Inspiration Overload/Mirrored Window Frame

We went to Orlando for the past couple of days.  It was brilliant!  More on that later... (like later in life, not later in this post).

And also, Cameron was asleep throughout the taking of all pictures below so unfortunately, he's not in them.  I know.  I missed him too.

So I've found, been slightly preoccupied, okay let's face it, I'm totally obsessed with Pinterest.  It's this website where everyone is really creative and crafty.  You can type in ANYTHING you want and find hoards of creativity on that subject matter.

Well, it got me going.  Big time.  It opened my brain and eyes so that I could see DIY projects all around me.  Lukas is thrilled (insert sarcastic tone). 

With that said, I got started.  In Georgia.  That's right, I do home improvement projects from a distance.  Heck I start being a DIY project girl from out of state!

On the street right by my family's house (at the only stoplight in the entire town, literally) there is a thrift store.  I've passed this place a billion times.  While driving by this rather questionable "thrift store" that in the past I wouldn't have ever thought I'd be shopping at (not because I'm snobby, but because I never really saw the beauty in used items), I saw it. 

It was meant to be.  It was love at first sight.  It was the perfect beginning to my new life of DIY projects and fun.  It was this...

For the sake of all things named, we're going to call this...

MIRRORED WINDOW FRAME

(I hope you said that in your Oprah announcing something exciting voice.  If not, I give you permission to go back and try it.)

And boy is this thing a beauty.  There it was on the outside of the store.  In between the children's shoes and the collectible knick knacks.  So we bought it.  

I already knew where it was going to go.  I also knew I wanted it to either be white or yellow.  But oh the endless possibilities!  Was I going to keep it a mirror or make it a frame?  If it were to be a frame, would it be empty?  Would I put pictures in it?  Would I make some intricate design using fishing wire and shirt buttons?  I didn't know!

Because my sister had yellow paint, and I was excited to get started, I went with yellow. I painted a blade of grass so you could see the color.

 

I was picturing this thing to be kind of like a picture frame where you take the back off, slide the glass out and voila, empty. 

Nope.

There was this piece of cardboard on the back of the frame.  Glued to be exact.  Most people would have said, okay, decision made, mirror it is.  Not me.  I wanted my options to be opened.  Plus, the cardboard looked yucky.  It was moist and stained.  I decided to remove it.  With an exacto knife. 

 And off it came.  And I'm glad I took it off because underneath was a dead bug (Ugh!)

Now here was the back of the mirror.  It's okay that it's ugly, it's the back.  However, this thing was also glued in along the edges.  Upon looking closer at the glue I could see that it was sticky but more gooey and it had dirt and residue in it all over.  So the mirror had to come out.  That's okay though!  I could just put it back in!

 Except, that while removing it, I broke the mirror. 

Did I ever mention to you that arts and crafts was never really my thing??  My brain is creative and fun, but it doesn't communicate well with my hands and that usually results in debacles such as this.  Really, what was I thinking?

 Oh well.  In my head, I wanted it to be empty anyway.  So I moved on with the project.  I cleaned off the frame by wiping it down with a rag and water. 

 And I got to painting!  I'm pretty sure that someone who knew what they were doing would have probably sanded, primed or done both to the mirror beforehand.  But not me!  I just dove right  in!

 And after 1 coat we had this...

  Does it end there??  No way!  I can't wait to tell you about the zillion coats, the leaving it out in the rain, the taking it home, and then...  THE BIG REVEAL!

And oh, just because he's cute and I wanted to give you a glimpse into future posts...