Easy Mirror Makeover with Embellishments

Happy Friday, folks!

How was everyone's week? We have been so busy and spread ourselves too thin, as usual. Last night we went to the TB Lightning game and this time we brought our bud and little Bunny. She was such a good girl, considering she goes to bed at 6pm and the game didn't even start until 7:30. At about 9 she stuck her head in my chest and declared that she "had enough" so we left. I must have had enough too because I slept like Sleeping Beauty last night. Wouldn't it be nice if I woke up looking like her, too?

Anywho, today I'm going to talk to you about a project I finished yesterday. A lovely client of mine had an old black mirror that she wanted bling-ed out to match her home and its decor. We've done other projects in her home: renovated her kitchen, her master bathroom, and her powder room, tiled her floor, and refurbished an antique clock and cabinet. Every project has been modernized, and bedazzled in some way, and my challenge was to create a timeless look with this mirror but also give it some 'extra'. The mirror looked like this:

There was nothing particularly special about this piece. It did have four holes drilled in it, so I started by patching them. You can see where I used Kwikwood Epoxy and sanded here:

When I was finished sanding I made sure to wipe away the dust and then clean the areas I worked on. You want to make sure you sand until you can't feel any variation or you will see where you filled holes right through the paint.

I originally intended to add Swarovski crystals to the mirror and make it super sparkly, but I found these really cool embellishment brads at Hobby Lobby. I liked these because they offered a nice contrast to the grayish/white paint I planned to use, and they gave a bit of an antique vibe which meshes well with some of the pieces our client has in her home.

I purchased two packages of each, and they were 50% off, So I ended up spending under $9 for all. Score!

I made sure I had an even number, divisible by four, because I knew I wanted to cluster some bling in each corner of the mirror. I didn't know where I wanted to glue the brads until I laid them out.

What you'll need:

1. Paint: I used leftover Benjamin Moore Advance Titanium paint, and since it's so durable I didn't need any primer.

2. Valspar Sparkle Dust in Silver: I decided to mix this into my paint for a little extra sparkle.

3. Trim Bucket

4. Trim Paint Brush

5. Stir Stick

6. Painter's Tape (or razor for removing excess)

7. Embellishments

8. Hot Glue Gun with Glue

Step 1: Mix Paint

If you don't need to prime, and you plan to use Silver Dust like I did, the easiest way is to poor some of your paint into a trim bucket and add the silver dust in. I used a stir stick to mix it in.

Warning: you won't get a smooth paint job when you use this 'dust', but it does look beautiful.

It's hard to tell from the pictures but the dust is mixed in and there is a nice, subtle added shine to the paint.

I never bother to tape up my paint projects; instead, I cut in and then if there is excess paint anywhere I use a razor and remove it or wipe it when still wet.

Here is the mirror with its first coat of paint:

Looks rough, yes? After the second coat dried I started placing my embellishments so I'd know where to glue them.

As you can see, the little metal pieces still needed to be cut off. I used a crappy old scissor and it got the job done easily. Don't mind the rough paint, or the excess. That all gets cleaned up.

Notice how there is still paint and glue? I like to do the messy work first (like hot glue) before I do the cleaning. Cuts down on repeating processes.

I glued the embellishments on, then picked off the glue, touched up the paint wherever I needed to, and then razored off the excess paint. Finally I used window cleaner to make sure the mirror was client-ready!

Here is the mirror with all four corners embellished. Doesn't she look beautiful?

I love how the embellishments add some character, but this is still a mirror for a grown woman. It can work in just about any space because it's neutral but it has some pizazz! And we love pizazz. Pizazz.

There, got that out of my system.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope everyone has a wonderful, blessed weekend. As Veteran's Day approaches, I just want to say THANK YOU to all of the men and women who have selflessly served our country. Your sacrifices do not go unnoticed, and the comfort I feel, warm in my bed every night, is all because you have been willing to go without it. God Bless!

xoxo Alyssa