DIY gilded leather business card case // win it!
I can’t stop looking at this gilded, magical thing. Seriously. I made it, set it on my desk for a few days to see how it held up, and couldn’t stop saying to Mr. Lovely, “Look at this thing!!” That’s how much I love this little business card holder. Now, to be fair, Martha Stewart provides the template for the holder, but good old Martha didn’t cover hers in gold! So we can share the credit for the awesomeness. If you want to make it, read on, and if you want to win it, make sure you read the giveaway rules at the bottom.
For starters, gather your materials:
- Martha Stewart’s business card template
- a piece of suede that’s at least 7×7 inches
- pen
- scissors
- leather punch
- ModPodge
- two paintbrushes
- tweezers
- gold leaf
- button-stud (found mine at a leather store; any trimming or craft store would also probably have them)
Print out the template, cut it out, and trace it lightly onto your suede.
Cut out the suede and punch holes in the designated corners. For the smaller three, choose a size that the shaft of the button-stud will fit through, and for the larger one, choose a size large enough for the ball to fit through and stay secure. If your leather punch doesn’t have a size large enough, you can cut a small slit by the hole to make it a little larger.
Next, lay down a layer of ModPodge. Use a paintbrush to spread it on the outside of the suede (you’ll need to plan which side you want in and which you want out). Put the paint on in the pattern that you’d like the gold leaf to be attached.
Working quickly, use the tweezers to set down a piece of gold leaf. Be careful to not let it fold over as you set it down. Let the ModPodge grab the gold leaf and gently press it down all over with a clean, dry paintbrush. After the glue dries a bit, use the dry paintbrush again to swipe off any excess gold leaf.
Allow the glue to dry completely, and fold the holder into its intended shape. Sides fold first, followed by the bottom. Put the button-stud through these three and screw it tight. Finally, make sure that the button fits through the large hole. Expect some gold leaf to crack and flake off. Just dust off any flakes and reapply or spot fix if you desire.
Boom! The classiest, sassiest business card holder in town! I cannot wait to rock this thing at Alt Summit — and you can bet I’ll be shouting from the rooftops I made it myself. (Also: a full post will be coming about my awesome new business cards.)
Now. I made an extra one. You want it? Pin it to win it! All you have to do is make sure you’re following me on Pinterest, and pin one of the images from this post! Leave a comment back here letting me know that you did both. Then we can be business card twinsies! You can pin until Thursday evening, 9 p.m. PST and the winner will be announced on Friday. xoxo
Update: We have a winner! Congrats to Laura of The LBeau Room — we’ll be in touch! xoxo