Mini Sunburst Mirrors

I know, I know...I bet you're wondering when I am going to get to that room!  My excuse is, it rained all week long.  Today was our first day of great sunshine and hopefully it will continue so I can get some good pictures.  Plus it was spring break and I couldn't torture my kids while I fluffed my room!

I have been wanting mini sunburst mirrors for a long time. I love the sporadic look of the small mirrors on a wall.  Sadly for me, the mini mirrors are hard to find and expensive.

I stumbled upon tiny convex mirrors in the auto section in Wal-Mart!  You know, the mirrors that go on a bus or a RV, or the mirrors that catch people stealing in a convenient store? :)  

There are a couple different varieties, the mirrors pictured have a slant to them and were difficult to get out of the casing. The best mirrors are the rubber rimmed, they pull out easily. 

I traced some of my favorite sunburst images onto paper...yep, right off the computer screen!

Then I traced the shapes onto mdf and cut them out with a scroll saw.  I didn't take any pictures of the cutting process, because this was REALLY impulsive and I wasn't sure if it was even going to work. 

I had to break off my plastic slanted casing, so I replaced it with cording. 

On the "spikey" mirror, I drilled holes and added skewers. 

Then I covered the mirror part with paper and gave them all a good spray of gold paint.

For any over spray I found that finger nail polish remover cleaned it off easily.  I was surprised that it didn't ruin the inexpensive finish on the mirrors.  The mirrors do scratch very easily.

They turned out fun- for an impulsive, sidetracked craft.  I was able to use scraps and paint I already had, so the only cost for me was in the mirrors, about $10.00.

I will be back soon...(I promise)...with the room! :)

A Smaller Sunburst Mirror

So, I learned a thing or two about scale this week....

I realized that the sunburst mirror I made last year and put hours of work into- is seriously too huge to hang above our bed.  My hubby might be a little irritated if he had to sleep with golden spikes poking down near his head!

Good thing I spotted a similar (and smaller) version of the mirror at Hobby Lobby. 

It only comes in brown, but hallelujah..the mirrors are already in place and it was 50% off. 

The only thing I had to do was spray it gold and embellish with plastic rhinestones.

Don't worry...I left out the hearts, butterflies, and flowers.

I used E6000 to glue the rhinestones to the metal.

Then I gave the mirror a couple coats of Rust-Oleum gold spray paint  

Thank goodness the little mirrors each had a little plastic film

 to protect them from the spray paint. 

I wish I would have gone this route the first time, it took me about an hour to finish.

Next time, I will be sure to use a measuring tape before starting a project!

A Mirror For My Mantle?

I have always wanted to join in Beth's Vignette linky party at The Stories of A to Z.

I thought I would try decorating my mantle.

I have been stumped with decorating my fireplace, it is heavy and rustic with the stone and I have trouble balancing the decor.

This is my favorite tree!  It is in full bloom right now.

 I look forward to this tree blooming each year, in the fall it turns a dark red.
 I decided to cut some of the branches and bring them indoor.
The blossoms are so fragrant.

This is the mirror I had some problems with a few weeks ago.  The plan was to enlarge it to fit the wide space above my mantle. I mounted the mirror onto a backboard with tons of liquid nails and started drilling  screws into the frame. I quickly realized that the frame is made from a cheap material and is HOLLOW!  There went that idea!

 

This is how it looked above the fireplace in it's original black. 

 I didn't really like it and I couldn't return it with a goopy glue all over it.

 So I took Nicole's advice to spray paint it.  She said to first mist with silver and then mist with gold...back and forth. 

The rain sprinkled on it while I was waiting for it to dry...oops!  I decided to give it an aged look! :)

I rubbed a few of the edges and lightly wiped on a black glaze.

What do you think?

Should I keep looking for a larger mirror or go for something entirely different?

Ballard Designs Round Mirror Copycat

I have been a little obsessed with mirrors lately, especially round mirrors.  I love them!

This is my attempt to copy Ballard Design's Cavaillon Mirrors with Chain.  

