Minty Mirror On the Wall

Hello! Today I am sharing one of my spring break projects with you. I am back at work today but I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my break. I actually didn't even mind going back to work after such a nice break. Anywho, you might remember this mirror (see below) I shared with you last month. I found it a thrift store for $5. It is old and heavy and I fell in love with the lines and details. Originally I had planned to paint it and turn the mirror around paint it with chalkboard paint, but I had a change of heart. My home deosn't get a lot of natural light so I thought the mirror whoule be better than the black chalkboard to reflect light and make the space feel larger.

I actually thought the mirror looked pretty sweet as it was, but I wanted to add a little color. I went through my stash of paints and came across this little Valspar sample tub I had bought a while back and forgotten all about. It was the perfect color choice for my mirror!

The color is called Sweet Mint and it reminds me of the color of jadeite which I love! So, I added a little calcium carbonate to it and made my own chalk paint and got to work painting. I gave it two coats and then sanded off a little here and there to expose the former color and even the wood in a few places. After it dried, I waxed it and it was good to go. Sorry I did not take pictures of the process. I am not usually patient enough for that...lol! And, I was working on three projects at the same time! I'll share the others later this week.

I also decided to add a shelf to the bottom to display some of my thrifted treasures on. I went down to dig around in daddy's pile of wood scraps and came across this piece which was exactly the right size! It is cedar and very rough hewn...I love the texture and uneven edge on the front. 

It is absolutely perfect!

Here it is hanging on the wall. Looks good but I made it look even better.

I love the way the distressing turned out. 

Here's a close-up of the wood shelf. See the marks left by the planer...love it! 

I waxed it to bring out the rich color of the wood.

I shopped the house for items to place on the shelf and found some perfect pieces. Of course this will change often, but I love this look for now. 

Not that you will be surprised, but every single thing in this display was either thrifted or given to me. I was in a quandary trying to decide what to hang on wither side of it when it hit me....my plates I have been collecting for a plate wall. I had four collected and needed one more big plate, so I stole the one on the lower left from my craft room wall. This was given to me by my Aunt Loretta a couple years ago. It was in a box of goodies she bought at an auction. I love the dandelions! I plan to keep adding more plates to the wall, but this was a good start. And speaking of the wall...it will be bead board soon. I am hoping we get to this project by this summer. We are replacing the walls in the dining room and library with bead board and board and batten. So looking forward to this project. We already have the flooring...the same flooring we put down in the guest room last year. We're just saving to purchase all the materials for the walls and the library cabinets an shelving materials.

Here's a picture of my dining room....well, most of it. We are planning to replace this table with a farmhouse table with a bench on the back side and 4 chairs...not these chairs, they are uncomfortable and not the look I want. We may build it ourselves if we can't find a used one we really love. I also want a pretty rug to go under the table, new curtains, and a beautiful light fixture to hang over the table....preferably a vintage chandelier. 

I'll be saving for a while...:)

So, what do you think? I just love it and it is my favorite project completed this week. I will be sharing the others soon so stay tuned! Have a blessed and beautiful day everyone.

I'll be partying with:

 Marty for Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Through Life  

Kathe for You're Gonna Love It Tuesday at Kathe With an E

The Style Sisters for Centerpiece Wednesday

Go check them out....:)

Until next time.....