• A touch of gold leaf goes a long way toward enhancing plain objects.Michael Hitoshi/Photodisc/Getty Images
  
  The shimmer and shine of gold leaf accessories make them a natural fit with most Christmas decorations. You can apply gold leaf yourself to glass, wood, metal, plastic and stone to create stylish, elegant holiday designs from plain objects. Gold leaf is sold in individual sheets; apply it to objects using gold size as the adhesive material and a clean, dry, soft paintbrush. Make sure that you apply gold leaf in a draft-free environment.
  
  

Ornaments

• Cover clear glass ornaments with gold leaf to create gilded baubles for your Christmas tree. Clear glass ornaments are available at most craft and discount stores during the holiday season. You can also recycle leftover cardboard to cut out your own stars, circles, gift boxes to use as ornaments. Cover both sides of the cardboard with gold leaf, puncture the top of the design, thread a ribbon and hang it from the tree.
  
  

Fruit

• Gild plastic fruit with gold leaf and use it as part of a Christmas table setting. Arrange the pieces in a crystal bowl, or position them on top of greenery in the center of your dining table. You can also embellish a wreath with gold leafed fruit. Purchase a ready-made silk fir wreath from the craft store, wrap wire around the fruit stems and attach the gold leaf fruit to the wreath. Hang the decoration on your front door or in your kitchen.
  
  

Garland

• Create a strand of garland for your stairway or mantle with gold leaf designs. Cut out at least 10 Christmas stars, gold leaf both sides and connect them on the sides with 24-gauge gold craft wire. You can make garland with gold leafed glass ornaments, fruit or other cutout combinations.
  
  

Lighted Gift Box

• Cover both sides and the edges of a glass craft block with gold leaf. Insert a small strand of holiday lights inside the glass block; glass craft blocks have premade openings on one side. Tie a festive ribbon around the block and place the gold-leaf gift beneath the Christmas tree, on the front porch or wherever you'd like to decorate with ambient lighting.
  
  

Place Cards

• Gild 3-by-3 picture frames to create decorative place cards for your Christmas dinner party. Look for inexpensive frames at dollar stores and then cover them with gold leaf. Write each guest's name on the glass insert with a gold paint pen. Place the cards at each table setting.