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DIY Marble Magnets Tutorial {cute + thrifty!}

October 20, 2010 By Heidi 50 Comments

I may get paid for ads or purchases made through links in this post.

Get ready to get crafting with this fun and easy DIY Marble Magnets Tutorial!

DIY Marble Magnets

I’ve been seeing the cutest marble picture magnets at the stores, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to pay full price for them!

So…. I started playing around with my Mod Podge {just like we used in the Cute & Crafty Clipboards} , and came up with this DIY Marble Magnets Tutorial.  These Marble Magnets are a cinch to make!

Related:

  • Fun Crafts To Do that Anyone Can Enjoy! {huge list}

Marble Magnets Tutorial

What You’ll Need:

  • Mod Podge {I used Glossy}
  • Small, Strong Round Magnets
  • Flat Glass Marbles {I found small ones at Hobby Lobby & larger ones at JoAnn’s ~ near the silk flowers}
  • Foam Brush
  • Hot Glue Gun
  • Small Pictures {cut out from magazines or scrapbook paper}

Mod Podge

Foam Brushes

What You’ll Do:

Find small pictures that you would like to use for your magnets.  Bright pictures with vivid colors work great!  I used pictures cut out from free and cheap magazines and from scrapbook paper scraps.  {tip: photos printed on photo paper and stickers don’t work well for this project ~ just trust me} πŸ˜‰

Place marble over picture to visualize what it will look like.  Trace around marble, then cut out picture… just a smidge inside the traced line.

Apply a small amount of Mod Podge to the back {flat} side of the marble piece…

Place marble piece on top of the picture, and press down.  Don’t worry ~ the Mod Podge will dry clear.

Set aside, and allow to dry.

Once the picture has dried, attach magnet to the back using hot glue {make sure to use the hot setting on your glue gun}…

There you have it ~ wasn’t that so easy??

Have fun choosing pictures, styles, sizes, and designs!

Here are some that I made with large marbles…

These Marble Magnets were so simple and fun to make, I actually made a bunch!  And yes… that is ‘Jaws’ in the corner there!

Save some for yourself, and give some as thrifty gifts!!

See Also:

  • How to Make Cute & Crafty Clipboards
  • How To Make a Fringed Fleece Scarf
  • DIY How To Make *Cute* Hair Clips for Babies & Little Girls
  • How To Make Flower Headbands for Babies & Little Girls
  • Homemade Playdough Recipe

I have even more fun craft ideas and ways to keep your kiddos entertained that I know you’ll love.  Check out these creative tips…

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Turn that rainy day into an opportunity for endless creativity and fun!  And trust me… I grew up in Seattle, so I know all about those rainy, drizzly days.

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Come rain or shine, keep the kiddos busy with this big list of frugal craft ideas for kids!

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Plan loads of fun for your kiddos with this BIG List of Frugal Summer Fun Ideas for Kids!

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Feeling crafty??  It’s time to get your Craft on and get inspired to do some fun crafts!

Fun Crafts to Do at Home for Kids and Adults

So have you tried making these DIY Marble Magnets yet?

Leave a comment & share!

DIY Marble Magnets Tutorial from TheFrugalGirls.com

Filed Under: Crafts, Kids Crafts, Pin of the Week Tagged With: Paper Crafts

Comments

  1. Anna says

    February 22, 2016 at 3:04 pm

    amaze.ingly awesome

    Reply
  2. MomHomeGuide says

    February 27, 2013 at 11:24 am

    Cute! My kids would love these.

    Reply
  3. Stacey says

    January 20, 2013 at 7:56 pm

    I absolutely love these. The kids and I found a way to re-purpose all of our Orlando/Walt Disney World brochures from over the years with this project. It was a really fun and easy.

    Reply
    • Heidi says

      January 21, 2013 at 10:43 am

      Oh what a great idea, Stacey! I bet those make adorable magnets!! πŸ™‚

      ~ Heidi

      Reply
  4. dela callahan says

    October 24, 2012 at 8:25 pm

    You can use pictures of family members the photos can be copied on an ink jet printer and not ruin your photos. The small school pictures are great as you only need the headshots. Use the larger glass marbles and stong magnets. These would make great Christmas presents. I am making these for my aunts and uncles using their family picture I have.

