My friends, if there ever was a bandwagon, this carefree DIYer is jumping right on it. For months, I’ve seen fabulous versions of the sunburst mirror pop up all over the blogosphere. And for weeks now, with every stop in the paint department, I couldn’t help but notice how those paint stir sticks might just make a very cool version of this decorative favorite.

I couldn’t figure out how to stack them nicely enough around the center to make it worth my effort, but that little road bump didn’t stop me from snagging more than my fair share of free stir sticks at a time, like 8 or 10, over the course of a month. When I read how Danielle used an embroidery hoop , that convinced me to make my own version too! Those free stir sticks led to this latest creation:

How to Make a (Paint Stir Stick) Sunburst Mirror

What You’ll Need: 46-50 paint stir sticks; wood base, 7” embroidery hoop, 7” circle mirror, gorilla glue or hot glue, paintbrush, Xacto knife, plastic spray paint (optional, and not necessary if you use a wood hoop), craft paints in various colors; picture hanger (not shown) Tools: miter saw.

Paint your embroidery hoop. (I used spray paint made for plastic to get it to really stick, but Danielle simply paints hers with craft paint). Glue your mirror to the wood base and allow it to dry. Once the paint on your embroidery hoop is dry, glue it directly on top of your mirror.

Some paint stir sticks have a small curve in them, so I simply trimmed mine with my compound miter saw. You could also use a miter box.

Test out your design around your mirror so you know how many sticks you’ll need to paint.

Next, add your picture hanger to the back of your wood base before you glue your sticks on. I stole one from a wall frame I wasn’t using anymore.

Paint the stir sticks whatever color you like with craft paint. Mine are painted with two colors, Metallic Sahara Gold and Metallic Taupe (mixed with a little gold), both colors by Folk Art. You’ll need two coats.

Different golds and wood textures are a bit rustic and a bit glam too.

I can also see these in a dark stain, vivid hues, or whitewashed beachy colors too.

(quick Photoshop examples)

Attach the sticks with either Gorilla Glue or hot glue. I used Gorilla Glue because it dries slower so I could move the sticks around a bit if I needed to. Only a pea size though because it foams! You can see I painted over the plastic spray paint on the embroidery hoop with a first layer of gold craft paint.

Add your second layer of sticks right on top.

Use your Xacto knife to remove any unwanted glue or paint from your mirror.

I filled in those small gaps around the hoop with a tiny bit of paintable caulk.

Expense for supplies I didn’t have: Hoop $3; Paint $3; Mirror $2; Wood Base $2; Sticks FREE! Total cost = $10

Six More DIY Stick Sunbursts to Love

From top left: Gold Sunburst , Danielle Oakey Interiors; Driftwood Wreath , The Little Apartment; Ballard Inspired Gray Sunburst , Perfectly Imperfect; White Twig Sunburst , Isabella & Max Rooms; Gold Sunburst , Rue Magazine; Wine Barrel Sunburst , Cottage on Rosewood.

All are great inspiration for making your own sunburst mirror!

Don’t forget to watch the Nate Berkus Show today to see my family room design!

All the details and the behind the scenes story to follow later today.