How to Frame a Bathroom Mirror

 Do you have one of those builder basic bathroom mirrors? It is so easy to add frame work around it to give it a more custom look. It only costs around $30 and it changes the whole feeling of your bathroom!

Here is a before and after side by side - what a difference! 

The first step is to measure the perimeter of your mirror and purchase your supplies.  You also need to check to see if you have mirror clips or not, and if so they may need to be changed out to the kind that sit more flush against the mirror so that you can easily lay the trim work on top of it.  You can see in the picture below how much more the plastic clip sticks out compared to the metal ones I just installed.  Here is a tip - install the new clips right beside the old ones before removing the old one.  I thought I would just switch them out one at a time but as soon as I took off the first one, the whole mirror shifted.  Apparently my mirrors did not have ANY glue on the back - yours probably will.

It was fun to check out all the different trim options available at Lowes.  I would suggest getting the already primed trim - the kind that isn't real wood, it's more like a composite plastic kind of trim.  It has a little more give to it than real wood and I think it's easier to work with. I cut all my pieces to size first.  Since I used the square decorative pieces on the ends, I only had 90 degree cuts to make which made it so much easier.  I also painted the trim before I put them up.  Be sure and paint the backside too - especially along the edge because you will see just a bit of it reflected in the mirror. 

I used liquid nails (the kind made for glass and mirrors) to adhere the trim to the mirror.  Another tip - if you also use hot glue at the same time, the hot glue dries very quickly and holds the trim firmly in place while the liquid nails sets - which can take up to 24 hours.  I glued the trim directly on to the mirror. Sometimes it overlapped on to the wall just a bit depending on how I lined it up. 

 I used painters tape to hold them on just to make sure they didn't slide at all.  My biggest fear is that they would shift in the night and I would have a piece of trim diagonally across the mirror permanently adhered with liquid nails - haha! The tape was an extra measure of protection so that I could get some sleep! 

 Another before and after from a different angle.  I finished off the edges with some paintable caulking where the joints meet each other. 

So simple yet such a difference - another one of those "why did I wait so long to do this" kind of project.  Now I just need to replace that builder grade faucet - haha!! 

Another project that was simple yet had a big impact was my stair banister makeover that you can see by clicking here. 

Product Review for Marie's Word Cards ~ Timberdoodle

One of our favorite Timberdoodle products in our curriculum recently has been Marie's Word Cards.  They are a fun way to learn new words and are so creative in their approach to making the meaning of the word STICK! Little Miss Boo is what we like to call "vocabulous" - she has a love for words and these cards help fuel that love.  Timberdoodle is giving away a set of Marie's Word Cards to one lucky reader of my blog (inside the US) - just leave a comment below and a winner will be selected at random.  These cards are great for ANY age! 

Marie's Word Cards are simply printed cards with fun visualizations of a representation of the word.   There are 550 words commonly found on SAT tests.  Sometimes the picture is easily understood, and sometimes you really have to think about what the picture means.  This critical thinking process lends itself to naturally absorbing and retaining the meaning of the words.  

The cards are alphabetized with a hole punched in each corner.  About once a month I choose about 20 cards to put on a ring to add into Boo's curriculum for the month.   I keep them rotating each month so she has a new group of words to study. They are really convenient for "homeschool on the go" type of days - you can throw them in a bag and use them in the car or wherever you might need to fill a few minutes with some FUN schoolwork. 

On the back of each card you will find the pronunciation, definition, the word used in a sentence, a synonym and an antonym. 

In the picture above you can see where I keep this months word cards on Boo's desk, right next to her Latin word cards, history cards and bible cards.  

Sometimes Boo likes to grab some cards out of the deck just to play around with - sometimes they just make us laugh!  Sometimes we try to guess the meaning of the word just by looking at the picture, and then flip the card over to see who was right (or closest to being right). 

The cards come in a very sturdy box with a lid.  I keep an index card in the place where the current cards I have on the key ring are at so that everything stays alphabetical.  The cards are numbered though if some get out of order.  We have used these cards for several years - they are a staple in our homeschool curriculum.  There are so many cards included that it may take several grade levels to get through them all, and then you can certainly repeat them over again.  They will also be great for my high schooler to help review before she takes her SATs next year. 

If you are looking for a fun new way to become more vocabulous yourself - you won't regret using Marie's Word Cards!   Don't forget to leave a comment below to be entered to win your own set of Marie's Word Cards from Timberdoodle! 

Pssssst - you can see all of our fourth grade curriculum for the year by clicking here. 

This give-away is now closed. 

My Beautiful Hannah ~ Age 16

My beautiful Hannah Beth turned 16 last month and we have been waiting for this certain tree in our neighborhood to be in full bloom because we knew we wanted her 16th birthday pictures under it.  Hannah LOVES pink flowering trees and I think it was just the perfect spot - it's so very Hannah.  I will treasure these photos forever of my Hannah at Sweet Sixteen.