3.21.2010

Reflecting.

I've been taking a break from blogging this week to get some stuff in order. (thanks for the emails checking in on me!) I do this every so often because I love change, love re-evaluating, and love tweaking.  I also love not being sick, and I spiked a wicked high fever hours after everyone left my daughter's party last week.  Spent much of the rest of this week recovering.

I'm sure you'll see some fresh changes around here soon.  I've just finished a course on identifying my energy type, and want to begin reflecting some of that on the blog.

Speaking of reflecting, though, I wanted to finally show you the mirror collage and some other projects I did to prepare for all the company last week.  None of these were hard projects, but they did take time and planning.  Hubby helped me move quite a bit of furniture around too, but that will be a different post.  And today I even cleaned up my cra(p)ft room!  Be amazed....

Ok, remember this fella?

He's now flown the coop, and the piece looks like this:


I'm not totally happy with it yet....need to add some kind of flourish under the 'Est. 1986'.  Then I want to glaze the whole ding dang thing to match the frames on all the other mirrors and pictures I did.

Here's a horrid tutorial.  I picked fonts I liked, and sized it on the 'puter.  Then I used tracing paper and a pencil to trace around all the letters.  If I'd been a smart person, I'd have done it in mirror image, but I'm not so smart sometimes, so I had to do an extra tracing on the back.....so there'd be pencil lead to 'lay down' on the wood from the backside.

Then I laid it on the painted wood where Mr. Eagle had been and traced over the letters/numbers again.

Next I outlined it with a black sharpie pen, then filled it in with a paint marker...which I noticed later was a fabric paint marker.  Ooops.  After it was dry, I sanded it all down and distressed the edges.

Again, not perfect yet, but getting close.
Here's another frame I painted.  It used to be a dark espresso brown.  I have a couple other florals like this that also got the treatment, but my pictures were stinky, so you'll have to wait to see those.

And now here's way more pictures than necessary to show you my stairway mirror and frame collage.  And the lighting is way obnoxious because I've been fiddling with one of those halogen light things, trying to bring more light to my pictures without using flash. 


This is the one where I removed the cheesy picture in the top and replaced with with a piece of burlap and stenciled our last name's initial on top.



This is a big, cheap frame from some picture I had in the attic.  I did the paint/glaze treatment on it then decided to stick in another 'H'.  I mod podged some left over textured wallpaper on the letter, then painted and glazed it like the frame.


These are just two frames I had that I put up there as an afterthought....that space needed something.

I wanted an old-fashioned chain for this bevelled oval mirror, so I went to JoAnn's and found some silver chain in the trims department, then spraypainted it oil-rubbed bronze.  Hubs cut it to the right length.

Some of the mirrors are truly vintage, others are new, and most have cheesy plastic frames.  The paint and glaze treatment harmonized them all.  This trio came from Hobby Lobby's Christmas clearance.  I added some matching neutral ribbon.

This was a solid wood frame with a cool mat, but a ridiculous picture.  Both got the paint/glaze, removed the picture, then I picked up the mirror at the Dollar Store in the candle section.  I hotglued the same ribbon as above trio to the back and between the frame and mat.

This is an old mirror my mom always had hanging in our house.  I had painted it and used it for my dining room, but redid it for this collage.

The tall mirror at the bottom is a vintage mirror....there's silvering and hazing on it, which I love.  I wanted it closest to the bottom so others would see these details.

It really did help to use the patterns.  I ended up switching it around a little, but it mostly stayed very similar.  It was a challenge to get it to look 'random', but not messy.  I wanted some symmetry, with a predictable 'flow'...but still have lots of different shapes and textures.  I also used some of that yellow sticky tac to hold corners down...my boys race up and down these stairs, and I don't want them to come crashing down!

So how'd I do?  Have you ever done a picture collage or other type of arrangement that needed to strike a balance between 'random' and order?


I'm gonna party this week.  You'll find me here:
Best DIY Projects of the Month (Beneath My Heart)
Make it for Monday (::cottage instincts::)
Thrifty Treasures (Southern Hospitality)
Met Monday (Between Naps on the Porch)
DIY Day (A Soft Place to Land)
Timeless Tuesday (Paula Grace Designs)
Trash to Treasure (Reinvented)
Get Your Craft On (Today's Creative Blog)
The Power of Paint (domestically speaking)
Show and Tell Wednesday (Blue Cricket Designs)
White Wednesday (Faded Charm)
Transformation Thursday (The Shabby Chic Cottage)
Frugalicious Friday (Finding Fabulous)
Show and Tell (My Romantic Home)
Saturday Nite Special (Funky Junk Interiors)

56 comments:

Claudia said...

