Back when I didn't know what I was doing....I made this mirror!

11 years ago

This puppy is almost 15 years old, but the question about that beautiful pearl edged mirror reminded me that I'd done this.

Mind you, this was pre-internet. I had no idea how to mosaic or tile or anything. I just got an idea and ran with it.

I started with a pre-cut round of plywood (you can find them at Lowes and Home Depot). I painted the plywood gold and silver. A glass company cut the round center for me out of 1/4" mirror. They gave me scrap mirror for free to do the rest which I cut using plain old stained glass cutters.

All the mirror was simply glued to the painted plywood. Instead of grouting, I piped clear silicone in the spaces, mostly to protect against the sharp edges. I edged the mirror with plain old copper tape you buy in the garden area for keeping slugs off your plants.

I'm surprised at how well this has stood the test of time, since I seriously had no idea what I was doing. But it is a testament to indoor projects. They are far more forgiving than outdoor projects. You have much more freedom of techniques and materials when you don't have to worry about the elements.

Hmmm, I'd love to do a new mirror now that I'm a little more seasoned. Add that to my loooong list of projects! LOL

(Oh, and further proof of how clueless I was: I did this whole project at my dining room table....over carpet...with a toddler running around. Sheesh!)

Comments (7)

texaswild
11 years ago
If you don't beat all!!!!!! LORI - it's a beautiful job and I bow to your ingenuity. I love the shapes of your mirror shards. You just jumped in and had an idea and ran with it. That's what's called talent and a creative mind. Congratulations. This reminds me of one of my first mirror projects. I was so afraid to grout all the shards that I used a cake decorator's bag to pipe in the grout around all the shards. It's been on my front porch these nine years. I used plywood too. Can't believe it hasn't fallen apart, but there's no evidence of harm YET. Hurray for newbies at mosaics.
loribee2
Original Author
11 years ago
Aww, thanks, SLOW. I confess, I'm a little surprised it's held up so well after all these years. It's only a pain to clean the mirror, because that silicone still has a "stickiness" to it. You can't just run a paper towel all over it. And I'm a lot more daring with color than I used to be (as you can tell from the red wall, lol). In retrospect, I wish I'd done a vibrant purple instead of that gold and silver. Ah well. That's what the next project is for, LOL
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murraysmom Zone 6a OH
11 years ago
That is very cool and beautiful!! Another inspirational project!! Thanks for sharing that.
nanatricia
11 years ago
I think it is great myself!!
texaswild
11 years ago
I LOVE red walls - have one myself - even have a purple one, and the rest are golds. Hey, you can still paint your mirror. Silicon is paintable, so why not??? But if you are like I am, you never go back to a project and do maintenance or a re-do. Onward and upward.
Calamity_J
11 years ago
Good job, it is amazing what we create when we don't know what we are doing> that's everything I make!!!lol!
loribee2
Original Author
11 years ago
Aww, thanks everyone. SLOW, yes, I'm much too impatient to go back and re-do something old. But it's good to know you can paint over silicone. I didn't know that! I should never say never. Some day, it will be old enough to "repurpose".

LOL Calamity!