Nifty Gifties: Magnets from Vintage Bling

Christmas is coming fast, so it’s time for another doable craft project perfect for gifting! This Nifty Gifty takes something adorable but hard to use and makes it both usable and displayable! Enter the vintage-bling-magnet! Small pieces of bling (or tiny objects) are glued to magnets and suddenly become useful! Simple idea, endlessly customizable, gift-ready. Let’s go!

First, you will need to gather some bling. I love using vintage costume jewelry, buttons, game pieces, coins, you name it. For my first magnets, I used vintage earrings and pins, most of which were broken or too heavy to wear.

My hardest task was removing clip-on earring and pin backings from the bling. I used wire cutters and pliers to pull/cut the backings off, and then dulled sharp edges with a file. This took some time and caution, but I got the bling ready.

The next step, however, was pretty easy. I got my handy E-6000 craft glue, magnets, and foil covered plate ready. I applied glue to the magnet and stuck on the bling!

For a totally different look, I gathered vintage buttons and gave them the magnet treatment!

I let the glue dry for at least an hour before testing the magnets out on my fridge. So cute!

I experimented with gift wrapping options that really showed off the magnets. Attaching the magnets to a jar or tin lid kept them in place while they were slipped into a cellophane bag. The magnets were super cute on their own OR paired with a stamped dish towel like those from the last post! Very nifty gifties, if you ask me!