Cindy,

The mirrors looks gorgeous and so striking! You've done a bang-up job on them.

xo
Claudia

Stephanie Lynn @Under the Table and Dreaming said...

Wow your staircase is simply stunning! I love your collection of mirrors and frames - the different styles and details are gorgeous! You did an amazing job on this...Happy Spring!

gina@3ringcottage said...

Love that arrangement on the stairs. My favorite is the one with burlap and an H. Glad to see the finished product of the first mirror with the eagle gone.
Gina

Amy@TheLemonCottage said...

Oh Cindy... they are gorgeous!
Really beautiful.
I love your collection!
Thanks for the 'horrid' tutorial! :)
Hope you are feeling better.
~Amy

Leanne said...

I was wondering where you were. I hope you're feeing better now. I love your stair case. The mirrors look amazing. It turned out beautifully. I just decorated mine too. Check it out if you get the time.

Sissie's Shabby Cottage said...

Hi Cindy,
I like what you have done with the first mirror and all the rest that go up your stairs. Very pretty and lots of work.

Great post.

hugs
Sissie

Maryann @ Domestically-Speaking said...

Love your mirror wall! I've been collecting mirrors for the last month to do a mirror wall in our family room. Thanks for the beautiful inspiration!

Glenda/MidSouth said...

First - I am sorry you have been sick - hope you are much better. Really like the mirror wall. Makes me wish I followed thru with the one I was going to do - will have to think about that. :)

Amanda said...

I have to tell you, I really love that wallpapered letter, that is brilliant. LOVE the texture, it looks really great. I also love the revamped eagle mirror listed first. I've been wanting to do an "established" type project too, but still haven't decided what to do. Yours looks great, and your collage is marvelous!

Carolyn @ My Backyard Eden said...

Your staircase looks gorgeous. I really like the makeover you did with the eagle mirror too!

Anonymous said...

love what you did with the mirrors and frames... The staircase looks great!

Unknown said...

Hope you are feeling much better now. The mirror and frame wall looks great. I like all the different shapes and textures with the same colours. Looks like a fair bit of work, but well worth it.

gail@My Repurposed Life said...

I like the mirror you're working on, and... it was NOT a horrid tute! :)
your grouping looks great, but my favorite is that simple pairing of the frames... the diagonal one inside the other one. love it!
have a great week.
thanks for hosting!
gail

The Decorating Diaries said...

Wow! So many ideas on one wall. It looks great.

Janet

K@The Thrifty Teacher said...

Add me on the "love the letter" list- I just got an initial w/ a hook on it and have been looking for something to do with it :) Thanks for the inspiration :)

Everything looks great!

One Cheap B*tch said...

Fabulous makeover! And I LOVE your wall with the frames and mirrors. So beautiful!

Jessi said...

WOW! Everything looks fabulous! I love the staircase. It all came together beautifully. And I think I have a message board with a hideous pic at the top that I could try making over with burlap and a monogram. Thanks for sharing!

Amy Kinser said...

I think you did fantastic. Everything looks marvelous!

Allison Shops said...

You've been busy! The staircase looks great. I hope you'll drop by AtticMag to see Jane's Met Monday post.

Heather said...

The staircase turned out beautiful, I love it! Seriously, it looks really good and you should be thrilled (as I'm sure you are!).

fleurcottage said...

terriffic job!

Anonymous said...

I am overwhelmed by your staircase!! Beautiful does not even begin to describe it. It's just incredible! I want to copy that on my blank wall going up my staircase. The mirror turned out awesome.

You've certainly been busy. You did good girl.

Anonymous said...

Cindy,

You did it! They look amazing. Love all your 'redesigns' to the mirrors and your arrangement. So far, I've located three mirrors. Still shopping.

Deborah

the cape on the corner said...

that looks fantastic. amazing!

Sandi~A Cottage Muse said...

Love it...I recently did over an old country style mirror too! Your wall is terrific!!!! So many beautiful pieces all together, just like a gallery!

Maddie said...

Only you would take tracing paper and a pencil to your computer screen to make a stencil for a mirror frame. You rock my world mom.

deb said...

Your mirrors are just gorgeous!!

Anonymous said...

Amazing redo on the first mirror. And I am so in love with your stairway. I have been contemplating doing a similar thing, but with mostly portraits at our house. The only thing is, instead of a ceiling over the wide doorway at the bottom we have a two story wall, so there is no definition to the end of that space and I dont know what to do with that part of it.

