This Glam candle holder was made from Dollar Tree supplies. I made these as part of a glam decor challenge. If you want to check it out go and view this link. I made three projects for this challenge, but this one was my favourite! [Read more…]
Furniture Makeover – Upcycled Bombay Chest
Have you ever painted a room or bought a new piece of furniture, and you wake up in the middle of the night, just to go and look at it, because it makes you feel happy?
That is totally how this up-cycled furniture project made me feel, and the best part is that I created it myself, which makes me even more special! And here is the really cool part. I’m going to help you get that same feeling. [Read more…]
My Favourite Mirrors
I love mirrors. Not the kind you use to do your make-up. I mean decorative mirrors. I think they are so much better than artwork in so many applications. And what do I love more than Decor mirrors? [Read more…]
DIY Mirror from Paper!
Yep, Another mirror 🙂 I like mirrors. And I especially like a DIY mirror. They are such great decor pieces. Great for filling a small or odd shaped spaces. This one was done as part of the Look for Less Challenge, which I participate in every month.
Inspiration
The inspiration piece for this project is this mirror from Bed Bath and Beyond. It retails for $199
Youtube
As always if you would prefer to watch this on video – click here!
DIY Mirror Supplies
Here are the supplies you will need to complete this project
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Foam Core – 1 piece
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Poster Board – 3 pieces (black)
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Rust-Oleum metallic Gold spray paint
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Rust-Oleum Dark Bronze Hammered Spray Paint
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Dollar Tree round mirror
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Rope Cord
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Hot glue
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Optional
Backing
To make the backing for this diy mirror cut a circle out of the foam core. I used a 19″ hoop that I had on hand to trace around, this used up the width of the foam core. If you don’t happen to have a metal hoop kicking around your house, just use a piece of string and a pencil or sharpie to draw your circle.
Squares
Next we will need to make cones. But before we make cones, we’ll need to make squares! You can make these by just measuring them out on the poster board. I used a paper trimmer to cut mine. I bought the trimmer when I did this project, and I am loving it. These inexpensive cutters make this a much easier task. Or, if you are still able to go to your office, you can always borrow their paper cutter. Or just use a pen, ruler and scissors.
There are 3 different sizes of cones and you will need to cut the following sizes
3″x 3″
4″x 4″
5 x 5″
You’ll need 24 of each. Although this number may vary a bit depending on how tightly you roll them, and how closely you glue them.
Cones
Now we get to roll up some cones. These are rolled from corner to corner. Just overlap them a bit and apply a small amount of hot glue to the seam. Don’t worry too much about keeping the bottom of the cone perfect, since this part will be covered by the following layers and you won’t see them. Roll up all of your cones prior to gluing them to the backing board. You will end up with 24 each of 3″,4″ & 5″ cones.
Attaching Cones
Starting at the outer edge of your foam core circle, glue the cones. Having the wides part of the opening aligned with the edge of the backing, keeping the cones all at the same level, using hot glue. Just continue to work your way around the circle until it is completed. Here is what each level looks like:
Paint
Once all of the cones are in place, first remove any glue strings, since these will show up once painted. Next give everything a coat of Rust-Oleum metallic Gold spray paint
Second Colour
As I mentioned I actually preferred the solid gold colour of the first coat of paint. However, I decided to add a second colour in order to give the piece more of a metal look. How I did this is by using rustoleum dark bronze hammered finish and using gentle pressure on the spray nozzle to give a speckled effect on top of the gold paint. Here is a close-up of what this finish looks like. If you don’t like the finish, don’t worry. it’s just paint, you can always paint over it!
Rope Accent
The final thing I did was to add a rope accent around the mirror. I used a twisted gold rope from the dollar store. To attach it to the mirror frame, first glue one end of the rope to the frame, and then pull it tight around the outside edge, stretching it slightly as you go. Gluing a section at a time. Glue down the cut end wrapping it toward the underside of the frame, so it won’t be visible from the top. Spray with the same finish as the rest of the mirror. 
