A Mirror Transformed

I am a certifiable mirror junkie.  On my main floor I have 4 large ones.  I particularly love the one I placed in the kitchen that reflects through the window to the beautiful garden outdoors, two views for the price of one.  So when a friend said she was taking her large oval mirror to the Salvation Army, I graciously took it off her hands.  Yes, it was circa 1980s but in truth it was the wide ogee edge and the oval shape that drew me to it.  I started out by giving the painted surface a light sand, just to give it some tooth so that my next coat would adhere. Looking to give this piece a rustic aged feel, I worked the first coat with a black metal iron paint which when dried looks much like wrought iron.  But to bring out dimension and further age the piece, I applied a solution that chemically altered the iron to a coppery rust patina. Check out the results.

ho hum green frame

a coat of metal iron paint

The altered rust finish