Unique, Driftwood Mirrors With Nautical Etching
Have you ever put off a project for so long that you lost the original vision you had for it? This was just the case, 3 dollar store mirrors glued onto painted plywood and kicking around for years like nobody owned them.
Well I shifted myself into a higher gear and hit the throttle, I'm gonna make the dust fly off those mirrors!
I live in a beach town, therefore I have access to driftwood which I have collected, washed, dryed, stored and used in crafts in the past.
Since I still had more driftwood I decided this would suit this project but before I got into that I decided to set the stage for the direction I was headed in. I did that with etching cream along with dollar store and Martha Stewart stencils.
I cut away the designs I was intending to use and sprayed the Aleene's Tacky spray on the back of the stencils, notice I covered my work surface first with a piece of scrap plastic.
Next came the placement of the stencil, centered onto the mirror and I used an artist's brush to apply a thick coat of the etching cream onto the glass. The instructions suggested a one minute sit time and then you should brush it around again and wait another minute or so.
Afterwards rinse off the cream with cold water, remove the stencil, pat dry and it's done.
One more task before I move on to the driftwood part was to attach the picture hanger to the back. I found the center and laid the hook in place and made markings onto the plywood to ensure it was glued in the same spot. I adhered it with E6000 glue and let them sit overnight to ensure they were good and stuck.
Now I need to gear down to a slower speed to start the puzzle fitting with the driftwood pieces. It's a slow but relaxing process that I enjoy doing. I applied carpenter's glue onto the surfaces that will be resting onto the base or other pieces of wood. If they were shifting as I worked I'd place a few drops of hot glue to secure the placement until the wood glue set up.
Here's one with the driftwood completed and two remaining to be done, quite a difference heh?
Two down, one to go....still in a lower speed doing this part of the project.
As a final step to give the frames a finished look I glued sailors rope around the plywood edge, what a great last minute idea!
NOTE: In the video I'd like to correct my mistake, the rope join would be best concealed if it was joined at the "bottom" and NOT the top.
Many of the items I had on hand from previous projects so the most this project cost me now was my time. I am so relieved to have this project completed so now I can move on to the other 99 projects that aren't!
I think the mirrors are truly the perfect accent for a beach house don't you?
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