Rita Hill showed how to take plain mirrors and turn them into decorator statements using inexpensive materials such as rope, paint and feathers.

Rope mirror

medium-sized, round craft mirror with MDF (medium density fibreboard) frame
8 metres natural sisal rope
hot glue gun
staple gun
small nails or tacks
Stanley knife

1. Carefully remove the mirror from the frame. If you're using an existing framed mirror, then clean the frame so it's free of dirt, dust or flaked paint.

2. Staple the end of the rope down flat onto the frame.

3. Hot glue the rope in a coiled fashion around the frame. The first lap is the trickiest, so you may need to use a tack here and there to hold the rope in place while the glue dries.

4. For the last lap, glue the rope along the edge of the frame, and then taper the rope with a Stanley knife. Put plenty of glue on the end so that the rope doesn't fray.

Feather mirror

medium-sized, round craft mirror with MDF frame
24 x hackle pad feathers
hot glue gun

1. Carefully remove the mirror from the frame. If you're using an existing framed mirror, then clean the frame so it's free of dirt, dust or flaked paint.

2. Glue feathers, one hackle pad at a time, overlapping around the frame of the mirror.

Copper mirror

medium-sized, round craft mirror with MDF frame
177ml copper metallic paint
1 bottle patina ageing solution
upholstery tacks
cutting blade
hammer
splash goggles

1. Carefully remove the mirror from the frame. If you're using an existing framed mirror, then clean the frame so it's free of dirt, dust or flaked paint.

2. Using a cutting blade, make several cuts in the frame as desired to make it look like it's covered with metal sheets.

3. Hammer in some upholstery nails to 'attach' the metal sheets.

4. Paint the frame with two or three coats of copper metallic paint, letting each coat dry thoroughly between coats.

5. Spray the frame with patina ageing solution, and watch the amazing change. Leave it to dry between coats, then when the desired effect is reached leave it for 48-72 hours (two to three days) for the ageing solution to fully develop. (Tips: when spray painting, make sure you have adequate ventilation. Always wear splash goggles and rubber gloves.)

Further information

Craft mirrors with MDF frames are available in different sizes from selected craft and hardware stores. We paid $14.95 each for medium-sized mirrors. Sisal rope, natural, costs around $2.10 per metre. We used Bristol Paints copper metallic paint. For information phone 131 686, or visit: www.taubmans.com.au Hackle pad feathers cost around $14.30 a dozen from dress trimming shops.

Copyright CTC Productions 2002