Smoky Entrance Mirror W/ Keyhooks

I have been looking for an entrance mirror with keyhooks, and even the ones I find at thrift stores are generic/gaudy/gigantic. I had this picture frame that's okay enough, and found some tiny metal pegs, and this awkward mirror from my bathroom that is functional but nerve-wracking, having no guard or backing to save us both from a dreadful seven yrs of bad luck. so here's my take!

this is a simple 4x6 frame, which I lightly sanded for a coat of new paint. i drilled three peg holes using a 3/16 bit.

the pegs were a snug fit, so I put a dab of glue on each and worked them in, and cleaned up any excess that pushed out.

I had a paint tester that has a nice hint of blue to it, and this brand has a built in brush - very convenient! I put on a coat and left brush streaks and inconsistencies that looked appealing - thicker in some spots, too thin and watery in others, streaky, daubed, etc. what I got on the pegs can be easily sanded off when it dries.

using a sanding block, I scuffed it up after about 30min dry time. the less perfect you are about it, the better it will look. I scraped the paint of the pegs and blew away the tiny flakes. a coat of clear matte spraypaint seemed like a good idea to seal everything.

while the spray paint dried, I pulled out another rattle can and sprayed the corners of my mirror, this time using a basic black. before it could dry, I took a wet rag and cleanly wiped out the center spots. once this was dry, a little sanding along the edges of the circle gave it that smoky, old-timey look that I was after.

test it out! make sure it's fastened well to the wall. it is, after all, just a picture frame. but I am gentle with my things, so there's not much chance of it falling off the wall. I ended up scraping the back of the mirror in one spot by accident, but that's become my favorite accent. it just adds to the wonder of "how old is that mirror?" and "think of all the faces it's seen!" :)