Well I'll be.

I made it past round one.

And no one is more surprised than I, believe you me.

So, let's chat about this craptacular little project o' mine, shall we? A tutorial, if you will?

Get yourself some mirrors from yer dollar store.

Clear them out. Let the register ladies stare at you strangely and then ask you if you're having a huge drug party or something.

Then say, "Yeah." In a monotone. And then stumble towards your car. Because, you know, they look really bored.

Now, you need some wood. Something thick; something that will not bow, 'cause you know, there's mirrors on there and everything, and bowing just won't do. I used a 1/2 inch cheap piece of plywood.

Now, I am showing you the poplar 1/2 in. trim I purchased. If I were doing it over again, I'd buy something fancier, 'cause why the heck not?

Lay out your mirrors and your trim in your rows the way you want them, exactly. I mean, like, tight. That way you can mark the wood and know where to cut your backing piece.

Everyone with me?

Umkay. So you've cut your backing piece to the exact size you need it. What's next? Frame in the mirror with some of your 1/2 in. trim. This means cutting all the corners on 45°'s.

Have I mentioned how bad I hate making frames? Oh. That many times, huh? I always seem to get my frames just not quite perfect.

Note: it is mandatory to slop the wood glue around.

This is really as easy as it looks. Set your mirrors in, and remember: tight against your trim. Each piece of trim you cut, make sure to set mirrors in as you go to ensure that they are straight up and down, and tight. Just like the button on my pants after Christmas. Wood glue your trim down, and move on to the next row.

You know what's the only pain about this little project?

While one row of trim is going to be the long, end to end pieces, the other direction is going to be tons of teensy weensy pieces to cut. I recommend having one piece as your measuring stick for all the other pieces you're going to cut. And ya know? It's not that big a deal when you're in the zone with the saw, right?

Now, stop right there!

*What I Learned the Hard Way!!:
-Just go ahead and paint all your wood beforehand. Save yourself the hassle.
-If, if you really do have your backing piece the perfect size, and if you have your trim in tight against every piece of mirror, you will not, I repeat WILL NOT need liquid nails or any other glue of any kind for your mirrors. Your trim truly will be like a frame holding your mirrors perfectly in place.

Take my word for it--since I attempted to slide the mirrors out to paint it, and they wouldn't budge. And then I turned it over and shook it and nothing moved. I had a blanket underneath to catch them, I swear.

And you are done, baby! Honestly this is a couple hour project.


And you can keep the $699 you would have spent at Pottery Barn for the same dealy-o.

Plus, you got to visit the dollar store, so, score.