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balsa wood sunburst mirror {a tutorial}

sunburst mirror tutorial burlap+blue
I really love using mirrors in my home. I have at least one per room, and I love that they can be pretty, functional, and make the space feel larger. I have new mirrors, thrifted mirrors, DIY mirrors…and now this: an inexpensive, pick-your-color, balsa wood mirror that’s hanging in our bedroom….

sunburst mirror tutorial burlap+blue
 Materials:
balsa wood (aka “craft” wood, found at Michaels or Hobby Lobby)
paint
foam brush
round mirror (found in the candle section)

sunburst mirror tutorial burlap+blue

Step 1: Take your balsa wood strips and paint them in your colors of choice. I chose variations of blue/blue-green/teal to complement the grays/yellows in our bedroom, and added a bit of silver for good measure. I layered and mixed the colors and came up with something like this…

sunburst mirror tutorial burlap+blue

Step 2: Cut your strips in half lengthwise, and then in sections approximately 4-6″ long. Balsa wood is thin, and should be easy to cut with a good pair of scissors.

sunburst mirror tutorial burlap+blue

Step 3:Begin arranging wood strips in a circular pattern, leaving room in the center for the mirror, and varying the colors/widths of the strips.

sunburst mirror tutorial burlap+blue

Step 4: Add a second layer of wood strips, cutting them a bit shorter than the first set of strips, and layering them in between your outer layer of strips. Start carefully hot gluing the strips to each other, as well as hot gluing the mirror to the center of the sunburst.

sunburst mirror tutorial burlap+blue

Voila!

sunburst mirror tutorial burlap+blue

sunburst mirror tutorial burlap+blue

So easy and inexpensive…this mirror probably cost all of $10 (not including hot glue and paint, which I already had on hand).

So tell me-what spot in your home could use one of these pretties? What colors would you choose? I love the deeper blues of this mirror, but would love to see one in metallic as well!