how to: marble magnets.

On my first visit to Not Martha, I found an amazing "how to" in her archives: marble magnets. I love this idea and love that it's a doable project for a non "crafter."

From a craft store, you will need:
*1/2" and 3/4" round {strong} magnets ("in with the frames, near the corks")
*1/2" and 3/4" clear flat glass marbles ("in the flowers aisle. check the mosaics section too") *silicon sealer ("made by the Crazy Glue people")
*decorative marble sized pictures.

If you're planning on giving your new marble magnets away as a gift, Not Martha recommends buying "Altoid-sized tins."

Step by step instructions are available at Not Martha. I'll summarize:

1. with your magnet, trace small decorative pictures out of magazines, books, etc. and cut out with scissors. "A perfectly sized craft hole punch would save a lot of time here."

2. gather your supplies, protect work surface with paper, and thank Not Martha for the tip of using silicone glue rather than Crafter's Goop. It works well and doesn't have a strong odor.

3. spread a thin layer of glue on a magnet (she uses a toothpick) and place picture on top of glue. "A few people suggest gluing down a white round of card stock first (junk mail comes in great here) as the glue can seep through your picture and show the dark magnet underneath if you don't."

4. spread a little bit of glue on top of picture (which is now glued to magnet).

5. lower the marble straight down onto the glue.

6. press down on the center of the marble. the glue will spread {hopefully evenly} to the sides of the magnet. "Any of those ripples on the bottom of the marble will magically disappear. This whole thing is very satisfying."

7. "One word of warning, some of my marbles were too small and the pictures stuck out. Really though they won't show once they're on the fridge. I hope."

Have fun with it!