    Image from Ballard Designs

Ballard Design's are pretty cool.  I had the intention of putting little clasps around the edge of the mirrors. Mine are not inlayed like theirs and I kind of prefer the simplicity of no clasps.

 A couple of weeks ago, I picked up a marked down 18" beveled circular mirror at Target, and

 two smaller sized mirrors from the craft store.

 At Lowes, I found three different sized pressed wood rounds.  To give the rounds a nice finish, I talked Nicole into routering the edges for me.

I owe her big time for all the help!

She said to make sure you use clamps when routering so it won't slip.

I first primed and then spray painted with the delicious Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint.

I used epoxy to glue the mirror to the wood.  I have to warn you, I am impatient and thought it was set only after a few hours.  I came downstairs and heard this HUGE crash.  Um, I guess it takes longer to set than I thought.  I'll let you know how the glue does hold up....after 24 hours! :)

**Update**  Gail, from My Repurposed life informed me that there is a mastic especially for adhering mirrors to stuff.  It's in the caulking section of hardware stores.  Thanks Gail!

I found some chain and rings at Lowe's. I used some hooks I had to anchor the chain into the wall.  I also hung the mirrors from the back, so all the pressure is not on the chain.

I spray painted the chain, and later touched up where it rubbed off inside. This lilac bush worked wonderfully to hold the chain while I painted.  I'm sure my neighbors think I'm NUTS because I'm always hanging junk up on my trees and spray painting! :)

I glazed the mirrors with antique gold again. It just looks so nice with the Oiled Rubbed Bronze paint.

I carefully screwed in the hook holding the chain.

I hung them up!  I don't know if I will keep them here permanently.

What do you think, should I add the little frame hooks around the mirror edge like Ballard's?

Before and After....The 10 Dollar Mirror

I found this cheapo mirror for ten dollars at the thrift store the other day.  I believe it goes on the back of a dresser?

I had an idea floating in my head, but it involved crown moulding.  I was terrified because I really had no idea how to cut crown moulding.  A few months back I googled a how-to and found an instructional video from This Old House that explained it so simply. I love PBS!  I am a "life-long learner!"

I chopped off the attatching legs for the dresser, and then I almost ruined it!  I stepped on it, and I heard the wood crack.  My mom always told me I was as graceful as a bull in a China shop.  I seem to have a clumsy issue. Really, my mom does tell me lovely things about myself too! :)

Anyway...I had to back the entire thing with 1x2's.  This actually made it look better by giving it a little more depth. So, it's a good thing I'm clumsy!

This is the scary part.  Look at the angle of the saw.  I believe you set the bottom at 34 1/2 and the top at 31 1/2?  I'll double check that later. You first cut one side for the side piece, then flip it over and cut again. It made a perfectly mitered piece.  The tricky part was figuring how to cut the other side and not ruin five dollars worth of crown moulding.

Look at that!  I like the mirror, but this was worth it learning how to do this!

I found this little scroll work piece and thought it might look nice on it.  It's unbelievable all the stuff I have stashed in my house.  My sister and I use to take our kids to the same preschool for two years and we would hit the craft and hardware stores intending to make stuff.  All of it is coming in handy now that I'm doing projects left and right.  The point is...I'm using it!

I glued and nailed on the moulding. I also attatched some extra small moulding on the inner rectangle.

Next came primer and paint.

I liked it in white and thought I might keep it that way, but it blended into the trim of my house. 

 So, I tried the ORB that everyone has talked about.

Why

am I the last one to know how great it is? 

I'm usually a couple years behind on everything...TV shows, movies....

 The spray was so even, and there's a slight flicker of copper in it. 

I highlighted with some acrylic copper paint to make the lines pop.

The pictures don't do it justice.  I had a hard time catching the light.

Not bad.  Now...I need a bench to go underneath. 

 Anyone have any ideas? :)

Linking to Domestically Speaking's Power of Paint PartyA  Soft Place to Land's DIY DayBetween Naps on the Porch, Metamorphosis MondayFunky Junk's Saturday Nite SpecialMiss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday