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!!

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.

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.

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.

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

Jewelry for your magnetic board or fridge!

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!