Wood Scraps Starburst Mirror

By -
I wanted to show you RetroBabs fans this fabulous gift I received from my hubby.  It's a work of art, but I am a bit biased in my opinion.
 It all started with a page I ripped out of my subscription to Better Homes and Garden magazine, (Sept 2011 issue). The article spoke of decorating with mirrors, making a statement, of how they double as artwork, enhancing the light in a space.
  I fell in LOVE with this Starburst Mirror made out of scraps of teak.  The teak is recycled from boats- what a great way to reuse and up cycle!  This mirror is 36 inches in diameter from Vivaterra.com 
($239)
bhg-  by kit selzer; photo: marty baldwin; contributor: debra wittrup

 The tattered magazine page sat on my husband's garage workbench for months. I coveted and often professed my love of this design and product.   He suddenly surprised me and presented me with this lovely gift! 
A scaled down version of the same mirror!
(Looks like I have to do a little cleaning - sorry about the fingerprints!)
My mirror is only 24 inches but just as lovely as the magazine original.
The best part of my mirror is that it was created with wood scraps that were discarded waste on the workshop floor!
 My son, Scott, attended Southern Illinois University and worked in the SIU wood shop during his time there.  These scraps were swept up and brought home, then stored in our garage for over ten years!!  Finally, a use for them!  Walnut, oak, maple, redwood and purple heart, the pieces of precious wood found a new life- now that is recycling- garbage to art.
The hubby does not usually keep items to recycle quite sooooooooo long but these were beautiful scraps of wood. 
(He recycled the mirror too. That is why it looks a little wavy and distressed)
 So with a little bit of oil, sanding and elbow grease he managed to enhance the grain and patina, it shines through.
A warm, stellar glow- Don't you agree?

I hope they (Vivaterra) feel that our copying of their design is a compliment because I loved their mirror so much!

OK fans, keep recycling, up cycling, re-purposing, save the trees, save the Earth and continue on with the love of the MOD.

 Babs

Comments

Cindy Vintage Girl said…
Excellent job and good title! I will tweet it out!
March 10, 2012 at 3:41 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Adrien Art - Painting, Sculpture and Pottery by Adrien Miller

By -
Image
I would like to feature a wonderful artist today. Adrien Miller is a potter, a painter and a sculptor. He is a visual artist and creates pottery and paintings of the human form. His studio is based in Seattle and is a member of the Etsy Recyclers Guild Team, as am I. I randomly chose his sculpture in a Treasury before I actually began talking to him for this interview. I liked his art as soon as I first set eyes on it! His sculpture is the lovely torso in the top row of the Treasury below. Visit his Etsy shop, ADRIEN ART at : http://www.etsy.com/shop/AdrienArt?ref=pr_shop_more# His shop is filled with fantastic pottery, vessels bearing faces, torsos on tea pots and paintings of the human body. It is surely a magical place! I asked Adrien some questions about his Etsy experience. When and why did you start selling on Etsy? "I opened my Etsy shop on November 10th, 2009. I needed to do it. I make art with most of my time, and I was having an issue with not minding
Read more

BARB's BLUE BARN aka' "She Shed"

By -
Image
I have lost 62 lbs since my last post! This is my before photo.  I feel so much better now. Hello friends, I know it has been ages since a post.  Lots of crazy things have happened from surgery to Covid 19 quarantine!! We have been doing some projects in our time off.  Our backyard had an old shed ,painted red, and rotting.  The hubby (Len) decided to help me paint, replace wood walls, and insulate to make a "She Shed". Rotted wood on the shed walls. This project took a week or more.  Len said we could have built a whole new shed !! We scraped and painted as best we could. Now it will be painted a safety blue.  This is paint Len found for free.  He  also made new barn doors for me. Finished painting the outside.  Now for the inside!! Dirt bin and mosaic top to the potters bench (made from broken china) Inside painted and partially panel wood veneer.   We used what we had and there is some insulation behind it. I used an o
Read more

Hello Etsy Shoppers

By -
Image
It has been a while since my last post about the shop! Many of you know that Becky is married, has 2 kids and a full-time job now so she has moved on from the shop.  She also literally moved to Wisconsin and I am so sad, I miss those grandkids.  Life goes on and things change as does Etsy.  Etsy has really stepped up their game in marketing, I have even seen commercials on TV!   I hope all of you are well and like the look of the shop.  I changed a few things but our goal is the same: To sell fabulous mid-century items to you and to preserve pieces of history in the process. I miss all of our wonderful customers. Love ya, Babs Becky, Calla 4, Wynn 6
Read more