make delicate-looking bead designs in a pumpkin!)
Perfect for a spooky front yard recreation of a scene where anything you touch turns to gold, maybe Sleeping Beauty and Rumpelstiltskin would be there. Deborah was kind enough to cover a pumpkin in gold for us, and share her secrets for how to do it.
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| Deborah Bigelow Gilded Twig |
You’ve heard the phrase “gilding the lily”?
Well, now there’s “gilding the pumpkin”!
Pumpkins are beautiful just the way nature made them.
But, if you want to gold-leaf one for a Fall display, here’s how:
(All materials available at your local art store and food market.)
Materials:
a pumpkin (get A Little Beacon Blog's guide on Where to Pick Your Pumpkins This October)
water
detergent
painter's tape
wax paper
black foam brush
fast-drying oil
gold leaf (Deborah likes Sepp Leaf Products, Inc. in New York City, in any karat)
soft sable brush
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| 23K Loose Gold Leaf |
Directions:
Wash the pumpkin with a drop of detergent in water.
Rinse with clear water and dry off.
Tape off the stem with painter’s tape. Place the pumpkin on a piece of wax paper.
Using a black foam brush, apply a whisper-thin, even layer of fast-drying oil size.
Check the surface periodically until it feels dry but slightly tacky to the touch.
Open up a book of gold leaf and pick up the sheet with a gilder’s tip.
I used Manetti’s Red Gold Leaf on the pumpkin.
Beginning at the bottom, lay the gold leaf down on the pumpkin’s surface.
Press down the gold leaf with a soft sable brush.
Repeat until the entire pumpkin is covered.
Remove all of the excess leaf with the same soft brush.
Your golden pumpkin is ready to shine!
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| Back in season for Fall, the famous cheese fondue pumpkin! A great party food idea, or order by the slice. Delicious. |
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