Do-It-Yourself is a great option for saving money on gifts, decorating and remodeling.
Today's DIY Project is a Starburst Mirror.
Your Retail Helper
I've been wanting this design of mirror for awhile. I'd seen them at Crate and Barrel, Target, Hobby Lobby, Kohl's, etc..., but they were always well over $100 (and much smaller). Even with coupons and sales, they were more than I wanted to spend. So I decided I'd make it myself. We love it! And, with sales and coupons, it only cost me around $34.
Your cost will vary depending on:
- Size of mirror
- Fullness of mirror (i.e. quantity of dowel rods)
- Supplies you already have on hand
- Choice of hanger
- Where you purchase your dowel rods
For this project, you'll need:
- Flat mirror (I bought mine for $5 at Hobby Lobby)
- Dowel Rods (Again I bought these at Hobby Lobby. They were 29¢ each for the 3/16" size.)
- Hot glue gun and glue*
- Gorilla Glue / Super Glue*
- Hanger
- Spray Paint
- Sharpie and Ruler*
*I already had these items on hand and did not calculate them into the cost of the project.
After purchasing all my supplies, I cut my dowel rods into 18" sections. Keep in mind, if you cut the dowel rods shorter, the diameter of your mirror will be smaller. I also wrapped the rods in painter's tape before I cut them. It helped to hold the rods together for a cleaner cut. I used 60 dowel rods, cutting them in half for a total of 120 rods.
Next, I sectioned off the back of my mirror using a Ruler and Sharpie to give me a guideline for where I wanted to put the dowel rods. (I used two different size dinner plates to use as templates to draw the smaller circles.) Then I used my glue gun to adhere the rods to the mirror. I spaced then and varied their length to get the look I wanted.
I used Gorilla Glue to affix the hanger to the back of the mirror. I wanted to make sure I had one that wasn't flat against the mirror since the mirror had a little depth to it. The hanger needed to stick out a little to catch a nail on the wall.
After I was finished with gluing the rods, I took the mirror outside to spray paint it. I taped up the mirror with painter's tape and some newspaper.
Once it was done drying, I removed the newspaper/tape and we hung the mirror on the wall. I added some glass square embellishments that I already had with my hot glue gun. It gave it a little extra sparkle.
The mirror turned out better than I expected. We had a large wall space to cover above our bed and the mirror was the perfect option. I'm very pleased with my DIY project. I got what I wanted for a fraction of the cost!
Watch for more money saving
DIY tips for
Decorating and Remodeling! What creative ways have you used to save money on decorating?
I found some incredible inspiration on Pinterest (you can follow me there, too).
