Tuesday, February 8, 2011

My Trumeau Mirror


This mirror was a Goodwill find. It is not the least bit vintage, but I liked the details on the top panel, which is actually a piece of pressed tin.






And I really needed something to paint. I have lots of furniture waiting in the wings, but it's just too cold to paint in my garage at the moment.






Priced at $6.00, I decided it would be fun to play with.







It reminded me a bit of Miss Mustard Seed's trumeau mirror transformation. Of course her mirror had beautifully detailed, carved solid wood. I was just hoping for a similar look.







No priming on this one. I started out with a layer of a bright aqua paint. Then I gave it a good sanding to try to bring out the details. A sanding sponge is perfect for a small project like this.









Then I repeated the process with a coat of blue, followed by a coat of gray. I sanded again after each color. I used leftover paint from other projects. I can never throw away a can of paint until I scrape the bottom of the can






And then I gave it a coat of mocha glaze. Glaze is perfect for emphasizing details, but I tend to use a very light hand.









If you've been here before, you know I'm a fan of Valspar glaze. The Clear Mixing Glaze is my absolute favorite. I like to create my own colors, but this mocha is nice too.






And that was it. A quick and easy painting project that I could do on my kitchen counter.






I was just so happy to have a paint brush in my hand!



















I'm always moving mirrors around my house. They work well for layering and I love the way they reflect light. At the moment, this one is on my mantel. I like the way it balances the blue clock. I'm trying to incorporate more blue into my decor.






And of course I had my include my Mustard Seed inspired mirror into the mantel vignette I created for the Copy Me! Challenge.






And just what is a trumeau mirror? By definition, a trumeau mirror is rectangular in shape and has a painted or carved panel above the mirror in the same frame. Trumeau mirrors originated in France during the 18th century. They were intended to hang on the wall between windows. They provided a decorative element and they were often placed behind a candle to reflect light, especially useful before homes had electricity. Most antique trumeau mirrors are found painted to reflect the ornate style of the period. They can be found for hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars.




That just makes me all the more pleased with my $6.00 find!













59 comments:

Allison@FabRehab said...

Gorgeous! Looks just like MMS!

Aroura said...

Love the colors you used! It looks great

Not Too Shabby said...

Sharon you did a great job on the mirror. It is beautiful.

Cassie Bustamante said...

that turned out beautifully! and yes, mirrors ARE furniture in my book! :)

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Your mirror is fabulous and you did a fantastic job painting it. Love it. Hugs, Marty

NanaDiana said...

Sharon...Great job. Do you know I can't find that glaze here anywhere? Now that I think about it I'll bet my daughter can in Milwaukee. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your mirror! It looks great! Hugs-Diana

Jane @ Jane's Junk and Treasures said...

That mirror turned out great!
Love the color.
What a great find, I love Good Will.
I just found you on Tuesday's Treasures.
I've been traveling on your blog! I love it.
I am your next follower!
I would love it if you stopped by and said hi!
Thanks

Chris at Red Gate Farm said...

Sharon I love how the mirror turned out! I'm a huge fan of anything with a little aqua thrown in.

I also must admit that I keep seeing the "trumeau mirrors" out there and was planning to look them up after I finished reading your post... so a big thanks for giving us that were not in the know some information and a definition!!

~Chris

PS I must say, you all have WAY better Goodwill stores than we do :(

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

Great job on that mirror. Thanks for sharing it.

Andrea at Opulent Cottage said...

What a beautiful re-creation! This has inspired several projects for me, thank you!
Cheers, Andrea

The Inspired Nest said...

You got a great deal on a beautiful mirror! I love the transformation!
Lacy

ARudd said...

Wow! What a lucky find and your makeover paint job looks AWESOME!
~Angie

InMyOwnStyle said...

Wow - your mirror looks great. I have to find some Valspar glaze. I have an old mirror that needs some tweaking and this might just do the trick.
Did you grow up in Westminster? My husband grew up there on PA Ave and then later on Fitzhugh.

My best- Diane

Pamela said...

That lil mirror turned out fabulous! I love the color!

Kim @ A Brush of Whimsy said...

What a great find, and you really made it sing!!! :)

Pam - @diy Design Fanatic said...

Beautiful job! The finish is wonderful!

Sarah @ Modern Country Style said...

What a great job you've done! A total transformation. Well done, you!

Just want to let you know that I'm following along with your blog.

Sarahx

Tammy @ Type A said...

it turned out great, and the entire mantle looks awesome.

Kristin @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia said...

I love it! The color and the detail is awesome!
Thanks for linking!
XO

Unknown said...

Beautiful!!! I love Mocha Glaze too! I'm using it on my kitchen cabinets. That is when I get around to it. These kids have got to stop being sick!

Dayna said...

WOW 6 bucks? Lucky!! You did a fantastic job on it. Love it! New follower :)
http://secondtimedesigns.blogspot.com/

KimMalk said...

What a fun find - you really made it look nice.

