DIY Sunburst Mirror (Under $8!)



Hello and welcome!

 

 

Another sunburst mirror has been in the making around here. I know they've been popular, and perhaps over-done, but I don't think they'll ever go out of fashion. They make such a big impact, are simple to make, plus inexpensive.  All you need is a mirror, some spray paint and a glue gun.  For the sunburst, you can use just about anything you have around the house.

I'm making this sunburst mirror using paint sticks and BBQ skewers. But I've seen it done with twigs, driftwood, paper, silverware, chopsticks, etc.

If you want to see how I made my sunburst mirror (well, technically it's my sisters, cuz that's who I made it for) see below!

First, I cut out a circle of card board - it's from the top of a pizza box, cuz that's what we had for our gourmet dinner last night. I figured I could use it to lay out the paint sticks and skewers. Waste not, want not, right?

I just the skewers and paint sticks all out on the counter to make sure I was clear on my spacing. And just to get a rough idea of how it would look, and if, in fact, it would look good.

 

Being allergic to anything that requires measuring, I used the precise art of "eyeballing" the spacing and lay them all out on my cardboard, using my hot glue gun the hold them together. NOTE: Don't be skimpy with the glue. I don't want skewers falling on my sisters head while she sleeps, cuz this is going over her bed!

 



 

I then took the sunburst outside on a dry, and somewhat non-windy day, to spray paint. I gave it three light coats of the paint, and then I let it sit there for a couple of hours to make sure it was good and dry.

 

I then attached the mirror, using the precise eyeball method.

 

On the back of the cardboard I glue-gunned the you-know-what out of the picture hooks and wire to make sure they stay tight.

 

 

 

And, here we are - the finished product:

 

 

From the final product you may see where I made a little mistake had a slight eyeballing miscalculation. Can you see it? Oh, well, don't tell my sister - maybe she won't notice.

 

The final sunburst mirror measures 30" x 30". So it's a pretty decent size, big enough to take the place of a headboard in a bedroom, or to hang in a substantial blank space!



 

 

Cost breakdown:

 

Mirror = $3.99

 

Spray Paint = $3.89

 

Paint Sticks = free at any paint store

 

BBQ skewers = free (cuz I had them)

 

Cardboard = free (minus pizza!)

 

Picture hooks, glue, a Lil wire = free (pilfered from Big A's tool box)

 

TOTAL: $ 7.88 (plus a little glue, etc.)

 

Now, I've compared before, but check out the price of this wooden mirror!

 

 

 Or this one!!!!

 

 

They're so pretty - but I'd rather spend the time to make my own, and spend 8 bucks! Not too shabby eh? 

 

I like the idea of adding a little bling to these sunbursts, such as little glass tiles or tiny circle mirrors (that I have a few packages of), but for now we're going to go rustic. I'm not sure if my sister likes bling. She lives in the country, in a house with exposed wood beams and a stone fireplace, so yeah, I'm confident with staying rustic. I hope she likes it. And I really hope it doesn't skewer her in the eye!