Glass marble magnets
 

Ok so I finally found the clear large glass marbles at Garden Ridge (the $1 store and Micheals had the large size but they weren't clear they had an iridescent to them)

so how do you do this - I have crystal effects - I know someone mentioned before they used that to attach to the glass

do you stamp your image -etc....then cover it with crystal effects and trim

I thought about cutting out CS, stamping and attaching using CE but I noticed the bags I got the marbles are all round some are a little irregular in shape...

What about magnets - I can only seem to find chunky round ones or the flat thin magnets - do you think that if I cut a square of the flat thin magnet it would be strong enough?

Yep... You're on the right track!!

I stamp on cardstock, then color, then attach to the glass marble, then trim, then add a round magnet or a push pin.

I've used Crystal Effects and E-6000 glue when making these.

Be sure to post what you make - they are so much fun!!

Mary Z

Hi Jenni! I have been making alot of the glass pebble magnets. The way I do it is:
1--Cut out a bunch of 2 1/2" squares of confetti cream
2--Stamp my image in black
3--watercolor in with watercolor pencils and the use blender pen
4--put a small {pea size} drop of crystal effects right on top of my colored image.
5--Place the pebble right on top of crystal effects and squish down and it will spread right out to edges of pebble.
6--I then set these aside and let them dry
7--after dry then I trim around the shape of the pebble with scissors
8--Place another drop of CE on the back and attach your magnet.

Just typing this took longer than the time to make one magnet! :lol: I make them in quantity and they are really fun to do. I also use the ones that are slightly irridescent and think they look great. It gives a bit more of a shimmer to the whole project. Hope this helps. Gina

Couple more tips - I stamp on the card stock and then punch the image out using our 1 3/8 circle punch. I then punch the same size circle out of our magnetic sheets with adhesive. Stick those together so the image now had a magnet, then adhere the marble with a little drop of crystal effects. Saves a lot of time hand triming.

Great tip! I knew there was a reason why I "needed" a circle punch!

do the magnet sheets hold the marble and a few papers on the fridge without it starting to slip down - KWIM

Just an FYI - The Joann's brochure shows a sale on the marbles on Saturday August 14th only. Regular $2.99 on sale for 79 cents. I am going to stock up!

I don't think the magnet sheets hold very well so I like to use the chunky round magents.

Thanks for the tip at Joann's... I hadn't looked at the brochure yet!!



Mary Z

I actually use the chunky round magnets as they make a stronger magnet. It seems as though when you use the flat magnet sheets, it becomes just a decoration instead of a magnet that will actually hold something up.

Jana

I, too, prefer the chunky round magnets. Not only will they hold the weight of the marble and CS, they are smaller than the marble, making it easier to grasp the marble to remove from whatever surface it is on.
I noticed some people mentioned they cut out their CS first. I like to stamp my image and color it in, then I choose a marble, place it over the image and trace around the marble. When I cut out the image, I cut a little bit inside the line, that way the CS doesn't stick out a bit past the flat marble. This is useful especially with the irregular shaped marbles because not all of them are the same shape. May take a bit longer to do, but I like the results.

BTW, I recently made a set of marbles using the Fishy Friends set. Even though the images are big (I didn't use the large fish, just all the other images) the faces are perfect for the large flat marbles! I was thrilled with how the set turned out. I just wish I had a photo to show you, but too late. My MIL loves this set so I sent the marbles to her. I guess I'll just have to go to JoAnn's on the 14th and buy more marbles. I'm thinking about Christmas gifts already!

I've always wondered this too. Do the craft stores sell magnets that are flat bottom or all they are round? I'm dying to make these but they intimidate me :)

I meant marbles - not magnets! Sorry!

