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How to Make A Decorative Chrysanthemum Mirror

Chrysanthemums are some of my favorite flowers.  I especially like the varieties with the petals that fade from dark, saturated color in the center of the flower, to a lighter color near the outer edge of the flower.  So yesterday, I decided to try to replicate this look on a decorative mirror using plastic spoons.


So obviously it doesn’t look exactly like a chrysanthemum, but I think it’s pretty good!  What do you think?

I had fun with this project!  It was a lot of trial and error, so I’ll tell you the steps that I took to make this mirror, but I’ll also tell you what I would change if I were to do it again.

First, I bought six packages of 48 plastic spoons, and I cut the handles off of all of them.  I bought the absolute cheapest spoons available that cost somewhere around $1.30 per package (don’t get the really heavy duty plastic spoons!!), and I found that scissors worked just fine on them.

Next, I was in the mood to craft…not to use power tools.  So instead of getting out my jigsaw and cutting out a piece of 1/4-inch MDF  to use as the base for my chrysanthemum, I instead opted to use what I had.  I thought it would be easier, and it probably was, but if I had to do it again, I’d just get the jigsaw out and cut out my own form.

But here’s what I did.  I used two MDF wreath forms from Michael’s (one 18-inch form and one 12-inch form), and I attached them using hot glue and some of the spoon handles that I just cut off.

Then I flipped it over, with the spoon handles on the bottom, and I covered the gap with thick paper (almost like cardstock) using hot glue to attach it.  In hindsight, I realize that I should have primed the base at this point, but it didn’t even dawn on me.

Then I started attaching the spoons with hot glue.  I used the holes in the MDF wreath form as a guide for spacing the spoons.  I just eyeballed it, but I knew that the outer ring had to have plenty of space between the spoons in order for the inner ring of spoons to not overlap too much.

I just kept adding and layering the spoons…

For some reason, I didn’t take a picture after I attached the final row of spoon “petals”.  But the inner ring of spoons hung about 1/2-inch off of the edge of the wreath form.  On the spoons for the inner ring, I also cut them very carefully, and then used sandpaper to be sure that the cut edges were smooth and rounded since they would show.

When all of the spoons were attached, I took it outside and gave it several thin coats of primer, and then a couple of coats of paint.  If I were to do it over again, I’d only use the primer.  Spray painting was really a waste of time since I ended up painting each petal by hand with a brush.

For the inner ring, I used Folk Art acrylic paint in Teal, and I just used the color as it is straight out of the bottle.  I also painted the backside of the spoons on the first row since they would be reflected in the mirror.

For the next ring, I mixed a little bit of white paint (I had white latex paint on hand) with the teal.  On each subsequent ring, I used the same amount of teal paint, but increased the amount of white paint that I added so that each ring of petals would be gradually lighter.

After all of the paint was dry, I used my hot glue gun to attach a round mirror to the back.  I also attached a loop of jute twine to the back of the mirror with hot glue to hang the mirror.

I tried and tried to get good pictures of it hanging inside on my wall, but all of the recessed lighting created a thousand harsh and distracting shadows, so I took it out side this morning to get good pictures of it for its debut.

I love the way it turned out!  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a teal chrysanthemum before, but I’m okay with that.  🙂  The finished chrysanthemum turned out to be about 21.5 inches in diameter.

I still haven’t found the perfect place for it, but I think it’ll end up making a great addition to my office (if I can ever find the time to work on that room!).

Linking to:
Inspiration Friday @ At The Picket Fence

 

 

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341 Comments

  1. Wow! I absolutely love this, especially the color! Would it be easier to paint the spoons prior to attaching them to the frame?

    1. You know, I wondered that as I was painting them. But in truth, it wasn’t any trouble at all painting them after they were attached. I think it could be done either way.

    2. unless you’ve already laid out all the spoons and know exactly how many you need for each row / color – i think itd be easier to paint last.

      1. That’s exactly what I was thinking, previous Kelly poster! I thought, “Wouldn’t it be much easier to paint them first?” but then I realized depending on how large you made it, the number of spoons would be different, and you probably wouldn’t know until you laid it all out. Which, I guess you could do, but like Kristi said, it doesn’t look to hard to paint!

