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DIY Sunburst Mirror Tutorial

DIY Sunburst Mirror Tutorial

To round out our tutorials from yesterday’s ombre inspiration shoot, we have this amazing ombre sunburst mirror from Honey of Honeydew Events LLC, shot by Stephanie Yonce Photography. We love that there are so many endless color assortments you could play with for this!



For this project, thanks to The Lettered Cottage, you will need:
-2 packages of standard shims
-sanding block
-primer spray paint (easier)
-protected surface work area
-a 12″ or 14″ floral ring
-a 4″ or 6″ floral ring
-a circular mirror- we used a 10″
-wood glue
-hot glue gun
-paintbrushes
-paint: a 2 oz. custom mixed sample in white and another color (we used teal) was plenty
-disposable spoons
-containers to mix the paint (4 containers)


ombre sunburst mirror diy tutorial

1. Begin by laying out all your shims. I gave each one a light sanding then sprayed 2 layers of primer on one side only. I did not bother with the other side because it would not be visible. NOTE: I found later that if you prime the shims first and then sand, that the shims actually looked better. Because the wood is rather soft, it had a tendency to still splinter and not look great even after I sanded the non-primed shims


ombre sunburst mirror diy tutorial

2. Lay out your first layer of shims over the 2 floral rings on a work surface. The smaller ring will fit into the larger one. Lay the shims so that the thin tip is towards the center. Place the shims in a sunburst pattern around the entire form. The tips towards the middle will overlap a little. The edge of the tips inside should meet the inside edge of the smallest ring.

Lay your second layer over the first. Try to lay the shims to that they lay over the gaps in the first layer.

3. Mix all your paint colors. To make the ombre mirror, you will paint one section white, and the opposite side your coordinating color. Starting on the white end, you will paint the areas on either side of the white the same shade, and the next area on each side the same shade, etc.- ending with your coordinating color. For the sake of explanation, White will be color 1 and your coordinating color (teal for us) is color 7.

The easiest way to mix the paint is to use a spoon and dish out equal parts into containers to obtain the right shades. To obtain color 2, I used 5 spoonfuls of white and a half of teal. NOTE: The darker color will always dominate the white. It is easier to add more of the darker color bit by bit, but it is really difficult to add white to get to the color you want if you over-saturate! To obtain color 3, I used 5 spoonfuls of white and a full spoonful of teal. Color 4 is equal parts white and teal (about). Color 5 is 4 spoonfuls of teal and 2 of white (about). Color 6 is 5 spoonfuls of teal and 1 of white. You can play with the ratios to obtain the right colors!


ombre sunburst mirror diy tutorial

4. Now to divide the shims on the mirror. We used straws so you could see in the picture, but do this however you would like. Divide a “pie slice” on opposite ends of the form for your white and coordinating color. In one half, divide the area into 5 sections. Repeat this on the other side. Lightly write on each of the shims the color number in pencil (1-7).

5. You can take each of your numbered shims and put them into piles by number. We purposely made sure not to have the exact same number of shims in each number section. We wanted the ombre effect to be more natural, and transition well.

6. Paint each of the shims in the appropriate number color and let dry. Don’t forget the sides!

7. Once dry, place your shims back down on your form. Some areas of the first layer had 3 shims for us, some had 2 and some had 4. We made sure that the transition looked great, and that we had enough shims for the second layer. We then glued this layer down when we were happy. We used wood glue, backed with hot glue in some spots.

8. The second layer is where you will achieve the ombre effect if done correctly. We placed the colors in their appropriate locations, but we made sure to overlap a color over the top of the next color section. This allowed the colors to blend together. Glue this round down when you are satisfied!


ombre sunburst mirror diy tutorial

9. Finally, glue your mirror into the middle of the form. We used a book to weigh the mirror down for maximum adhesion.

10. You can attach a wire piece to the back (available at a home improvement store) to hang easily on a wall.

ombre sunburst mirror diy tutorial

View all images from this tutorial in the gallery

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