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.

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