Gold Animals Buy or DIY???

I was browsing through a magazine the other day and found these wonderful gold animal candles for birthday cakes. They are very cute for a childs birthday, yet you can also make them look sophisticated for a table setting. The gold animals for the table setting are not made up as candles, just gold decor.

Making these are very inexpensive and easy.

 So easy that I think it would be a great DIY project. If you would like to buy something similar, search animal candles in any search engine and many options will come up.

These gilded creatures are cute, quirky, whimsical and give an air of luxe to any tabletop.

 These gold animals are perfect for wedding – to – home decor, you could place them in the center of tables, on stacks of books, or as centerpieces. Guests can then go to their assigned animal table. Then after the wedding use them as mantle piece/bedside table decor or as bookends.

DIY – Spray Painted Animals
It’s amazing what a lick of gold paint can do for tacky, plastic animals bought from your local dollar store!

Supplies -

• plastic animals
• plastic candle holders
• drill with 1/8″ drill bit
• pliers
• gold spray paint

For the plastic animals, you can use any kind you can find. Keep in mind the size of the cake or cupcake you are sticking it on. I used the animals with a flat back, so it is easier to stick in the candle holder.

Hold the animal with the pliers and drill a hole straight down, being careful not to pop out the other side. The hole just has to be deep enough for the holder to fit.

 Spray paint the animals in a few light coats, rotating them to cover all sides. Note: I used gold (w/o primer) and it worked fine for both the nicer plastic animals and the dollar store ones. I wanted a pop of color but some of the animals didn’t take to regular spray paint, be sure to use a plastic spray paint or a primer for plastic and always test one first.

I also painted the candle holders to match. Let dry.

That’s it.

Oh and you might want to put some newspaper down and put on gloves before you end up covering yourself and your floor in gold paint.

Other ideas...

Check out this photo below if you need some ideas on how to use the animal theme decor. The deer on the cake is not a candle holder but a sophisticated looking cake topper. The photo beside it shows some golden deer in a snow scene that comes out at Christmas.  Use golden and natural elements with a purple table setting to add a bit of sparkle and interest.

 

I made jars similar to these for a client and she used  them as party favor containers for a zoo themed birthday party. Another client wanted a set using farm animals for kitchen canisters.

I plan to sell these in my etsy shop, so if DIY is not your thing you can probably find them there. If you need an inexpensive gift,  unique candle holder or animal decor, this may be your answer. Let your creative ideas get flowing!