Monday, July 18, 2011

Finally - My Sunburst Mirror

This little project has been a loooooooooooong time in coming.  I wasn't quick to warm up to the sunburst mirror trend...sure they're pretty, but would it really go in MY house?  As more and more of the little buggers popped up, they slowly won me over.  And so it was March when I bought 2 packs of shims and tiny can of stain at Lowe's determined to make my own.  I sanded and stained about a million 30 or so shims.  And then they sat...and sat...and sat until last week.  When I FINALLY remembered to pick up a little mirror so that I could finish the darn project.  This lovely sunburst is held together by glue and cardboard.  Lots and lots and gobs of glue.  I think we can officially say that I now {heart} sunburst mirrors. 


In case you too are super slow on the trend, here's how I made it.  (And I'm sure there is a better way, this was just my way...because I never think to google something when I'm in the middle of it wondering how I'm going to hold 26 shims together.)  You'll need 26 shims, some stain, a small mirror (I used a 6 inch one) and some strong glue, lots of glue.

Step 1 - Give your shims a quick sanding to smooth them out a bit


Step 2 - Stain all sides of each shim


Step 3 - Let dry and forget about them for 4 months

Step 4 - Arrange 13 shims in a circle (thick side in) and place the mirror on top of the configuration to ensure it will cover all the raw inner edges


Step 5 - Use strong glue (I used E6000) to tack each side in place


Step 6 - Arrange the other 13 shims on top of the first layer and again, use a strong glue (really gobbed on) to glue the top layer to the bottom layer; let dry overnight


Step 7 - Cut a length of heavy cardboard (I used an old box), long enough to fit inside the inner circle formed by the shims


Step 8 - Dry fit the cardboard piece and trim the excess


Step 9 - More glue!  Apply thick layer of glue to the cardboard and press firmly into the inner circle of the sunburst; let dry overnight



Step 10 - Glue the mirror onto the sunburst to cover the inner circle; and let dry for several days

Step 11 - Hang.  We (and by we, I mean Hubs) hung the sunburst with a simple drywall screw.  The recess of the inner circle provided a perfect hanger and it's light enough that a single screw should hold it.


I participate in the following link parties: Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Skip to My Lou, The Girl Creative, Making the World Cuter, Miss Crafty Pants, Super Stinky Boys, Mad In Crafts, Embellishing Life Everyday, Keeping It Simple, The DIY Home Sweet Home Project, Chocolate Drool & Kisses, Simply Cadence, Polly Wanna Crafter, Sew Can Do, Tip Junkie, My Frugal Family, Coastal Charm, New Nostagalia, Blessed with Grace, The Creative Itch, Funky Polka Dot Giraffe, Home Stories A to ZThe Lettered Cottage, A Bowl Full of Lemons, At Home with K, All Thingz Related, Today's Creative Blog, Not Just a Housewife, Sew Much Ado, Blue Cricket Design, My Backyard Eden, Gluesticks, Extreme Personal Measures, The Thrifty Home, The Trendy Treehouse, Someday Crafts, All Things Heart and Home, Elements Interiors, My Girlish Whims, DIY by Design, Somewhat Simple, House of Hepworths, Seven Thirty Three, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Beyond the Picket Fence, Black Kat Design, Thrifty 101, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Finding Fabulous, Poppies at Play, The Inspired Room, KoJo Designs, Whipperberry, Inspiring CreationsRomantic Home, The Speckled Dog, At the Picket Fence, Little Brick Ranch, Designer Garden, Simply Sweet Home, Simply Designing, Tatertots & Jello, Funky Junk Interiors, Be Different Act Normal, Saturday Morning Blog, It's a Crafty Life, I Heart Naptime, Under the Table and Dreaming, Creative Jewish Mom, Flamingo Toes, The DIY Showoff, Marvelously Messy, Nifty Thrifty Things, Thrifty Decor Chick, The Cottage Chick, Running with Glitter,

10 comments:

dooleynoted said...

Hi! I found you through the Tip Junkie link party. Your mirror turned out great! I made one here: http://www.dooleynotedblog.com/2010/12/05/burst-mirror/ and love it :)

Unknown said...

Your mirror turned out great and looks very nice on your wall. I've been seeing these pop up a lot. I might just have to try it one of these days. :-) Thanks for sharing!

An Oasis in the Desert said...

Love these starburst mirrors that seem to be all the rage, but you had a great tutorial. I actually pop over to your blog from Pinterest to check out the Farmer's Market Egg Bake, but got all caught up in the rest of your blog and all your talent and cleverness. So now I'm a new follower!

Anonymous said...

How clever! Your mirror looks fantastic! Great job!

Jenn Erickson said...

Absolutely beautifully done!

Unknown said...

Beautiful! Love the color! Hope you will share with my Pink Hippo Party @ http://pinkapotamus.blogspot.com/2011/08/pink-hippo-party-40.html

Sweetish Baby said...

This is wonderful!! What great instructions. I just redid our master bedroom, and paid a pretty penny for a suburst mirror not much different from yours!! :) I'm totally inspired. Maybe my daughter needs one in her room, too??

Unknown said...

This turned out great! I love the color of the stain.
I would love it if you would stop by and link this up to the crafty link party going on now at Lines Across My Face.
:) Rachel
http://linesacrossmyface.blogspot.com/2011/08/cure-for-common-monday-3-craft-link.html

Carolyn @ Our Gilded Abode said...

Love the simplicity of this design. I've made one that was much more complicated and took way too much time. This one is gorgeous, simple and seems so doable. Super nice!

John Vick said...

You have really done great job by sharing the beautiful post. Thanks lot for the informative post. Learn more about mirror packaging boxes

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