        Either way, it’s beautiful! I can’t wait to make one. I was also wondering how hard it would be to cut low-quality metal spoons to do this, maybe to leave unpainted. I know lots of jewelry is made from spoons, but not be too terribly difficult to cut.

  2. OH MY!! I absolutly LOVE THIS!! Your color choice was beautiful and I bet this would look amazing on a white wall. Just think of the possiblities with the colors…you could have one for each holiday!! Thank you soooo much for sharing!! :))

    1. I completely agree wit h these comments – this idea is fantastic and looks beautiful! So many creative people – makes me glad I have pinterest to lead me to things like this! I repinned it on there I liked it so much and am going to make one asap! The blue is awesome and I really can’t think of another color that would look better, even though teal doesn’t match my house at all, lol. I’m sure it would look good in any color as long as I stay with the same fade from dark to light like you did Kristi.

    1. The finished mirror turned out to be 21.5 inches in diameter. I guess I should add that info to the post above. 🙂 Thanks for the reminder!

  3. I am so impressed by this project Kristi! It’s beautiful, funky and fun! My daughters are now begging me to make one for their rooms, though I’m not sure I’m as patient as you! The subtle gradation of color is what really makes it special. 🙂

    1. I actually considered making it a sunflower, but when I saw the teal color, the mum won out. 🙂 Not that I’ve ever seen a teal mum, but it seems a bit more likely than a teal sunflower…LOL. 😀

      1. I am inspired to make one to look like a lollipop daisy – bright [ink and white, but not sure where I would put it. Would have to fight my girls for it I think.

  4. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? WOW! Who would of thought spoons. I would of never known, it looks so boutique store chic. I love the color and the ombre affect. WELL WELL DONE! winks, jen

  5. I have been fretting about all these boxes of plastic spoons we have(we buy more when there is a party and put them up and forget we have them!). Now I need to get to crafting. This is BEAUTIFUL!!! Also saw an awesome lamp on Pinterest out of spoons!! This is a great way to recycle also!!

  6. Wow!!! I LOVE this! I’m not a big fan of “starburst” mirrors (even though I know they are all the rage right now) but this one is ADORABLE! Totally in love with the colors you chose.

  7. Girl you are tooooo much…this is off the hook amazing! LOVE the colors too. Who would think? You sure did! Fun project! You have patience…I do not think I would be able to glue all those on so perfectly.

  8. Love, love, love the way that looks! You are very creative! I’m a new blooger just getting started who loves crafting. I’ve been thinking about making a large sunburst mirror using the decorator table top (24 inch) that you can buy at Bed Bath and Beyond for about $6.99 less 2o% coupon. I’m not handy with tools so cutting out anything is not an option for me. I’m certainly going to try to do this.

  9. Love, love, love this. Best mirror project I’ve seen in awhile. I love the color around the mirror. Thanks for sharing this – just have to decide where I want it and what color to use.

  10. Kristi, I absolutely love your one of a kind creativity! If I had a party I would be featuring you BIG time! I love it and I am going to pin you all over….I’m probably gonna copy you too! Fantastic job!

  11. Kristi, WOW! I absolutely LOVE this! I’ve never been tempted to make a “sunburst” mirror before, but this I got to try! Thanks for sharing your amazing creativity with all of us. 🙂 Sharla

  12. I really like this idea. Did the paint stick right to the spoons or would you recommend a primer? And just a though, could you stab the spoons into styrofoam, spray or paint them and then cut off the handles? I think that would be a quick way to prime them. This is really pretty. I can see a lot of implications for this idea. It would be cute for someone (like me) who constantly changes things up or my daughter who is just starting out. I don’t have a place for one either after having scored a star burst mirror on sale at Michaels (yeah!), but I think I would just like to make one for the fun of it and maybe give it to my daughter. You know, another shape spoon might be interesting….and I wonder if forks might work….? hmmm……

    1. I used primer, so I’m not sure if the paint would stick right to the spoons. I personally wouldn’t paint directly on the plastic without primer. I’m sure there are several ways you could go about making this. If I had to do it again, I’d still glue them first, and then paint them. The painting wasn’t difficult at all. Painting them first, and then handling them, cutting them, and gluing them would probably end up with many of them scratched.

