DIY Gold Sunburst Mirror

This was supposed to be a project for my new office, but it ended up finding a home in my living room. It was a much larger scale than I anticipated but I love how it turned out. 

I was instantly inspired by this DIY mirror project by The Lettered Cottage. Thank you Christy for pinning it! I already had the circle mirror and it looked like something I could make. 

I picked up a bunch of .59 cent wood dowels from Hobby Lobby and cut them into 3 different lengths with this little hand saw. It was not the easiest way to cut them, but it worked!

I roughly configured the ray pattern while my hot glue gun heated up.

I drew a crosshatch on the back of the mirror to locate the top, bottom, left and right center points. This provided a reference for symmetry. Symmetry! 

Then I worked, very s-l-o-w-l-y to glue each dowel on, one by one. It. Took. A. Long. Time. I will say this, when it comes to gluing these on, less glue is more. The ones that I gobbed glue on and slathered both sides, were the ones that fell off and needed repair. About 5 of those little lessons learned. Thankfully, the glue dried quickly, and once it was set, they were good to go.

Once they were all in place, I  spray painted the entire thing with gold metallic spray paint. I removed the backing and the mirror, which made it even easier to paint. A few coats later and it looked great! 

My new mirror really pops against the gray wall in our living room. It makes quite a statement above our console table! I really like it. The cork mirror was relocated to the kitchen (in case you were wondering). It looks even better sitting on a red wall.

This antiqued metal gold mirror retails for $355. Yowza. Mine cost $16. Granted, this one is metal and has a lot more rays and detailing than mine. But gluing on that many dowels? Ain't nobody got time for that! 

If you're looking for a DIY wall art project that will add impact to any space, without a huge price tag, this mirror fits the bill. It would be fun in any color!

Supplies:
Round mirror
Wood dowels
hot glue
gold spray paint