Mirror, Mirror

Apparently this mirror had lost it's powers in telling the fairest of them all, because I found it cast off to the roadside! Maybe it told it's owner she was NOT the fairest in the land or something , because otherwise who would throw away such a nice, vintage mirror? This is some quality glass, too...I took the backing off and lifted the glass out of the frame...it's about 1/4 inch thick, which is some seriously thick, heavy mirror!

 It did have a few minor issues, but nothing a little paint couldn't cure!

There are all kinds of tutorials on how to 'antique' mirror glass for that vintage look....I have even payed extra for vintage mirrors with some of the mirror finish wearing off, so when I noticed one edge of this mirror glass with some pock marks and worn finish, I secretly smiled....and quickly loaded it in my car!

This was my first attempt at resuscitation. Not the look I was going for, but those were the only colors I had at the time....the magic was still missing.  I let it sit for a few days and still nothing was coming to me. Then I went and looked at Martha's new line of craft paint at Michaels and got some inspiration. She has some cool applicator bottles that you can write with, draw with, or as I chose to do, make dots with!

Now, I know I said I like that vintage, worn mirror look, but I decided to cover up the part of mirror that was worn out. Martha's paint line says ' one paint- all surfaces'... glass, wood, metal, ceramics, so I wanted to test it to see if it sticks to glass. I had a template I used for the shape and traced it onto the glass with a sharpie.

I chose a palette of blues and I used the glitter, satin and pearl finish paints in various tones. I had to do several coats of paint on the glass, but it did work!

A cute color called 'pond' was the base coat for the frame.

On a side note, can I just say how difficult it is to get a photo of a mirror, while it's laying flat on a table, without getting yourself or the camera strap in the shot?!

Starting at the outside bevel of the frame, I used glitter paint to make dots all the way around......

.........and then proceeded to make rows and rows of dots! I wanted a gradated look so used subsequently lighter and lighter shades of color....some glitter paint, some pearl paint. The shape on the glass looked rather plain, so I dotted that up too!

And voila', here is the Magic Mirror, all fixed up and ready to see the fairest in the land! I love the way it turned out!

Some things I learned regarding Martha's paints: The glitter paints tended to 'flatten' out as they dried, looking not so much like raised dots (what I intended) as flat circular shapes. Conversely, the pearl paints had excellent body and remained raised as they dried. The satin paint also has great body, thick texture and excellent coverage. If I were to do this project again, I would probably stick to the pearl paint and not use the glitter at all. It was just so enticing and...glittery, but not the best choice for this particular project. I can't wait to use it elsewhere, though! Just some things to keep in mind, in case you want to try a similar look for your projects.

Now, Mirror Mirror....DO tell, who is the fairest of them all?

Thanks for visiting and here's hoping that all your projects reflect well on you!

Linking up here:

Angel Food Cake and Soccer

EVERY time I go to Goodwill (which is often) I always see angel food cake pans in the pots, pans and dishes section, and they are ALWAYS missing their bottoms. Some people call them tarte pans, some quich pans, but Ima go with angel food, cause it's my favorite. I love the way these pans look, all gleaming silver and fluted, so I wondered if there was any way I could use them without the bottom (ALWAYS missing!)

Only .99 cents each, I picked up a couple.

 I just love the shape and finish of this and knew I had to find a way to re use it!

Then I spotted this cheap, plastic soccer theme mirror and got an idea!

The round mirror in this baby was *exactly* the same size as the bottom of my cake pan! Ding ding ding!!

SO................(you probably see where I'm going with this)

I turned it over, undid the four small screws and sports theme printed cardboard (cause it IS a soccer mirror after all) that held the mirror in AND...........

Covered the cardboard with some wrapping paper and spray glue. I wasn't too concerned about being neat here, because the mirror will be covering everything up.THEN.......

 

Added a few spots of hot glue to the back lip of the cake pan,

glued the prettied up cardboard to the lip........

 turned it over AND...........

This is what it looks like so far, UNTIL........

another couple of dabs of glue, and Voila! A beautiful little mirror.

