Tuesday 21 January 2014

My Jewelled Bathroom Mirror

My bathroom mirror is finally done and ready to hang (when the bathroom is finished in mid February)  ……. all I can say is a mahooooosive hip, hip, hurray because it was a bit of a “b” to do!!!!! ….
jewelled mirror
The mirror itself may have been a bargain at £6 because it was solid and had a good bit of weight to it, but  then I had second thoughts about the gold edges and patterned frame that first attracted me to it, mainly because of the white and silver colour theme of the planned bathroom, and so in the end it got sprayed white to create a blank canvas  …… doh !!!!!!
Picture20
The frame also was slightly curved and made up of too many small bevels, so I had to create a bottom layer made up of big, plainer jewels to form a base on to which to build the next layer, but despite this it still proved to be a little fiddly with a lot of gems having to be set at a jaunty angle.
jewelled mirror 2jewelled mirror 3
However on the positive side, the layers have added a very interesting depth of what lurks beneath!
Picture23
I also found I had to order a few bits and pieces from E-bay, despite my determined intention to be more economical by using all the stuff I had left from my other mirrors, but I was really was using the “dregs” and it was hard to create just a very basic symetary which I like my mirrors to have. I had used the metal flowers (above) on mirrors before, but was not too keen on the colours, but this time round I found that they could be transformed by using  Promarker pens on them!  I only wished I’d tried dipping them in my Melting Pot into clear Utee to see how they would have turned out.  The flowers were on a buy two get one free offer which was an added bonus.
jewelled mirror 4jewelled mirror 5
I was also amazed by how many of the card making embellishments I managed to rustle up from my drawers (if you’ll pardon the expression), were transformed when used on a completely different media,  especially now that I have broken my golden rule of not mixing metals and plastics, it became a case of anything goes.  I know these mirrors are not everyone’s cup of tea  ….  but they are very me!
Picture28
I also saved quite a bit of money by using Pound Land Hard as Nail glue, instead of the more expensive E6000, it does dry white …. but on the white frame it didn’t really matter.
I think it will be a while before I make another large mirror …… they really are a labour of love …. but I have so many people asking for one, I expect I will relent at some time. 
Picture29
The only thing I have left, that I really want to do, is to decorate a hand mirror for my boudoir dressing table ….. now that would look sooooooo romantic however, they are a bit expensive on E-bay and often come in sets ……. and I can’t ever recall seeing one in a charity shop, but I am now a woman on a mission wanting to spend no more than £3!!!!!!!

6 comments:

Cheryl W said...

Your mirror is amazing! It turned out so beautiful. Hope you find the hand mirror now. Can't wait to see what you do with it.

Barb Cady said...

Your mirror is beautiful, right up my street too, I can't wait to see the finished bathroom pictures! I shall keep my eyes peeled for a hand mirror for you, but must admit I've not seen one for years. X24542654

jc2711 said...

Hi Helen, I love it. Please add me to your list of people wanting a mirror :)

Jackie and Bob

ps - so enjoy your blog

Mrs B said...

Hi Helen. Well done! I can see the work that you have put into the mirror. I really like the different layers that you had to make because of the shape of the frame. Hope you find a hand mirror to decorate soon. Take care.

Mrs B said...

Hi again. Just read yesterdays blog and must say Congratulations Nanny Nell : ) You will love every minute of being a Grandparent. Take care.

Roni said...

Wow Helen this is just so pretty!! I don't do pretty or flowery but I love this! So much so I'm going to give it a go, one of my New Years resolution, try something new!!

I've only got one framed mirror and its a full length one which is too big so I think I'll try a small, little old picture frame instead!!

Thanks for the inspiration :O)

Big hugs
Roni :D xox