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How To Save A Plastic Mirror from the Yard Sale

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I am getting ready for a yard sale, in fact I was supposed to have it last month but we had torrential rains and so I still have a house full of things I don’t really need – read too many cups and saucers that don’t match! 

Another thing I have is this awful oval mirror with a plastic frame.  Honestly, I wouldn’t have given it a second glance except that the kids took all of the mirrors from my room and so I made myself a bet. I would give it one last shot and try to up-cycle this sad sack of a mirror and if I don’t like it, then I can still sell it at the yard sale. Now let’s see how I intend to save the plastic mirror from the clutches of the yard sale. 

Plastic oval mirror with details before, How to Save a Plastic Mirror from the Yard Sale www.theboondocksblog.com
Disclosure: I was compensated for doing this post with product.  However, all the opinions stated here are my own. I only use products I love and would recommend to my viewers. 
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The truth is, this mirror was a yellowish color before.  You know the bad kind of yellow from too much exposure to the elements.  Or maybe it was always meant to be this way.  Whatever the truth is, I did not like it one bit.  If you look at the photo below you can instantly see what a difference a coat of white paint makes. 
Painting the mirror with chalky finish paint in white, How to Save a Plastic Mirror from the Yard Sale www.theboondocksblog.com

​Disclosure:
 The items below are affiliate links. If you purchase any of these products through the links, I receive a small commission, that way I can continue to provide you with lovely content.  There is no extra charge to you for purchasing through my affiliate links.

What I Used:

The Americana Chalky Finish paint in Everlasting took all that yellow away and laid the foundation for what was to come next!
Detail of paint going on mirror white over the yellowish plastic, How to Save a Plastic Mirror from the Yard Sale www.theboondocksblog.com

The How To:

I ended up adding a second coat of the Americana chalky finish paint, because I wanted to have a clean canvas for the next step.   You see, I was going to try and add depth to this plastic and also highlight all those curves and swirls. 
White mirror painted with chalky finish paint, How to Save a Plastic Mirror from the Yard Sale www.theboondocksblog.com
Using the White Everlasting chalky paint as a base, I mixed some of the Raw Sienna in and came up with this lighter color, a peach,  which I softly brushed onto the “rope” you see below. 
Adding a peach color to the ropes of the oval frame, How to Save a Plastic Mirror from the Yard Sale www.theboondocksblog.com
AntiqueFarmHouse

​I also mixed the Neutral Gray into the Everlasting chalky finish paint to come up with this soft gray which I then applied to the 5 rope pieces going around the oval of the mirror. 

Finally using the Raw Sienna mixture I painted over the scallops and the framed piece which was right next to the actual glass, on the right side of the image below. 

Adding grey to the mirror frame, How to Save a Plastic Mirror from the Yard Sale www.theboondocksblog.com
I kept on repeating this process over and over with a dry brush technique.  That means that I would apply a little bit of paint to the brush and then dab it onto a paper towel, leaving just a tiny bit of paint on the brush to be applied to the mirror. 
using the dry brush technique, How to Save a Plastic Mirror from the Yard Sale www.theboondocksblog.com

​You can still see lots of the white peeking out from underneath the brushstrokes. 
Peach and grey with white showing through, How to Save a Plastic Mirror from the Yard Sale www.theboondocksblog.com
The final step was to take the metallic black and thin it out with water.  This created a sort of glaze.  I painted this onto the 5 ropes you see below which are vertical. 
​ 
Detail of grey color on mirror, #Mirrorframemakeover #Shabbychicmirror #Vintagelookmirror #chalkyfinishpaint #paintingoverplastic #easyupcycle How to Save a Plastic Mirror from the Yard Sale www.theboondocksblog.com

​And here they are on the top of the oval. It’s starting to look very shabby chic!
Top of oval frame, How to Save a Plastic Mirror from the Yard Sale www.theboondocksblog.com
The final step was to thin out the metallic black even more and brush the whole frame with it.  Again, using it as a glaze. Normally when using chalky finish paint I’d need to add a top coat to seal it in.  But in this case I used the acrylic paints as sealants. 
Oval plastic mirror frame painted with white, grey and peach, #Mirrorframemakeover #Shabbychicmirror #Vintagelookmirror #chalkyfinishpaint #paintingoverplastic #easyupcycle How to Save a Plastic Mirror from the Yard Sale www.theboondocksblog.com

​And now I have a new mirror!