Assembling
After the additional paint finish has been added to the mirror frame, and has dried. Clean and reattach mirror to frame. Then glue the mirror in place inside the centre of the cones. 
Hanger
Attach a picture hanger to the back of your diy mirror with hot glue. Then you just need to find the right place to hang your new mirror. And since this cone mirror is made from paper and foam core, it is very light, so you can hang it pretty much anywhere.
Here is the cost comparison for this project, since it was done as part of the look for less challenge.This is a simple project that can be done with minimal supplies, most of which can be purchased at the dollar store.
Here’s an update for you. I decided that it really did look better in straight gold, before I added the accent colour. So, I went back and painted over in gold. And then to add a bit more bling, I added in rhinestones on all of the cones. I like the way it looks so much better now.
I hope you enjoyed this project. Here is another mirror project that you might like
Note that these links may contain affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, if you make a purchase through one of my links, AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU. Click here for my full disclosure. Thank you for helping to support my blog!
Dollar Tree DIY Paper Mirror
DIY Paper Mirror
If you’ve bee here before, you’ll already know that I like mirrors, and I love to make them myself. And the cool part is, that the more I make… the more ideas I get for new ones! This mirror is made from Dollar Tree paper plates. Can you believe it? And it is soooooo easy to make, well you’ll see! [Read more…]
Halloween Skull Wreath
Another version of the Look for Less challenge, and this one is just in time for Halloween! The perfect Halloween skull wreath. It’s easy, spooky, pretty and cheap, since the whole thing is made with Dollar Tree supplies. And you still have time to make one! And you can make one in under an hour! [Read more…]
DIY Mirrored Candle Holder
Look for Less Challenge August 2020
Hi, hi, hi!!! By now you must be familiar with the look for less challenge that I participate in every month. I really love this challenge. We are tasked with finding a high end decor piece and DIYing it for less! This month’s project was a DIY mirrored candle holder!
Inspiration
Recently I saw these mirrored candle holders from Wayfair. They are Orren Ellis design and they are so fabulous! I bet you didn’t think you could make mirrored finish candle sticks did you? YES YOU CAN! I am about to show you how
Click here for the Youtube version of this project.
Supplies
9″ piece of 2″x4″ lumber
3×5 piece of 1×6 lumber
2 sheets of Mirror Sheets
(6″x9″)
(6″x9″)Rust-Oleum Spray Paint, Silver
White primer of craft paint
Mother of Pearl, paint
structure gel
Paper Trimmer 
(optional)
(optional)X-ACTO Knife 
E-6000
Hot Glue
A Stick of Wood
I often overthink things. Not this time:) For the structural base of the candle holders, I just used scrap wood that I had in my garage. For the main portion a piece of 2″x4″ that was cut to 9″ long. And for the base a piece of 1″x6″ cut to 3″x5″ in size. Easy peasy huh?
Painting
I tested out more than one way of applying the paint finishes. So, here is what I deem to be the BEST way. Paint the entire piece in white spray primer to seal the raw wood. Then after it dries, tape off a rectangular section on either side, and spray with silver metallic spray paint. When the tape is removed the front sections remain white and the edges are silver. The purpose of this is just in case any small spots can be seen through the mirror, sheet this way you wold see silver instead of raw wood.
Faux Finish
On the inspiration piece the light section is mother of pearl. I didn’t happen to have any kicking around, so I instead decided to do a faux finish. I had a large tube of mother of pearl structure gel, which I bought a while back at Walmart. You could just used a white structure gel and then mother of pearl paint. I did small brush stroked using a small artists brush . The brush stroked imitate the tiled finish of the mother of pearl pieces. I alternated between white pearl paint and mother of pearl structure gel. I used a small flat ended brush and did small short strokes. It gave me a very irridescent textured finish.
