50's Inspired Starburst Wall Art

Over the past several months I have seen many many Starburst (or Sunburst) mirrors in just about every home and furniture store out there. They look really fun but I wasn't sure if one would look right in my 1951 post-war cape cottage. After searching through different sites I came up with a design that was on the small side and included several elements from some of my favorites. I also decided to use an octagon shaped mirror to give it a more 50's flare. Here is my finished project...Enjoy!

Here are a few that inspired me...

from RUGSTUDIO

a DIY from HGTV

Global Views on Amazon

And my two favortie....

Starburst Wall Mirror from Crate and Barrel

AND

the Clarendon Small Wall Mirror, also from Crate and Barrel

 I was really inspired by the detail in this last mirror (you'll see what I mean soon).

Supplies: 2 packages of floral stakes, pruning shears, small mirror, bronze spray paint, gold spray paint, epoxy glue, glue gun with glue, paper towels.

First I had to remove the felt off the bottom of the mirror with a razor blade. I'm not sure if all of the mirrors have this but the one I bought was for candles (dollar store).  I also found and marked the center.

 

After deciding the span size of the finished starburst mirror I cut the floral stakes with my pruning shears. I'm sure they could've be cut with some other tool but since they were wooden I figured my pruning shears would work...and they did.

Next I started gluing the floral stakes with epoxy glue. I used the previously drawn circle and points on the mirror as a guide for the first four stakes.

I then added more and more stakes until the entire mirror was filled. As you can see I started cutting the stakes shorter before gluing them down (top right) instead of after (bottom left). This made the stakes go further with less waste.

Then I flipped it over and used the glue gun to fill in the openings between the stakes. This was not just to fill in the spaces but to add a dimension that will eventually be painted gold. I also cropped the stakes to achieve the starburst look (see below).

I then covered the mirror with painter's tape and spray painted the entire project (front side and back side) with the dark bronze spray paint.  You can see the cropped stakes in this photo. This photo also depicts the bronze color best. They appear darker in all the others...in case your were wondering.

Once the bronze was dry I ripped pieces of paper towels and placed them as close to the edge of the hot glue filler as possible. To maintain a more natural pattern I tried not to arrange them perfectly (hard for my type-A self LOL),

Then I sprayed the exposed area with the gold metallic spray paint. To keep the paper towels from moving, (due to the spray's force), I sprayed from outside the circle inward.

 After the gold spray paint dried, I peeled off the painter's tape and cleaned the mirror. 

 I then glued a picture hanger on the back....

 

 

...and found the perfect spot in my home.

 

 

Here's another look. I love it!

 

Thanks for visiting,

Chicken Shish Kabobs & Rice

One of my most favorite things to do is prepare a meal with my husband. Our kitchen is pretty small (renovation to come) so we only get to do this when using the outdoor grill (a wedding present). For this particular dinner we decided to make Chicken Shish Kabobs with vegetables and rice. For the rice, my husband used his rice cooker, one of his favorite kitchen appliances. I hope you  enjoy...we did. :)

We used;

Chicken breast, cherry tomatoes, yellow, red, and green peppers, onions, mushrooms.

 

 TIP: I usually start and end each kabob with an onion piece.

 

  TIP: Spy PAM on the grill to avoid sticking and make cleanup easier. 

While the kabobs are grilling start the rice. 

We used our Rival 6cup Rice Cooker. 

Want one, click HERE.

 Its really easy;

Pour in 2 cups of dry rice into the bowl...

(the measuring cup that comes with the rice cooker)

 Fill with water to the line...

Put the bowl inside the cooker (heating element)...

 Turn on....

 Here they are...hot off the grill!

 ...and served with the rice.

  Or in a bowl with thai sauce.

Thanks for visiting,

Beachy Basket Door Decor

  


I'm back! I can't believe I haven’t posted since last week and no, I have not been on vacation. The truth is that when the weather is warm I tend to spend more time outside in the garden and less time inside on the computer (a good thing I think). 
 








If you’re familiar with East Coast summers you know that once the humidity hits, working outside is not enjoyable, so while it's still bearable, I’ve been outside rolling the mulch (LOL).  According to the local weather forecast it seems our hot-humid dog days of summer are here so I now have more time to get back to blogging. 

While we are not taking any official summer vacations this year we are doing some weekend getaways and next weekend we will be going to the beach. Keeping within this mindset I decided my front door needed something different, something beachy. 

I found a little basket at the thrifts store and turned it into a welcoming decoration with a beach theme. I hope you enjoy this tutorial and as always…Enjoy!

Supplies: Silk flower, Starfish, Floral Foam, Floral Wire, Ribbon, Glue Gun and the Basket...

I started by gluing the floral foam to the bottom of the basket.

 

 I then separated the leaves from the flowers and attached them to floral wire. This is so I have more control over their placement in the arrangement.

 Then I started the arrangement by starting with the yellow flowers, then the turquoise flowers, then the blue flowers. The filled in with the leaves as needed.

 

 

 

 

 To add the starfish to the arrangement I first hot glued them to flower wire...

...and then, the Bow:

 And here is the finished piece hanging on it new home!

 Thanks for visiting,