Cheap and Easy Designer Mirrors

Sometimes, you buy the things needed to make a craft but you could easily have purchased the finished item much cheaper at a store. The only reason to do such a project is for the fun of it - not to save money. But there are some craft projects that can be made much cheaper than it would be to buy the item. One example is a designer mirror. Whether you love dolphins, lighthouses, tepees, wolves, dogs or even dollar signs, you can make a mirror with that theme in mind. Mirrors with unusual shapes like those can be costly - if you can find them at all - but can be made with little money.

Craft stores feature mirrors without frames and they're perfect for making assorted designer mirrors. Purchase a round mirror, a square one, or a rectangle. The shape for the mirror will come later in the project.

If you have a box lid at home, great, but if not, purchase a paper mache box at the craft store. These boxes come in a variety of shapes and sizes - with accompanying lids - and since they're cheap, too, that makes them ideal for creating the frames for your designer mirrors.

Make one large mirror, several small, or a combination of one large and some small ones, depending on the wall arrangement you desire. To begin, lay a stencil on the backside of one box lid and draw around it. If the stencil features letters or numbers, turn the stencil upside-down before drawing the shape. Use a sharp craft knife to cut out the image, staying at least a quarter-inch on the inside of the drawing.

On the backside of the box lid, apply hot glue around the cutout shape, and lay the mirror on it. Place the mirror so that the reflective side is facing downwards. When the glue is dry, flip the box lid over, and there is your designer mirror, in a frame.

There are many variations you can do to improve the look of the cardboard frame. You can paint the paper mache lid, glue beads or rhinestones to it, or even cover it with foil gift wrap. Glue on shells, tiny mirrors, stickers, or other craft supplies, to embellish the design of the shaped mirror.

You can also change the look of the mirror itself, if you want. Apply white glue to lace, then stick the lace to the mirror, or just draw on the mirror with a paint marker. You can even make a border of shelf liner around the mirror before attaching it to the box lid.

The designer mirrors - in any shapes you want - are easy to make and perfect for nearly any room of the house. Make a little lamb mirror for a baby's room, a lighthouse mirror for a living room, or even a heart mirror for the one you love. They're gorgeous and, best of all, cheap!