Family Tree Becomes DIY Mirror for Under $20!

So…do you have a piece of art like this beautiful family tree laying around collecting dust? We did – and we decided to make a large wall display.
Finding this family tree art piece in the frames area of our basement Saturday was the inspiration I needed to create a new art piece. Working with design after design, this family tree treasure purchased sometime ago from Hobby Lobby was just he inspiration I needed. Sometimes you fall in love with a piece and never use it. But the little family tree kept screaming – turn me into something you will love.
Mirror Made From Family Tree Metal Art Work With piles of left over 1×2′s from our laundry room build we purchased from Home Depot, and two .50 cent door mirrors I found at a garage sale about a month ago, the family tree found in the pile of frames was about to get a makeover! ;-)
Working to come up with a design, I laid the metal family tree on to the table and started placing wood piece around the tree. As I kept building, all the sudden I looked up at the mirrors sitting against the garage wall and knew I could turn this family tree into a large wall art project.
Laying the mirror onto the table, I built a wood frame. Once the design came together, I placed it under the center of the family tree and BAM, new wall art!
Using screws, I tightened the metal family tree to both the top and bottom frames (glass out of course) . This left the sides open and unattractive, so I cut four blocks of 1×2 wood and filled in the edges bringing the whole piece together.
Flipping over the art piece it still looked plain. I added small stringer pieces to the inside of the mirrors giving a cross effect going long way, but still plain. Not stopping there, I decided to cut smaller stringers (six of them) adding 12″ apart down both sides of the center stringer to get a window effect. Now it looked finished!
Once happy with the outcome, I turned over the mirror frame and routed out a grove on each the top and bottom mirror frame areas allowing the mirrors to sit evenly. Before I placed the mirror into the frame, I made sure to paint the frame with Rust-Olem Oil Rubbed Metallic Bronze Paint from Home Depot (I have always found this paint in a spray but never a brush on- Imagine my excitement to come across this find).
After painting the mirror frame, I let the mirror frame dry over night. The following morning standing the mirror frame up, the wood appeared to look more metal just like the family tree in the center – how exciting! Now the mirrors were mounted using small mirror mounts in back and an extra bead of caulking (clear is best) to make sure there is no mirror movement after you hang it on the wall.
To complete the project, I have on order four black and white family pictures we love. When they arrive they will go into the smaller openings in the middle to the left and right side of the mirror frame . Then my mirror will be complete!
This project took one day with the overnight drying of the paint. The cost of the mirror art project you ask? We had the metal art in our decor section of the basement (the old tag $9.99), the mirrors were a garage sale find at .50 cents each, and the paint roughly $8 from Home Depot. The wood was left from our other project, so the cost was nothing. Birthing a new art-mirror piece for under $20 – representing both sides of our family – PRICELESS!
If you look closely at the family tree and leaves you can see my favorite part of this art piece, the initials of both sides of mine and Curt’s families. Each time a new child is born, we will add their initials to the tree, watching our families grow. There is nothing like family – showing that statement through this mighty family tree means the world to me :-) .
Well, that’s my post for this today! Remember, anything old can always be something new again, and this lovely Mirror Family Tree more than proves that – Happy art work everyone! :-)
-Linda