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

• • Foam Core – 1 piece

  • Poster Board – 3 pieces (black)

  • Rust-Oleum metallic Gold spray paint

  • Rust-Oleum Dark Bronze Hammered Spray Paint

  • Dollar Tree round mirror

  • Rope Cord

  • Hot glue

Optional

• Paper Trimmer

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.  Coat everything including the inside of the cones. Also remove the frame from the mirror and spray that as well. I actually really liked the finish with just the gold.

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

 

 

 

 

 

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