    Reply
  5. Sierra says

    August 24, 2012 at 1:11 pm

    I haven’t read all the dozens of comments above, but I would strongly recommend using a better glue to attach the magnet. My choice would be E-6000; you can get a small tube for about $3 or a much larger tube for about $5. It’s stinky but it is SOOO strong (and honestly, it only smells if you’re sniffing it anyway, not after it’s dried!).

    Reply
  6. Melissa says

    July 26, 2012 at 4:41 pm

    I am making these for wedding favors, just tight budget = all DIY πŸ˜‰ Our theme is peacock and I found tons of great images online but cannot figure out how to size them down. I wanted to print them on cardstock so the magnet didn’t show through the image and since cardstock isn’t cheap I want to do an entire page at a time. I am at a loss here… I thought I had it ok but they just turn out too small every time I try. HELP! πŸ˜›

    Reply
    • Denise Warner says

      September 11, 2016 at 10:01 pm

      Copy and paste image into a Word document. Then click on it and you should be able to resize it using the little corner circles.

      Reply
  7. Lori says

    April 26, 2012 at 5:20 pm

    I love this craft. So cute & useful! We used this as a little take home gift at the mother/daughter brunch our teens girls hosted at church. Cheap too!

    Reply
  8. Lauren says

    April 23, 2012 at 8:14 pm

    What an amazing craft idea! Thank you so much for posting this up Heidi! This truly is a unique and creative way to show your personalitly, your passion, and of course your creativity! Would make great gifts for any occasion, thanks again! =)

    Reply
    • Heidi says

      April 23, 2012 at 9:28 pm

      You’re very welcome, Lauren! I’m so glad you like the project… have fun making your Marble Magnets! πŸ˜‰

      ~ Heidi

      Reply
  9. Cindy R says

    February 13, 2012 at 8:20 pm

    My daughter recently became engaged. I made a set of four magnets as “Save The Date” reminders. I printed a small 1″x1″ picture of the couple; another 1″x1″ picture of her hand with ring held in his hand; a 1″x1″ borderless text box with the words Save The Date in a fancy font; and, a 1″x1″ borderless text box with the wedding date in a different fancy font. I printed each of the images on bright white, 20 lb paper. After printing, I followed the original instructions. I made three proto-type sets–one for my daughter, one for her fiance, and one for his parents. My husband and son really liked the finished product. I just mailed them to my daughter and future son-in-law so I am anxiously awaiting their responses.

    Reply
    • Heidi says

      March 27, 2012 at 9:34 pm

      What a cute twist on the magnet idea Cindy… I love it!! πŸ˜‰

      ~ Heidi

      Reply
  10. Cicely says

    December 20, 2011 at 7:46 pm

    Thank you so much for the tutoria!! I’m making these as christmas gifts and using scrap book paper to do different monogram magnets for my family. As a case I have seen people use altoid tins (which are expensive and say altoids on the top) but I am using tuna cans and removing the lids with a canopener that allows you to replace and seal the top. Its way cheap and allows you to personalize the top with a picture and a little mod podge! Can’t wait to see how much people love them!! Thanks again!

    Reply
  11. Mike Wynne says

    November 26, 2011 at 3:46 pm

    I would love to shrink down some of child’s artwork on a copy machine but not sure if it would work. What a great way to display all their work on the fridge!

    Reply
    • Cara says

      March 21, 2012 at 6:12 pm

      Scan in your child’s artwork, then use photo editing software to shrink it down and print out– the quality will be MUCH better and probably cheaper to print!

      Reply
  12. Amanda says

    March 1, 2011 at 3:59 pm

    I just finished making a set of these for a birthday present and they turned out AMAZING. My friend is in love with London, so i hopped online grabbed a few pictures and printed them out on regular paper. I got the flat marbles at the dollar store (about 30 in the bag). I had the mod podge already so that was no extra cost, and the magnets were FREE, many businesses and schools use magnets for business cards or calendars, the left overs get thrown out when the calendar is no longer current, so I scooped them up at the end of the year and I just cut them to fit my rocks.
    Overall each magnet ended up costing about 3 cents! (I will probably spend more to wrap them HAHA)
    THANK YOU FOR SUCH AN AWESOME IDEA!!!