Mirror Sheet
I recently discovered this Mirror Sheet on Amazon and I’m in love!!!! This really has opened the door for me to so many projects that I have wanted to do, but I just didn’t like the way fake mirror paper looked. This mirror sheet is very thick and doesn’t bend or crease. The package that I bought included 4 6″x9″ sized sheets. They have a super sticky adhesive backing and stick really well, but need a clean flat surface to adhere to. The mirror side is the best mirror finish I have seen. It has a plastic coating, which I suggest leaving on until your project is complete, to protect the finish.
Cutting the mirror
You can cut the mirror sheet with scissors, but it’s difficult to get a straight line. So here are 2 ways to get a nice straight cut
Xacto Knife
Use a straight edge and an Xacto knife to make a deep straight line in the acrylic sheet. This will give you a nice straight line to cut along with your scissors. It is quite thick, and I was not able to cut through with the Xacto knife. So, I came up with a second option.
Paper trimmer
I wondered if this would cut better with a paper cutter, so the next time I was at Walmart I picked up this cutter, which technically calls itself a trimmer. It worked really well, and I anticipate I will be using it for a lot of other projects in the future. You can pick one up one Amazon if you also have a use for it. With the cutter, I aligned my sheet with the edge which gave me approx .75″ wide piece that I was using for the edges. Then I used the holder to keep the sheet in place. With this cutter you push down on the slide and it will cut all the way through the mirror sheet, if you are pushing hard enough. This is definitely my preferred method for cutting this medium. I love this little cutter, I’m already using it on other projects.
Measurements
For the front, I cut 4 pieces at 9″ long x 3/4″ wide. 2 of these went on the long outside edges (as below). One is cut to length for the top and bottom outside edges , fitting it between the long edge pieces (see below). and one will be cut to size, and used as the middle section (not in photo). Note that blue pen marks are on top of the protective film and will just peel off with the film.
It’s up to you it you want to do both sides the same, or if you want to make it a bit less work with cutting and fitting, just do one side with the pattern, and do the other with a solid piece of mirror sheet. Totally up to you! I did both sides using the pattern, but I think if I did it again, I would probably only do one side, since you generally only see the front side of the candle holders.
Attaching the mirror
The mirror sheet is easy to apply. Just peel the backing and stick it down. It sticks better to a flat surface. It sticks pretty well, so make any adjustments before sticking it down with pressure.
Base
Repeat the process for the bottom section of the candle holder. The bottom piece will all be painted silver. Measure and apply mirrored finish to all but the bottom of the piece (not necessary). Then attach the finished candle holder to the base. Remember to remove the plastic coating prior to adhering. Connect the pieces using E6000 and let dry overnight. Be sure to wipe away on glue that may leak out the edge. To avoid this, just apply your E6000 to the centre of the piece, since it will squish out if too much glue is used.
The Crown Jewel
I hunted high and low to try and find a similarly shaped piece for the top. The closest I could find was this crystal tea light holder from Michael’s. Later, I found this one on Amazon which is even prettier than the ones I bought at Michaels, and cheaper too! The tea light holder fit perfectly on the top of the stand. I applied it using E6000. And a word of warning, it slid off centre when left unattended. So you will want to make sure that the tea light holder is secured while the glue dries.I used painter’s tape to secure it overnight.
The Big Reveal
Once your entire mirrored candle holder is completed, the last thing is to remove all of the protective coating from the mirror pieces. Now all that is needed is a tea light candle and a glass of wine!
The Cost Comparison
And that concludes another look for less challenge Click here to see my previous Look for Less Challenge. I will be back soon with another entry. And If you want to see the next one first, make sure you follow me on my youtube channel.
Note that these links may contain affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, if you make a purchase through one of my links, AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU. Clickhere for my full disclosure. Thanks you for helping to support my blog.
DIY Metal Look Mirror made from Zip Ties!
Look For Less July 2020
This project was part of the look for less challenge for July 2020, hosted by Yami of The Latina Next Door. This is a monthly challenge that she hosts, where we YouTubers create versions of high end decor looks for much less than the original. I love this challenge, It really makes me think outside the box! [Read more…]
