It is time again for the monthly Thrift Store Decor Upcycle Challenge! Each month my blogging friends and I team up with a group of talented ladies to bring you creative projects from thrift store finds. We create a new home decor piece from an item(s) we’ve found at a thrift store, yard sale, resale shop etc. There is no budget or specific theme so we are free to let our creativity run wild! This month, I chose to make this awesome DIY literary mirror. It is a gorgeous piece of décor exclusively to make me smile. I hope yours brings you the same smile each time you look at it!
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Amanda | The Kolb Corner Chelc | Inside the Fox Den Erlene | My Pinterventures
Kim | Made in a Day Sara | Twelve on Main Debra | Shoppe No. 5
Shirley | Intelligent Domestications Marie | DIY Adulation Lindsay | Crazy Organized
Michelle | Our Crafty Mom Julie | Live From Julie’s House Colleen | Life on Kaydeross Creek
Maureen | Red Cottage Chronicles Pili | Sweet Things Sherry | Savvy Apron
Ann | Duct Tape and Denim Dru | Polka Dot Poplars
Megan | C’mon Get Crafty Jennifer | Hydrangea Hippo
You can also follow our board on Pinterest for more upcycled decor inspiration!
[bctt tweet=”Get the tutorial for this literary mirror at the monthly Thrift Store Decor Upcycle Challenge. ” username=”diyadulation”]
Materials
Step 1
Cover the edges of your mirror with painter’s tape.
Tip:
- Don’t try to use 1 long strip of tape if your mirror is rounded. Instead use smaller strips and gradually work your way around the inside.
Step 2
Set your mirror aside and tear multiple pages out of your book.
Step 3
Rip the torn pages into small pieces. See the picture above for reference.
Step 4
Coat a small section of your mirror frame with a generous coat of Mod Podge.
Step 5
Place pieces of book pages over the Mod Podge.
Step 6
Dip your finger in the water and smooth of the top of the pages to form them to the shape of your frame.
Tip:
- This may take a few passes with water depending on how thick your book pages are.
Step 7
Continue steps 5 and 6 until your mirror frame is completely covered.
Tip:
- This might be trickier on more ornate frames like the top of mine.
Step 8
Allow your frame to dry completely.
Step 9
Once your mirror is dry, turn it over. Adhere the edges of paper hanging over to the back of the mirror with water and Mod Podge as you did above.
Step 10
Allow the back to dry.
Step 11
Turn the mirror back over. Coat the entire frame with a final coat of Mod Podge.
Step 12
Allow final coat to dry.
Step 13
With a box cutter, carefully trim the inner excess pages. See the picture for reference.
Step 14
Pull off the tape and trimmed excess.
Tip:
- If you cut through the tape with the box cutter, use the tip of it to peel the small strips of tape left.
Step 15
Clean your mirror.
Note:
- As you can see, mine got pretty messy. I went over it with a Clorox wipe to get the big areas of dried Mod Podge off. Next I went over the entire mirrored surface again with Windex.
I love how this turned out! Book décor is always a fantastic idea in my very nerdy opinion. This DIY literary mirror fits perfectly in my new Alice in Wonderland nook along with the Moss Bunny Wall Art. The pictures below are the best I could get of my nook at the end of our hallway (which aren’t great, but you can see me. Hi!). The pictures above are the ones for you to get a better look of the finished mirror. Before you go, check out the awesome projects from my friends below!
Be sure to check out all of the other creative upcycle projects my fellow bloggers have come up with!