DIY Tutorial – Sunburst Posterboard Mirror

I wanted a sunburst style mirror to go above the four poster bed in our guest bedroom. I originally thought I would make one out of wood shims or paint sticks to bring in a wood element, but then I found this poster board mirror and thought it would be perfect. And cheap (this cost me less than $10 and I’ll break that down for you below)! I also found this post helpful and a good comparison of how this mirror can end up looking so different with a smaller mirror or additional layers of ‘rays’.

So what do you need?

• 3 sheets of white poster board @$0.49 each (I bought 4 and only used 3)
• 12 inch mirror @$3.99 (I found mine in the candle aisle at AC Moore for $7.99, but used a 50% off coupon)
• Hot Glue gun and glue sticks (already had)
• A picture hanger (already had leftover from a frame kit)
• Scissors
• Ruler

The total purchase was $6.50. That’s a pretty fancy looking mirror for less than $7? Yes, please!!

Measure out the large rays by tracing straight lines 6 inches apart and the smaller ones 4 inches apart.

You will need eight of each size.

Draw out your template ray to be the shape you want – I wanted the large ones to have a convex to concave shape with a pointy tip. The smaller ones were convex with a pointy tip, so less shapely. Then use your template to draw out and cut the rest. If you fold your template in half before cutting, you ensure both sides are equal and you’ve given the piece some texture/depth.

Hot glue the rays onto the back of the mirror beginning with the smaller ones so that they will be in front. I spaced them evenly 2 inches from the edge of the mirror and equal distance apart. Then when overlapping the larger ones, I alternated sides to create an even look. The larger ones were slightly further from the edge – around 3 -4 inches, but you can eyeball that for yourself. It may help you to flip it over and lay it out to see how it will look before gluing.

Once they are all glued in place, snap a picture of your adorable helper, you can secure your framing kit – I used one of the brackets that comes with two tiny nails for securing to a wooden frame. I attached mine to the mirror with hot glue. Be sure you do not glue this to the poster board because it won’t hold.

Here’s a rundown of the items in this room:

• Wall color – Benjamin Moore Santorini Blue in Ben line in Eggshell
• Bedroom set – my grandmother’s
• Lamp – Homegood’s
• Bedding – Homegood’s
• Pillow’s – Zebra from Target and Black from Pier 1

Now I am thinking I want to tackle another sunburst mirror out of wood shims – possibly for our bedroom or the living room. But we’ve got a big ol list of other house projects to finish up.

What creative d-i-y projects have you done lately with unexpected products?