Christine August 7, 2015 26 Comments
 

 I know I shouldn’t be wishing summer away.

After all, I live in Minnesota, and it will be sub-zero temps here
before we know it.
But, with summer comes mold, pollen, and yes, that
spawn of the devil (for me anyway)-RAGWEED!
 
It’s a good thing I work from home-and even
better that hubby has been away at training all
week-because my nose seriously
look’s like Rudolph the red nose reindeer!
I’m not kidding folks!

It’s bad!
 
Funny then-that I would do a post about
something I’ve tried hard not to look in all week!
A MIRROR!
But that’s exactly why all of the photo’s
are taken from an angle.
Trust me-my big, red beak is a scary sight indeed!
Be afraid-be VERY afraid!
 
Anyway-back to that mirror.  If you’ve been following along for awhile
you might remember how I turned an antique vanity into a desk
for my home office.
Well, that vanity also came with a mirror.
I’ll be honest-I really had no idea what I was going
to do with this worn out old girl!  (Yes, I know it’s weird,
that I assign genders to my treasures.  That’s me! Weird!)
Anyhoo….
While I was busy putting away some of our summer decor the other
night(and praying for the first frost), I thought of that
old mirror, and wondered what she would look like
on the now empty fireplace mantel.
Well, she fit perfectly-but unfortunately, the dark
stain had to go!
*****WARNING-you may be scarred for life and maybe even blinded
 after
viewing this horrible gold sheet!  
I apologize-it was getting late-and it was all I could find in the pile
of paint cloths in the garage.
At least I remembered to cover the kitchen island!
Hubby will be so proud!
Sadly (or maybe it’s a good thing), I got so involved in my painting-that I didn’t
take many photo’s of the painting process! I know- my bad!
As for the process
Let’s just say-it took WAY longer than I thought to 
achieve the look I was going for.
The first step was to sand the entire frame down and wipe
it clean.  Next, I painted on two coats of white paint. (I used what I had
on hand, which was Behr Ultra White).  Once that
dried, I sanded everything down, and put a coat of
Rust-O-leum -Aged Gray that I had leftover from the island makeover.
By this time-my decongestant was kicking in-and my eyeballs
were getting pretty heavy, so I decided to call it a night.
 
The next day all I wanted was to get the mirror completed and off
my island-so I totally forgot to take photo’s of the remaining steps 
in the painting process.(Aren’t you thrilled you don’t have to look
at that gold sheet anymore?)
But I did take a few close-ups to show the end result of all
my hard work.  Basically-I distressed all the curves and places
where the frame would naturally age.
And then I dry brushed a light coat of Metallic silver over
the entire frame.  Once that dried-I gave it a light sanding.  I wanted
it to appear as if it had been guilded, and with age
had worn off a bit.
Since I wanted the frame to look as if it had once been
guilded-but had worn with age,
I painted on a light coat of Metallic Silver next-and then after it dried-
gently sanded it(again in areas it would age naturally).  I really didn’t
want the frame to appear shiny-so I applied some antiquing gel
and wiped it off before it dried. (Unfortunately, the photo’s don’t do it justice-but I was
able to pull it off!) 

 

 I love how the mirror itself has aged over time-and now I think

with a little paint and distressing the frame brings out
even more of her beauty!

 I found some vintage plates at a local flea market recently, so I hung one
on either side of the mirror, along with some Pee Gee’s from my garden.
The mantel will change-just like the seasons I suppose-all in good time.


 Are you starting to transition into Fall?  I’d love to hear how you do it!
 
I’ll be sharing at these amazing parties-so stop on over and be inspired!

Monday:
 
 
Tuesday:
 
Wednesday:
 
Thursday:
 
Friday:
 
 


See you back here on Sunday-for Sensational Sunday Love Links!
Until then…
Blessings and hugs,
 

26 thoughts on “Antique Mirror Makeover!”

  1. I have a very similar vanity I need to refinish, I love your unique idea of separating the two pieces, genius!
    It has turned out beautifully, the perfect way to bring an old piece back to life!
    Patti

  8. I'm SO happy you found me, Sherry! And I'm over the moon happy that my mirror inspired you! Thank you so much for the comment love and for visiting!

  9. Its great! I'm just starting something very similar, and being an amateur, was wondering how you got the paint off the glass? In your second pic with the ( not so ugly) gold sheet it doesn't look like you taped it off or anything? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

  10. Thank you, Sabrina! Call me a lazy painter (my hubby does)-but I never tape off the glass on mirrors. As for clean up-I just mist the glass with mixture of vinegar and water-and it usually comes right off. If there is a stubborn spot-I use a VERY sharp razor blade (carefully) and it comes right off with no scratches! I'd love to see how your project turns out!!

  11. Your mirror shows your talent to re-purpose this beautiful focal point for your dresser, they just dont make mirrors like this anymore.

    Thanks for sharing on OMHGFF This week, hope you have a great weekend and to see you next week!!
    Karren

  12. I totally agree with you, Karren! They sure don't! Thank you so much for the sweet comment and for stopping by! I'll definitely be back to party with you next week!

  13. The mirror looks just gorgeous now! I hope you and your beak..I mean nose, get some relief soon! Thanks for sharing at the Vintage Inspiration Party!

  19. I love your mirror makeover! It looks so beautiful, I'll never pass up an antique mirror again! Thanks for sharing this at Totally Terrific Tuesday Link Party. Be sure to stop by Sparkles of Sunshine tonight…you just might be featured. 🙂

  25. Very pretty! I have a similar mirror and vanity that I picked up on a local yard sale sight. They might end up getting this treatment. I am constantly getting so involved in my projects that I forget to take pictures! I thought I was the only one and kept scolding myself-"bad blogger". Thanks for posting in spite of it all. ~Jolena

  26. Thank you, Jolena! I'm truly awful at remembering to take photo's-especially when I post a recipe! Someday maybe I'll learn-but don't hold your breath! 🙂

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