DIY Mirror Christmas Mantel Decor

I’m excited to share with you guys today my new DIY mirror Christmas mantel decor! I’ve designed great mantel Christmas decor for over the fireplace, which includes DIY mirrors! I will be showing you how to cut glass from the old mirrors, as well as how to polish brass for the candle decor. Hopefully, you enjoy making and designing this new decor for the holidays!

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Cutting the Glass

With the style that I went with, I only had enough space for one mirror since I wanted more of an arch style. I am using the Glass Cutter by Red Devil, which can be found on Amazon. I traced a bowl about the same width as the mirror to get that perfect arch. Originally, I had read online that oiling the mirror can help get a smoother cut, however, I found that it was just easier to oil the wheel in the cutter.

After tracing a semi-circle, I placed the mirror above the bowl to break off the cut-off pieces. Unfortunately, none of the pieces broke off in a clean line, but I was able to remove bits and pieces that I could break off close to the cut line using a pair of pliers. I also ended up cutting off the base of the mirror as well, because it was too long for the type of mirror I wanted. I did this by cutting the same way as when I traced the bowl, just cutting a straight line rather than a semi-circle.

Cutting the Frame

For the frame, I used a half-inch thick plywood and traced the mirror as an outline. Using a 1 1/2 inch block that I cut out, I traced it along the bowl that I set on the outline to get the smoothest line for the frame. Cutting off the outside of the frame, I rounded the edges for a more curved look. Then using the jigsaw, I drilled a hole on the inside of the plywood, carving out the inner part of the frame, also giving it more of a curve. To smooth the ends of the frame, I added edge banding and then sanded down the ends. (I found that a curling iron really helped stick the edge banding to the inner curves of the frame!)

Spray Painting and Assembling the Frame

For the spray paint, I used Rust-Oleum’s gold mirror finish, which is one of my favorite brands to work with especially for spray paint. I evenly sprayed the paint throughout the frame, as well as two other frames from the different mirrors that I had found and decided to repaint. Around the frame, I used Loctite’s All-Purpose caulk, which held the mirror perfectly in place on the frame.

Shining the Brass Candlesticks

Since I bought some secondhand candlesticks, I had to clean them up because they were horribly tarnished and discolored. I found a recipe online on how to shine the brass. It called for one teaspoon of salt, half a cup of vinegar, and as much flour as needed to make it a paste. Covering each candlestick in the paste, I let it sit in a plastic bag for hours. However, I let mine sit for too long, as they started to turn pink, so I would suggest letting them sit for only an hour or less! Buffing them with steel wool did bring back some of the undertones to make it look more brassy.

Christmas Mantel Decor

Putting the three mirrors on the mantel, I staggered the candles on each side of the mantel. I also screwed little hooks onto the sides of the mantel to hang up some frosted garland to give it more color. I love how this mantel turned out, with the gold mirrors and candlesticks to add more character to the fireplace. This project was easy to do and the perfect decor to get you into the spirits for the holidays!