These are a lot of fun to make, and really easy too. I’ve seen them for sale in gift shops and at sites like this for around $18 a dozen! I saw instructions at sites like Not Martha , and Rachel, Jenny & some other bloggers have made them too. So I hopped on the magnet bandwagon! I made my first set in August but they didn’t come out as well as these because I drew the designs and the ink ran, plus I used Elmer’s glue. I would advise against using freshly inked paper. If you want to draw your own designs I’d let them dry at least overnight. I think these make adorable gifts- especially when paired with the magnet boards from Ikea.
First I bought a few supplies: a quarter inch punch (the perfect size for small magnets). I found this at Michaels. , some quarter inch round magnets
, adhesive (I use Goop Crafter’s adhesive. It dries clear and is apparently stronger than glue), & marbles (small & large)
. I found the marbles & adhesive at Michaels. Wal-Mart has the magnets for about 50 cents less than Michaels. I bought the big pack of magnets (qty. 50) so I could make a lot. I also assembled a couple of other supplies at home: toothpicks, scissors, pen, tray and ziploc bag.
I collected all of the catalogs that have come in the mail lately and flipped through them looking for cute designs. I suppose you could purchase patterned paper, but this way’s cheaper & gives you more variety. The animal prints are pictures of sheets. I cut out anything with a neat pattern and stored the paper in a ziploc. Gift catalogs are great, so are Pottery Barn catalogs. I used a small & large marble and placed them over anything I thought looked like it would look neat on a magnet. The marbles magnify the design so I recommend doing this before gluing your marble.
For the small magnets I used the round punch to punch out the paper. I glued the paper to the magnet first. close up here. I used a toothpick to apply the adhesive. Just a little dab will do ya! Then apply adhesive to the flat side of the marble and place it on the magnet.
Close up here– you can see how the same designs are now magnified. The Goop adhesive is great because you can slide the marble around a little to line it up. Press the marble down hard so the adhesive will spread out. Let dry on the tray (just in case adhesive leaks out- easy clean up).
Large magnets are done a little differently: The larger marbles vary a little in size and shape so I don’t use a punch for them. Line up your large marble over the design you want to use. Put a dab of adhesive on the flat side of the marble. Press your marble firmly to the paper. Use scissors to trim the excess paper from around the marble. Use a little adhesive on the end of a toothpick to adhere the edges of the paper to the marble. Let dry paper side down then once they’ve dried (about 10 minutes) glue the magnet to the back of the marble. Let dry on the tray.
Voila!
This is a great project to work on while watching tv- you can get a lot done in one night! Here’s a really good close up of some finished magnets. They’re very strong & cute to boot!
Bless Your Heart 