Marla said...

Your stairway is fabulous! I like your style, the new mirror is amazing and averything very classy, Smiles, Marla

KimMalk said...

I'm seriously envying this awesome arrangement. You have such vision.

Tracy's Trinkets and Treasures said...

I love your wall. It looks so put together rather than just full of stuff. Great job.

Paula Grace Designs said...

You did great! The mirror wall is stunning!! Thanks so much for joining Timeless Tuesday.

Paula Grace ~

Atticmag said...

The mirror with the burlap is my favorite. Great detailing. The collection together really makes a statement. Happy to be visiting for the first time.
Jane T. @ Atticmag

Unknown said...

This is stunning!! Your staircase is now a masterpiece. Great job!! Now I look at my staircase and it looks so boring...

Polly said...

Ohmigosh Cindy, it looks awesome! That certainly must have taken some time to determine your layout! Impressive!! Question for you....do you have a special ladder to use on the stairs? I would love to do something like this in my stairwell, but how in the world do you get up there?!?!?!

Polly

Faded Charm said...

Your stairway and all your mirrors are beautiful. What a great statement!

Hope you had a great WW.

Kathleen

Catherine @ van Breugel Design said...

Oh Cindy, it looks absolutely fabulous! I was looking at your thrifting haul and you mentioned mirrors and I had this thought that i hadn't seen them hung up yet..... So I went searching! I love it, and I love the touches of burlap, the"H"s and I especially love the est. 1986 - how cute is that.

You are so clever!
Bye for now,
Catherine

Low Tide High Style said...

I'm glad you are feeling better and everything you did turned out beautifully! I love the hand painted mirror...it's so pretty!

Kat :)

Wendy said...

So many great ideas in one post! I need to go back and look at it again and again! I will never look at one of those eagle mirrors the same again! Thank you for all the inspiration :)
Wendy

Unknown said...

Very cool mirror collage...it looks really nice!

Nancy

Amber said...

Wow I love all of it!

Lou Cinda @ Tattered Hydrangeas said...

I love it ALL!! Simply LOVE it all!! The wall going up the stairs is stunning! I LOVE monograms too, so I love all of those....and the frames!! Beautiful!!

Lou Cinda :)

Hope you are feeling better!

Tina said...

Hi Cindy:) I just found us both linking on Traci's linky party at Beneath My Heart! I LOVE this!! Your wall is so beautiful, I want one just like it!! Thank you so much for showing us how to make the transfer, I had put a project on hold as our printer broke down last week, and I never thought to trace it straight off the laptop screen! Again, this project and your gorgeous wall is my favourite - just love it!! Well done ~ Tina x

Heidi said...

I've been waiting for you wall reveal! It turned out so nice! I love it!

AutumnBrooke said...

That looks really great! I think you got the flow down perfectly.

Autumn
TheFickleHobbyist.com

Funky Junk Interiors said...

THUNK. Only my dream wall you have there. OH MY GOSH girl!! Dreamy! I just love everything about it! It must add alot of light and dimension to a staircase as well due to the light bouncing around. How cool!

Truly beautiful. And I totally know what you mean about it taking time. Boy do I...

Donna

Richella Parham said...

This is really lovely! To tell the truth, I've never been a big fan of collages--they often look too hodge-podgey for my taste. But this looks beautiful. I think it's the way you unified the look of all these frames that does it for me. And you made them fit your space really well. Great job!

Mary said...

Great job!! I love it!!!

Tracey @ My House of Giggles said...

Oh this is just so beautiful!!! You've done an amazing job is styling those mirrors...they look perfect! Thanks for the great inspiration!

Cyndi said...

Just Beautiful!!!

Traci@ Beneath My Heart said...

Cindy,
I love the arrangement! I tried to do something like this in my staircase with black frames but I didn't like the results. Taking it all down now! :) I like that you added mirrors. Maybe I need to try that.
Thanks for linking up to my party, girlfriend!
Blessings,
Traci

Rene said...

I love the first mirror and then the mirror collection had me run to my stairwell and evaluate my options.

Unknown said...

Wow wow wow! I love it! I've been thinking of changing up our stairwell, and You've inspired me to give this a try! Thanks for linking up.

Holly Austin said...

I absolutely love what you've done here... I've been wanting to collect vintage pictures and "empty" frames to line my stairwell, but I may start looking for mirrors instead!

Peace Love & All Things Creative said...

Love the vintage frames. What a great way to use such a large wall space. Great job!

JunkStuffTreasures said...

Your stairway wall looks fabulous! So many different shapes of frames- very interesting.

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