✴Be-Jeweled Mirrors ✴

The year after my mom died,  I decided to use some of her inexpensive jewelry to make handheld mirrors as Christmas gifts for 12 of my friends and family.  They absolutely loved them!!  I made them specific to the person I was giving it to, so they were all quite different.  

I found more jewelry at flea markets, garage sales, donations from co-workers and friends, Goodwill, Salvation Army and E-bay.   Earrings, broaches, necklaces, bracelets, tie clips, cuff links, hat pins, collar pins and even an old braided chain belt!!   AND buttons, too!   I even used my husband's silver and gold fishing spinners to add more bling.  Yes, they had "cabela" stamped on them, but it worked!! :-)

THEN ........... all that stuff had to be gently cleaned and taken apart.  I used an old dishrag sprayed with Windex to shine each piece up with.  And jewelry tools I picked up at The Dollar Store to disassemble each piece.  They come in handy for these one-time-only projects.  I cut the posts off of earrings, clasps off necklaces, etc., saving all pieces and throwing the "scraps" in an old can to use while making the mirrors:  underneath the piece of jewelry to raise it up, to fill in bare spots, or for other projects.

I bought small oval mirrors on-line at Holly Lobby and glued an old butter knife to the back of them, using a clear silicone sealant.  It's messy and takes about a week to completely dry, but it's easy to clean up and gives you the option to change your mind about the placement of the jewelry pieces.  Garage sales always have silverware and due to the weight of the finished piece, it needs a thick handle to support it.  Butter knives worked the best for me.

I worked on the mirrors one-at-a-time, using necklace chain or sparkly rope to edge the mirrors with.  I created them using color and/or theme.  But you should do what feels natural for you when choosing the pieces.   There's no right or wrong.  And you  will get better with each piece!