I’m going to show you how to make these gorgeous DIY Gold Leaf Candles with taper candles and gold foil sheets. This candle craft is so easy with a huge margin for error. They are perfect for your holiday tables, New Year’s Eve or anytime you want to add a little shine to your home decor.

photo collage - DIY gold leaf candles - craft supplies and finished gold leaf candles on black background.

Candle Crafts – DIY Gold Leaf Candles

I love an easy craft that looks great and can be used for DIY home decor. These candles went from ordinary to WOW in less than 30 min. I went with a distressed look, but you can create any design you desire. You can also find gold leaf foil sheets in gold, copper, or silver. They are very simple to use. Other gold leaf projects I’ve created with foil sheets are below.

How to Make a Golden Egg for Easter | TodaysCreativeLife.com — Gold Foil Eggs

gold leaf crafts on white ceramic tiles for coasters — Gold Foil Eggs

How to Make Gold Leaf Candles

You’ll need a few simple supplies to get started. I already had everything in my craft stash so it didn’t cost me anything.

Taper Candles – mine are from Trader Joe’s
Gold Leaf Foil Sheets – Mine are a Martha Stewart product
Soft Bristle Brush and a small paint brush
Gilding Adhesive – but I’ve used Mod Podge in a pinch

Wipe any dust off the candles.
Brush a very light coat of gilding adhesive where you want the gold leaf foil to stick.
Let it dry for about 10 min until the adhesive is no longer wet but just a little tacky.
Press the gold leaf sheet, shiny side down onto the tacky section.
Take the soft bristle brush and brush the excess off. I press and rub any loose sections down with my fingers.
Enjoy!

Gold Leaf Candle Craft

Yield: 2

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Active Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Estimated Cost: $20

Create beautiful decorative candles using gold leaf foil sheets.

Materials

Gold Leaf Foil Sheets
Gilding Adhesive
Small paint brush
Soft bristle brush
Taper Candles

Instructions

Gather your supplies.
Make sure your candles are free from any dust.
Use your small brush to add gilding adhesive where you want the gold foil to stick. I was going for a distressed look, so I didn't need to be particular.
Let the adhesive dry for a few minutes until it's tacky to the touch.
Apply the foil sheet over the tacky areas.
Rub with fingers (my kit came with a glove to use so the oils from my fingers wouldn't mess with the gold leafing... I don't use the gloves on distressed projects like this.
Use the soft bristle brush all over the gold foil to get rid of any loose bits.
Enjoy.

Notes

I researched if it was safe to burn candles that have gold foil sheets added. I found nothing harmful in using gold leafing on candles. It is non-flammable because it is a form of metal.

Never leave burning candles unattended. TCL is confident you will use common sense when burning candles and assumes no responsibility for candle burning.

Can You Burn Gold Leaf Candles?

I did a bit of digging because I wasn’t sure if you could burn candles that have had gold leaf added to them. Turns out that it’s fine because the gold leafing is made with metal which is nonflammable. With that said, I am confident you will use common sense when burning candles and will never leave them unattended. TCL takes no responsibility for how you use candles.

Distressed Gold Leaf candles with silver and gold foil sheets

How to Use Metallic Gold Leaf Candles

These distressed metallic shiny candles are great for the everyday on any table but they would definitely be great for DIY New Year’s Eve home decor. They would look great on holiday tables for Christmas, New Year’s or a grown-up dinner party. Baby showers, bridal showers and even wedding centerpieces.

Foil sheets come in all colors for all kinds of inspiration for ways to celebrate or decorate! You can add gilding and gold leaf to more than just candles too!

Birthday – Use several colors on taper or pillar candles to create confetti-themed candles.
July 4th – Use red, blue, and silver foil sheets to create fun holiday votives or candle decor.
Valentine’s Day – Use pink or Red to create festive table decor on chargers, candles, votives and more.

Two pair of taper candles that have gold leafing

Can You Use Gold Leaf Flakes on Candles?

Gold Leaf flakes are another form that gilding comes in. There is liquid gilding, flakes and foil sheets. The foil sheets I think are the easiest to use. The flakes can be used on candles with the same adhesive and brushing.

diy gold leaf candles in silver and gold on a black background.

Can you Use Mod Podge to Glue Gold Leaf?

Mod Podge works great as an adhesive for applying gold leaf. Just like the adhesive I used, you’ll want to wait for it to dry until it’s tacky to touch.