Vanity Tray Redo

I decided to repurpose this turqoise plastic tray that I used for an "Easter Basket" so long ago.  Since I'm into the silver finishes, I decided I would try my hand at gilding.  I had help my dad Gold leaf a large floor to ceiling mirror when I was a young girl, and remember it to be a tedious yet very rewarding process.  As much as I love silver, I decided to use Aluminum leaf, because it never tarnishes, and the finish is a little brighter, which works great when you want to tone it down with a little raw umber & black glaze. 

 Here is what I did. I put the sizing liquid on it, and let it set up for 12hrs.

From everything I read, I knew it was a messy project. So I got a garbage bag and cut it open, and began.  As  you can see the silver/Aluminum is very thin

I bought a book of 500 sheets. They actually go quite far, i only used the first pack (25sheets per pack) to do the entire tray and still had 5 sheets left in the pack.

Carefully layout each piece onto the already sized surface. You can smooth out with a paint brush, or use your hands. I like to use my fingers as I felt like I had more control.  My surface had small edges, handle cutouts, and lip where the plastic went in and out, using my fingers I was able to use more of the leafing in these areas without wasting it.  I used a brush at the end to smooth the areas.

Here is the finished result.

I love it!