DIY Sunburst Mirror

It's possible that you've seen plenty of DIY sunburst mirrors already on the web, and, well, I thought there was just one too-few so I added my own. Behold! My very own did-it-myself sunburst mirror ...



I was inspired to make it after seeing this great "how-to" at J and J Home (definitely check out the one created there - it looks awesome). I mostly followed the tutorial step by step, but did do a couple things differently along the way.

Here's what you need for this project:

Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
1, 18" Floral Craft Ring 1, 12" Floral Craft Ring
1, 6" Floral Craft Ring
Cedar Shims (I got 4 bundles because I'm a freak, 2 would have been enough)
8" Round Mirror
Picture Hanging Kit

To start, I laid out my craft rings and some cedar shims around the edges just to see how things would go. I used a 6" craft ring in addition to the 18" and 12" rings that J and J Home used - you can see it in the center.



Then I started gluing down my "outer" layer of shims to the craft rings. I started with one row and then laid a staggered second row on top to close the gaps.





When I was done with my second "outer" layer, it was time to move on to the "inner" layer. The shims on the "inner" layer would be shorter than the "outer" layer. You can see the two layers in my finished photo at the top.

When I started this second "inner" layer is where I diverged from J and J Home's tutorial a bit. The tutorial only calls for the two large craft rings, not the smallest 6" ring that I used too. I attached my second "inner" layer of shims to the 6" ring to keep everything lined up and sturdy. I was hoping that this would make attaching the mirror easier too since the shims would be a little more level (it seemed to work).

I created the inner layer the same way that I created the outer layer. I laid the shims down next to each other around the 6" craft ring and then filled in the gaps with a final top layer of shims. If you're trying to keep track, that's 2 layers of shims on both the "inner" and "outer" layer (or four layers of shims total).



Keep going, around and around, until everything is filled in how you like it. Use your glue gun liberally! I was gluing the heck out of these things.



Then it was time to attach my hanging hardware and mirror. I flipped the whole thing over (don't worry, it's not heavy) and added my d-rings and wire.



Then I flipped it over again so it was right side up, put tons of glue on the back of my mirror, put my mirror in place, and then promptly flipped it over again and put heavy stuff on it to set it in place.





I swear that's the most use that cookbook has gotten since I bought it. I should really cook something once in awhile... Anyway...

I left it like that for an hour-ish (or something, I really don't remember) and then hung it up on the wall. J and J had trouble with their mirror falling off with just regular glue, but mine held fine. My mirror is smaller though so that might be a big part of it. If you use a bigger mirror, you should probably use wood glue or epoxy (something stronger than elmer's).



And then I promptly took a bunch of pictures of it.







The whole project only took me two hours (I finally watched the most recent Harry Potter movie!) and was pretty cheap to boot. Under $50 for me to buy the supplies, and that includes the cost of a glue gun and glue sticks (since I didn't have one before).

Glue Gun and Glue: $18 (this was for a glue gun and 40 glue sticks - I didn't use that many!)
1, 18" Floral Craft Ring: $4
1, 12" Floral Craft Ring: $2
1, 6" Floral Craft Ring: $1
Cedar Shims: $14 (4 bundles - 2 would have been enough - at $3.50 each)
8" Round Mirror: $5
Picture Hanger $4

Total: $48.00



Now I have to google other projects to make with shims because I have so many leftover and it feels silly to return them to Home Depot. I'm welcome to ideas. Or maybe I'll just use them to play fetch with Nemo...




I'm sharing this project at a bunch of great parties in the blogosphere - make sure you check them out in my sidebar!