Picture Magnets—Sentimental Homemade Gifts

As much as I claim that I am totally NOT a crafty person, I really enjoy, and love, to receive hand made gifts from others, especially from my Kids.  Quite often, I get drawings from my Kids when I pick them up from school.  They would tell me they missed me at school so they drew me a picture as a gift.  Aw….isn't that sweet?  That alone would be their tickets to get out of the time-out chair.  hahaha….

So, what are Picture Magnets?  As you can see from the picture above, they are magnets that you can put on your fridge, your offices, or anywhere with a metal surface, with the precious pictures of your family, your pets, or your loved ones.  Isn't that lovely?  That is probably so, if you haven’t seen them enough in person.

With that said, these are especially great homemade gifts for the Grandparents!  My Kids and I made these for the Grandmothers as part of the Mother’s day gifts.  I didn't post this sooner as I didn't want to ruin the surprise.  But hey, Father’s day is just around the corner, you can totally make these for the special Daddies or Grandpas in your lives. 



With the technology these days, everything is digital.  I found myself don't print out photos as often as I used to be.  Isn't it the case for you too?  So, these Picture Magnets are wonderful crafts that give you the perfect excuse/reason to print out those gorgeous photos that you took.   So, the picture files don't have to store deep inside the "D:" or "H:" drive of your computer.  hahaha....

Plus, I made these gorgeous Picture Magnets out of the advertising magnets (see picture above) that came inside the the pile of "junk mails" from time to time.  They used to be “junk”, now, I look forward to receiving these magnets in the mail!  These Picture Magnets are super easy to make and you only need a few things as listed below. 

1) Advertising Magnets
2) Pictures of your choice, preferably something that you (or the recipient) want to look at all the time
3) Glue stick
4) A pair of Scissors
5) Ribbons (optional)
6) Double-sided tape (optional, only needed if you want to add ribbons)



Check out how we made these Picture Magnets. First, pick out a picture and a magnet.  Match the magnet on top of the picture to make sure the magnet is big enough to cover the portion of the picture that you want to keep.



At this point, you can use a pencil to trace around the edges of the magnet so it’s easier for you to see where to cut.  I’m a bit lazy and just hold the picture and magnet together and cut around the edges of the magnet. 



I do this quite often so I usually don’t use a pencil. 



If you want to add a ribbon, this is the time to do so.  Simply cut a small amount of double-sided tape and place it on the back side of the ribbon.  Remove the protective paper to reveal the adhesive tape. 



Place the ribbon on the picture where you want it to be.  I love putting the ribbon on one corner at an angle as shown in the picture below.  Then fold the “extra” ribbon to the back of the picture.



Next, have your child laborer (if you have one) apply some glue on the front side of the advertising magnet.



Oh, how lucky am I?  I have 2 child laborers.



Last step, stick the picture on top of the advertising magnet and that’s it.



Not long ago, we went to Palm Spring for a short trip and this is one of the family picture that I love a lot (see picture below).  The background was so nice I didn't want to cut out the picture.  But none of the advertising magnet was big enough to cover the entire picture.



So, this is what I did.  Instead of one magnet, attach two on the back, and spread them apart towards the edge of the photo (see picture below).  This will provide sufficient supports to hold the picture on the metal surface without falling.  I realized different magnets might have different strength of adhesiveness.  So, using two small ones for a 4 by 6 photo works out great in preventing the picture from sliding down from the door of your fridge! 



I hope you like today’s tutorial and gift idea.  Would it be something that you prefer to receive as a gift?  Or can you think of someone special to give these Picture Magnets to?  I would love to hear from you. 



Note: If you don’t receive any advertising magnet in the mail like I do (Congratulations! You probably receive way less junk mails than I do), you can always purchase the magnetic sheets online.  It’ll probably be easier because one side of the sheet is already adhesive.  Click here for the link to see the product.

It's the Memorial Weekend here in the States.  Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.  I just want to take this opportunity to say "Thank You" to everyone in the U.S. Armed Forces (Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard).  Anyone whose served in the past, currently serving the country, or planning do so in the future, I salute to you all for your scarifies and services.  Wish you a wonderful and safe Memorial Weekend.