Mirror, mirror on the wall …
Some of the best decorative mirrors come at a price – and an expensive price at that. In this edition of DIY Dorm Decorations, I tackle making the iconic moon mirror that everyone on Pinterest is doing, as well as the beautiful rattan sun mirror by Justina Blakeney. All the items were purchased at Walmart and Michaels and are relatively cheap.
Moon Mirror
You will need:
Grey Crayola air dry clay – $6.00 at Michaels
10″ mirror – $7.00 at Michaels
White acrylic paint – $2.00 at Walmart
Smooth paintbrush
Tin foil
Optional: Glitter or glitter paint
The moon mirror was dead easy. It took me approximately 10 minutes total to do, and it looks so cool. I first started making a quarter-moon shape on the mirror with the grey Crayola clay in thick and thin chunks. After I assembled my mirror into a quarter-moon shape, I took the back of my paintbrush and made craters in the moon’s thicker portions. I used crumpled tin foil to give it some wrinkles to provide it with even more texture.
I left the clay to dry for about two hours, then I came back to paint it. I already liked the moon’s look just being grey, but I did want it to have some definition. I have seen many moon mirrors that are very beige, and I wanted mine to be a little more defined, so I kept the darker grey color for the lowlights. You want to paint the mirror with thinner paint so it doesn’t get stuck in the craters. After giving it a light coat of white, I used my finger to highlight the craters’ insides, and voila! Finito! If you feel it does not have enough pizazz for you, apply some glitter on it or use a different paint or clay color.
Sun Mirror
You will need:
White Crayola clay – $6.00 at Michaels
5″ mirror – $5.00
Gold circular ring 10″ – $3.00 Michaels
Skewer sticks (mine were 12″)
Gold spray paint – $11 at Walmart
Glue gun
The sun mirror was inspired by Justina Blakeney and rattan mirrors. I wanted to recreate her beautiful design with cheaper materials to hang up on my dorm wall. I started with the construction of the sun’s face so the clay could dry. First, roll out your clay into two long ropes to go around the circumference of the mirror. Second, construct the face using the rest of your clay in thick logs. I chose to replicate the iconic sun mirror I’ve seen online. Once your face is built, put it to the side.
Grab your gold ring and start gluing skewers to the ring, resembling beams of light. I ended up doing eight on each side and then applying two coats of spray paint on each side. Make sure you wear a mask while spray painting. Once the face dries, apply a second coat. Let them dry overnight.
Once everything is dry, carefully glue the face onto your mirror, then the mirror itself onto the centre of your sunbeams.