  13. If you can make a light fixture out of coffee filters, why not make a mirror out of plastic spoons? 🙂 This is just so freakin’ awesome! I love the gradation of the teal from the center to the outside of the flower. Your mirror would look great in a coastal-inspired room – the colours are perfect, and the shape of the spoons is a bit like shells. Come to think of it, if you painted it an iridescent white & pink, the spoons probably WOULD look like shells. Hmmmm…. I’m feeling inspired! 🙂

  14. So beautiful. I dont know if I have what it takes to do this, but I would love to try.. How long did it take from start to finish?

    1. I’m actually not sure how long it took. I’m the absolute worst at keeping track of the amount of time my projects take because I have such a short attention span that I usually work on a project for a while, then go do something else, and then come back to the project, then get sidetracked with something else, then come back to the project…on and on until I finally finish it. 😀 If I had to guess, I’d say it could be made in three hours start to finish, and that’s because you’d have to wait for the coats of primer and paint to dry.

  15. I recently saw a hanging light fixture out of plastic spoons and was intrigued but I def do not need any more lights! I can always use more mirrors though. love this idea 🙂

  16. STUNNING!!!! LOVE this!! So creative…I have so many ideas of color combinations I would LOVE to make!!! Definitely keeping this in mind for a future gift project!!!

  17. AMAZING!!! I pinned this one to my pinterest boards & definitely am putting this on my to-do list. I’m thinking a bright yellow in the center petals going to a very pale yellow on the outer petals…would look great with my turquoise walls! Thanks for a brilliant crafty idea! 🙂

  18. Oh my Kristi, you definitely hit this one out of the ball park. I’m not a crafter and you have me so tempted to do this.

  19. I like the idea would it be better just to buy for instance different shades of pink to get the ombre look.

    1. I think you’d have a very hard time getting the subtle gradation of color if you purchased separate colors. Craft paint companies don’t really offer that many different shades of each color. If you want a harsher color difference in each row, then you could certainly purchase different shades of pink. If you want the subtle difference like mine, then you’ll probably have to mix your own.

          1. Thanks…I am going to do this and hang it on my deck! Thank you for your creativity and willingness to share!!

  20. I absolutely love, love,love this project! The colors are beautiful, and Kristi you are very creative! I hope to make one for myself!

  21. I absolutely LOVE this! Do you have a reason why you didn’t go all the way around the form with the spoons, one layer at a time? I noticed you had some layers done before the rest of the form even had any spoons. Would you recommend doing it the same way?

    1. Yep, there’s one reason, and only one reason, that I didn’t go all the way around each layer before moving to the next layer. I’m incredibly impatient. 😀 I was impatient and curious to see if it was going to turn out the way I pictured it in my head, and I was very anxious to see what the spoons would look like en masse. I figured I could get a good idea of it with just two sections done. 🙂 As long as you have something defining the sections and guiding the spacing of the spoons (like the pre-drilled holes in the MDF wreath forms), then you can really do it either way.

  22. Very nice! I love how your ombre turned out, not too much difference between rows. Looks like you’ve been doing this for a long time and doing it well.

  23. Do you think this could be done with plastic spoons that are already colored? I know party supply stores have plastic flatware in tons of colors.

    Probably the biggest problem would be detaching the handles, I think the colored flatware is a bit ‘heftier’ than the cheap-o spoons. Perhaps the extra cost and work to cut them would be worth it for fewer steps. (More) instant gratification!

  24. Hello Kristi,
    I was wondering if you had counted the spoons for each layer – i want to make it this weekend but i wanted to make it exact. Any suggestions for how to place the spoons properly?

  25. Love this! Was just wondering was size mirror you used. Also….you said you wouldn’t use spray paint. Did you mean the primer? You would paint the primer on?

    1. I would definitely use the spray primer, but I wouldn’t follow up with spray paint since I ended up hand painting each petal with a brush.

  26. I Love, Love, LOVE this! I had to do a double take to make sure they were really spoons! Genius, fabulous, gorgeous. I can’t say enough!

