Sunday, May 2, 2010

Mirror Makeover

My in-laws recently cleaned out their old house and we had a huge yard sale together at my sister-in-law's house. Sadly, in the five hours I helped work the yard sale, I only made $20 (but, hey, that's $20, right?). My sister-in-law raked in over $200, though, so it wasn't a total waste. Plus, I brought home several of her cast-offs, so I can definitely say that it was worth it and you'll see why.

I have several projects in the works, but I recently completed one. Yay!! This mirror was included in the junk that I brought home from the yard sale.


It was originally a gold-ish color (I think), but she decided she wanted it to be a pewter color, so she got hold of it with some spray paint and, lucky for me, didn't like the result.  I, too, had big plans for this mirror.

It was a little rough to the touch, sort of like the paint that was previously used had a texture to it, kind of like sand.  So, I used some 180 grit sand paper and lightly sanded away the rough spots. (Sorry, I didn't think to take close-up before pictures).

I placed newspaper over the mirror and then taped it in place with painter's tape all the way around. Now for the fun part. Two or three good coats of Heirloom White spray paint.

I'm kind of new to this blogging thing and didn't think about how my "during" pictures would look. You can see how sophisticated my work area is.  I didn't have enough newspaper to go all the way around, so I kept sliding it over to get the spots that I needed to paint. The wind was also blowing a little, so that made it a little more frustrating. See the wood pieces on top of the newspaper? Paper weights. Next time, I'll know better.  Hopefully.


I really like the way it looked painted white. So much so that I almost didn't do the final step - glazing.  I decided to go for it because I could always re-paint it white if it turned out horrible.  Because there are so many little crevices in the details, I used a small artist's brush to be sure I got every little nook and cranny. Then, after a couple of minutes, wiped it off with a damp paper towel. I used q-tips and a clean paint brush to wipe out the crevices to my liking.

I really like the way it turned out! I haven't decided where, exactly, I want to hang it, so I leaned it against the wall on my buffet to see if it grows on me. It may end up in my bedroom (another work in progress).



Here's the before again...



and after...



So, I'm ready to start my next project. Here's a peek...


Another freebie from the yard sale.  Stay tuned.

Blessings,

Christa

I'm linking up here:

Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special


southern hospitality

14 comments:

  1. Your mirror turned out great. You should link this to some more parties and it will get you some more blog traffic! Southern Hospitality has thrifty treasurers on her blog now and between naps on the porch has metamorphosis Monday, now. Check them out. It will get you more followers.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great work!! I am in love with heirloom white!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Absolutely beautiful job on the mirror, Christa. Beautiful. I LOVE it. Please stop by my blog when you have time. Would enjoy your visit. I'm new to blogging, too. Eight months ago, I didn't even know blogland existed! Can you imagine? And it's so awesome. Sincerely, Susan

    ReplyDelete
  4. It looks great! I might be getting a free mirror that looks very similar to that and I might be doing the same thing to it!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love your mirror transformation!

    Your blog is lovely. Stop by and check us out-- on Friday we have a meme on Friday~~Finding Beauty and it sure seems yours would be a sure fit!

    Claudia

    ReplyDelete
  6. Luv your THRIFTY mirror...it's soooo PRETTY! Come by and show it off at my NIFTY THRIFTY TUESDAYS PARTY...hope to see you there:)

    Blessings,
    Linda

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow - I bet she will want it back when she sees what you did to it - ha! And I LOVE that buffet you have it on - beautiful! Have a blessed week!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi, Krista, hello neighbor, nice to meet a Moody girl! And that is one pretty mirror. Nice redo on it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow, your mirror looks brand new! Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Much better color. Enjoy it now. Jane F

    ReplyDelete
  11. I like your mirror makeover. I need to start looking for old mirrors to fix up. My home could use a few. Thanks for the inspiration:-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love it! That turned out beautifully! I love your paint area, too! I thought I was the only one who did that! But, I finally decided to get a little more uptown, so I saved a BIG box that I cut open, and I paint on that. Reuse, recycle, right??

    I cannot find that Heirloom White in MY TOWN...I don't live in the boondocks, either. Oh, wait! I see you live in Moody! I am in Tuscaloosa!! Roll Tide, girl. (Oh, I hope you aren't an Auburn fan. Bless your heart. Let me know if you are and I'll put you on the prayer list! Wink!)

    ReplyDelete