Mirror Frame for Pete & Erin

So I will preface this post by apologizing for the low quality documentation. Mainly I'm apologizing to myself because I was in too big a hurry to get good shots of what I feel is the first really good piece I've designed and built. Especially the absence of a picture with the mirror in place (it reflects back the hidden edges of the slab and is just so nice...). BUT I told Pete that I expect some pictures when they hang it and he knows about documenting design work, so I'm hoping he'll send along some really good ones.

I wanted to build Pete & Erin a wedding present. I got a late start but worked hard and got it together fairly quickly. I had what I thought were Walnut slabs (but later found, to my embarrassment, that they were Cherry)

First, I needed to strip off the bark around the edges with a drawknife. Action Shot!

Then I cut the pieces in half and jointed the edges and planed them to thickness. Then they looked like this:

I spent some time arranging them in different ways and eventually came up with the setup that looked best to me. I cut out mortises where they were to be joined and glued them up with a couple Walnut tenons.
Then I stole a few strips of Walnut from Adam to make the framework on the back that would hold the mirror (I specially ordered) in place. I attached the framework with glue and screws but plugged the screw holes with Walnut and sanded them flush.

I brought the frame home and set it up on the fold-out futon in my room (with canvas, foam-core, and plastic sheeting underneath) so that I could do the finish work on my own time in the evenings (instead of staying after work). After three coats of a mixture of one part Teak Oil, one part Satin Poly-urethane, one part Mineral Spirits (sanding with 320 between each) it looked like this:

Sorry for the glare.... Like I said, bad documentation. Here's a close-up of my favorite part:

 

And, what makes it truly valuable: