ChickSpeak

Maybe you don’t want to cut up any old or unfitting clothing as mentioned in Part 1 of this two-part mini series. Or maybe you already did (or are planning on it), and are ready for something new that you can put together with a personal touch for your dorm room or apartment. This next project, designing your own funky mirror, is not only a good idea for decorating your own place, but also for gift giving.  

Before getting started, you will need to do the following:

• Take a trip to your closest IKEA to find a cheap mirror to work with. The best mirror for this project is their MALMAmirrors, which are only $1.99 each. So if you don’t want to spend much, start out with one. If you don’t have an IKEA store close by, visit another store and find another mirror that looks similar to IKEA’s MALMA mirror.
• If you don’t have paint or paintbrushes, now is the time to buy them. I used oil paint along with some paintbrushes I already own. You can find paintbrushes and small tubes of oil paint at a craft store like Michael’s or Jo-Ann’s. If you want to use other types of paint, that should be fine too. I recommend that you grab a bottle for each of the primary colors (red, yellow, and blue), along with a tube of both white and black paint. If going with oil, you will need to purchase Gamsol, Turpentine or Turpenoid to clean your brushes. If not, find another brush cleaning solution in the aisle. While you are at the craft store, swing by the glue aisle and pick up a bottle of Paper Mod Podge and a container or two of your favorite colored glitter glue. If you want to glue gemstones or smaller mirrors to your soon-to-be personalized mirror, check out the gemstone aisle. Maybe there are some bright colored fake flowers that could work too. Fake floral is usually very cheap too. Grab a little bushel and head to the register. The total purchase for this trip will probably cost around $30 - $50. But if you make multiple mirrors, you will have more than enough materials to last without another shopping trip.
• Grab a stack of your old magazines. Be sure to go after those that you feel comfortable in cutting up or tearing out the pages. If you don’t have any, ask your parents, grandparents, friends, or neighbors if they have any old magazines they wouldn’t mind parting with.
• A pair of scissors.
• A sheet or two of aluminum foil.
• 2-3 sheets of paper towels.
• 3-4 index cards or any other paper product that can be used to protect the mirror.
• Some old newspapers or an old bed sheet or blanket to use to protect the table you are using while doing this project.

Once you have finished gathering everything you need, all you have to do is follow these easy directions.

1. Lay out some old newspapers or the other protective barrier you have scrounged up so you can set the stage to begin working.

2. Next, tear off a sheet or two of aluminum foil. This will be your palette for painting. Grab your brushes and set them next to the foil. Open up each bottle of paint and squeeze about a half-dime size worth of paint on the foil. An inch or more away from one of the blobs of color, mix as many colors as you want together so you get the desired color of your mirror (red and yellow make orange, blue and yellow make green, red and blue make purple, etc. By having white and black, you are able to instantly lighten or darken any color by using just a tiny bit of each).

3. If using oils, stand over the sink to pour a little bit of Gamsol, Turpentine, or Turpenoid into an old container that you would never use for anything but this project ever again. (Don’t plan on washing out this container and drinking out of it from here on out.)

4. Remove the mirror from its package. Grab a few index cards and tuck them over the mirror to protect its face from potential paint splatters.

5. It’s time to start painting the wood surrounding the face of the mirror. Use the paper towel to dry the brush if you need to or to clean up any accidents if you catch them early on.

6. Once you are done painting, place the mirror, still protected with a two-three sheet layer of newspaper or any other barrier you used underneath, into a safe spot where your dog or cat won’t run across it. If you went with a light color, it may take two to three painting sessions or sittings to get the color where you want it to be. However, if you went with a darker color, like black, it may mean only one or two sittings. Allow five days to a week for each coat of paint to dry before painting again.

7. In the meantime, flip through the pages of the old magazines to see what graphic, photo, or cool design you’d like to place on your painted mirror. When you find the perfect image, grab your scissors and start clipping. Do this for as many cut-outs you desire.

8. When you have the color on the mirror where you want it and the last coat of paint has dried, it’s time to open up the Mod Podge. Use a paper towel or an extra paintbrush to lightly coat the back of each magazine cut-out. Carefully place them one by one on the mirror. When finished, remove the cap of your glitter glue and trace around any desired parts of the cut-outs for extra flare. If you have any fake flowers, remove the top of how many you want and start gluing. Same goes with gemstones or small mirrors. Give the mirror a chance to dry overnight.

9. The next morning, remove the index cards or other paper barrier you used to protect the mirror’s face. Voila! You have a new one-of-a-kind decoration that can’t be found anywhere else in the world but on your walls.