How To: Magnets

I love presents. I love getting them and giving them. My favorite are handmade gifts. They are personal, tailored to the person, fun to make, and can usually help me save on cash. Magnets are a fun craft to make as a gift or for yourself. They are an easy (and cheap way) to dress up a fridge and an some personality to a room (especially a dorm room). I've seen them on different sites, and I love magnets, so when I needed a quick gift I decided to give them a try.

Supplies: flat magnets, clear glass marbles flat on one side, a strong glue (cement glue works well, hot glue not so much), and clippings to show off.

I took pictures from magazines, traced the magnet, cut out my shape, and glued them together.

With the marbles I used, it was sometimes hard to see the image, but drawing on white paper worked nicely (the first magnet is hard to see with the glare, but it says: Remember When).

So simple and they look nice (though not the best to photograph with the glare). The best part is that you can use whatever picture you want (photos, magazine clippings, writing, stamps, anything). My friend loved them, and I think I'll be making some of my own.

How To: Envelopes

I have seen a lot of lined envelopes lately. As you know, I love mail, and I love sending colorful mail. Lined envelopes are lovely, but why not make the outside of the envelope the pretty part?

So, today I will show you how to make pretty envelopes. It is oh so simple.

Supplies:

1. Envelope

2. Pretty Paper (thick enough for mailing)

3. Scissors

4. Ruler

5. Pen/Pencil

6. Glue

7. Other Paper (optional)

Step One: Take your envelope and unfold it to form a template.

Step Two: Trace the envelope onto the backside of your paper. It will help if you mark the folds on each side (note the dash on my outline).

Step Three: Use a ruler to mark the folds with a dashed line.

Step Four: Cut out the traced envelope.

This is about what it should look like (though it will change depending on size and style of original envelope).

Step Five: Fold the envelope along the dashed lines. It may help to fold it backwards first so you can see the lines.

Step Six: Glue the sides to the bottom flap. I suggest marking where you will need glue first.

Wonderful.

If you would like, cut out rectangles of different paper for the address spots.