Fridge Magnets DIY

I love what little time I get to myself to be crafty and creative. I love the look of hand-stamped jewelry (if you don't know what it is, just do a simple search on etsy) and I even gave out hand-stamped keychains before for Christmas gifts. I've been looking for other uses for my metal stamping kit (available in most hardstore stores, and even online) and I've found it!

I created these cute fridge magnets. I love the clean look of them (no more mis-matched and cluttery magnets) and the handmade look (they're by no means perfect since I stamped them myself).  To make your own you will need a set of alphabet metal stamps, a hard surface, a hammer, metal discs or washers, glue (I used LocTite superglue), and magnets.

First, find a clean, childfree workspace. I say this because when I got up from my workspace to answer the phone, I came back to find that my son had punched in extra letters on my finished designs! It's really important to have a hard surface to stamp against. This helps the stamp really penetrate your metal washer.

I recommend having an extra disc or two to try out the force with which you'll need to strike each alphabet. It also helps ensure that you have your letters lined up properly before you do it on your washer. You ideally want to hit the end of the alphabet stamp with a firm hand, just once. If you don't think you hit it hard enough, go ahead and do it again, but do not move the stamp. It's really hard to line it up again perfectly, in my experience, if you've moved it. I found that holding the hammer mid-way down the shaft also gives you greater control over the hammer. If you get comfortable with it, I'd suggest moving onto your real piece, but only after lining out your letters and figuring out your spacing. Sometimes it helps to start with the center of a word and work left and right from there, rather than going left to right.

After you're happy with the design, it might be a little uneven (ie: no longer flat). I find that if you give it some gentle taps it'll even out. I always do this on the backside of the design. Then since it's already flipped over, dab a little super glue onto your magnet (make sure you do it on the non-magnetized side) and then stick it to the back of your finished design. Once your design is dry, you can take a permanent pen with a really small tip and "color in" your letters to make them stand out more. Here's another one of my designs that I did today (they aren't photographing well):

There might be a giveaway in the future regarding some personalized fridge magnets since I have some leftover materials...stay tuned!

Linking up at: I Heart Naptime, Under the Table and Dreaming, The DIY Showoff, Between Naps on the Porch