Make this Tropical-Inspired Raffia Sunburst Mirror

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve posted a DIY tutorial, and this is one I’ve had up my sleeve for a little while! Sometimes my DIY posts don’t come together quite how I imagine, which means they end up in the ‘drafts’ section for longer than I’d like. But a bit of a reminder came to me in the form of Paper & Stitch’s post on resort decor at home, and I’m happy to share with you how to make this tropical-inspired raffia sunburst mirror!

Sunburst-style mirrors are everywhere at the moment and this DIY is a bit of a tropical spin on the metal art-deco style that live on so many walls.

You will need:

–Natural Raffia
-Round Mirror (the type used for table centrepieces)
–Craft ring (with the same diameter as your mirror)
-Super Glue
-Scissors
–Command Decorating Clips or similar

A few notes before we get started… Raffia is a natural material that is harvested from the Raffia Palm, and therefore comes in different lengths and slightly different colours. It is a fun material to work with and the variation just gives more of a tropical, boho vibe! There are paper raffia alternatives, but I think the natural raffia looks best for this DIY.

You can generally find round mirrors at craft stores or dollar stores, which are normally used as table centrepieces for weddings. I find they’re the best option for this DIY, as they come without any frame and you can often find the size you like. Mine had a diameter of around 20cm, and I’ve also more recently finished a larger 40cm beauty!

Make this Tropical-Inspired Raffia Sunburst Mirror

To start, take a single strand of raffia. While the strands will vary slightly in size, this wont matter at this stage. Generally each strand is around a metre long.

Fold the strand in half two or three times, until you are left with a length of around 20-30cm (8-12inches).

Take the looped end of the raffia, and place it over the edge of your craft hoop.

To knot the piece of raffia onto your hoop, fold the looped end around the hoop, then pull the other end of the raffia through until it creates a tight loop on the hoop. See the step-by-step images for help.

Continue to fold strips of raffia and loop them onto the craft hoop, until you have covered the whole hoop. You can push the loops tighter on the craft hoop to create a fuller look. Tying the raffia onto the craft hoop may take an hour or so to do (the longest part of the DIY!).

Each piece of raffia may end up being slightly different lengths around the hoop, but we will fix this later.

To attach the hoop to the mirror:

On the back of your mirror, take a Command decorating clip and superglue it as far to the edge of the mirror as possible. Make sure the hook part is facing outwards. You may need to trim any excess clip backing that hangs over the edge of the mirror. While the clips come with sticky backs to attach them, I find superglue gives a better hold for this project.

Glue one more clip on the opposite side of the mirror in the same way.

To attach the raffia hoop, create a gap in the raffia and clip the metal hoop into the decorating clips. Do one at a time, but you may need to stretch the hoop over until it clicks into place on the second clip. Now it should be sturdy and stay in place.

Using scissors, cut the outer ends of the raffia that still may be looped. Take a step back to check that all sides are even. You may need to trim some raffia ends to even up the circle. But it doesn’t have to be perfect – a little variation will give it a more natural look.

To hang your new raffia sunburst mirror, knot a small loop of raffia halfway between the hooks on either side of the hoop. Now you can hang it wherever you like!

What do you think?! Not only is this a fun take on the sunburst mirror trend, but it can help you bring the tropical vibes into your home with the raffia twist! Check out more of my home decor DIYs or download the free raffia DIYs booklet below!