Unknown said...

You turned a sad mirror into a sensational one! Fabulous!

Cheers!
Tina

Donnie said...

Your mirror really came out well. Thanks for the step by step photos.

Cindy Adkins said...

Oh, this is totally gorgeous!!! Really sensational!!
XO

Cindy Adkins said...

P.S. I'm your newest follower!!

Angela said...

I love your new mirror, you did a beautiful job.
xoxo
Angela.

Vintage Home said...

GREAT JOB...I love those mirrors ...wow from bad brown to oh my goodness !

Kindra-At Home With K said...

I sure love this mirror! The look and the color are perfect!

Megan Gunyan said...

It's BEAUTIFUL!!!

Shannon @FairfaceWashcloths said...

Very pretty! I love the details of the mirror and your painting accented it perfectly!

Miss Mustard Seed said...

I love how that mirror turned out! You really found a diamond in the rough!

Allison {A Glimpse Inside} said...

Very pretty! Love the new look you gave it!
Thanks for linking up again!

. said...

You did a wonderful job!! The finish is gorgeous! :)

I'm so inspired! I purchased a mirror at Salvation Army recently that has a 'faux' metal insert similar to yours. I didn't know if I should paint it or not...but now I think I will.

Unknown said...

Wow-I so love your thrift store find-great deal-yahoo!!Hope you stop by for a visit-I'm your newest follower! Claire

Pam said...

That mirror is beautiful! GREAT job on it.

It was quite the $6 find. :)

I found your blog through Type A's party. I'm looking forward to following your posts.

Have a great day!
Pam @ Our Adventures in Home Improvement

Courtney ~ French Country Cottage said...

Gorgeous! I love it and what a great find! :)

lvroftiques said...

Your trumeau mirror turned out fabulous! Looks so much like MS's! Great job!! I'm inspired! Vanna

Amy Chalmers said...

Your mirror turned out divine!! I am so envious, I wish I could find some kind of a mirror remotely resembling MMS's trumeau. You did an excellent job!

Tammy@Beatrice Banks said...

So beautiful! Love it!

Modern Country Lady said...

Amazing!! What a lovely result!! Move over Miss Mustardseed, here is Miss Cress seed hahaha

Decor To Adore said...

Oh how beautiful! I am visiting via the Valentine linky.
I wanted to invite you to the two linky parties I am planning. The first will be on February 23~ High Tea Tablescapes. Details can be found on my Wednesday posts. There will be PRIZES!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Kimra said...

so pretty! very miss mustard seed indeed

At The Picket Fence said...

Gorgeous! I cannot believe you found that at Goodwill and you made it look like a million bucks. Your talent always blows me away! Thanks so much for linking this up to Inspiration Friday this week!
Vanessa

Sam | Away She Went said...

I'm a new follower after finding your project on Crazy Domestic. Your mirror turned out amazing! Very Miss Mustard Seed!

gertie @ The Old Block House said...

The mirror is gorgeous. I have two mirrors to relove, but didn't know quite what to do with them. Now I do!

Thank you for sharing.

Sandi~A Cottage Muse said...

I love it!! I have seen so many projects with layering of paint colors...I need to try it!

Lori @ Projects Plenty said...

You did a fabulous job on the mirror... the finish is beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

Becky@Beyond The Picket Fence said...

What agreat find--turned out lovely! Thanks for linking up to Beyond the Picket Fence.

Holly Lefevre said...

That is so darn pretty. The color is fabulous. Your mantel looks great, and it does perfectly balance it out.

ℳartina @ Northern Nesting said...

Great job on the mirror I loved how it turned out. It looks so pretty on your mantle and so do all those pretty silver pieces. Martina

Every Day Blessings said...

Totally cute! Love it

Kathy said...

This is a very lovely mirror - you've made it look priceless - love the way you've used it on your mantle,
Kathy

Jenn Erickson said...

Sharon, thank you so much for sharing your beautifully transformed mirror at "A Little Birdie Told Me..." Tuesday at Rook No. 17. You have such a great eye for color and design!

Happy Valentines' Day!
Jenn

Kaitlin said...

Great job on the mirror! I just picked a mirror up from a thrift store too and cant wait to redo it especially after seeing this great transformation!

Liz @ the Brambleberry Cottage said...

Gorgeous transformation, Sharon. You saw the hidden beauty in that piece and with your talent, brought it to the surface.

Thanks for linking to the party. Be sure to enter the giveaway, if you haven't do so yet.

Blessings,
Liz @ the Brambleberry Cottage
http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

The Single Nester said...

Really great job! I never find anything this worthy at GW.

Janet@Mamalaude said...

I have that same mirror! I got mine new at Target a number of years ago, but at least it was on clearance when I bought it. Still, you got an even better deal and I love the new paint job!

KimMalk said...

Hi Sharon, I just wanted to give you a big "Congratulations!!!" for winning Donna's Copy Me Challenge. Go you! Blessings, Kim