How to Make Decorative Magnets
You don't have to spend a lot to get a colorful set of magnets to tack photos, paperwork or reminders to metallic surfaces. Create practical and adorable magnets for yourself or as gifts for family members, teachers, neighbors and friends with inexpensive supplies like foam sheets, self-adhesive gems and cookie cutters. Design themed decorative magnets like colorful flowers to coordinate with different room colors or personalize the crafts to suit the recipient's tastes if you're giving them as gifts.
Things You'll Need
- Scrap paper or plastic sheet
- Fun Foam sheets
- 3-inch and 2-inch flower cookie cutter
- Sharp scissors or craft knife
- Adhesive dots
- Gel pens or needle and embroidery floss
- Rhinestones, sequins or buttons
- Magnetic adhesive
Instructions
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1
Protect your work surface by covering the table with scrap paper or a plastic sheet.
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2
Place a piece of Fun Foam atop the scrap paper or plastic sheet and press a 3-inch flower-shaped cookie cutter onto the surface. Cut out the shape with a pair of sharp scissors or a craft knife.
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3
Press a 2-inch cookie cutter with the same flower shape into a piece of Fun Foam in a contrasting color, such as yellow if you used orange for the first flower or purple if you used pink for the larger flower. Use scissors to cut out the flower.
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4
Affix the smaller flower to the center of the larger flower with adhesive dots. Use the "dry" adhesive to affix the elements instead of white glue, which can seep through the foam.
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5
Use sharp scissors to freehand cut a 1-inch circle, swirl shape or heart out of the foam used to create the 3-inch flower. Attach it to the center of the 2-inch flower with adhesive dots.
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Leave the foam flower "as is" or embellish it by creating a border for each layer with a gel pen or by using a needle and embroidery floss to do a running stitch by pushing the threaded needle up and down around the outside edge of the flower. You can also adorn the petals with rhinestones, sequins or buttons affixed with adhesive dots.
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Turn the foam shape into a magnet by pressing a piece of magnetic adhesive tape onto the back.
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Tips & Warnings
If you don't have cookie cutters, trace shapes onto the Fun Foam using stencils and a pencil.
Create layered handmade magnets in holiday shapes by using cookie cutters shaped like a candy cane, Santa Claus, stocking, Easter egg, heart, turkey or cornucopia. Make a red and white candy cane, for example, by cutting the same candy cane shape out of red and white sheets of foam. Cut the red candy cane shape into horizontal strips and glue every other strip to the white candy cane to mimic the look of a striped peppermint stick.
Make handmade foam magnets that are as educational as they are adorable by adding pieces of magnetic adhesive to the back of pre-cut foam letters and numbers. Hang the magnetic letters and numbers on your refrigerator or a large magnet board and let your kids create words or simple math equations with the shapes.
