Inspired Barbola Mirror

Some of my projects seem to stop and start and then do an awful lot of resting in between, as is the case of my version of a Barbola mirror …….. and don’t be fooled by the pictures, it’s not over yet!

I started back in June 2020 http://itsallfiddlefart.blogspot.com/2020/06/my-take-on-vintage-barbola-mirror.html. by making the flowers using thick embossing powders and Martha Stewart moulds.

Then in September I did an awful lot of work on the flowers with Marc at the cottage http://itsallfiddlefart.blogspot.com/2020_09_02_archive.html where we experimented with a whole lot of shimmer powders and paints, but when I got home …….. it all went into hibernation again ……..

…….. until last week when they started to niggle at me again ……

I went over the flowers again with very pale pink, yellow and blue and then gold acrylic paint.

…… before arranging them roughly, along with the metal leaves, (taken from a necklace and painted previously at Marc’s), on a 25cm x 25cm copper edged, chained mirror (£2.99 from Poundstretcher). I was originally going to use a big, vintage, wood backed mirror, however, it was really heavy and would have required a super strength hook/screw to keep it on the wall ….. plus I had no where to put it.

I was finally, ready to permanently stick it altogether, only trouble was I was a cheapskate and thought I would use my glue gun instead of E9000, big mistake, as the glue just didn’t stick solidly to the flowers or the mirror with any sort of gumption.  However, I carried on regardless just to see how a finished mirror would look. As I write this now several flowers have unceremoniously dropped off, the glue is just too brittle, doh!

I also added the small, cream coloured flowers (from a charity shop necklace) to the flowers that had a more defined sort of centre. I like them, but you can see the holes in them where the chain used to be and I can’t help it, my eyes are now constantly drawn to them. 

So it’s back to the drawing board, it wont take five minutes to remove the flowers and leaves and then refix them, this time with E9000, when I get round to ordering it.  I think I might be able to cover the holes on the cream flowers with a scrap of tissue paper and then paint over it.  Looking at real Barbola mirrors I think I could go even more pastel on mine, plus add more colours to each flower, I have been subtle, but perhaps not subtle enough, so I am afraid on this third attempt, it’s still a case of watch this space!