Mirrors can be a beautiful addition to your home, whether you are using them merely to check your outfit or in one of the many ways they can visually augment a room. Utilizing mirrors well in a space can make it feel more light-filled and larger, as well as serving as a way to fill up wall space as an alternative to art. An Instagram DIYer showed off a cool method of adding some floral details to mirrors using only some acrylic paint and a plastic bag. This fun technique is great for livening up a boring builder-grade bathroom mirror or adding some romance and color to your inexpensive full-length mirror.

This DIY is also just one of many ways to reuse plastic bags while working with paint, including keeping brushes from drying out and cleanup. You can also build a crinkled paintable surface when making your own wall decor art. Likewise, plastic bags are a great way to add painted texture to your walls or ceiling. Acrylic paint works wonderfully on mirrors for thick and stay-put color. Even better, acrylics are water soluble, meaning they can be washed off with water and a little scrubbing. 

This makes this hack especially handy for adding a little color and interest to your windows (or to block views in a stylish way). Cover your glass surfaces with springtime flowers or swap seasonally with fall florals or holiday poinsettias, depending on your mood. 

To create beautiful flowers on glass, use a plastic shopper bag, gathering the closed end in a knot to form the center of the flower. Turn it inside out and gather the handles, tying them off and leaving the cavity filled with air. Use a brush or dip the bottom portion like a stamp into your chosen paint color and then apply it to the mirror, pressing softly to adhere the paint to the glass. Repeat until you’ve made as many flowers as desired. 

You can even create greenery and loaves by painting only portions of the bag with green. You could also hand dry stems and leaves with an acrylic paint marker around your flowers. Or, use a lighter shade or a darker one to go back in and add highlights, lowlights, or defined outlines for more dimensional flowers.

You can use shopping bags for larger flowers, or try small sandwich bags or gallon freezer bags for smaller blooms. This technique also works on paper or other surfaces. Try making beautiful floral art to frame for your walls, or even use it to add painted flowers to a plain piece of wood furniture like a dresser or a desk.