Michelle walks you through every step from cleaning to gilding to styling. Short, satisfying, and beautifully inspiring.

Before we dive in, here's what Michelle is working with:

🎨 IOD Athenaeum Gilded Transfer

✨ Colored glass bottles (thrifted or collected)

✨ Rubbing alcohol

✨ Lint-free cloth

✨ Small scissors

✨ The included transfer tool and backing paper

Simple supplies you most likely already have. Seriously gorgeous results. Now, let's get into it. 🙌

Michelle's secret weapon before a single transfer touches glass? Rubbing alcohol and a lint-free cloth.

This step is not optional. 😅 Any dust, grease, or residue on the surface of the glass will prevent the gilded transfer from adhering properly. As gilded transfers can be a little particular about where they land, a thorough clean with rubbing alcohol takes thirty seconds and saves a lot of heartbreak. Do it. You'll thank yourself later. 💕

Here's something we love about the Athenaeum Gilded Transfer...it comes with both gold and silver options, and the choice is easier than you'd think. Simply hold each option up against your bottle and see which one shows up more beautifully against that particular color of glass. Some bottles sing with gold. Others are made for silver. Trust your eye on this one. 😍

Curved surfaces can feel a little intimidating, but Michelle's technique makes it so approachable. Here's exactly how she does it:

💕 Start in the middle. Press the transfer down at the center of the curved surface first, then work outward toward the edges. This prevents air bubbles and keeps everything aligned.

💕 Cut small slits into the sides of the transfer sheet. This relieves the pressure that builds up on curved surfaces and helps the sheet conform to the shape of the bottle without buckling or lifting.

💕 Use the included tool to rub the transfer down from the carrier sheet onto the glass — firm, even pressure all the way across.

💕 Peel back slowly. Hold the sheet in place with one hand while you gently peel back the carrier sheet with the other, checking as you go that the design has transferred successfully. Gilded material can sometimes stretch if you rush this part. Slow and steady will win here every time. 🙌

Once the carrier sheet is off and you're admiring your gorgeous work, it's time to burnish. Flip the backing paper over and use it to rub over the entire transfer in circular motions, pressing all the edges down firmly and making sure every detail has fully adhered.

And here's the part that might surprise you: no sealer needed. 😅 The Athenaeum Gilded Transfer is stunning as-is, and adding a top coat isn't necessary to protect it. To keep your bottles looking beautiful, simply dust with a soft cloth. That's it. Done. We love a low-maintenance project. 🥰

The finished bottles are stunning on their own, but here are two of our favorite ways to style them:

✨ Fill them with dried or fresh florals for a botanical, apothecary feel that looks completely curated.

✨ Drop fairy lights inside for the most gorgeous backlighting effect. The colored glass glows, the gilded transfers catch the light, and the whole thing looks absolutely dreamy after dark. 😍

Stack them on a shelf, group them on a mantel, or scatter them across a windowsill. However you style them, they are sure to catch your eye.

🎨 Athenaeum IOD Gilded Transfer

✨ Colored glass bottles

✨ Rubbing alcohol

✨ Lint-free cloth

✨ Small scissors

✨ Fairy lights (optional, for styling)

✨ Dried or fresh florals (optional, for styling)

Ready to get your hands on the Athenaeum Gilded Transfer? Find your nearest IOD Stockist using the big red Where to Buy button on our website. 🙌

New to IOD? Our Product 101 pages are packed with beginner-friendly techniques to help you get the most out of every product. For more how-tos and project inspo, there is so much good stuff waiting for you in the rest of our blog.

Made something gorgeous with the Athenaeum Gilded Transfer? Share it with the IOD Creative Tribe on Facebook. It is the most supportive community of makers on the internet, and we genuinely cannot wait to see what you create. 💕