Thursday, January 28, 2010

How to Make Marble Magnets

Marble magnets have been a staple craft project for years now and they're so practical. Who couldn't use more magnets? My good friend, Liana taught me how to make these years ago. And they became my signature. My bridesmaids even had marble magnet supplies at my bridal shower so we could all make some!

Once again, this is an easy, simple craft to whip up. You will need the following supplies:

  • Floral Marbles (found in the floral section of your craft store) This is very important... make sure that the floral magnets are completely CLEAR. A lot of the floral magnets have color or luster added which makes it difficult to see the paper below.
  • E-600 Glue- dries clear and creates a super tight, waterproof bond
  • Round magnets similar in size to your marbles. I prefer the extra strong magnets.
  • Toothpick
  • Hole punch (optional)
  • Patterned paper (The options are endless for this. Use magazines, photos, old calendars, old books, etc. Anything that you want to turn into a magnet. I used the scraps from the Amy Butler paper that I used to make the bunting.)


Make sure that the marbles are as clear as possible. Don't use the marbles that have lots of air bubbles or blemishes on them.

Start by punching or cutting out round pieces of paper. The hole punch was great but I did end up having to trim the excess paper after I glued it to the marble. Sometimes it's just easier to trace and cut them with scissors since the marbles vary slightly in shape and size.

Squeeze out a dollop of glue. Make sure to not squeeze out too much because the glue dries quickly so work in batches. Also, make sure to work in a well ventilated area as this particular glue has strong fumes.

Use your toothpick to spread the glue in a thin layer onto the flat side of the marble.

Quickly place the piece of paper onto the glue and press the marble and paper on a flat surface to smooth out the glue and get rid of the air bubbles. Let them dry slightly before you add the magnets.

Spread more glue onto your magnet. You don't need much... this glue is strong!

Adhere the magnet to the backside of the marble. Let dry and then use tiny scissors to trim off the excess paper under the marble.

And here are the finished magnets! Aren't they pretty?! The best thing is that the possibilities are endless... make numbered magnets, or alphabet magnets or magnets to match your dishtowels. You can also glue a flat tack to the back to make pretty tacks for your cork board.

If you're making these for gifts, jewelry boxes make wonderful packaging. Just cut a piece of paper or cardstock to the size of the box and put a paper clip behind it so that the magnets have something to stick to.


Voila, marble magnets! Make some tomorrow!

5 comments:

Prippy Handbook said...

I love these so much! So clever. Thanks for sharing - looking forward to trying some out for Valentine's Day gifts!

Michaela said...

Love your marble magnets, Janis! Very cute. Keep the How-Tos coming. :)

Anna said...

Hi Janis! Hope all is well in Ithaca and you're all enjoying the 2nd year. Love checking into on your blog and was so happy to see this post. I was looking for something similar to this - I am going to use the thumb tack version for our table cards display for the wedding! THANKS!

Anonymous said...

LOVE!!!!!! Can't wait to try this at home :) !

Anonymous said...

This is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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