  27. I LUV this…”yesterday, I decided to make a wreath out of PLASTIC spoons!?!?!” Now, THAT is “creative thinking!” franki

  28. Are you kidding me? How in the world did you come up with this idea in the first place? It’s so beautifully executed. Amazing! I actually could see that mirror hanging in an outdoor room where folks eat. Brilliant! Thanks so much for sharing it.

  29. I am trying to make one of these and I am having the hardest time finding spoons that will cut with scissors. All the spoons I find are the heavy duty ones. I even checked the ones at the dollar store!

    1. I am using spoons from the dollar store. Before I bought them I didn’t think I would be able to cut them with scissors but it worked out just fine.

  30. I absolutely love this idea. I am thinking of making for my sister’s housewarming gift. Do you know what size of mirror you used. Not the circumference of the finished product but just the mirror you bought?

      1. Hello,
        is the primer 100% necessary?
        Also, for the MDF wreaths, did you have to ask Michaels to cut them for you? or they had them. I went there today to buy them and they only had Styrofoam wreaths..

        ANy ideas?

        1. I do think the primer is necessary, Leora. Since the spoons are so slick, the paint might not stick well without primer.

          The MDF wreath forms are pre-made, and my store always has many of them in about three different sizes. So sorry you’re having trouble finding them!

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  32. as i write this i’m waiting for the primer to dry before moving on to painting all the petals…I wish I would’ve looked more closely at your spacing of the petals, because I really kinda crammed mine in and i think that it’s looking a bit chaotic! But it’ll be lovely! i’m a bit nervous about the painting part and wondering how sloppy i’ll be with it since they’re all so tightly crammed in…we’ll see!

    I’ve linked to you here: http://dollarstoremom.com/2012/05/make-a-chrysanthemum-mirror-from-plastic-spoons/

  33. I love what you did here! This is a great idea, probably very cost effective and a lot of design impact. I’m with some of the others though…wouldn’t it have been easier and faster to paint the spoons ahead of time? I’m also curious as to how you handled the cut edge of the spoons on the last round of ‘petals’?

    Great job and keep up the great work!

    1. Thanks, Dustin! I honestly don’t think it would be easier OR faster to paint them first. It really was quite easy to paint them after they were adhered to the wreath form.

      The spoons on the inside ring of “petals” were cut just the same way…with scissors. I just cut them carefully and spent a little extra time being sure that they were rounded nicely.

      1. My spoons break too easily, I’ve tried two types now, tried different scissors also, they crack up the middle. So frustrated, I know this was posted in 2012 and its 2015 but really need some tips. Ready to scrap the idea, but love it. Help!!

          1. I know this is old, but I found it easiest to snap the stems off by hand, and then use wire cutters to trim up the access.

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  35. I just came across your project (CHRYSANTHAMUM MIRROR) and I think it’s beautiful. I have a round mirror that I’ve been wondering what to do with for ages and now I know…!
    Please add me to your email list as I think I can learn a lot of good things from you.
    Best wishes from Nadia (in Perth, Western Australia)

  36. You did it ALL…the 3 elements that are my “must have”…COLOR, PATTERN and TEXTURE, all in one awesome project. Love it, love it!

  37. This is awesome! If I missed the answer to this, I’m sorry for the repetitive question, but where did you get the right-sized mirror?
    Thanks!

      1. Did you have any trouble with that mirror being so heavy? I was trying to avoid using those table mirrors, but I can’t seem to find a 12 inch craft mirror.

        1. I found some in the candle section at Hobby Lobby but if you buy it from another section its almost half the price! And a bunch more sizes too! I found less expensive ones in the craft section, the same row as all the little kid crafts. There were some doll legs/arms and clothes on the aisle… Hope that helps! Also, I’m using heavy duty cardboard because I haven’t been able to find MDF wreath forms. We will see if it turns out – at least the cardboard was free!

  38. I love this!!! Have been wanting a sunflower mirror for my laundry room and this will be perfect. Might have to do it in orange though. Thanks for the idea!!!

  39. Nice! I really like it, just wondering, at the Dollie tree they have spoons for a dollar, and colored. I love to paint so I would probably paint them too, but for those of you who don’t, buy the colored.

