I was supposed to post this tutorial last night but my internet connection was all like “MUHAHAHAHA! YOU CAN’T!”

So anyway, this is the second installment to my CRAFTING WITH CHILDHOOD TOYS series. This time, I made a sunburst mirror using pick-up sticks. Pick-up sticks are also called jackstraws. If you don’t know how to play this game (gosh, how young ARE you?) or you’ve forgotten how, here is a helpful page from Wiki.

1. Materials & tools: pick-up sticks (in plastic or wood), cardboard, glue gun+glue sticks, small round mirror (I used a blindside mirror), pen, ruler, 3 to 5 inches of ribbon

2. Cut a cardboard circle. This should be smaller than your mirror by at least .75 inch. Adhere to the back of the mirror. Draw a cross on this cardboard as guide for your stick rays.

3. Start gluing the plastic sticks to the back of the mirror. Make sure that you glue the tips to the circumference of the cardboard. You can go for alternate colors or by section, which is what I did. Start gluing the sticks following a crucifix pattern…

4. …and then fill in the spaces in between. Again, the tips of the sticks should touch the cardboard.

5. Continue until you are happy with the number of rays of your sunburst mirror.

6. Cut another cardboard circle. This second circle should be bigger than the first you cut. It should be able to cover the back of the mirror sufficiently but not be seen from the front.

7. Glue the ribbon to the back of the mirror for hanging. Glue the cardboard circle you cut on step 6 on top of this ribbon.

8. Hang and take photos. Optional: spray paint the whole thing in a color you fancy if you’re not happy with the colors of your pick-up sticks. 

Easy, right? I love that this DIY sunburst mirror somehow follows the neon and color-blocking trends. Another bonus is the fact that it’s a lightweight sunburst mirror. Which means that it’s easy to hang and might even be safe for a kid’s room.

Also: this is a cheap DIY project! I think I spent less than PhP100 (~$2.5) for everything.

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