Have you ever dreamed up an idea and you just knew you were going to love it….if you could pull it off? You could see it in your head. Envisioned exactly what it would look like. You might have even wondered why no one else had thought of this idea yet, and you smiled to yourself knowing you had come up with a brilliant idea.
Then reality set in when you realized that for this marvelous, original idea to come to fruition, you would have to create it yourself. From scratch! The doubt begins to creep in a little and you wonder if your idea…. was just a dream after all.
You decide, right there and then you will not let self-doubt stand in your way! You march yourself (okay drive yourself) over to Lowe’s and proceed to have them cut some plywood for you and some mirrors, cause Lowe’s is just plain cool like that! And you get to work. Only to realize, that while you are a creative force to be reckoned with, you are not a carpenter nor a mathematician. So you head back to Lowe’s, undaunted and determined, to get two more pieces of mirror cut…except this time the correct size.
And slowly but surly your vision, your dream, your brilliant idea of a….Mirrored DIY Christmas Tree Stand comes to life right before your eyes! And it’s every bit as glorious as you had hoped it would be!
~MIRRORED DIY CHRISTMAS TREE STAND~
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
Four mirrors cut to size two will need to be square, two with one side one inch longer (Lowe’s will do this as a courtesy..yea Lowes!) Mine are 18 X 18 and 18 X 19
Large piece of plywood at least 1/2 inch thick, cut into four equal sizes (Lowe’s will also do this as a courtesy) Mine are 18 X 18
Nail Gun with brad nails or small finishing nails and hammer
Measuring Tape
Painters Tape and/or clamps
Wood Glue
Mirror Mastic
Caulking Gun
Pandora with Christmas Music Playing 😉
INSTRUCTIONS
Measure your tree stand and allow a few more inches so that the legs will fit into your stand. Cut your plywood, or have Lowe’s cut your plywood, into four equal, square pieces, the size you need for your tree. Mine is 18 inches by 18 inches.
Have Lowe’s cut mirrors into 2 square pieces, 18 inches by 18 inches, and two pieces 18 X 19 inches. This will accommodate the 1/2 thickness of the plywood, on two sides, when glued and nailed together.
Create a box out of your plywood by gluing the edges and then nailing in several places along the edges of the plywood. Make sure that the sides overlap correctly, creating 2 that are 18 X 18 inches and two that are 18 X 19 inches.
Lay your box on it’s side with an 18 X 18 inch side facing up and using a caulking gun, apply mirror mastic to the back of the mirror. Place carefully on plywood and make sure it is set evenly. Use clamps and/or painters tape to hold down your mirror while adhesive sets. Repeat on opposite side.
Place larger mirrors last so that they overlap the edges of the smaller mirrors. Allow adhesive to set, taping or clamping edges together, overnight before using.
Place tree inside of stand, making sure legs of tree are firmly on the floor inside of the box.
For now, I’m sharing just a sneak peek of my tree, but stay tuned for our full holiday house reveals when we join up with 30 bloggers for the 2013 Holiday Housewalk, the first week of December! This year we will each be sharing our homes on separate days which means more pictures, so we are busy little elves getting them ready for your visit!
I’ll see you back here Friday for another Take Five: Five Minute Craft…and as always, thanks for joining me at the picket fence!
Sharing this project over at Tidy Mom’s I’m Lovin’ It Party!
Such a great idea!!! Love this 🙂 xo Kristin
Thank you Kristin! Heather
What a great idea! Love the glam look!
Thank you Leslie, I’m definitely trying to glam it up this Christmas!
Heather
I love this, my only question is how hard is it to water the tree with all the decorations on it?
Hi Deborah, my tree is artificial so that isn’t an issue for me. If you did a real one I would leave enough space around the top of the tree, when building it, to access the actual tree stand for watering with some type of watering can. 🙂 Heather
LOVE this idea! I’ve only seen these in high-end magazines! What a great way to celebrate!
Merry Christmas (early) to you!
karianne
Thanks Kari! Can you imagine how much it would be to buy one?! lol I’ll take a DIY one any day!
Glamarama! 🙂
Glamarama! Love that! I’m stealing it. 😉
Heather
AHH! I knew it, lol!! I love it : ) When I was a little girl my grandma had a really small mirror box (I think it was a candle holder) and she would put a tiny little Christmas tree in it and surround it with her old costume jewelry! I’ve always wanted to do it on my big Christmas Tree, but we keep moving, and I still have tiny kids who I can only image would throw something at it and have it shatter all over the floor! In a few years… : ) PS. Great job photographing a mirror ; ) That’s a tricky one!
hehehe….you knew! Mirrors are so hard to photograph! I’m glad you like it!
Heather
Great idea and soooo pretty! I love the way this looks. Can’t wait to see your entire tree!
I love it. I can probably find the mirrors already cut at any discount store and a box to match; and tie a shimmery ribbon around it. Thanks for the beautiful idea.
Oh I was so close. Not a side table but a fabulous tree stand. And now it will look like you have double the presents under the tree! Ha!
Lesley
What an awesome idea, I can just imagine what it would look like with the lights on at night
It is so, so pretty! And great to use year after year!
What a great idea. I love the mirrored stand. I can’t wait to see the rest of the reveal.
Thanks Judy! I’ll be revealing the rest of the tree the first week of December! 🙂 Heather
Gorgeous!!!
Talk about great bling…gorgeous and such a great idea…!!
This is so COOOOOOL Heather!