  40. I love this mirror. I am attempting to make this. I am new at crafting so I have a question. I have tried to paint my spoon so that I could see how pink the pink would be. You can see all the brush strokes. Any helpful hints for a beginner?

    1. Did you use primer? If you’re painting directly on the plastic without primer, you’ll definitely get brush strokes, and the paint probably won’t stay on as well.

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  42. Hi Kristi. Wonderful mirror! So glad you decided to share this with all of us. I just had a question as I intend to take on this project…..how did you attach the mirror? It almost looks like the edge of the mirror is tucked underneath the first layer of spoons, but in the process of picture (before the mirror is added) there’s still a lip of mdf showing so I’m not sure how you would have tucked it underneath the bottom ends of the spoons. Any help would be appreciated!

    1. Hi Jori~
      It’s actually nothing complicated. I just glued it directly to the back side of the spoon “frame” after all of the spoons were attached and painted. I glued it onto the backside directly to the MDF wreath form.

    2. Hi Jori, I was going to ask the same question but as I looked at the pictures again I saw that the center of the frame is actually empty, it just looks like it is solid because of the table she has it resting on, so her response actually makes sense now to me ha ha!

  43. Thank you so much for this great idea. I loved it the second I saw it, but could not think of a place I could use a mirror like this. Soooo…… we remodeled our bathroom and put in new pendant lights over the vanities and the glass covers on them are plain and white and boring. I bought heavy duty plastic spoons in 5 different complementing colors and covered the boring glass with the spoon bowls and they look FANTASTIC even if I do say so myself. The light bulb we use in the pendants is a cool one and I tried the heat factor before I made them, so no worries there! Thanks again.

  44. Hi just wondering what the color name is on the spray paint you used? I love love love this project!

  45. My Micheals doesn’t have MDF wreath forms. I’ve never seen them before this post. What else could I use? THanks

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  47. I love, love, LOVE this! One thought, though, that might make it a bit easier (although, possibly a bit more expensive). Plastic spoons in an array of colors and hues can be found at party supply stores, it might be easier to go with those and not bother with paint at all.

    1. I think it’s be pretty difficult to find seven slightly different shades of one color of spoons to create the ombre effect. Colorful plastic spoons would work if you just want one or two distinct colors for the design.

      1. This is true. But, I’m lazy, lol. So, three shades would probably satisfy me. 🙂 Like I said, this is a gorgeous project, though!

      2. How do you hang this? Or how do you attach something to this to hang?
        AND
        What type of paint did you use?

  48. This may seem like a stupid question, but how necessary is it to prime before painting the spoons and form? I’ve never painted anything plastic before, and am do completely clueless! But I’m so gonna make this and SOON!!

    1. Not a stupid question at all! 🙂 I would definitely recommend the primer. Plastic spoons are very slick and smooth…not porous at all. It would be more difficult to get the paint to coat well without primer, and it might come off pretty easily. The primer just gives the paint something to really grab onto.

  49. Kristi,
    I am featuring your mirror (with links back to you of course) over at Decor2Adoreable on the 15th.

    Cheri

  50. How did you cut the spoons without them cracking or breaking? I love this idea and am trying to do it myself and am finding the spoons are cracking when I cut the handle off unless I leave a decent amount of the handle, at least 1/4″, still attached to the spoon which would require a bit of sanding for each one.

  51. Brilliant!!
    I was thinking this would make a nice wreath for my front door, without the mirror. What do you think?
    Thanks for sharing your wealth of creativity!!

  52. Like the previous comment, I am having a terrible time finding cheap spoons! (who would have thought!) Kristi, do you remember where you got the spoons? Surprisingly the Dollar Store doesn’t have cheap spoons/spoons that don’t crack.

    Thanks for your help!

  53. Okay, so I’m taking a break from working on mine right now, and I read through the comments to see if anyone else had problems with their spoons cracking… Cause mine are! I went with dollar tree spoons (I don’t know how much of a quality difference there is between those and the Hill Country Fare brand but I actually work at H.E.B. and don’t want to go in there on my day off). I guess I’ll just have to spend a lot of time sanding. Also I live in a small town with no craft store, so there weren’t any wreath forms to be found, except some Styrofoam ones at Wal-Mart that I didn’t like the size of, so I bought a thick foam board poster-sized and cut out a circle from that, turns out perfect circles are hard to do! 🙂 So mine will end up a little Dr Suess looking but I think it will turn out great regardless.

