For the third installment of the series (part 1, part 2), I have prepared for you the easiest tutorial yet published: how to make picture magnets.

The biggest challenge may be to find the actual magnet sheets to make the magnets. I found mind at the local dollar store and there is no specific brand written on the packaging, but I’m sure if you look around at craft stores and the like, you’ll be able to find something similar. Websites like Amazon and Etsy carry some, but the ones I saw are quite expensive.

Materials needed:

Magnet sheets with adhesive

Mod Podge Matte

Scissors

Ruler (to mesure the photos, to cut more precisely)

Good quality printed pictures (can also be cut out of magazines)

Paintbrush

How to: 

Start by choosing the images that you want to put up on your fridge. I decided to keep in line with the retro theme in my kitchen (I’ll show you later ;)) and selected old colorful food advertisements like those that are featured in these Taschen books.

Keep in mind that you can also decide to make any shape of magnet you want. With the scraps of magnet sheet I had left over, I stuck some nice paper I had on them and cut the pieces into small circles and squares to make more magnets (see photo at the end of this article)

The Magnet sheets I bought are 6 inches x 9 inches so I could fit two photos, each 3 x 4.5 inches.

Before you remove the waxy paper that protects the adhesive part of the sheet, make sure that everything fits like you want it to. If all is good, start sticking! Just be careful and go slowly. My sheets had a very strong adhesive and it was impossible to fix any mistakes. Once it was stuck, it wouldn’t budge.

After that’s done, use your scissors to cut each magnet.

Now, some may be satisfied just keeping the magnets like this, but since they’ll be used in the kitchen, near the stove, I thought that it would be better to seal the paper so they would be washable. I used one coat of Mod Podge on each magnet.

Use a regular paintbrush to apply a thin coat and wait a few minutes. If you see bubbles forming, pop them right away. The magnets should be dry and usable within 30 minutes to one hour. While you are waiting, go watch some PS 22 kids choir videos, go check out retro recipes on Midcentury menu, go dance to some Le Tigre or New Young Pony Club 🙂

Voila!