Mirrored Ornament Tutorial

It may seem like it is a little early to be talking ornaments, but Christmas is less than 100 days away! I have been starting my Christmas present crafts early to ensure I have no last minute projects this year. This mirror ornament is easy to make and the perfect addition to your tree or a perfect gift for grandparents.

You will need:
small mirrors (You can buy them in multipacks at the craft store)
oven cleaner
gloves
trim
felt
hot glue gun
window cleaner
a picture

The first thing you are going to want to do is put your gloves on. Oven Cleaner isn’t a pleasant substance to work with, but is will take just about anything off, including the paint off the back of the mirror and it is MUCH cheaper than the alternatives. Apply a small dollop of oven cleaner to the back of your mirror, making sure to stay within a small circle space. The cleaner will take the paint off wherever you leave it, so make sure to wipe up any spaces that you accidentally get the cleaner.

You can take two approaches to the paint removal. In the first approach you apply your cleaner and then leave your mirror for over an hour, letting the cleaner strip the paint. Come back 1-1.5 hours later, clean the mirror and you are ready to go.
Or
You can apply your circle, coming back every half hour to wipe it clean, check progress and reapply. It will take you about two hours two do it this way. While the first approach is faster, it is also less accurate, if you do it the second way you have a chance to catch any mistakes before they become too big.

When your paint starts to bubble, it is ready to be wiped off. Use paper towels to take off the paint and then rinse the mirror. Find a picture that will fit in your empty space. Then trim the picture to fit behind the mirror.

Clean your mirror thoroughly on both sides with window cleaner and cut a small circle of felt to fit behind the mirror as well.

Cut a section of trim to act as your loop. Hot glue the photo to the mirror, careful to avoid hot gluing over the faces in the photo. Hot glue the loop of trim to the back of your mirror, then hot glue the felt over the back to cover all of it.

Trim your excess felt and cut a length of trim long enough to go all the way around the mirror edges. Start just behind your loop hot glue your trim to the EDGE of the mirror. This will cover up the edge and make the mirror safer to handle. Hot glue the trim all the way around the edge of the mirror, ending behind the loop. The will camouflage the beginning and ending of your trim.

You can make this ornament with pictures of your kids in them for grandparents or for your own tree. They make wonderful keepsakes for the holidays and they are affordable to make multiples of!