Chalky Finish Coastal Mirror

Happy Memorial Day, everyone!  I hope you are all having a fun and safe long weekend.  Today is a day to remember those who have served and have paid the ultimate sacrifice.  As the song goes, “all gave some, some gave all.”  I am definitely thankful for those who have fought for our freedom and for the families of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Summer is coming quickly and I am working on getting some fun summer decor done for the house.  This mirror was one of those projects.  You may remember when I made this DIY Seashell Wreath that I didn’t think coastal/nautical decor would fit in my house given that we are nowhere near a beach.  I decided to throw that thought process out the window.  I am just too in love with all of the decor that I keep seeing.  This mirror was a super simple project that can be completed in no time.  

I built a frame for this mirror, but if you don’t have the tools needed, you can easily purchase a 2×2′ project board from Home Depot and ask them to cut it down to size for you.

I started by building a frame out of a 1×6″ board.  I just used scrap that I had in the garage.  I cut two pieces on a 45 degree angle at 20 1/2″ at the longest points.  I cut two more pieces at 23 1/2″ at the longest points.  Using my Kreg Jig, I drilled pocket holes into the sides of the frame.  I glued the corners together and screwed them in with 1 1/4″ pocket screws.  {affiliate link}  Once the entire frame was built, I sanded it down with 220 grit sandpaper.

I purchased this 12 1/2 x 15 1/2″ mirror at Walmart for around $5.  I wasn’t planning to keep the frame at first, but then decided that I could paint it.

I used Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paint in Everlasting for the frame.  I only used one coat, because I wanted a little of the original color to come through the mirror for a distressed effect.  I also peeled the cardboard backing off of the mirror.  This cut down on the thickness of the mirror a bit.

I painted the frame with Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint in Treasure.  Once everything was painted, I applied Americana Decor Creme Wax to add a satiny finish to the wood frame as well as the mirror frame.

I used E6000 glue to attach the mirror to the wooden frame.  I thought about using hot glue, but wasn’t entirely sure how well it would actually hold.  Once I glued it down, I set some heavy books on top of it and let it dry for a couple of hours.

I grabbed some sisal rope I had lying around and hot glued it around the frame of the mirror.  I wrapped it four times, although I now think it would look great if I had wrapped the rope a few more times.  I had impatient little boys standing next to me wanting me to blow up their little splash pool, so I just left it at four:)

I bought a package of starfish from Michael’s to glue to the corner of the mirror.  There were four to the package and they had some glitter on them, but I just brushed off as much as I could.  The rest would just have to do.

Once all of the glue was dry, I gave the rope a bit of a haircut to trim away and stray fibers that were bothering me.

 

I am so happy with how the mirror turned out and it goes great with the bookcase I recently painted (also using Chalky Finish paint).  You can find that tutorial here.  

Have you fallen in love with the coastal decor trend?  What are your favorite ways to give your home a beachy feel?

 

 {Disclaimer:  I am a member of the DecoArt Blogger Outreach Program.  I received compensation and/or products for this post.  All opinions and ideas for these products; however, are my own.  Please see my disclosure statement for more information}

Linking up to these parties:

Tiny Sidekick, Remodelaholic, Lil’ Luna, Confessions of a Serial DIYer