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  55. Working on this project now! In fact…hubby is laughing at me because I’m using my nail file to round the edges of the spoons! I didn’t wanna go to the store for sandpaper!

  56. A girlfriend and I are working on this tonight! We are priming the spoons before we cut them to see if that helps with the cracking.

    Also, we bought an 18″ cardboard round cake plate from Hobby Lobby—perfect size, perfect shape, no work needed. We also bought a mirrored candle plate from Hobby Lobby for the mirror.

    Thanks for the great idea!

    1. We decided to do ours in purple: https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/c34.0.403.403/p403x403/375_10100554357135981_1360433922_n.jpg

      We think it came out pretty well since neither of us are “crafty”.

      We primed all the spoons first with Krylon for Plastic in a nude color, then cut. Holding the spoons with our thumb in the concave portion of the spoon seemed to eliminate a lot of cracking.

      If we did it again, I would prime and paint the spoons before cutting them, except the inner circle. Our spacing wasn’t perfect, so take the time to measure and count during the process.

      Thanks so much for this great idea!

  57. I made this on Sunday of this past weekend and they turned out awesome! I couldn’t find the wreath things for the base, so we used wooden floral circles from michaels and they worked awesome! They were really sturdy and will hopefully hold everything together when I hang it up. Also, I didn’t sand any of my spoons until the final row. the other spoons covered it and you couldn’t tell at all. Thanks for the idea!!

  58. I love this! We’re contemplating a move to Brazil and know we can’t bring everything with us, but I can’t bear the thought of not living in a lovely home. This is deceptively inexpensive and all of the materials can be readily found here.

  59. Love this! I’m going to start collecting spoons–or maybe I’ll just go out and buy some! : )
    Oh, and I love how when I’m looking at the last two photos that you’ve put up on the instructions there is movement when I use my mouse wheel to move the page; the petals move! It makes me smile!
    Thank you so much for your wonderful photographs of this beautiful project!

  60. Me encantó esa idea, me queda perfecto para hacer varios pequeños para la actividad del día de la madre. Será que quedan bien si uso pintura spray plateada?

  61. I’m back with comment number 2 for you to tell you I used your idea and tutorial to make my own!!! I absolutely love them and thrilled with the final result. I’ve included your name and blog with a link so my readers know I take zero credit for this truly awesome and beautiful idea.

    Thank you again for creating this! 🙂

    Have a great weekend,

    Katie

  62. Hi Kristi!! I absolutely love this and am in the process of gathering all the supplies to make it in PURPLE!! I am curious what you used for primer and if it was painted on with a brush before you did the spray paint?

  63. You painted each spoon by hand!! OH MY! You are my new crafting hero. I don’t think I would EVER have the patience for this project, but it turned out so beautiful Thanks for sharing!

  64. Kristi, I love this idea! I started making one but I’ve been having trouble getting the mirror to attach. Did you glue the mirror directly on the board or the ends of the spoons that are holding the 2 wreath frames together? If you attached it to the board directly, did you remove the ends of the spoons?

    Thanks!

    1. I’m not sure if I understand the question. I attached the mirror from the back side, and it shows through the hole in the wreath form. None of the spoons still have the handles attached. Hope that helps! 🙂

      1. So, the spoon handles used to hold the two MDF wreaths together are not on the back of the forms where the mirror is supposed to attach?

  65. Very nicely done….and love the colors…nice when you can gently change the colors to create a beautiful effect…3 snaps 2 claps..for ya

  66. ILOVe THIS! I have a few quick questions. Is a low temp glue gun okay or should hot be used? Second, did only one bottle of paint work or should I do two (adding white of course as you go) and lastly, do you know how many spoons you used?

  67. I am making this right now! all i have to do is paint it once the primer has dried. and as making this ive realized it is going to be easier to paint this after its all put together!

