Photography by Bryan McCay
My May column for Family Circle is on the newsstands now and I wanted to add a few notes about the project (space constraints make it difficult to include every tip and observation on the page).
The idea of plaster flowers certainly isn't a new idea, but I had not found any examples of colored plaster, which I wanted to mix in with the standard white. I tried two types of food coloring, both of which are represented in the photo above. The first, McCormick's Neon food coloring set (available in grocery stores) produced the most consistent, overall color and coverage. That's what I used for the pink flowers.
But I also tried Wilton's Icing Colors concentrated paste food coloring (which I found in the cake decorating section at Michaels) in Ivory. The yellow daisies shown above started off as white fabric daisies that I dipped into the Ivory colored plaster. In their initial drying stages, the flowers seemed to be drying consistently, but after several hours I noticed that the color was becoming concentrated on the flower tips and looked yellow instead of ivory. I thought it was a great effect and worth mentioning.
Another experiment I tried was in using different colors of flowers to dip. I found that if I wanted to create highly detailed pink flowers, I was better off starting with a pink flower and dipping it just once (possibly twice, if the first coat is really thin). As the plaster dried, some of the pink flower showed through the plaster, but this looked pretty. The more you dip, the thicker the coating and the more detail that you lose.
When it came to drying these flowers, I found I preferred hanging most of them upside down from a hanger, secured with a clothespin (I hung them from my shower rod and placed a plastic garbage bag over the tub edge to catch any drips). Smaller flowers (or flowers whose petals I wanted to showcase open), I stuck the stems in a Styrofoam block. But I also wanted to include a few flowers and buds on their sides, so I let those dry just resting on the plastic garbage bag. That gave them a flat bottom that was easy to glue onto the mirror.
Finally, don't skip the fixative step. Plaster flakes easily and the fixative will give you a highly durable finish. So durable that I was able to ship this mirror from New Orleans to New York without losing so much as a tiny bud.
Hi, Years have passed since the original post. I was just wondering if anyone has tried gluing on the flowers with a glue gun? Also, does anyone have anything new to add from their experience while trying to do this. Thought I would try this on a picture frame first. Thanks for any updates!
Posted by: Kathi Louis | 08 August 2016 at 08:33 AM
Wow! I love that mirror. Have to try this.
Thanks for the idea.
Posted by: Wasser Staggs | 04 May 2013 at 01:06 AM
Wow very nice informative post. It has a very comprehensive instructions here. I love the mirror designed with poly-fabric flowers. Very fabulous stuff.
Posted by: Burbage Grigsby | 01 May 2013 at 05:52 PM
The title 'In Full Bloom' explains how beautiful are your creations. Good job indeed!
Posted by: Shive Hutcheson | 29 April 2013 at 07:31 AM
Great blog, this project turned out nice.
Posted by: Plastic Coating | 27 November 2011 at 09:00 PM
Where can you find the poly-fabric flowers to use for the project? I contacted Michael's and they said they did not carry any . . .
Posted by: Heather Sauber | 26 September 2011 at 08:43 AM
One other note - Kelly asked me what kind of adhesive I used for this project. I used Beacon 527 Multi-Use Glue. I had great success with it and I'm usually able to find it at Michaels and other craft stores.
Posted by: Suzonne | 02 June 2011 at 05:20 PM
Elise - It's unlikely that you'll mess up once you get to the part where you're gluing the flowers on. Most of the trial and error will have to do with the plastering of the flowers.
However, I purchased this mirror at Lowe's and I think it was about $40 (somewhere in the 26-28" range). But you can always buy a smaller beveled mirror at craft stores like Michaels and experiment with that. I think those run around $10, maybe less. But since they're smaller and more lightweight, I'd stick with flowers in the small to medium range.
Good luck! I hope you have fun!
Posted by: Suzonne | 02 June 2011 at 05:16 PM
Can anyone suggest where I might buy a mirror suitable for this project (preferably an inexpensive one)? I'd like to make one for my daughter's room but don't want to spend a lot of money on the mirror in case I mess it up somehow. Thanks! It is a lovely mirror!
Posted by: Elise | 02 June 2011 at 12:45 PM
This is the most beautiful mirror I think I've ever seen! Just lovely....Can you tell me what size mirror was used?
Posted by: Kelly | 27 May 2011 at 08:35 AM
Thanks all! This was such a creatively fulfilling project for me. I'm glad people are enjoying it.
Posted by: Suzonne | 16 April 2011 at 05:14 PM
Love this idea, Suzonne. I've seen the flowers in white only, but I love the mix of colors you used. So pretty! :)
Posted by: Wendy | 14 April 2011 at 09:19 AM
I actually discovered your blog through the article about this! Your mirror is beautiful and I really want to try this now!
Posted by: kelly | 13 April 2011 at 08:55 AM
This looks beautiful Suzonne--I want to give it a try now...off to find a copy of your article.
Posted by: Janice | 13 April 2011 at 05:59 AM
What a delightful and colorful blog. A pleasure to browse. I'll definitely give these plaster flowers a try sometime.
Found you through the FC article. Congrats on the feature. It looks great.
I've bookmarked you to visit again later.
Posted by: Lisa @celebrate CREATIVITY | 12 April 2011 at 10:59 AM