Penny Starburst Mirror

Easy
Here's an easy project that will help use up those pennies you probably have sitting around in a jar somewhere. I created this cute little starburst mirror with just a few materials.
I used the smallest size mirror from a set of mirrors I bought at Target and a simple plywood circle from Michaels, but you could also use any mirror with a flat frame.
I used some Minwax Red Chestnut stain that I already owned to quickly stain the wood circle. One coat of stain was all it needed to match the pennies. I wasn’t interested in making all the pennies look perfectly brand new, so I gave them a quick cleaning, no brushing or scrubbing involved. After dry-fitting the first row, I started gluing. I went with hot glue. Despite the stringy mess hot glue creates, I figured that minor annoyance was better than gluing my fingers together with super glue.
I played around a little and created a pattern switching between the fronts and backs of the pennies. Then I added a second level to the first row to give it a little more dimension.
And that’s about it for me and my new mirror. I think I’ll call it Abe. Hope this inspires you to create something new with materials you’ve already got.
Suzy @ Real Happy Space
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
3 of 12 questions
  • Deborah Harris Deborah Harris on Oct 09, 2019

    The pennie mirror is heavy no doubt what do you use to support it to hang on the wall without falling because it's heavy. I have a nice spot for this in my dining room. Also where can I get the board from to put the pennies and mirror on. And can I made it a little bigger?

  • Alex Alex on Apr 29, 2020

    How many pennies did you use? On estimation, by counting only a few, I thought about 90 to 100.

  • Ann56382558 Ann56382558 on Sep 03, 2022

    I'm thinking about making a different kind of mirror, but using recycled beer or soda cans, the only problem is, im having trouble what to put between the pieces so they don't cut your fingers, eny ideas would be helpful

Comments
Join the conversation
3 of 190 comments
  • Bonnie Bonnie on May 23, 2019

    Great for Canadians as the penny has been phased out and is of no value

  • Alex Alex on Apr 29, 2020

    Brasso will clean them. Once you start cleaning them, you'll start to realise just how much muck is on them from being handled so often!! EURGH!!!

    I think it's a lovely little mirror. You could collect pennies from certain years to make special mirrors or pics for little ones with their birth years on them! I think you might be able to varnish them to help keep the shine.

    • Leslie Leslie on Oct 13, 2022

      Hi Alex, some of what looks like dirt might be but, most of the discoloration is the oxidation of the copper similar to what silver does. Some pennies also turn green which is a natural occurrence with copper. There is also a wax called Renaissance Microcrystalline Wax which is used by museums that can be used to keep the metal from tarnishing :)

Next