DIY Painted Mirror (Miss Mustard Seed Inspired!)

Two years ago, I started my blog as a way to document DIY projects that my husband and I were doing in our 1968 home.

Being a stay-at-home mom, our budget is limited, so I have learned to decorate my home with very little money.  I’ve learned quickly that things do not have to be expensive to be beautiful!

For example, I scored this beautiful antique vanity mirror (laying on my kitchen table) at Goodwill for only $7.50!

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It was a beautiful solid wood and boy was it heavy!!

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I have a certain painting technique that I use on all my furniture pieces, but this time I wanted to try something a little different.

This mirror was going to be used in my guest house, and I have been wanted to add a little bit of the color blue in the sitting area.

So I decided to give Miss Mustard Seed’s painting technique a try.  However, I used Valspar products instead because I have a Lowe’s close to my home.

I had them tint sample containers in Sherwin Williams Georgian Revival Blue and Behr’s Light French Gray.

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Then I had them tint the glaze in Valspar’s Journey (6010-1).  (Miss Mustard Seed tints her glaze with Behr’s Expresso Beans, but Lowe’s couldn’t match that one.)

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After taping the mirror, I lightly sanded the wood with a sanding sponge.  Next, I painted one coat of blue with a regular paintbrush.

(I left the lightsaber swords on the table for a touch of reality.)  :)

And yes, I am painting in my kitchen.  It’s been too cold lately to paint anywhere else.

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After that dried, I painted a layer of french gray over the blue using a dry brush technique. (Not much paint on the brush.)

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When that coat was dry, I used my sanding sponge to sand all the high parts of the wood.

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Lastly, I brushed a layer of the tinted glaze on top making sure in got in all the groves and crevices.  I coated the whole mirror with the glaze and then used a paper towel to wipe it off.

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I used my Silhouette machine to add a famous quote by Henry Van Dyke with their Premium Frosted Vinyl.

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It wasn’t easy adding the vinyl letters to the mirror, but I did my best.  :)

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I worked on this project until almost two o’clock in the morning, (for my guest post at Tatertots and Jello) and well, let’s just say, I was looking a little something like this…

Oh yeah…I felt exactly the way I looked in that picture!

The next day, it was time to take the mirror to the guest house.

Here it is!…

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I really do love the way it turned out.

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The quote reads:

Time is too slow for those who wait,

too swift for those who fear,

too long for those who grieve,

too short for those who rejoice,

but for those who love,

time is eternity.

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The burlap covered chair in the picture below  is also a Goodwill find.  I got it for $6.50, and you can read about that makeover HERE.

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A touch of spring makes everything look beautiful…

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If you would like to take a tour of the rest of my guest house, click HERE.

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29 Comments

  1. Love the way this mirror turned out! Just beautiful!! And the vinyl may have been difficult, but it was so worth it! It added the perfect finishing touch! Great Job Lady!!

  2. The mirror transformation came out great.
    I love the quote you used and it looks fabulous in your guest house.
    Thanks for sharing how you painted and glazed it.

  3. Wow, Traci, it turned out awesome! I love me some etched glass vinyl, I use it around here all the time!

    I think I will try this paint technique one of these days too, it’s gorgeous!

    Love the 2 am pic of you :)

  4. You did an awesome job on the mirror, and it is just PERFECT in that spot in your beautiful guesthouse. I’ve been swooning over that for months since I’ve found your blog. I would love to do something similar sometime in the future…what a blessing to be able to offer hospitality in such a warm and inviting place! Blessings to you!!!

  5. Great job on the mirror! I want to try this technique soon. Looks very nice and what a fantastic transformation! Love the quote you put on the mirror, too. It makes the mirror look custom.

  6. Traci, I just love everything about this project! I love the way the paint technique turned out, and I love the quote and the way it looks etched onto the glass. You did an excellent job on the whole thing!

    I found a really cool chair curbside (SCORE!) and am going to do this paint technique on it. I also am going to have to find an old mirror to do that quote on … its such a great one.

    Best,

    Kimberly

  7. I really like this mirror. I saw the burlap chair the other day. The project inspired me to stop and pick up a chair that was sitting alongside a dumpster yesterday. Can’t wait until I can dig into that project.

  8. This looks fabulous! I love words on mirrors, always.

    And I have been there, at 2 a.m., looking just as lovely as you did! Job well done!
    Regards,
    ~Pam

  9. your mirror turned out beautiful. I love that quote.
    I bought a very heavy mirror for my daughter’s room from Goodwill too.
    Thanks for sharing the step by step technique!

  10. This looks SO great! You did such a good job of adding dimension and depth with your paint. Well done!

    I would be thrilled if you would link this up at my second ever Feature Friday FREE-FOR-ALL…going on right now (we had almost 300 links last week…can you tell I’m excited??! : ))

    http://www.fivedaysfiveways.com/2012/01/feature-friday-free-for-all-2.html

    Would love to have you by for a visit!

    P.S. I’m a new subscriber. : )

    ~Abbie (www.fivedaysfiveways.com)

  11. Love the mirror! I’m planning to paint a similar mirror without the glaze. Will I need to prime it? or just sand and paint color as you did?
    Thanks!

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