Also, pro-tip– My bugs’ legs were all wonky when they arrived but I zapped each one with a hair dryer for about 30 seconds and was able to remold their antennae and legs to the correct positions!

Thank you Deborah! I found these at Hobby Lobby actually, but I’ve found the exact same set on Amazon too – (affiliate link) Wild Republic 10 Piece Insect Bag.

Thanks for the input, Sabrina! My comment system doesn’t have an option to share photos. But if you post it on Instagram, you can leave the link here or tag me, @the_gathered_home. I’d love to see!

PS- I’d share a picture but I don’t see that as an option here…

I used Krylon metallic spray paint in Brass. It worked great and seemed like it was much less time spraying it than painting with a brush. Hope it all works out for you!

Hi Courtney!
So, this was a DIY project I made right before we packed everything up to move! I just dug these out of the box and realized that yes, mine were also a little tacky… Maybe something about the solvents in the liquid gold leaf not liking the plastic base?

Anyway, I wanted to make sure I had the right solution for you, so I grabbed some spray sealer (Rustoleum clear lacquer) I had in the garage and gave them a good coating. Once it dried, the tacky-ness was gone! I think any kind of clear sealer would work – they even make one especially for gold leaf, but I didn’t have any on hand. I’ll be adding that as a final step in this DIY project! Thanks for bringing it to my attention!