Skip to main content

DIY GHOSTLY MIRROR TUTORIAL!


Ghostly Mirror Tutorial and Instant Relatives

About one year ago, I created a post about "wallpaper mirrors"  decorative mirrors similar to examples I've seen before in Anthropologie stores (other bloggers have posted their nicely done interpretations too).  The project basically involved disassembling a mirror, removing the silvering in selected spots, and either decoupaging patterned paper directly on the glass or, for a less permanent maneuver, affixing the paper to the cardboard backing that protects the glass, then reassembling the mirror.
Here are four of my finished mirrors, with vintage wallpaper peeking through the carefully removed silver:
IMG_2248



Here's a close-up of one example:



IMG_2255



Recently I decided to resurrect this fun project in time for Halloween, this time with a macabre twist:  A ghostly mirror with a face looking back at you through the silver:




IMG_6329



The mirror I selected already had some silver missing, making it somewhat undesireable and hard to sell.  Might as well try to "upcycle" it into something a little different, right?
To make an altered mirror, flip it over and remove the backing, which is usually affixed with little nails.



IMG_6229




After pulling out the little nails that hold the cardboard backing, gather your supplies which include oven cleaner and a glove. 



IMG_6312




Next spray the oven cleaner onto the center area of the mirror back where you wanted the face to show through. I waited about five minutes then put on my yellow glove and grabbed some wet paper towels to remove the oven cleaner:



IMG_6313



Mirrors basically have two layers, one that is a matte pigment and the other a silvering that provides the reflective surface.  On my example, the brown layer came off quite easily, right along with the foamy oven cleaner.  The silvering on this mirror needed a little more persuasion.  I've used various methods to get the silver off.  A razor blade might work, or another coat of oven cleaner, or rubbing with something gritty, like Comet. 



IMG_6325



Make sure you remove all traces of the oven cleaner.
Now you can take your image and cut it to fit behind your mirror:



IMG_6311




Next you slap the picture behind the glass, back it up with the cardboard, and secure with those pesky little nails that you pulled out or use a "brad nailer", which is one of my favorite gadgets of all time.  It shoots the little brads into the mirror frame just like a staple gun.



IMG_6330
My mirror may not be frightful enough because my "ghost" has such a serene expression, but since I didn't permanently affix the portrait to the glass, I can switch it out with something else, like a skull.  Sorry about this awful picture, but I took it at night with a flash.



IMG_6422




It would have been cool to take this vintage Ouija board (what family didn't have one of these stashed somewhere?) color copy parts of the board or even the spooky cover art, and put this behind the mirror. 



IMG_6336



If you're thinking "Hey, you ruined a perfectly good mirror for some crazy craft project!", I have something you might like a little better.  It's so easy to make, it's like falling off a log.  Just find a good old mirror, like my example below.  This mirror is a real treasure.  Notice the old wavy glass:



IMG_6222



Next, add snapshots of your kin folk or some "instant relatives" from a thrift store photo album around the edges.  I just secured mine with a bit of tape:



IMG_6307



That's it.  That's the project.  No harm done to the mirror, and it can be changed at any time.  I think I saw a mirror like this in a magazine or in a Pottery Barn catalog.  The addition of the snapshots just adds a fun twist, don't you think?



IMG_6309



I think these look good because the mirror frame is painted white, and I chose only black and white photos.  Sort of a monochromatic look.



IMG_6306




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

VANILLA PEACH COFFEE CAKE!!

Did you know that the fruit this summer is supposed to be the best it has been in years? Apparently, fruit loves hot weather. I personally have eaten more peaches and cherries this summer than I have in about five years just for that reason.  As I have been a little overzealous lately buying peaches and cherries I found myself with a few peaches that were going to be too ripe for me to eat on the same day. That is unless I wanted to have them for every meal plus a few snacks. So I decided to make this recipe for Vanilla Peach Coffee Cake.  Vanilla Peach Coffee Cake Adapted from  Allrecipes.com Batter: 2 eggs 1 C milk 1/2 C oil 1 tsp. vanilla 1/2 C  sour cream 3 C flour 1 C sugar 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. baking soda Topping: 5 or 6 large peaches, diced. 3 Tbsp. butter, melted 11/4 C brown sugar 1Tbsp. cinnamon 2 tsp. nutmeg 4 Tbsp. flour Vanilla Icing: 1 Tbsp. butter 1 tsp

PRESENT TOPIARY TO DECORATE YOUR PORCH AND FRONT DOOR!

   This comes from www.thatvillagehouse.blogspot.com .  I made something similar a couple years ago, without the pots.  It was about 6 feet high.  I got the inspiration from a Chirstmas dectoration that we bought at Target. This is a very good idea and make a great enterance to your home.  So here's a little something to thing about for next year.  Before you know it December will be here again.  You could also do something like this for an Easter theme.   Enjoy! A Merry Welcome! So here is my first Christmas project for the year!! I saw something similar at our church's Advent celebration & pretty much straight up copied it. I couldn't help it. It was love at first sight! I plan to make a 2nd stack to go on the other side of my door, so I'm not completely done, but I thought I would share it with you anyway. I started with 3 different sized boxes...9, 12 & 14 inch cubes. I used an ice pick to punch holes in each of them so that I could run

SAPPORO SNOW FESTIVAL FROM JAPAN!!!

     The Sapporo Snow Festival is a famous festival held annually in Sapporo, Japan, over 7 days in February.  Currently, Odori Park, Susukino, and Tsudome are the main sites of the festival.  The 2011 Yuki-matsuri dates are February 7th to the 13th.    The festival is one of Japan's largest and most distinctive winter events.  In 2007, about 2 million people visited Sapporo to see the hundreds of snow statues and ice sculptures at the Odori Park and Suskino sites, in central Sapporo, and the Satoland site.  The festival is thought to be an opportunity for promoting international relations. The International Snow Sculpture Contest has been held at the Odori Park sit since 1974, and teams from various regions of the world participate.      The subject of the statues varies and often features as event, famous building or person from the previous yer.  For example, in 2004, there were statues of Hideki Matsui, the famous baseball player who at that time pl