It has the look of a starburst mirror, and you could use this for all sorts of things. I would probably use it on my vanity to hold bracelets or perfume bottles, but you could also hang it just by attaching a piece of ribbon to the back, like so.......

And the grand total? .99 cents for the cake pan, $2.99 for the soccer mirror (can you believe that thing cost more than the beautiful, fluted, silver cake pan....oh, I know why....NO BOTTOM!)

I would love the hear what you've re-purposed lately. 

As always, thanks for visiting. If you like it here, consider following! It's fun to follow!

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Bling it On!

A cheap-o goodwill mirror....

Some dollar store glass cube gems........

An inexpensive can of colorful spray paint....

And.........

PRETTY!

 A lovely bling-y thing for around $5.  Yes, bling it on!

Pretty in Pink

 Pink is one of my favorite colors. I'm in good company.

There is pink music:
Pink Floyd, "Mr. Pink Eyes" by The Cure, "Pink Cadillac" by Bruce Springsteen, "Pink" by Aerosmith, "Pink & Blue" by OutKast,  "Pink Cashmere" by Prince, "Pink Orange Red" by Cocteau Twins, "Pretty in Pink" by The Psychedelic Furs and on and on and on....

There are pink movies:
The Pink Panther, Pretty in Pink, Pink Flamingo......


There are pink phrases:
Tickled Pink, In the Pink, "Pink is the navy blue of India." --Diana Vreeland......

There are pink brands:
Mary Kay,  Pepto Bismol, Victorias Secret.......

There is the promise of grade school girls everywhere: The Pinkie Swear

There is pink food: Pink Grapefruit, Cotton Candy, Bubblegum, and what sweet morsel doesn't taste better when it comes out of a pink pastry box?

All of this, and yet pink often goes overlooked as a design color of choice.  Not by me. I almost consider it a neutral!  I think I painted my daughters room in floor to ceiling pink to live vicariously in a pink room!

So, how do you feel about pink?  Do you get tickled pink at the sight of it, or does it leave you feeling like you've just received a pink slip?  Leave me a comment and let me know!  As always, thanks for stopping by and please consider 'following' me!

Civano Community School

The Civano Community School is a charter K-8 school in which the parents are actively involved in curricular activities, descision making, fundraising and outreach programs.  Because of that nature, parents were often found congregated in the school entrance well after the class bell had rung, usually discussing some topic related to school events, but often time just simply chatting and catching up with each other.  A regular parents coffee morning was organized, but the main entrance square was sorely lacking any kind of comfort or ambiance.  The teachers decided, since the parents are such an integral part of the schools success, to give them AND the students a place to gather, be comfortable and visit with each other.

Following are pix of  the school as it was before.......

 Basic........

Boring............                                                              

Blah......





Working with a small budget, the teachers and staff asked me to design a space that would be comfortable and beautiful for parents, yet stand up to the rigors of everyday use by the students, not to mention the harsh desert conditions.  I came up with solutions that pleased both the parents and the student body and really give the school a unique, beautiful and practical approach to everyday use.

Using corrugated metal, outdoor fabric, paint and creativity the space is given a new life.

A simple mural gives a drab wall a shot of color and interest.....

....while painting the bike rack red brings it forward against the beige building, newly clad in horizontal corrugated metal.

A handmade glass and mirror mosaic sign hangs at the entrance, welcoming everyone as they start their day.

What I'm most proud of is the fact that not only did I design it, I personally executed every single element that went into this design, single-handedly, with kids in tow, in 108 degree heat during the student summer break.  I procured all the supplies, I built the new half wall that serves as a backrest for one of the benches, I built the benches, I sewed all the banners, cushion and pillow covers, I hung the corrugated metal siding that runs the length of the building, I painted the mural, I did the mirror mosaic on the window surrounds, including cutting the mirror itself into squares and rectangles and I made the welcome sign using plywood, back painted glass and cut mirror.  It was not an easy task, but I learned a great deal along the way and will be forever grateful for the opportunity the school provided me.