Yet another version of Sunburst Mirror you’d think. Well, that is true. Here is my take at the Sunburst Mirror using wood shims.
This is my first DIY craft post on my blog. I am always amazed when I come across any beautiful, interesting and budget-friendly DIY crafts for home decor. I have previously made few canvas paintings as wall art for my home. But, this is my first try at a craft of this scale. It is a heart warming feeling when we make things hand-made and home-made – I’m sure most of you agree on this.
I have been fascinated with Sunburst mirrors like forever and then I came across a wonderful Sunburst diy on this blog – KSarahDesigns. Kristen’s version of the sunburst mirror struck my eyes and I loved it so much that I instantly decided to make one on my own. I’ll write the procedure here, but you can check out her blog as well for a very well-described step-by-step process.
Things you’ll need:
- Wood Shims: (from Lowe’s)
- 12″ long – 4 packs with 42/pack
- 8″ long – 8 packs with 14/pack
- Mirror – 10″ diameter (from Michaels)
- Floral ring – 12″ diameter (from Michaels)
- Rectangular blocks – 1 or 2 inches in length – 7 packs with 4/pack (from Michaels)
- Elmer’s wood glue – I ended up using 3 bottles by the end of the project (Lowe’s/Michaels)
- Gorilla glue – 1 for the mirror (Lowe’s)
- Wood primer – 1 – any brand should be good (Michaels)
- Gold metallic paint (I used Modern options – Sophisticated finishes) – 1, 4-oz bottle – any other brand should also be good i guess (Michaels)
- Paint brushes (Michaels)
- Plywood – 12″ * 12″ – 3/4th inch width (Michaels)
- Picture wire hanging kit – 1 – (Lowe’s/Michaels)
Directions:
1. For the longer 12″ shims, bundle about 9 shims in a step fashion (or however you would want to arrange). Apply glue on both the sides as required and glue them together. Make few bundles and keep them aside. Be sure to place heavy weight on them so they are strongly bonded.
2. For the shorter 8″ shims, bundle about 7 shims in a similar way. Make a few bundles and set aside.
3. Arrange the bundled shims and estimate how many more you will need. I had to make about 15 bundles of each size.
4. Take the plywood and using its center, start arranging the bundles as a Sunburst. See if you need a few extra shims to insert into gaps here and there. I used about 5 to 6 extra 8″ shims. If you are happy with the arrangement, start gluing the bundles to the plywood and to the adjacent bundle with long and short shims alternately.
5. When done, place heavy weight on the sunburst and leave it over-night.
6. It’s time to apply primer now. This is to make sure that the finishing color is not absorbed by the wood and eventually give a dull look. Apply one or two coats of the primer as required. Let it dry for at-least 2 hours.
7. When the primer has dried, paint the color of you choice. I wanted a metallic finish so used a golden metallic paint. You can also opt for Spray paint which is quicker. But, I felt spray paint would give a lighter pale finish. Hence, chose the brush paint. Apply 2 coats if necessary for an even look. Let it dry for a couple of hours.
8. Now, take the frame-less mirror. Apply the gorilla glue on the gluing surface. Make sure you do not apply large amounts of glue on the ends as this glue has a tendency to seep out and gives a hard time to remove the extra glue after it has hardened. Stick the mirror on the center of the sunburst. Place heavy weight and leave it to dry over-night.
9. After the mirror is steady, I wanted to give the mirror a nice border design. So, used a floral ring. Glue the floral ring on the mirror. Let it stick well to the mirror. Go ahead – primer and paint the floral ring now.
10. Paint the rectangular blocks too. Let them dry and then glue them to the floral ring in any design you want.
11. Use the picture wire hanging kit and hang it to adorn any wall of your home.
And here it is……my beloved project finally completed.
It is definitely a time-consuming process but the end result will surely please your eyes. (It took me about a week spending a few hours everyday along with some back-aches and stiff-necks 
to complete the project). To talk about the budget, I think it costed me about $60 to $65. I already had the primer, picture wire hanging kit and paint brushes. I thought the costs would not to go beyond $50 but I still wouldn’t complain as I’m quite happy with the outcome.
So, go ahead and make one on your own.
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Really love this. I was looking for something like this to buy to hang over my fireplace. I will now make it instead.
Great idea, I can’t wait to give this a try.
thank-you!….good luck…..try it out….it will be worth the effort!
Great step-by-step! I love seeing folks making wonderfully crafty things.
thank-you!!!
so amazing!!!!!!!1 love love love!!1
WOW! Seriously, this is the best sunburst mirror I’ve seen to date! I love the originality – you took it in an amazingly gorgeous new direction! Great job!
thanks a lot!….that’s a huge compliment!
Firstly, great idea!
Secondly, congrats on being freshly pressed!
http://journeythroughhtml.wordpress.com
thanks a lot!
Great post!!
Ah beautiful place I wish I can visit one day.
Check out my blog if u get a chance fore more DIY inspiration http://arhitekturaplus.wordpress.com/
thanks!!!
Amazing, beautifully done
thank-you!!
super idea and execution …. I sooo want to make one ..
unfortunately, I haven’t heard of wood shims available “off the shelf” in India so not confident of pulling this one off .. in future perhaps …
thanks!!! that’s true….i too am not sure if we can find ‘wood shims’ in India…..but if you could find bamboo skewers….you can make one too….infact a much lighter version than this one! let me know how it turns out if you try it out!
Love this
thank-you!
Interesting twist on the DIY sunburst mirror. It very much reminds me of a city skyline – the empire state building silhouette to be exact!
thankss much!….that’s a lovely comparison!
