Weekend Project- DIY Sunburst Mirror (for ~$10 at that!)

This weekend we stayed “in town” aka didnt drive out to the mountains haha. Which is the first time we have in a while but it was the perfect weekend too since the weather wasnt the greatest. It did end up being a great weekend though! I worked on this project Saturday and Sunday and Im pretty excited about how it turned out!

If you remember from my home tour post, our bedroom had a huge blank wall in it. I really wanted a mirror to put there and we contemplated buying a $300 beautiful gold mosaic tile one from Pier One. I am so glad we did not spend that money though! So after coming across an idea on pinterest (found here) I decided to give it a try!

First gather your supplies:

-About 35 large paint sticks or 50 small ones. (hello, FREE!) I used large accidentally but it turned out good..just harder to cut them.

-Strong bonding glue that can hold a load…you can find some at Walmart easily. (already had it)

-Craft paint in desired colors (I used Metallic Pure Gold and Metallic Champagne from Folk Art..also found at Walmart) (About $2 a bottle)

-Foam brush or paint brush (already had them)

-Picture hanger hardware. You can buy a small package of these or take one of a frame you already have. (about $2 for a pack of 5)

-Round mirror. Mine is 10″ diameter I think, or maybe 12″. It’s from Hobby Lobby in the candle section and every other week its on sale for $3!

Total= $9!

Ok time to start. Paint the blank side of the sticks. I wanted subtle alternating colors so I painted half with Pure Gold and half with Champagne. The champagne color ended up being too silvery for my liking so i painted a thin layer of the gold over it and it worked perfect! You’ll need 2-3 coats of paint depending on the opacity you want.

Next cut them to size. I took them to home depot hoping they would cut it for me, but to my dismay they wouldnt cut them for some regulatory reason! So i cut them with a hand saw in their trim department. Whatever…still got the job done haha. My longer ones (light gold) are 16.5″ and the shorter ones are 14.5″.

Next lay them out around the circumference of the mirror. I used 16 of each color. Use the shorter sticks on the first layer and the longer sticks for the second layer. Once they are evenly spaced glue the first layer in place. Let dry for about 20-30 mins. I stacked some heavy books on mine to make sure they stayed adhered. Then do the same for the next layer, placing each stick in between 2 sticks from the first layer. Let dry. Also, use a small portion of a paint stick to create place to attach the picture hanger once everything is dry. Make it the thickness of 2 sticks so it will be flush with the tallest layer.

Attach the hanging hardware. Mine came with little tack nails but you could also glue it. If you glue just make sure you let it dry 24-48 hours before you hang it.