  68. Wow..!! how easy to make this chrysanthemum mirror, and it’s very beautiful. I should try to make this simple craft for my room. Thanks for the inspiration=)

  69. Could you use the spoons already with colour ? I have seen some at the ‘dollar stores’ that have some pretty shades. I do love the colour pattern you chose !!! I just might have to try one in lavendars ….Thank You for sharing !

  70. another beautiful project! actually a work of art in my opinion 🙂 I could totally find a place for this in my house! this seems like it will be a great craft for that winter day when I’m stuck at home and the snow is falling…thank you for another great idea.

  71. I’ve just found this project on Pinterest and LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Everything about it is beautiful, from the perfect Chrysanthemum shape to the colors (love teal). I MUST do this for our living room!!!!!
    Thanks for sharing!
    Jule

  72. Hey Kristi! I’m from Argentina, and I wanted to tell you that I’m truly impressed with this design! At first sight I couldn’t tell that it was made of plastic spoons, it’s amazing! So congratulations, I’m gonna try to do it!

  73. OMG I am blown away by your talent. This was my first visit here and I zoned in on the mirror right away! Those colors!!!! You really should have your own show on BH&G or at least become a contestant on Design Star…seriously…you are my new hero! PLEASE add me to your email list.

  74. Hola hola form Mexico! this is absolutly amaizing!!!! I will share it on my blog, I just started it and I love diy proyects thank for your creativity 🙂

  75. I think this would be a beautiful Christmas mirror painted in shades from dark red or burgundy to almost pink. Maybe hung in the center or a large evergreen boughs wreath.

  76. I just want to thank you for this lovely idea. I have tried it and used it in a different way of course but it turned out great and made a huge impact.
    check it out if you get a chance @
    according2sharon.blogspot.com
    I call it( spoon art post)

  77. first time leaving a comment ever for any site ……..but I have all these handles now from the spoons ….that I was wondering if u had any ideas on making something out of them thanks

  78. Thank you for the inspiring ideas! I was SO impressed with the turnout of this project. Although, the spoons did end up falling off. Did you have this problem? What would be some reccomendations to fix this that you may have?

  79. Hi I am a 13 year old and I wanted to make this for my mother for her birthday but I need to know the diameter of the mirror, just the mirror without the spoons. Thanks in advance.

  80. Amazing! I am so doing this soon!! I read through some of the comments, and other than not knowing the exact number of spoons you would need to be able to prepaint, I would worry that the glue/paint might peel if you painted them first. I think when I do it, I’m going to prime with a darker color, front and back (of the spoons) and then paint each petal. You did a really beautiful job, and thanks for sharing!!

  81. I just made this using your tutorial!! I LOVE IT! I’m going to college in the fall and this is perfect for my dorm room! I used coral instead of teal and it looks great! I want to make more for everyone I know!! Haha, thank you for this wonderful idea! 🙂

  82. I just started this project and like many others was having trouble with the spoons breaking when I tried to cut them. But I found a great solution. I melted them off using a candle. It worked great, but I would advise doing it outside. It gets a bit stinky.

  83. QUESTION! : I was wondering how you got the excess board to not show anymore (the board that stuck out about 1/2 inch from the inner row of spoons). I’m wanting to make this as a project and want it to turn out nice and I have no clue where that excess board went to..

  84. I LOVE this project and I am in the process of starting one for a friend who is moving into a new house. The only thing I was wondering is, do you glue the mirror on BEFORE the final row of spoons? I am unclear how to get the mirror on if the final row diameter is smaller than the mirror. Any help is appreciated. THANKS!

  85. Thank you so much for the inspiration!! I made my own mirror today and I LOVE how it turned out! I have already gotten many comments on it and people can not believe I used spoons. I have it hanging over my tv and it looks amazing. Thank you!
    Julia

  86. Pingback: DIY Spoon Mirror |
  87. Love this idea! This is on my project list now. I’ve been looking for a mirror for our entry and hadn’t found just the right one. Love this one and it would fit perfectly. And any chance to be creative and crafty while doing it is even better. Thanks for sharing. Quick question, how big is just the actual mirror part (not with the spoons)?

  88. Is it easy to shape the ends of the spoons after cutting? I had looked at this and didn’t read in detail before buying supplies and of course I thought I’d be clever in buying already colored spoons from Party City to save myself from painting, but they were heavy duty. It just crack the spoons when cutting. I’m wondering how easy it is to cut the cheap plastic ones you refer to. I’m just worried about the inner circle edges showing.

