DIY gilded leather business card case // win it!

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DIY Gold Leaf Business Card Case

DIY Gold Leaf Business Card Case

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.

DIY Gold Leaf Business Card Case

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.

DIY Gold Leaf Business Card Case

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.

DIY Gold Leaf Business Card Case

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.

DIY Gold Leaf Business Card Case

DIY Gold Leaf Business Card Case

DIY Gold Leaf Business Card Case

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.

DIY Gold Leaf Business Card Case

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

DIY Gold Leaf Business Card Case

DIY Gold Leaf Business Card Case

DIY Gold Leaf Business Card Case

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60 Comments

  1. Love this! It looks amazing! Perhaps I’m lucky and win but if not… I’m definitely going to try and make one!

  2. Following all your uh-may-zing boards (of course), and pinned the top image to one of mine. I think people would probably hire me just from seeing me take this thing out of my purse.. no business card necessary.

  3. Gorgeous gold leaf!?! Who would not love that? Fantastic work, Chelsea! I pinned it to my “d.i.y.” board. 🙂

  4. Hey there, lady! LOVE this craft. I just followed you on Pinterest (as Erin Skinner) AND pinned it. Such a fun piece of color and flare for business cards!

  5. Done and done! I just saw these cute “business” cards that simply side “you’re cute” in gold print. Guess its more of a calling card or ‘pick up’ card. But this would be the perfect match to house them in!!

  6. New to your blog. Made a leather biz card holder the other day but I love your use of gold. Will click over to your pinterest.

  7. Hey Chelsea! So after our #alt class Saturday, I raced on over and took a look at this amazing DIY! I decided to come back and leave a comment just to tell you I felt SO inspired! I am thinking of using this technique for a project – so thank you for the cute idea! It was great meeting you!

    XO

  8. Is there a non-leather material that would work well for this? Canvas perhaps? Love this but don’t love leather!

    x

    1. I haven’t tested it out on other materials, but I’m pretty sure it would work well on any thicker fabric! You could definitely try canvas — any upholstery-type fabric is probably a good bet. Just something that would keep the shape of the case. You may run into the problem of the glue seeping through a thinner fabric, so just put something under it when you’re doing the gold leafing. Good luck! Let me know how it turns out!

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  17. Oh my goodness! Impressive article dude!
    Many thanks, However I am experiencing problems with your RSS.
    I don’t understand the reason why I can’t subscribe to it.
    Is there anybody else getting similar RSS issues?

    Anybody who knows the solution can you kindly
    respond? Thanks!!

  18. So pretty! I’d like to make a bunch as gifs for a convention. I’m finding a huge range for button-studs on Amazon- from 4MM to 10MM & on!
    What size button-stud do you use?

    1. Hi Sabrina! I believe the ones I used had a 7mm head on the button stud! Hope that helps. Love the idea of sharing these as gifts! What convention will you be attending?

        1. One last question – looks like your link to the Martha Stewart template isn’t working. Do you have another way to get to it? I tried googling it but was unsuccessful…

          Thanks again!