Is it shabby chic?  Does it look vintage? I don’t know what to call it.  You can see the  drop cloth pleated curtains that I made a few months ago,  reflected in the mirror. 

Oh and the object next to the oval mirror, on the right, is the farmhouse chippy mirror I refinished a few months ago. The actual mirror has fallen off – talk about Murphy’s Law, after all that work – but I will find a way to glue it back on. 

Oval Plastic Mirror frame in shabby chic, vintage style, #Mirrorframemakeover #Shabbychicmirror #Vintagelookmirror #chalkyfinishpaint #paintingoverplastic #easyupcycle How to Save a Plastic Mirror from the Yard Sale www.theboondocksblog.com
The oval frame has a very soft look  with lots of shimmer. 
Detail of Plastic mirror frame, #Mirrorframemakeover #Shabbychicmirror #Vintagelookmirror #chalkyfinishpaint #paintingoverplastic #easyupcycle How to Save a Plastic Mirror from the Yard Sale www.theboondocksblog.com

​And it’s certainly a much more robust frame that really shows off all those twists, turns and scallops. 
 
Vintage, shabby chic look mirror with oval frame, #Mirrorframemakeover #Shabbychicmirror #Vintagelookmirror #chalkyfinishpaint #paintingoverplastic #easyupcycle How to Save a Plastic Mirror from the Yard Sale www.theboondocksblog.com
See how the grey blends into the sienna.  I randomly brushed the watered-down grey on top of the scallops. 
Details of vintage, shabby chic mirror, #Mirrorframemakeover #Shabbychicmirror #Vintagelookmirror #chalkyfinishpaint #paintingoverplastic #easyupcycle How to Save a Plastic Mirror from the Yard Sale www.theboondocksblog.com
Now you might be wondering why I chose these two colors and not something else.  This room seems to be coming along slowly and the grey and peach are the predominant colors so far. 

​I’ll be showing you more of the furniture as we go on.  Or maybe I’ll even be brave and make a mood board.  I’ve never made one before.  Any advice on how to do it?  

Details of vintage shabby chic mirror, #Mirrorframemakeover #Shabbychicmirror #Vintagelookmirror #chalkyfinishpaint #paintingoverplastic #easyupcycle How to Save a Plastic Mirror from the Yard Sale www.theboondocksblog.com
And lest we forget what a boring yellow plastic frame it had been before…
Oval plastic mirror before, #Mirrorframemakeover #Shabbychicmirror #Vintagelookmirror #chalkyfinishpaint #paintingoverplastic #easyupcycle How to Save a Plastic Mirror from the Yard Sale www.theboondocksblog.com
Will this be my new mirror for the bedroom?  Or should I demand that the kids give me back the old one that they confiscated?
Vintage look, shabby chic mirror transformed with paint, #Mirrorframemakeover #Shabbychicmirror #Vintagelookmirror #chalkyfinishpaint #paintingoverplastic #easyupcycle How to Save a Plastic Mirror from the Yard Sale www.theboondocksblog.com
And that is how I am going to save a plastic mirror from the yard sale!

Maybe…

Ok now I need an honest opinion here.  Should I keep this plastic oval mirror, or should I sell it at the yard sale?

And while we’re at it, do you want to see a mood board for this grey and peach bedroom?

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Vintage look, shabby chic mirror transformed with paint, #Mirrorframemakeover #Shabbychicmirror #Vintagelookmirror #chalkyfinishpaint #paintingoverplastic #easyupcycle How to Save a Plastic Mirror from the Yard Sale www.theboondocksblog.com
Vintage look, shabby chic mirror transformed with paint, #Mirrorframemakeover #Shabbychicmirror #Vintagelookmirror #chalkyfinishpaint #paintingoverplastic #easyupcycle How to Save a Plastic Mirror from the Yard Sale www.theboondocksblog.com
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VoIP

Saturday 3rd of October 2020

Love how you updated this mirror. Fabulous job. Stop by Over The Moon party tomorrow since you are being featured.

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Gail

Thursday 31st of May 2018

I love any type of mirror - the larger, the better! There's something about having mirrors throughout the house that opens up the space! I wouldn't sell it. It looks fabulous since you refinished it!

Mary

Saturday 2nd of June 2018

Thank you Gail, I am definitely going to keep this one. I agree about mirrors opening up spaces, this room is so small but having the mirror there makes a difference.

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