    Also was there a need for the 2 wreaths? I’ve never seen these in Michael’s, but I was going to see if they just had a thicker circle in the diameter I want so that I just have one large cardboard, but didn’t know if there are advantages to the 2 pieces.

    Thanks so much for the idea!

    1. what about if you slightly heat them over a candle and then try and break or cut the softened spoons?

  89. If you’re looking for spoons that are cheap and won’t crack when cut, try the “white plastic tea spoons” by Dining Collection on Amazon. I got a box of 400 for about $8. Here’s a link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DQ9JQKM/ref=sr_ph?ie=UTF8&qid=1411402979&sr=1&keywords=plastic+spoons. I don’t live near a Family Dollar or HEB and I had a hard time finding thin enough spoons, but these work great. I haven’t glued them yet, but so far so good on cutting them.

  90. Kristen, I know it has been years since you have made and posted this wreath. I just keep coming back to it though. I no longer have the dexterity in my hands which once allowed me to do so much crafting when the kids were small, and will not be regaining any as time goes by. Is there any chance you might consider making one for me? We are not in a good financial situation due to my health, but I know my daughter would go crazy for one if you are willing and I can afford it. Please give it some consideration and let me know if we might be able to work something out. My daughter is a freshman at Appalacian State University. I know that would be a great place for you to get some exposure. Thank for your time and consideration. Tara

  91. Hi, may I ask why you need to use two circles instead of a whole one? and did you attach the mirror from the front or back? Is there a photo from the back? Thanks.

    1. From the post: “Next, I was in the mood to craft…not to use power tools. So instead of getting out my jigsaw and cutting out a piece of 1/4-inch MDF to use as the base for my chrysanthemum, I instead opted to use what I had. I thought it would be easier, and it probably was, but if I had to do it again, I’d just get the jigsaw out and cut out my own form.”

      The mirror is attached to the back. I don’t have a picture of that.

    1. You can’t get an ombre effect with colored plastic spoons. Colored plastic spoons will give you a solid colored frame, which is fine if that’s what you want. I didn’t want that. I wanted ombre, and the only way to achieve that is with paint.

      1. Thanks for your reply.I have a mirror that’s 18inches in diameter.Just wanted to know if I could use that or get it cut to a smaller size as after adding the spoons it would get much bigger.So asked for the size used here to get a rough idea about how to go ahead with mine

  92. I love this mirror!! I bought almost everything (I just need MDF). I am going to make one in this colour I think and put it in the toilet. It’s new and the walls are still white and we don’t have a mirror there. I am also going to make toiletpaperrolls-wall art. From pinterest as well. I can’t wait till it’s all finished!

  93. Thanks so much for the steps! I made one for my daughters nursery and it has been a huge hit to all of our family and friends! Only thing I did differently was I used foam board from the dollar store cut into a circle to save a little bit of money. Since I already had the glue and paint it only cost me about $10 for everything! Here is a link to the picture of it on her wall 🙂

    https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xft1/v/t1.0-9/12654151_10102720338152634_8901104334931335652_n.jpg?oh=374df733dc4f012f4409d84bd530d69e&oe=573E07BB

  94. You’d never know it was made from cheap plastic spoons! Very talented! Just an FYI, all the materials, even the spoons, from your independently & locally owned Ace Hardware store. Compared to big box stores & chains, supporting locally owned businesses such as an Ace Hardware, boost local economy. ‘Independently owned businesses are the backbone of U.S. economy, accounting for about half of all private sector jobs, and 65% of new jobs the past 20 years’ Independent we stand.com.
    Support your Local Businesses

  95. I’m ging to try this with clear spoons so you dont have to worry about the back being painted as well.

  96. You could just buy pre colored spoons and save the hassle and mess of having to spray paint them. I have even seen metallic gold, silver, and copper ones, so it would look very high end!

    1. You can use those, but you can’t get an ombré look with colored spoons. Spoons don’t come in that many colors. So you can paint and have a custom ombré look, or you can buy colored spoons and have it all one solid color.