    Reply
    • Heidi says

      March 1, 2011 at 10:15 pm

      You’re very welcome, Amanda… I’m so glad you had fun making these! The London theme sounds adorable, too!! πŸ˜‰

      ~ Heidi

      Reply
  13. Jennifer says

    February 28, 2011 at 8:54 pm

    I got a few of these as a gift from a student a couple of years ago! She drew designs and pictures on paper and used that instead of a magazine pictures or photos. I love them and they are still on the fridge!

    Reply
    • Heidi says

      February 28, 2011 at 9:16 pm

      What a fun idea ~ I love that!

      ~ Heidi

      Reply
  14. Mary Beth says

    February 17, 2011 at 8:20 pm

    Love this my 3 1/2 loves this THANKS SO MUCH FOR A GREAT TIP πŸ™‚

    Reply
  15. Susan says

    February 2, 2011 at 10:22 pm

    This is great, I don’t know how I missed it earlier, but I’ll be trying this out to use and give as gifts through the year!

    Reply
  16. Kristina says

    February 2, 2011 at 12:31 am

    What a great, thrifty craft idea…thanks so much!

    Reply
  17. Jilly says

    November 15, 2010 at 8:13 am

    My 5 year old son and I made these last weekend. He loved helping to find just the right pictures. These will make cute gifts for Christmas. Thanks so much!

    Reply
  18. Rhoda says

    November 9, 2010 at 2:28 pm

    What a great idea for a baby announcement too! Put the baby’s picture on the magnet (as suggested, printed on regular paper) and give with the announcement and your family has a handy “framed” picture of the new arrival.

    Reply
  19. Marisa Fedelin- Lopez says

    November 9, 2010 at 6:07 am

    I am so making these for a cool, CHEAP, family Christmas exchange gift! I’ll do one with a picture of each grandchild….. sentimental gifts are a HOT commodity in my family!!! THANK you once again for such and awesome yet simple idea! YOU ROCK!!!!

    Reply
  20. Sheri L. says

    November 8, 2010 at 4:39 pm

    I made these awhile back and decorated an old Altoid’s container to hold the magnets – just by using mod podge and some leftover scraps. Once it was dry, I placed a small piece of tissue paper in the bottom of the tin and put the magnets on top and folded the sides of the tissue over the magnets like a present. Its a great way to recycle those old tins and show off the magnets at the same time!

    Reply
  21. Heidi says

    November 5, 2010 at 10:10 pm

    Hi Sarah ~ just test them to see how they’ll look by holding up a picture to the back. Some may be more clear than others. πŸ˜‰

    ~ Heidi

    Reply
  22. Melissa says

    November 4, 2010 at 9:13 am

    I made some last weekend with sales flyers I found in the newspaper. I got a smaller bottle of Mod Podge for like $3. They are sooooo cute! With the Halloween ads I got all sorts of good pics like skeletons, spiders, Batman and Spiderman!

    Reply
  23. Anita says

    November 4, 2010 at 1:14 am

    I make these using diamond glaze (http://www.diamondglaze.com/) and add a silver or gold Aanraku bail to the back. They can be worn as jewelry if they are sealed properly. They are not waterproof, but hold up very well with regular wear.

    Reply
  24. Sarah says

    October 30, 2010 at 3:17 pm

    I picked up a bunch of supplies today at Hobby Lobby, $6.99 for 50 magnets, and $2.99 for 2lbs (aprox 60) of 1 inch flat marbles, but… I started freaking out, even though they are clear, they are a little bit irridescent, just a twinge of rainbow color in the light…. will the pictures still show well through them or did I just waste my money on those marbles?!?! They were the only ones they had. This is super cute, can’t wait til DH finds my hot glue gun he “borrowed”

    Reply
    • tanja says

      February 27, 2014 at 6:29 pm

      I buy my marbles at dollar tree a bag of approx 30 for a $1

      Reply
  25. Tina says

    October 25, 2010 at 7:12 am

    at JoAnn’s-Marble Accents (by the floral dept)were 2.49 for a bag of 22, magnets were 2.49 for 8 of them, Mod Podge 8oz was 4.99 (and you only use just a swipe of it). If you watch for sales and use coupons these are so inexpensive! My 7 & 9 year olds made some this weekend, piece of cake! You could do food pictures on them for a good teacher gift to accent any kitchen.

    Reply
  26. Dana says

    October 21, 2010 at 3:45 pm

    I got a 1 inch hole punch (the exact size of those flat marbles) and punched scrapbook paper. It was much easier than cutting those little circles and much quicker.

