Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall

The old mirror from our dining room sat in the hall, propped against the wall, for a very long time.  We had bought it because a stager said we needed a mirror in the living room to sell our old house.  The house sold, but the mirror was a bit of an orphan; it never really fit in.  Cheesy plastic frame, fake - um, I mean faux - oak leaves.  You get the picture.  Not pretty.  

The mirror over the fireplace is our new house has always been too small. 

Ordered from a catalogue (in my more timid days) shipped from England in a huge wooden crate.  By the time I got the crate open I had destroyed the crate - no way to send it back.  Plus the shipping was almost the same as the cost of the mirror.  So we lived with it.   

But although it was beautiful, and beautifully made, it was never right.

Walking by the plastic mirror one day, I got an idea.  Always a dangerous thing.  

So I got out my tape and measured.  Then I got out the sizing and the gold leaf, and I went to work.

Our Italian class helped me turn it on its side so I could finish leafing all the the edges.  Image Framing came and hung it above the mantle on a French clip (look it up).  And...still not right.  

It needed to be taller, to have more of a finish at the top.

So I went on line.  Overdoors.  I ordered two.  One was cheesy gold plastic; I gold leafed it.  

One looked like wood.  With a chicken.  

Wally loves the chicken.  I love the swoopy gold crown, and the way the mirror now fills the space.   

And now, finally, it is right.