I hate the mishmash of ugly magnets on my fridge. It started to really annoy me, so I decided I’d replace them with some pretty magnets. This is the easiest craft project I’ve ever done. I’m not even really sure I can call it a craft project because it really just consists of gluing cabochons to magnets. Easy. Beautiful. Inexpensive. I like it. 

All you need are some cabochons, some magnets, and some glue. I asked the gal who sold me the magnets what adhesive she recommended and she told me that E-6000 was a really good one (it is “industrial strength”). I found it at my Walmart in the crafting section by the other adhesives. This glue has lots of scary warnings on it though… so don’t stick it up your nose (it doesn’t smell good anyways and I doubt you want to glue your nostrils shut), use it near an open window/in a well ventilated area, don’t eat it (duh!), don’t let kids handle it, and wash your hands thoroughly after you use it. Sometimes I like to play with toxic glue just to feel a little dangerous and wild. My life is exciting.

I purchased my cabochons from Oh What Fun on Etsy. She has some great color coordinated mixes. I chose 2 different mixes and combined them for my set of magnets.

All my cabochons were smaller than those big, bulky button magnets you get in the crafting section at Walmart/at the craft store… you know the ones I’m talking about. They’re thick and black. And huge. Those would not do for this project unless you have large cabochons. So I went searching on Etsy again and read up on Neodymium magnets. These things are crazy. Have you heard of them? They’re ridiculously strong, so you can use teeny tiny ones and they still have lots of pulling power. I got a set of 20 of these little guys from this shop on Etsy for $5 (plus shipping). I was not expecting them to be so tiny. The listing said they were only 1/4 inch in diameter, but I was still in shock when I unpackaged them from the mail. I was thinking, there is no way these will hold anything up on the fridge. They’re ridiculously small! I immediately took them over to the fridge to test them out and make sure I had not just wasted my money. First I tried a single piece of paper and it held it firmly in place. Then I tried a photo print… still good! Then I took an envelope from the counter. I’ve never hung a bill, still in its envelope, on the fridge because all but ONE of my magnets can’t hold something that thick. Well, my internet bill, probably equivalent to hanging a packet of 10 papers in a single stack on the fridge, was held firmly in place by this tiny powerhouse of a magnet. I was literally in disbelief and giggling to myself. They are crazy strong – you’re even warned not to use them near pace makers. o.O I think next time I will buy some that are 3/8 inch (just search for Neodymium magnets on Etsy and you can find that size) simply because these 1/4 inch ones are so small that they are kinda hard to work with.

For reference, one of the 1/4″ magnets next to a dime:

Word to the wise: make sure when you’re laying out your magnets and setting aside the assembled magnets to dry that you place them at least 4 inches apart… take it from me… if they are any closer than that, the magnets will roll towards each other and stick to each other and make it impossible to use them if they have glue on them already. Yes, it happened to me. Bah!

The glue instructions tell you to apply a little to each surface, let them dry for about 2 minutes, then press together and set aside to dry completely. A little goes a long way, so don’t put a whole lot on. The package says to let dry for 24 hours, but really, with this little project you don’t need to. The cabochons are so light that I don’t think you need to worry about letting them dry that long. I set them aside for about 2 hours before I put them on my fridge.

Imagine how cute these would be if you packaged them up in an altered Altoids tin for giving them away as a gift?!

I’ve been on the lookout for pretty cake stands, particularly a small one for my cute little 6″ cake pans. I found plenty of cuteness, but for prices way out of my budget. I was super excited when I came across DIY ideas on Pinterest for cheap cake stands! I picked up a $3 candlestick and a $2 salad plate at Walmart and simply glued them together, primed it, then spray painted it! Totally adorable. If you’re looking for tips for this kind of project, head on over to this post by Centsational Girl. I used a different glue than her. I found a Glass & Bead Slick Surface Adhesive by Aleene’s in my Walmart’s crafting section. You could totally do this for cheaper if you find candlesticks and plates at a thrift store.

I wouldn’t put food directly on the cake plate with the spray painted finish, so I put two layers of paper under the cake, cut to fit the plate. Anyone know of a food safe sealant or something you could put over spray paint?

I found Floral Blossom on Etsy a few months back and she has THE cutest felt finger puppet patterns EVER! They kill me. So dang adorable! I bought a couple of her patterns last November so I could make some puppets for my kids for Christmas. I ended up giving the farm animals set to my daughter’s preschool and kept the woodland creatures. They were fun to make and tons of fun for us to play with! The farm animals set originally had a donkey, but I made it into a horse by shortening the ears (and doing different colors).

I am so glad my daughter is now in preschool… this was the first year I got to put together Valentines for others. I found some cute little puzzles at the Dollar Tree – 2 in a pack for $1! I figured the kids would be getting plenty of sugar, so I decided we’d give them puzzles. I had a few wording ideas for the tags, but my friend – Megan (except she pronounces it differently than me… did you know my name is pronounced “Meeeegan” and rhymes with “vegan?” I betcha didn’t) – came up with “I love you to pieces.” Pretty cute, right?! I wrapped the puzzles in wrapping paper and made up my tags in Photoshop. After I put the tags on I found one of Allie’s puzzles that was missing some pieces and glued them (wrong side up) to the cards for a fun embellishment.

We gave her teachers some mini brownies with tags that say “Shooting for brownie points.” I thought the idea was SO cute! But I can’t take credit… I got the idea from Lauren McKinsey Designs. Hope you all are having a wonderful, love-filled, Valentine’s Day!