DIY Vintage Magnets

I've seen a lot of magnet crafts at craft fairs-particularly the inside-out altered bottle cap. Feeling the desire to make some unique magnet crafts, I came up with a really easy method that allows for great creativity but doesn't require much in the way of fancy supplies or worse-the dreaded hot glue gun.

This craft has a lot going for it. It is basically a paper-based assemblage or collage craft. It can be intricate and ornate or as plain and simple as you desire, or is warranted.

I have used this method for making magnets for my own use and display, for personalized gifts and interesting and unique ones to sell at bazaars.

Below are the materials you will need and suggestions and notes for creating the magnets.

Items needed

Basic

Foam board
Papers
Mod Podge or spray adhesive
Self-adhesive magnet craft sheets, or small craft magnets

Optional embellishments

Glitter
Metallic pens
Small found objects
Craft jewels, rhinestones, etc.
Rubber stamps

Assembling the magnet

Cut and assemble the papers as you would like them to be in their final form (don't glue them yet!) Cut a piece of foam board that is almost, but not quite the size of the bottom-most paper. Cut a strip of magnet to be placed on the back of the foam core.

First, attach the magnet strip to the back of the foam board. My experience is that they are ultra-sticky, and do not need any help with other adhesive measures.

Next, apply a small dollop of Mod Podge on the front side of the foam board, and even it out into a very fine layer-- smearing the dollop around the foam board with a sideways toothpick or similar tool.

A very small amount is needed-for example, for a 3 in. by 3 in. square piece of foam board, a drop the size of half a pea is sufficient. It isn't necessary to make sure every the whole face is covered perfectly either, a general fine layer is enough.

Next, start placing and gluing (or spraying) any remaining layers of papers on to the base paper as you would like them to appear. To avoid any lumpy or wrinkled areas with the Mod Podge, take care to use a very small amount, in strategic areas, like the corners and middle of the paper. Use a toothpick the apply a pinpoint of glue, and even it out a bit.

If you are using papers only, the magnet will now be completed. Let it dry completely.

Embellishment instructions and ideas

One you have the papers affixed and dried as above, you can embellish the magnet in many ways. Although some magnets look great simple and plain because of the particular image or paper you've used, many are greatly enhanced by the use of rubber stamps, and small decorations.

Glitter can be applied by making a fine strip of glue (again, using a toothpick) and then placing glitter on. Shake the excess off when the glue has dried. Rhinestone embellishments are nice too, and flat backed products are available in craft stores for projects like this for nominal prices.

Also, take advantage of scrapbook mania. Even Dollar Tree now has a small scrapbooking section with items that are easily adapted to other paper crafts like this. Just keep in mind that some of the lesser quality self adhesive items may need a bit of Mod Podge boosting.

Rubber stamps are a particularly lovely addition to this craft-when using multiple papers, using a stamp over two or more of the papers ties it together nicely, making it seem a more organic and holistic piece. Also, using a calligraphy pen, pencil, or metallic pen to write something (even if it is fragmented, or nonsensical-the point is the aesthetic of the writing tying the pieces together) in your best cursive is a nice touch as well.

Notes & Ideas

There are all kinds of papers that can be used for this project. Old dictionaries and encyclopedias often have really interesting small images and interesting text. Life Magazines from the 1940s are my favorite source of images-there are so many colorful great vintage ads for modern products, movie ads, and all kinds of perfect things.

Vintage sheet music, ledgers, bibles, children's books, wrapping paper, wallpaper...you get the idea.

Another great idea is to incorporate photocopied family photos. I recently made a magnet collage for my mother for Mother's Day, that incorporated of her own mother and myself as a baby, and she loved it.

A final note to sellers: a couple years ago, I took some of these magnets to a craft fair, and sold almost all of them-they were a big hit. Because of their magnetized nature, they are very easy to display. I used a small easel to hold a large, fancy vintage metal serving tray, and simply stuck the magnets on to display.