Rustic Modern Mirror

I am so excited about today’s project, this piece has inspired my home office makeover (and boy does it need one baby!) I will reveal multiple projects in the days to come from the makeover, one I am doing today, which is making a desk out of two sofa tables.  But for now, I am happy to share with you my Rustic Modern Mirror that I had so much fun making.

I have had the mirror for a few months, and up until now it has been part of my gallery wall in another room.  I had paint stir sticks left over from my first starburst mirror (I used about 25 for this project) which you can find in my archives from earlier this year.  I wanted this mirror to have a more rustic feel for my office space that I am working on.

I enlisted the help of my trusty little sidekick, the Robin to my Batman if you will.  I give you, my wire snips.  Besides a stack of sandpaper, hot glue gun, endless supply of Diet Coke, and my needle-nosed pliers, these are in my Top 5 Must Have Tools.  I even counted them just now and there are 5, so my coffee really is working.  These things are AWESOME, and they trimmed the rough edges of the stir-sticks quite nicely. 

This is the first layer, I would suggest facing the stir-sticks to the back of your project since the printing and indentations may show through your paint if they face forward.  In addition, to give the mirror depth, I cut a few stir-sticks in half and thirds and added them randomly, hot-gluing each one in place as I went.  My favorite part about crafting, and creating things I love for my home is that it does not have to be perfect.  Most of the time we are the only ones who know the whack-a-doo way that we had to get a piece to come together. 
Do you want to know one of my dirtiest little secrets (oh yes, this blog is chock full of them!) Most of the time I do not paint the back of my projects.  And I sometimes have quite obvious errors that I have to go back and tweak until they work.  But not until they are perfect.  With my youngest three kids being 6, 2, and 1, I let perfect go.  And I cannot tell you how much happier I am.  True to form, I digress, I’m sorry.  I just have fun talking to you and I love sharing ideas with you.  And, I want to see every woman let go of burdens like this that hold us back.  Yes, you thought you were going to read about my mirror.  That’s dirty secret #2 for today, I like to TALK. 

Before I blasted her with a few coats of flat white Krylon spray paint, I used a piece of paper to cover the mirror.  Sometimes a bit of paint still gets inside, but it comes off very easy.

I knew I wanted the mirror to be white, but with the light-tone wood of the paint stir-sticks I was not going to get the distressed look I wanted by sanding.  In this case, I add paint.   
I use a foam brush, load some acrylic paint onto it (I used charcoal), and blot it a few times so it is not saturated, and begin to very lightly go over the areas I want to shabby up a bit.

I use a damp paint rag to blend in or correct any area that I got carried away, and I repeated this process until I had achieved the look I wanted.  I cannot wait to share with you the other pieces that I am re-vamping for the home office makeover.  None of them are new.  I am using only things that I already had, or pieces that I have picked up along the way.  My goal is to only purchase the paint for the walls.  Speaking of paint, the store opens in 30 minutes so I am heading out for some retail paint-therapy.  Here is the inspiration behind a new space to create, write and spend time making things for those I love.  My take on Rustic Modern:

Have a blessed day, xoxo
Tanya 

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57 Responses

  1. WOW! I absolutely LOVE this! I would have never guessed that you had used stir sticks! I've pinned this for future rooms in my house! Thanks for sharing!

  2. Hi Tanya, thanks for visiting me @ Hearth and Whimsy. I'm glad I came over here for a visit, your mirror is gorgeous!!
    Your newest follower ~ Terrie

  3. Hi Tanya, I love, love, love how your mirror turned out! I could not even tell from the first pictures that you distressed it with paint. It looks absolutely fabulous, and I can't wait to see the rest of the office! Hope you are having a great weekend.

    Kristel

  4. Tanya – this mirror turned out amazing!! I stink at making things look rustic and still good at the same time. You totally nailed it! And I love that you used paint stirrers. They are so easy to get!! Followed you back. =)

  5. I can't believe you made this using paint sticks! Very cool! It really makes the little mirror pop. And the distressed look really make it! Great work and thanks for sharing at Freedom Fridays. Hope you have a fabulous week!!

  6. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog and commenting on my lamp! I love love love your sunburst mirror, it turned out great! I'm also your newest follower 🙂

  7. Wow, this really shows your talent! We are so glad you joined our "Strut Your Stuff Saturday". We love to see all of the great recipes and ideas!! Thanks and we hope to see you again next week! -The Sisters

  8. Seriously amazing project! I never would have guess how the aging was done, it looks so authentic…and thanks for the tip on letting perfection go. We all need to hear that from time to time.

    Lynn

  9. I just ADORE the mirror!! Very creative!!

    Thank you for sharing this at The DIY Dreamer… From Dream To Reality! Can't wait to see what you link up this evening!

  10. 1YN8Ht Your style is so unique in comparison to other folks I ave read stuff from. Thank you for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I all just bookmark this page.

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hi there !!

Welcome to twelveOeight! I’m Tanya and I am so glad you are here. If you are ready to start loving the home you have now, then join me on my mission. One thrifty project at a time we can make our today homes our dream homes.

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