    Reply
  27. cindy says

    October 21, 2010 at 3:07 pm

    Thanks so much for this project! Its so kewl! You ROCK!!

    Reply
  28. Kyla May says

    October 21, 2010 at 12:11 pm

    We’ve made these before and they’re so much fun.

    Hobby Center in Nampa has double sided sticky type paper and it is so easy then you don’t have to use the Mod Podge or brushes πŸ™‚

    Reply
  29. Wichita says

    October 21, 2010 at 12:05 pm

    This is a fantastic craft idea! Those would be great for miniature, real life FB “Flair.” πŸ˜€

    Thanks for the idea and the instructions. Can you tell me what these cost in the store? I haven’t seen them before. (Whatever the price, a bottle of ModPodge and a bag of flat marbles is probably pretty cheap in comparison.)

    Reply
  30. Sahsha's Mummy says

    October 21, 2010 at 6:08 am

    Beautiful!! Thank you so much for the instructions!! These are going to be a HIT for Christmas!!!!

    Reply
  31. Misty says

    October 20, 2010 at 9:43 pm

    You can make these with your regular photos and just use some hot glue instead of Mod Podge. I made a bunch with my daughter’s face a few years back for her grandparent’s x-mas gifts; they loved them!

    Reply
  32. Heidi says

    October 20, 2010 at 8:34 pm

    Hi Jenn ~ you can find the magnets at most craft stores or home improvement stores. {I’ve purchased them from Lowe’s and Hobby Lobby} πŸ˜‰

    ~ Heidi

    Reply
  33. jenn says

    October 20, 2010 at 8:07 pm

    Where do you get the magnets?

    Reply
  34. Terry says

    October 20, 2010 at 7:30 pm

    You can also make thumbtacks for your kid’s bulletin board. Glue the back of an ordinary thumbtack on the back instead of a magnet. We saw this in American Girl magazine many years ago.

    Reply
  35. stefanie lujan says

    October 20, 2010 at 6:14 pm

    You can get a bag of the flat marbles at the dollar store. πŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Melinda says

      December 8, 2014 at 10:08 am

      I just got home from the dollar store and Hobby Lobby. I bought the flat marbles from the dollar store and regret it now. At least 5 were broken or chipped so I had to throw those out but most of the rest have flaws. They are not perfectly smooth on the backside like the ones pictured.
      I got my magnets from HL with 3 as the strength rating. I hope they will be strong enough!

      Reply
  36. Dana says

    October 20, 2010 at 5:36 pm

    My son and I were looking for something unique for his teacher at Christmas. Like she needs another mug or candy item LOL! Thanks a bunch.

    Reply
  37. Vicki Chinn says

    October 20, 2010 at 5:32 pm

    We used rocks and the half marbles to make Father’s Day gifts in my Children’s Church class. I put a coat of the Mod Podge on the rocks and marbles and let the children pick the one they wanted to use then they chose a picture or saying they wanted to put on them and we put the pics on and Mod Podged them about 3 or 4 times. They turned out great. We will have to use them in our Christmas gifts. I also took a clear saucer and printed a picture of my grandson and used the Mod Podge to put it on the bottom of the inter circle of the saucer, I displayed it on a small plate stand. Thanks for the reminders and for ALL you do.

    Reply
  38. Sharon in Cali says

    October 20, 2010 at 5:24 pm

    Very cute!! Thanks πŸ™‚

    Reply
  39. Angie says

    October 20, 2010 at 4:56 pm

    This project is soooo stinkin cute!!! Already know who’s getting these for Christmas! πŸ™‚ Thank you so much!!!!

    Reply
  40. Sandra says

    October 20, 2010 at 4:52 pm

    Thank you for these instructions! I love these magnets!

    Reply
  41. Michele says

    October 20, 2010 at 4:51 pm

    If you want to use an actual photo, I would suggest maybe printing a copy of the photo onto plain paper. That may work better than a real photo on photo paper.

    Reply

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Hey there... it's so nice to meet you! I'm Heidi: a Frugal Girl living in sunny Arizona! I love sharing Easy Recipes, DIY Decor, Style & Beauty Hacks, Gardening Tips, Travel Hacks, and Creative Ways to Live the Sweet Life on a Budget. I'm so glad you're here!
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