Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Quick Refrigerator Magnets


These little refrigerator magnets go together quickly and make charming gifts for the holidays. Present them in a decorated tin for the perfect packaging. Try different stamps for different occasions--Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's Day, Independence Day. Also try mini drawings of your own, or even specialty paper.


Supplies






  • Card Stock



  • Tiny Stamps



  • Dye Ink Pads



  • Bottled Stamp Cleaner



  • Paper Towels



  • Color Pencils



  • 1/2" Round Punch or Craft Knife



  • 1/2" Button Magnets



  • 3/4" Flat-backed glass gems



  • Silicon Glue




Before beginning, gather all the supplies listed above and lay out some scrap paper to protect the work surface. The gems will magnify the images, so make sure the images will be viewable under the gems by stamping or drawing on scrap paper and viewing through the glass gem.


Stamp images on the cardstock using dye ink. Clean the stamps with stamp cleaner and a paint pad. Open the stamp cleaner bottle and tap it on the stamp to saturate the rubber. Then tap the stamp on a paper towel and wipe stamp on a dry, clean paint pad to remove any remaining residue. Blot the stamp cleaner bottle on a towel to remove excess dye from the applicator tip. Cleaning the stamps immediately will remove any residual dye and prolong the life of the stamps.


Color the stamped images with colored pencils. Use the circle punch to punch out the stamped images, or cut out the images using a craft knife.


When the images have been punched or cut, put a dot of silicone glue on the image and gently press glass gem onto it. Do not press too firmly or too much of the silicone will be pressed out and air bubbles may form between the gem and the card stock.


Put a dot of silicone glue on a magnet and press the glass gem with stamped image onto the magnet. Repeat for each magnet. Let the magnet(s) cure overnight. Package the finished magnets in a decorated tin (spray paint an old mint tin and stamp, or decoupage).


Click here to view completed magnets.








This article by Kira Enari was originally published at Creative Geek.

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