Mirror, Mirror on the wall...

Emerald Green - It's a fabulous color! And one of my favorites! So when I was staring at this mirror trying to decide what color I wanted this color was of course, my first choice. However, I do not have a bunch of  emerald green all over my house, so I had to decide what I was going to do with it.

I was lucky enough to find this beauty at a garage sale. After negotiating $20 off the asking price I had to make room in the vehicle for it. I loved the  intricate pattern in it.

Clean up always comes in two places on redo pieces- before the work and after the work. So if this part scares you (tedious and annoying) then remaking old pieces is not for you. I would suggest getting a great job with a well off salary so that you might buy everything brand new and thus avoiding this step. However if the act of rolling up your sleeves and changing into those "craft pants" that have already been through the ringer a few times - excites you, then you are in the right place!

So, wipe down your mirror with a mild soap and water on just a plain rag and allow to dry. Since this mirror had so many little crevices there were tons of dust bunny and spiderweb hidey holes. This requires something more skillful to get it clean. Ta-da! A paint brush! (HLT) Use a dry paint brush to get into those tiny spaces that are unmanageable elsewise.

Next use child labor to help- Just kidding. My niece was over at the house and, pouting,  insisted that she was too little to be of any help to anyone. "Rubbish!" I cried and put her straight to work on the mirror with me. 

Do not think that you have to run out to your local craft store to get rolls of paper to tape your projects off. Nope sometimes, it just takes whatever you have handy and are willing to part with in the end to get the job done.

We used painters tape (plus some packaging tape when the painters tape proved to be unwilling to stay stuck down in spots) and plain ol' notebook paper. (yep, ripped each piece right out of that spirally thing.)



Didn't she do a wonderful job? Big help to her Auntie!

We made sure to get as close to the edges of the mirror as possible to minimize the cleanup later.
 

Next lay your Mirror down on top of a tarp or dropcloth, or in this case, an old blanket.

HLT: If you do not wish to spend the outrageous amount of money that they charge for good canvas, then hop on over to your closest thrift store where you can usually have your pick of old blankets or yardage of material to choose from, for very little moolah.
That way you can use it over and over and not feel a waste if you need to throw it out.

Now grab that can of exciting color, give it a good shake and start spraying your way into new creations!



As ALWAYS: Remember to use thin coats, multiple layers with drying time in between, to get the best result and avoid drips.

Make sure to move your piece around a bit to make sure you sprayed all angles and that the spray paint isn't sticking to your fabric (I mean, VERY EXPENSIVE DROP CLOTH) below.

Once dry, Hit it with a good coat of clear spray paint in whatever Matte your prefer. I like Satin.

Remove all of your paper and tape. If there is spray paint on the mirror surface, then you can either scrape it off with a flat razor blade or use a plastic scrubbie (NOT steel wool! Something soft but firm).













Finally: Find a Fabulous Place to hang your new Mirror!