diy by Halligan 38

diy project: halligan’s alchemy bookends


High-end geode and crystal home decor is everywhere! Having a rock garden in my home is right up my alley, but can be expensive. So today I’ll share how to get the look of pyrite bookends using rocks scavenged from your neighborhood streets. — Halligan

CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump!

Supplies

  • rocks of all different shapes and sizes (make sure to get several that are flat on two sides)
  • metallic gold spray paint
  • hot glue sticks
  • industrial strength glue such as liquid nails #3 or E6000
  • gold leaf adhesive and gold leaf
  • weighted cardboard box (You can fill the box with books!)

Tools

  • hot glue gun
  • toothpicks
  • old paint brush
  • soft brush
  • soap and dirty toothbrush

Instructions

1. Gather rocks and scrub with soap and brush. Let dry completely.

2. Spray paint rocks gold. Make sure to get all sides and angles nice and covered. Let dry according to spray paint instructions.

3. Pick out rocks that are flat on the bottom and one side. Look around until you find three that can serve as your starting point. Use hot glue to quickly tack them together. Place them next to your heavy box and keep building! This project is like a 3D puzzle that can have slight imperfections. After you have a good start, stop and reinforce the rocks with your industrial-strength glue. Hot glue alone will not hold these gems together forever!

4. Use your box as a guide to make the flat side of the bookend that will hold up your books. Keep building by hot-gluing and then reinforcing until you have a nice shape that you are happy with.

5. To add a “facet” shine, gold leaf some rock edges. This is also a great way to cover any glue that’s showing!

6. Enjoy! Happy October from Halligan.

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38 Comments

haylie

i’m always on the hunt for old geodes to use around my house & indeed they can be costly- this is such a fun idea and so simple too!

Rebekah @ Wild Ink Press

Fabulous DIY idea. What a great way to produce organic and glamorous at the same time!

I might add though, maybe putting felt on the bottom would be a good idea. Don’t want to scratch the furniture!

Jules

MUST. CREATE. WITH. SONS. NOW!

I just love this, and I know my dinosaur/fossil loving boys are going to lose their heads over this idea. Thank you!

Maggie

I have a rock collection from my youth that’s been a bookend in a peanut butter jar for years. What a great way to spruce it up!

Katie

As a geologist, this is both hilarious and awesome. Rocks make great bookends.

chelsea

This is such a great idea! I particularly love the juxtaposed look of the sparkly gold against the black, distressed mantel.

Annapiana

What a great idea! I just did the same thing to a heap of pebbles and buried them in our sandpile for a pirate-themed kids’ birthday party. It was a massive success. I chose stones that looked pyritish in shape, sprayed them with 3 coats. The pirates dug for hours…

Alicia

I love this project. I wish I had the pyrite from my childhood rock collection still… I’d make a ring or something fun out of it.

hrhkat

I could gold leaf/paint my entire house…we need an entire section on this blog about cool things to gold/silver/copper leaf/paint….

Quatre

Really nice.. the first shot is striking.

I’ll be doing this for my niece when some free time rolls around.

Tania @NeckSpice

This is soooo amazing. We have an extra long weekend starting now – I will have this as my DIY project with my boys! They are going to love it…we can paint the rocks in a colour of their choice.

paige

love this project! thanks for sharing!

i was just thinking that a blog post with DIY projects specifically for holiday gifts would be great too!

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