Making The Most Of A Broken Mirror

A few weeks back I went to an estate sale.  It was one of those dream sales where I got lots of great things at a good price.  I even went back a few days after the sale and was able to buy some more gems and an even better price!  I picked up 5 old mirrors and had plans for all of them.  There was one I fell in love with and couldn't wait to put it on my mantle.  I've been wanting to change things up on my mantle for awhile, but I hadn't found the right mirror.  I got really busy and put the mirror aside, then one day I had a few minutes and decided to work on the mirror.  I cleaned it up really well then turned it over to repair it.  I'm not sure what came over me, but the next thing I knew I was re-nailing the old nails that were falling out on the back.  I thought I was being very careful, but when I turned the mirror back over it was cracked in half!  DUH! Mirrors are fragile and you don't hammer on the back of them. I have to admit I got tears in my eyes.  I couldn't believe I had been so careless and made such a silly mistake.  I carefully took the two pieces of old mirror out (notice now I decided to be careful) and I was left with a blah frame.  I put it aside for a few weeks then when I had some extra time between projects one week I went with Plan B.

The week I went to the estate sale my friend was here visiting from Canada.  I took her to New York City and we had a great time shopping.  While we were in the city we went to Papyrus and they had the best wrapping paper.  The paper was sold in sheets and they had so many fabulous designs.  My favorites were the papers with maps printed on them.  I bought a few different sheets of paper and had a some ideas on how I would use them, but I never thought I would use them in the frame of a broken mirror!  However, that was exactly what I planned on doing.

The paper I decided to use for my frame was a map of Paris.  I've had a love affair with Paris since I was a child so this paper was perfect for my frame project.  I gave the frame and wood backing a quick coat of Annie Sloan Old White then a coat of clear wax.  I used some spray adhesive to attach the map to the wood backing and when it was dry I did something that made me very nervous...I put some dark wax over the whole thing, even the map.  I was afraid the wax would seep into the paper and make a huge mess, but it didn't!  It did exactly what I wanted and gave it an aged feel.  I attached a painted fleur de lis I already had right above the map and then the new and improved frame was ready to hang above the mantle.

Here's the finished project.  I don't have any before pictures...sorry!  The frame more yellow than it is now and the wood backing was a dark wood.  I apologize for the lighting, but the living room doesn't get a lot of natural light.

I'm really happy I was able to make the most of a broken mirror.  What's the saying, when life gives you lemons make lemonade?  Well I think I made some lemonade for sure!

I had to take a picture of my new baby....well not really a baby, but my new coaster wagon!  I bought this at an estate sale and had never heard of a coaster wagon before that.  I did some research and learned that kids would ride these down hills then use the little wooden brake on the side to stop.  WOW, things have really changed!  The Hubby and I laughed when we thought of kids riding them down a hill with no helmet.  How did anyone survive?  (insert sarcasm here)

I'm hoping someone knows something about Hudson Coaster Wagons because I haven't found another one like it online.  I love it and I'm not selling it, but I love researching the vintage finds I buy.  The history fascinates me so if you have any information please email me or comment on the blog.

We let Hunter sit in the wagon (on flat ground) for a minute while I took some pictures.  He was ready to give it a try, but we decided to put it in front of the fireplace instead. 

I have another post I'm working on for this week.  It was a fun project I did for a client's Son.  I can't wait to share it with you!

Enjoy your day and thank you for reading!

Melody