Mirror With a Scallop Border
Stylewise, this hacked mirror fits somewhere between a Memphis Ultra Fragola and Art Deco. Trendy, inexpensive and easy to make.
I can’t seem to keep up with the ‘reflective’ needs of our family these days. I recently hacked a make-up mirror but then the girls complained that they didn’t have a full length mirror in the holiday apartment. Obviously you have to appraise your bikini-clad, 17 year-old body for all it’s minor imperfections every time you set out for the beach. Life would just be too easy if you weren’t insecure about something!
So we had to buy yet another one. It is from stock standard white plastic and not the best quality. A perfect project for Mom who doesn’t enjoy tanning.
I found these electrical junction box covers at the hardware store. They are dirt cheap and come in packs of 10. You could also use coasters or old CD’s.
Some of the protruding bits had to be removed with a box cutter.
The edges also had to be sanded down.
Next, I lay them beneath the mirror in a straight row, using a plank as a guide. All the holes were aligned and the row was straightened. I marked the point where they touched the frame with a marker.
This particular mirror had hooks on the back of the frame and not in the centre of the glass, so I couldn’t stick the plastic covers all the way around without obscuring them. The easy way around this was to incorporate some gaps into my design.
Working in sections, I used the glue gun to stick a row of covers to the back of the frame. It’s important to limit the amount of glue squelch that can be seen in the front. And you have to work really quickly and accurately to place the frame in the right position before the glue dries.
Squelching can be trimmed away with a boxcutter. Be meticulous about this as it becomes a lot more visible once everything is painted.
After masking off the glass part with frog tape and paper, the frame was sprayed in a terra cotta colour. I had to remask and spray a couple of times.
A good tip is to not mask right up to the very edge of the frame but to leave a small gap so that you can see a piece of the mirror beyond the tape. Then try to spray beneath the frame. This means that you are effectively bleeding paint onto the mirror and behind the frame where it meets the glass. This will prevent the small edge of the original color reflecting back. Any spills can easily be cleaned with paint thinners and toilet paper.
All dried, strung and hung, one of the main users took a couple of pictures for us.
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Everything hand made!
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I like your suggestion of using cd's; they would be so pretty and shiny; thanks for the project; very nice
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