Just a FYI about the flat bottom pebbles. I have been buying them at Hobby Lobby in the florist section. I can get a 1 pound bag {has 28-30 or so in it} and regular price is 1.00. Watch their ads and you can pick them up for 50% off sometimes. For those of you with a Hobby Lobby clos this is an awesome deal. One note--they are the ones that have a slight irridescent look to them. I have never been able to find the pure clear. I really like the shimmer to them and I think it just adds a bit to their look. I will try to post some after while in my gallery if I can get them to scan. Gina

I would have to agree that the magnet sheets don't hold much due to the weight of the marble, but for decoration, they are quick, easy and a good upsell.

Magnet Strips Work Very WEll
 

you can get them at the dollar store as well. It's just a whole long strip of magnetic tape rolled up and you just unroll what you need and cut it off. They are also glued on one side very often.
I am making an alphabet set with the clear marbles and my crayon alphabet set for my nephew for their fridge. They marbles feel great in the kids hands and they are easy to read as it magnifies the image.
When I do pictures however, I usually cut around the image instead of cutting out a circle to fit the stone. I just like the cleaner look of it. Both ways are great though!

Where do you get the chuncky round magnets?

I'd like to know where to get the chunky round magnets, too! Please post -- I'm putting plans together for stuff to sell at a charity craft fair!

Thanks!!

-- Heather

Found mine at JoAnn's.

Thanks! Our Joann's here STINKS -- we don't have a Joann's Etc., only a regular Joann's, and it's not very good. What section did you find the right magnets in? I'm thinking about doing little sets of these for the charity fair. I think they'd do well!

-- Heather

WalMart has the chunky magnets. Oh, and make sure your CE is still crystal clear before you do a magnet. I thought the issue was that the irridescent was too dark, turns out my CE is cloudy. SU is ever so kindly sending me a new bottle.

The glass marbles I found were only 1/2" wide... which doesn't show much of any picture! Where is everyone getting the larger ones??

Promise not to laugh!

I get my chunky round magnets whenever I change my shower curtain liner... I have been cutting out the magnets at the bottom before I throw out the plastic liner for years and knew they would come in handy!

I prefer the title "inventive" over "cheap," please! :-)

HeatherJ

Great idea Heather! I'm due to change my shower curtain liner soon and I'll have to remember to cut out the magnets!!! Clever!

Heather, I'm only laughing because that's something I would do...and apparently it's genetic, since my mother and grandmother would do the same thing! :) JUst think, that's all the more money you can spend on stamps! :)

I don't remember the section of JoAnn's that had the magnets. of course, I couldn't find them, and someone had to point me to the right aisle.

Also, the glass marbles I got are about 1 1/2" and those were also at JoAnn's. $2.29 but last Saturday they were 79 cents for the day.

I first found glass marbles at some dollar store but they are about 1" and I like the bigger ones better, so I made some thumbtacks out of the smaller ones. They're still an ok size for magnets too, but it's just my personal preference to use the 1 1/2" for magnets.

Thanks, Mich! I am planning a trip to Joann's soon, and I will definitely add these to my list of things to look for! I've been meaning to get there to check out their ribbons and trim.

We live in a fairly large area, but Michael's is pretty much the only game in town for crafts. We just got an AC Moore last year, and it's great. Now I wish we'd get a Joann's Etc.!

Thanks again for the help!

-- Heather

I Got Mine At The Dollar Store
 

actually. I've been scouring for ages and finally spotted some. 30/1.00 so I was happy with that.
I know my upline bought some at Michaels (we're Canadian mind you!) and they were a lot more than a dollar.
What is Joanne's? A craft store? We have a liquidation store here that sell stuff with their tags on it.

Yes, Joann's is a craft store. They have some stores called Joann's Etc., and those are much larger. Those have great scrapbooking and papercrafting sections! Most regular Joann's stores, though, concentrate on fabrics and sewing. The last time I was in the only Joann's store in my area, it had a half an aisle of VERY outdated scrapbook stuff, and that was it. No rubber stamps, nothing.

But the store did sell a lot of silk flowers and stuff, so maybe I can find the marbles there.

-- Heather