Design by D9

Decor, DIY and my Dog

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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″)

Rust-Oleum Spray Paint, Silver

White primer of craft paint

Mother of Pearl, paint

structure gel 

Paper Trimmer (optional)

X-ACTO Knife

E-6000

Hot Glue

 

I made these diy mirrored candle holders as part of the look for less challenge in August. The mirrored finish is so fabulous you can't tell it's not real glass

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?I made these diy mirrored candle holders as part of the look for less challenge in August. The mirrored finish is so fabulous you can't tell it's not real glass

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.I made these diy mirrored candle holders as part of the look for less challenge in August. The mirrored finish is so fabulous you can't tell it's not real glass

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.

I made these diy mirrored candle holders as part of the look for less challenge in August. The mirrored finish is so fabulous you can't tell it's not real glass

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.I made these diy mirrored candle holders as part of the look for less challenge in August. The mirrored finish is so fabulous you can't tell it's not real glass

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.

I made these diy mirrored candle holders as part of the look for less challenge in August. The mirrored finish is so fabulous you can't tell it's not real glassMeasurements

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.

I made these diy mirrored candle holders as part of the look for less challenge in August. The mirrored finish is so fabulous you can't tell it's not real glass

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.I made these diy mirrored candle holders as part of the look for less challenge in August. The mirrored finish is so fabulous you can't tell it's not real glass

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.

I made these diy mirrored candle holders as part of the look for less challenge in August. The mirrored finish is so fabulous you can't tell it's not real glass

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.

I made these diy mirrored candle holders as part of the look for less challenge in August. The mirrored finish is so fabulous you can't tell it's not real glass

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

I made these diy mirrored candle holders as part of the look for less challenge in August. The mirrored finish is so fabulous you can't tell it's not real glass

 

I made these diy mirrored candle holders as part of the look for less challenge in August. The mirrored finish is so fabulous you can't tell it's not real glass

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.

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