DIY: Wood Shim Sunburst Mirror

I have been obsessed with sunburst mirrors for the longest time and have actually made some DIY versions here, here, and here. Now, I can add another one to my collection! :)

It all started when I came across this wooden sunburst mirror tutorial that I instantly fell in love with. It was made from paint sticks, which apparently you can get for free in the States. Anyway, I started searching for more DIY sunburst mirrors, which led me to discover so many other versions like this one made of wood shims. It was the first time I had heard of wood shims and I had no idea where to find them here in Manila. So when my in-laws went to the States, I added that to my list of bilins! ;p

each pack has 42 sticks and are 15" long

wood shims are also very lightweight and are tapered at the end

Anyway, you need a base for the sticks, so luckily there was this piece of wood at my mom's house which I used. If you notice, I made a sort of grid to act as my guide when I glued on my shims.

I also attached my picture hanger at the back before I started anything since it would be harder to nail it on when the sticks were in place.

Anyway, I lightly sanded the wood shims first just to get them all nice and smooth. After I was happy with the position of the sticks, I then started hot gluing the first layer of rays, with the thin end of the shims in the middle...

Then added the next layer in between the gaps...

Then finally my last layer, which I placed closer to the center so that they'd look shorter than the outer rays...

I then hot glued a 7" mirror in the center...

Then used Mighty Bond to attach a 7" embroidery hoop (which I got from Dreams in Glorietta 5) on top of the mirror...

I used 48 wood shims in all and the total size of the whole thing was 3ft! I was on the fence about painting it since I really love the natural wood effect so I left it alone for now. I took down my other DIY sunburst mirror made from poster board in our living room and hung this new baby in its place. Although it doesn't seem to pop as much with the orange wall behind it (or maybe it's just the lighting) but I'll give it some time until I move it to the bedroom in the future. Oh, and the whole thing wasn't as heavy as I expected since I hung it on an adhesive picture hook (which holds up to 4 lbs.) and it seems stable enough. Hopefully, it doesn't come crashing down anytime soon, fingers crossed!

I still have a pack and a half of shims left over, so I can definitely make another mirror. Maybe this time, I'll paint it gold or even a fun, bright color. :)