Project - Toy Mirror

My son is like most kids and has hundreds of little toys, like the ones you get at McDonald's or Chuck E. Cheese.  At first they were a little bit of everywhere in our house.  A few years ago while reading The Happiness Project, I found a great solution.  While talking about organizing her home, Gretchen Rubin shared that she had the same problem.  She organized them by buying large glass canisters and having her kids store the toys in those.  I immediately ran to Target and picked up a HUGE glass canister and relocated the toys to their new home.

Flash forward to about 6 months ago when that lovely canister began to reach maximum capacity.  We started the new rule that the canister couldn't overflow.  Once the toys reached the top, it was time for my son to sort through them.  Most normal people would just toss the abandoned toys in the trash.  I, being so very not normal, saved them and was determined to make something out of them.  Initially I was thinking of a sculpture, but then came the idea of a mirror for my son's bathroom.

 

I didn't have a mirror with a wide enough frame to accommodate the toys.  After looking around I also couldn't find one that was the square shape I wanted and at a price I wanted to pay.  So I bought a 14 inch square mirror ($6.95) and a 2'x2' sheet of MDF ($4.74) at Home Depot.  After spray painting the MDF black, I mounted the small mirror in the center using Liquid Nails.  I then covered the mirror section with painter's tape and newspaper.

Once the paint is dry, I started placing and gluing the toys around the mirror.  I used a combination of epoxy and hot glue to attach the toys, depending on the shape and weight of the toy.

I placed the larger toys first and then started filling in the spaces with smaller toys.  I also added puzzle pieces and bead strands to fill in around the toys.  

Once everything was glued the way i wanted it, I took it back outside for painting.  I chose a black paint to coordinate with the bathroom.  I also hoped a glossy black paint would give it a sculptural look.  Although it is our son's bathroom, it is also the bathroom closest to our living room so is frequently used by guests.  I wanted the mirror to blend in until you started looking at it in detail.  I chose to use Rust-o-leum hammered finish paint in glossy black.  This formula works on all surfaces and does not require the plastic pieces to be primed.  I sprayed it with 5 thin coats of paint.  Due to the detail of the toys, it works better to use thin coats.  Don't try to cover every detail with one coat.  Look at it from every angle to see any spots you missed.  It also helps to have a 5-year-old look for unpainted spots.  They have a different vantage point.

I mounted the mirror on the wall using a picture hanger that can hold up to 50 pounds.  Although it is not close to that weight, it is certainly heavier than a typical mirror.

I love how the mirror looks.  Love how I used something that was destined for the garbage pile.  Love that my son loves looking for his toys in the mirror.