Yes. I am a Copy Cat. (And apparently I have some issues with impulsivity.)

So I was quickly checking out a few blogs in between doses of Nyquil and boxes of Kleenex. I saw the cah-utest little Valentine's vignette at House of Smiths.

It was so cute that (while still in my PJs) I set about copying her immediately. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, don't ya know.

I'm guessing that Mrs. Smith used vinyl cut-outs on her vintage window frame.

I didn't have vinyl (or anything I could make her cute cut-outs with) and I also didn't have an old window. What I did have was a spare mirror and acrylic paint.

I last used this as my RedRum mirror for our Halloween Party. I slapped on a little white acrylic paint. (And none too carefully, I might add...)

Next, I blooped on a bunch of acrylic paint directly onto the mirror's surface. (Slapped and Blooped are artist/painting terms. Honest. You can look it up.)

I just wanted the basic shape of the birds and sticks. I didn't care if it was perfect.
Here's a trick: While the paint is still wet, use a razor blade to create clean lines. Gone are my ragged edges. (Unless they're supposed to be there.)


Not counting drying time, this project took me about 10 minutes. Well, OK 30 minutes if you start counting from the moment I saw the original over at House of Smiths, jumped out of my seat and started gathering my materials like a loon.

But still.... Fast... free... and it made me forget about my stuffy nose for a while.