When my sister asked me to help her redecorate her master bedroom in a tribal theme, I knew she would need a piece of art that was special. But she was on a budget, and I was on a mission – to find something authentic, unique, long-lasting, and beautiful. This DIY Tribal Mirror Art was born out of that need.
Shades
My sister’s room has dark furniture, a deeply colored comforter, and a bright red and orange batik as a centerpiece. I wanted this artwork (over the bed) to be dramatic, but not compete with all the existing colors. So I knew it had to be shades of cream and white.
Reflections
The use of a mirror reflects light and adds to the brightening of the room. Plus it makes the room feel bigger, and creates an airy, clean look.
Tribal Effects
The history of cowrie shells being used as currency or jewelry in some African countries makes them a perfect element of texture. It also reinforces the tribal effect. The fact that the shells are varying shades of white (and even slight variations in size) creates visual interest.
Creating this mirror is simple, but it does take some time. You also need to make sure you have the right ingredients. So let’s get started!
What You’ll Need
- We made 2 mirrors, but you may prefer 1 larger one. If doing 2, you’ll need 2 pieces of wood or plywood (at least 16×16 in size). Make sure your wood is a perfect square.
- jewelry glue (you may need 2 or 3 bottles)
- cowrie shells – I believe we used at least 3 bags
- spray paint in a shade of ‘off white’ – such as this chiffon cream.
- d-rings for hanging – such as this one
- 2 circular mirrors, at least 6 inch in diameter (or 1 larger mirror if doing only 1)
How It’s Done
- Flip to the back of each wood piece. Measure and mark the middle along the top of the square. Screw one D-ring in the middle so that the ‘D’ shows at the top of the wood. Repeat for the 2nd piece of wood.
- Spray paint the wood if you want it to be white. I used an ‘antique white’ color.
- Measure to the middle of the wood (on the front) and apply a good amount of glue near the edge of the back of the mirror, and continue in a spiral toward the middle; enough glue to give a lot of surface area for the glue to adhere. Make sure a bit of glue oozes out the sides – this helps it to set (don’t worry it will dry clear). Leave overnight to dry.
- Glue the cowrie shells around the mirror in concentric circles. Apply enough glue to the space so that a bit will ooze out from under each piece. This helps it to set. Make sure your piece is laying flat to dry. This glue doesn’t dry until 24 hours, so you can move things around to line it up neatly.
You’re done!
We hung ours inside a larger frame, and the effect was stunning! Let us know if you try it! Here are some other craft ideas for the home.
Oops
We didn’t realize that the plywood was too thin for the screw that we used to hold the D-ring in place. So we sort of had to add one more shell to the top middle to hide the spot. Then to make it symmetrical we added another shell to each side. It wasn’t the original plan, but hey it still looks pretty cool.