So this week Kamran finally managed to get to the hairdressers, which was long overdue. I decided for the first time to let him choose his own haircut and, even though it wasn’t what I would have chosen, I love it.
He now thinks he is the coolest kid in the whole world and Mummy even had to go and purchase some gel to keep him looking cool.
The Cool Kid Needs a Mirror
So the day after Kamran, the child who I struggle to get to look in the mirror and wipe Oreos off his mouth, announces that he needs a mirror in his room to do his hair in.
Planning
I found a mirror online that wasn’t glass or heavy and at a bargain price, although I knew if the mirror was for Kamran’s room it couldn’t be plain.
I have tried Decoupage in the passed on some upcycled old furniture and decided this could be my starting point. What I didn’t know was whether I could use print out straight from my ink jet to do this.
Researching Decoupaging using Inkjet Printers
After typing ‘Can I decoupage with Ink jet paper?’ into google I found it was possible but I would need to seal the image first.
The option that appealed to me the most was sealing the inkjet image with hairspray. I had hairspray around the house so as soon as the mirror arrived I was good to go.
The first thing i did was find and print pages of various car badges. I waited a while for them to dry before i sprayed with hairspray. When it had dried I sprayed it again, just to be sure.
After cutting out the images I wanted to us I was ready to start glueing.
Homemade Decoupage Glue
I don’t use expensive glue/sealer anymore. I used to but now I make my own.
1 cup PVA glue and 1/3 cup water mixed together in a jar does the job just as well.
After glueing down the car logos I covered in 5 layers of the PVA glue mix and left to dry overnight.
What I Learnt and What I Would Do Differently
The hairspray method worked ok but not great. This mirror looks good but on closer inspection the yellow colour has ran a lot.
I have ordered some clear acrylic sealer spray to try on future projects. I plan to make a matching clock so I will see how it works.
