Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Thrifty Gifty #6—Jeweled Magnets from Earrings

Joining DIY day at Kimba’s and The DIY Show Off Holiday Highlights. My Thrifty Gifty series will run through Christmas. Linky parties on Fridays for you to show off your thrifty gift ideas and creations--first one this Friday!!

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I’ve been wanting to do this one for over a year, ever since I saw it here. I felt like I should be able to find old clip-on earrings for about a quarter. However, the best I could find around here was the occasional .50, but most often $1 a pair. Eventually I sucked it up and collected a few pairs.

In addition to earrings, you will need magnets and strong glue, such as E-6000. I already had these magnets from Dollar Tree. They came in a pack of ten; they’re about 1/4” across, so probably not the strongest magnets ever. You can get more powerful ones at Hobby Lobby or probably Michaels.

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Anyway, I smashed these with a hammer to break up the colored plastic and get the magnets out. Then, I used pliers and wire cutters to pull the clips off the back of the earrings.

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Some came off easily and left a nice flat surface, and some I was unable to get the connector off the earring back. I did what I could to get as flat a surface as possible. For some, a gentle tap with a hammer did the trick. Some I was able to take the back right off, as below.

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The final step is to glue the magnets on the back and let them dry.

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Jewelry for your magnetic board or fridge!

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A little set of these would be a fun teacher gift; magnets are always on the school supply list. Or you could do the whole shootin’ match for someone and make a magnet board to go with it. The tutorial for my magnetic chalkboard is here. Use a thrift store frame and sheet metal from the hardware store; you could leave it at that or add chalkboard paint for dual-purpose.

Parting shot: I have always loved this photo of me, with 1-yr-old Pinkerbelle, my sister and 3-yr-old Skippy at the church Trunk or Treat. Mostly because of the finger up Skippy’s nose. Classic!

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The DIY Show Off

DIY Day @ ASPTL


17 comments:

Symone's Mommy said...

I love those. What a feminine touch.

Unknown said...

What a great idea! Thanks for the demo.

Mama Byrd said...

super cute!

Hattie said...

What a sweet and simple project! Thanks for stopping by my blog, the houses were from Martha Stewart's Christmas line at Macy's a few years ago. I think she has similar templates on her site, but it was not behaving for me last night.

Old Time Cindy said...

Great idea for a little bling!
Living it up at Lakewood,
Cindy

Jocelyn said...

What a great idea! Love the sparkle they will add.

Jocelyn
http://justalittlesouthernhospitality.blogspot.com

Linda@Coastal Charm said...

LOVE this earring idea...I'm going to make some for my daughter who is in college...all her friends will be soooo jealous:) Knowing her she will make them some! Hope you have a FUN week! I'm going to follow along with you for more awesome ideas!

Blessings,
Linda

Amanda @ Serenity Now said...

I like this idea, Holly! Old jewelry is easy to find at thrift stores. :) This would be a fun project!

LuLu said...

Just the cutest!
xo,
LuLu

gail@My Repurposed Life said...

sooo pretty! Love how you smashed the magnets! ;)
gail

Kelly said...

Brilliant~ and beautiful! Love it...

stacey said...

great idea! love these!

Amnah said...

These are so pretty!! These would make a perfect gift for my BFF. She loves anything with a bit of "bling, bling." :-) Thanks!

Melinda said...

Love the idea!!! Cute gifty.

Melinda

Lucy Marie said...

Cute idea. I seem to recognize the one photo on your chalkboard there :)

Mandy said...

DARLING magnets! Now I need to look for earings...

steffany said...

These are so pretty! I am now on the lookout for clip earrings, along with everything else on my lookout list :)