DIY Stenciled Seashell Mirror

Create fun coastal decor by stenciling a seashell onto a painted mirror.

I bought this mirror at the thrift store just up the street from me for less than a dollar.

The mirror needed a new look, so I decided on spray paint. I usually spray the backside of frames and mirrors first, then flip them over and paint the top side.

Often, when a mirror or framed picture is hanging on a wall, you can see the sides of the frame, and sometimes, they don’t get painted completely unless you spray the back side.

The beautiful paint color is from Krylon—Chalky finish in Waterfall.

I wanted to do a coastal design, but I had a hard time deciding which one to use. It was a toss-up between the starfish and the seashell.

I cut the stencil up so I could lay the shell flat in the frame. I chose three whitish shades from FolkArt for the stenciled design.

Without seeing the shell in just one white shade, it’s hard to tell how three different colors of white add dimension to the stencil…but they do.

Stencil one color, let it dry, stencil a dab of the second color here and there….let it dry….stencil your third color in random spots. Now the stencil doesn’t look “flat”.

It was a very easy project, and it was no problem to spray paint the mirror. I like how perfectly imperfect the stenciled design looks.

The chalky finish paint adheres to glass. That’s what it says on the can. I distressed the frame using 150 grit sandpaper.

That’s it. Are you ready to spray paint something? You don’t have to stencil. I could have painted the mirror frame only and that would have been a cool update too.

Thanks for being here, Kathy