Painted Mirrors

So we've all seen these great Malma mirrors at Ikea, right? 
They are super cheap and give you lots or room for customizing...which us crafters love!  I bought a bunch of these a while back and hung on to them knowing they would come in handy for later decorating projects. 

 Well, when we decorated our second bathroom I had it in my mind for some sort of leaf theme.  I didn't want a very floral look...and I had a hard time finding the right accessories.  So I took matters into my own hands and came up with a quick relief painting technique to use on 3 of the Malma mirrors that was perfect for the space.

A Special Thank you to Summer over at Sumo's Sweet Stuff
for featuring me on her Showcase Saturday!!

First you'll need to pick your color theme, and paint the background color(s) on the frame of the mirrors.  

Then you'll need to cut out your shapes.  I used some basic printer paper and cut out a couple different leaf shapes.  You may need to make new ones as you go because the paint will begin to deteriorate the paper.  If it is important that the shapes be identical, I would recommend cutting out extra at the beginning and replace as needed.  Or you could go so far as buying the customizable stencils and making a real stencil.

Once your base coat is dry, hold one cutout down and dry brush in a contrasting color around the edge.  You might want to practice before you go to the mirror to get the hang of how much paint to use and what technique works the best. 


I overlapped the cutouts and filled in as much of the frame as possible.  I also liked the look of some of the leaves being partially off the frame...as if they were all falling.


Of course this technique can be used on all sorts of projects...from scrapbook pages and card making...to painting furniture and frames.  I hope you are inspired to paint something in your house!

Have fun with it! 
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17 Response to Painted Mirrors

April 28, 2010 at 9:30 AM

That looks great! I actually did not know right away that it was a leaf pattern. Too cool!

April 28, 2010 at 5:52 PM

These are awesome!! We don't have an Ikea nearby, but I could so do this with those chunky wooden frames they sell for a buck at the local crafts stores.

Anonymous
April 29, 2010 at 12:15 AM

Turned out great. They make a wonderful impression!

April 29, 2010 at 12:34 AM

These are FANTASTIC! They look sooo expensive - you would never guess they were from Ikea! (not that there's anything wrong with Ikea, I LURVE me some Ikea!)
Great job! Thank you for the tutorial!

April 30, 2010 at 11:21 AM

Very cute! I love the reverse stincels you made! :)

April 30, 2010 at 1:00 PM

I love me some Ikea projects! And those turned out so cute. It's a nice change from the mod podge take. (I love me some mod podge, too, don't get me wrong!)

May 3, 2010 at 6:57 PM

Those are so fun!! I love how it looks!

May 4, 2010 at 11:51 AM

I have four of these mirrors in a dark wood stain. You've given me a great idea for a simple re-do, if I get the inkling. Thanks for posting!

May 4, 2010 at 1:05 PM

I love a project like this you can just go crazy with!

May 4, 2010 at 4:44 PM

Great project! I love anything pertaining to leaves! Great job!

May 5, 2010 at 5:24 AM

This is a great idea. I might try it on some drawer fronts for a small chest. I really like the colors and the contrast you used. Good job. Thanks for stopping by junkblossoms. I might have taken a while longer to find your blog and I'm lovin it.

May 18, 2010 at 6:38 AM

awesome..I love that you tell where to get the supplies with the project..that helps!

May 20, 2010 at 10:14 AM

These are VERY cool....I would love it you'd link this project up to Fab Friday tomorrow.

Julie
www.FrugalFabulousDesign.com

May 25, 2010 at 8:06 AM

Thanks for linking up to The CSI Project! I love this idea -- so clever!!

I fixed the button problem -- feel free to add the button. Sorry about that!

XOXO
Jen

May 25, 2010 at 10:17 AM

Really cute! I have a bunch of those mirrors sitting in my garage. Maybe it's time to bring them out again!

May 25, 2010 at 12:13 PM

What a fabulous way to make pretty from plain!

July 14, 2010 at 10:40 AM

I love these mirrors! I've had mine for about 7 years now & never get sick of them. I actually just stained mine, and have them arranged in three staggered rows. Definitely can't go wrong with anything from Ikea!

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