If At First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again...

If you guys remember, a while back I started making plans for some projects I needed to work on around my house.  One of those projects was the mirror above the dresser in my bedroom.

This guy right here...

 

For some reason it really bugged me that the mirror had a gold/bronze look to it (even though it doesn't show up so much in the photo), when the lamps and hardware looked like brushed nickel.

For some reason I thought it would look better if the mirror looked like the brushed nickel of the hardware.  

Okay... Maybe a little part of me also just wanted to try out this spray paint that is supposed to look like hammered metal, too.

I took my mirror outside, taped on some newspaper to protect the mirror part, and sprayed the frame.

I liked how it looked outside.  I just had so see if I still liked it when I hung it up.

So I took it upstairs and hung it up as soon as it dried...

Uhhh.... No.  I didn't like it.  Too bright and too shiny....  Maybe if I lived with it for a day or so I would change my mind...

Yeah, that didn't happen.  Two days later I still didn't like it.  

Time to try something else... Maybe if I attempt an antique type finish to tone it down.

I decided to try an experiment on the off chance it might turn into a "happy accident."  I got the antiquing glaze that I used when I refinished my night stands, and attempted antiquing the mirror frame.   I painted some on and used a dry cloth to wipe it off in hopes that it would stick in the "hammered metal" spots on the paint to tone the shine down.

Yep... That was a failure too.  The paint was still too slick for the antiquing glaze to stick.  It was worth a shot though.

Finally, I knew what I had to do.  I had to go back to brown.  Not the dark gold/bronze that it had been... just brown.  I went and bought some glossy brown spray paint to match my dresser, sprayed the mirror frame, crossed my fingers, and let it dry.

It came out like this...

Ahhhh.... Finally, I think I got it right.

 

Moral of this story:  You're not going to get it right the first time, every time.  Take a chance and try a new solution (even if you're not sure if it will work), and keep trying until you find something you like.  :)

Psssst.... There's a giveaway coming soon!  Make sure you're an "official" follower so you can enter to win.  You don't want to miss it!