Fantastic!
thanksss!!!
this looks GREAT! awesome job! i’m such a fan of the starburst mirror–dresses up any room!
thanks a lot!…:)…yes it surely beautifies any home!
What a beautiful Sunburst Mirror! How long did it take to make? Thanks for sharing. http://www.segmation.wordpress.com
thank-you!!….it took about a week!
Hmmmm I’m thinking I’d like to try this….. What a great idea! And it’s about 30″ in diameter? A little more?
thankss!!!…its about 32″ in diameter….surely try it out!
Wow, now that’s creative!
thankss a ton!!!
This is such a wonderful idea! Absolutely love it.
thank-you!…..glad you liked it…
Looks awesome! goood job!
thanks so much!!!
soo awesome! I will have to try it!
thankss!…….surely try it out….you’ll love how amazing it looks!
holy crap that is an awesome mirror!!! I want one. You should totally make them and sell them on Etsy. Congrats on the FP.
Thanks a lot!….thanks for the encouragement….but as of now not really sure about making more of these to sell on Etsy…..may be sometime in future
ha ha!!! ok. Well if you do, let me know!
Look fantastic!
thank-u!!
Love it! I’m always so impressed by people who are crafty! I don’t think I even own a drill
Cheers to you!
thanks a lot!…..:)….you can make one too…certainly not difficult…only time taking…
Wow so creative! Need to start doing these things more!
Katie
http://katieraspberry.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/how-to-get-traffic/
Holy shims & gorilla glue! This is gorgeous! Thanks for posting!
I love this! Looks stunning, thanks for sharing!
thankss much!!!
I love the mirror! And it’s name! Sunburst Mirror. It goes along with the mirror. It’s just like a sun bursting it’s sunshine. Well, loved the idea! Congrats on being Freshly Pressed!
i like how you described it!…..thankuuu!!!
we are looking to decorate our art deco house and this is a real inspiration – thanks!
thanks for your kind words!
GREAT idea!
thanks-you!!!
Wow! this is good! I am not sure but I think you wouldn’t get anything not even close to this within the budget that you had in interior stores. Plus, the fact that it is hand made, custom made, adds additional value and you cannot buy that anywhere!
Loved it!
p.s.I would be more than glad to take it if you ever get bored of it hanging on your wall
http://www.dressupforme.wordpress.com
yea…..in-store bought one would mostly be expensive than this….and then like you said something hand-made is always special
….you should try and make one….you’ll loveee it! 
I adore your idea and craftness, btu I am afraid that..hmm.. my fingers are working backwards for something precise like this, if you know what I mean
]
Although I have made some things – have a small D.I.Y section on my site too. [insert blush here
But its more that I like to make it than that I am good at it
Thank you for the encouragment
awesome
thankss!!!
isn’t it heavy?
sure it is!….i did check the weight before wall mounting it….it came to about 12 to 13 lbs….
Weee! I want a sunburst mirror too!! Thank you for your DIY post!! I’ll try to make something a little lighter! I just don’t know how yet.
That’s funny, I saw you said you didn’t know you were freshly pressed until you saw someone’s comment. That was the same with me, and I had no clue what freshly pressed even meant! I had to google it! Lol congrats again! LOVE this mirror!!
haha…..i usually did give a glance over freshly pressed blogs regularly (secretly wishing and hoping to see mine
)….but missed it today….thanks!
only one word
CREATIVE!! 
thank-youu!!!
congratulations on achieving FP status! I am so in awe of creative folks
thanks a lottt!!!
Beautiful creative job on a classic decorative object! Thanks so much for sharing!
thanks a lot!!!
Love it! So it on the freshly pressed page, and I was like that’s a perfect project for this summer! Been looking for an interesting mirror for my room. Thank you so much!! and Congrats!
~ Meredith
http://www.hashtagbubbly.wordpress.com
*Saw it… lol
thankss a lot!!!
Give it a try…..you’ll love it!
Amazing! It bring to mind a golden sunflower. Love it! Thank you for sharing.
thanks a ton!!!
I want to make this in metallic pink! A classic shape with a hot, bold color. Thanks for sharing
thanks!!!..:)…that does sound like a nice bold color…..let me know how it turns out!
Gorgeous.
thanks!!!
Teach me everything you know.
thanks!!! for stopping by….
This seriously looks like it would cost at least $500 – so intricate and clever. The mirror has a hint of art deco and a hint of seventies glam! Wonderful!
http://thewalkup.wordpress.com/
thanks a lot! for your kind words
Wow, I absolutely love it! Great job!!! Would love to make one like this myself!
Thanks a lot!….surely give it a try…..you’ll love how it turns out!
I will def try it:-) Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is awesome. You did a great job, I’m sure it took a long while to complete. I’m all about DIY home decor. not sure I’m ready to give this a try yet though. But sure looks like fun.
thanks!….sure it took almost a week to complete it…..spending few hours daily…..in the end it was worth it to see it beautify the plain white wall!
How cool!
Love love love! I’ve been looking for the perfect sunburst mirror for our new home. I just love the retro vibe. I think my Grandmother may have had something similar in her house. Thanks for the inspiration! Congrats on being FP- I bet you are a tad overwhelmed!
Check me out at theusualbliss.com sometime!
thank-you!!!….of-course i’m completely surprised & overwhelmed being freshly pressed……:)
We’re all jealous! Soak it in and enjoy it! Following now!
What a great idea. I see mirrors like this all the time and they sell for hundreds of dollars. Great work.
thankss!!!……so true….the in-store expensive price tag was one of the things that motivated me to make one!
Great idea, and congrats on being freshly pressed.
thanks a lot! I didn’t even realize my blog was ‘freshly pressed’ until your comment…:)