Refinished Mirror

This is a mirror that has resided in my garage for almost a year. I swiped it from my sister-in-law’s garage sale items last summer. Originally it was attached to a long dresser, and I don’t need another dresser…thus I took the mirror alone. I like that its big, but I don’t like how dark it is.
I decided to refinish it using a compilation of techniques from my own past experience upcycling Craigslist furniture, and one of the paint techniques Cyndy uses on The Creativity Exchange. After priming the wood, I mixed spray paint & some acrylic in a bowl & applied it with my finger. I wore a latex glove because I didn’t feel like getting paint all over my fingernails & skin creases. If I didn’t like how it went on, I just added/smeared/mixed paint until it pleased my eye.

The wheat at the top of the mirror looks so much better with its lighter look!

After fingerpainting the mirror with my multi-tone paint, I mixed some wood stain with some light colored acrylic. This I applied with a cheap sponge brush, and after about a minute rubbed it off. I rubbed it with varying degrees of pressure to get a bit of a worn look. Thomas thought it looked like fun, so he joined in with me on this part—he did the part in the photo below, and I think it looks amazing–just like birch bark!

After it was entirely dry, I lightly went over it with sandpaper. I think it looks pretty good! I am still deciding where to put it, but I like the fact that if I get tired of it looking like this, a new coat of paint will give it a complete makeover. DIY projects are so worth it!