Lately I’ve been feeling crafty.  It could be the amount of free time I have on my hands, or the  amount of it that I’m spending with kids.. but whatever it is: I don’t hate it.

After Clementine’s vet appointment on Monday, I stopped at an antique shop.  Like second hand clothing, I am a definite fan of second hand furniture.  It tends to have a lot more character for a lot less money.  I was delighted to find a large gold mirror for $22 dollars.  I was even more delighted that my mother was willing to pay for it.

My mother also bought a cherry wood desk and chair off Craigslist the other day.  It was a great deal, even if it’s possibly laminate.  I could have used it (instead of my bed) quite frequently to do homework this past semester, but it’s a little too late for that.  Instead I plan on transforming the corner of my room with the desk into a vanity/make-up station.

Please ignore the piles, and admire the Audrey Hepburn posters instead.  I have a bit of rearranging to do with the wall decor, but where Audrey is currently holding her cigarette I would like to place the mirror, maybe a little lower.  I’m extremely OCD and color coordinated, so I wanted the mirror black instead of gold.

On second thought it would have still matched the desk’s metal furnishings, but when have I ever done anything easy?

After taping around the edge of the mirror (because God knows I would get black paint on it), I applied the first coat of black paint.  It worked as a primer.

Note: because the mirror was wood, I did not have to go to the trouble of sanding it.  Depending on the material and amount of paint layers you may have to.

Oh, and there’s a glimpse of my beautiful mother who helped with this project: Hi mom!!!

After the first coat of paint, the mirror still had a significant amount of gold shining through.  I also felt it looked streaky, so on to the next one.

Part of the reason I like this mirror so much is the victorian style detailing.  A second coat really helped to transform this piece, yet you can still see some of the gold accents.  I am undecided about whether this helps the piece look more antique-y or if I should use a skinny brush and go over the detailing a third time…

Would you be kind enough to help me decide?

Xo,

Allison