D.I.Y. printed clay magnets...

In the last post I shared the little gift boxes that we put together for one of the parties we had last week. It was so much fun thinking of what to put inside but also a little tricky. It had to be things that were small,  inexpensive, easy to replicate but also practical because, whilst pretty things are lovely, I didn't want to just create things that would add clutter to people's homes!

Thank you Pinterest! I don't claim any of these gifts as original ideas, pinterest was hugely helpful and inspiring (as always!). Except for the gift boxes, I didn't actually use any of the tutorials so I'll share on here how I made them. Although please excuse the lack of step by step photos - everything was made 17 times and there was a process to making it as time efficient as possible and that process did not include my normal over-the-top camera action! I'm just amazed we finished them in time for me to even take any photos!

First up I thought I would share these pretty clay magnets which were inspired by these Easter ornaments. These are a very sweet gift idea as you could personalise them and give them as a set, and if I dared bring up Christmas at the start of summer, I would suggest they would make great stocking fillers too. But of course I wouldn't dare do that ;)

What you need:

White air drying clay

Clingfilm

Rolling pin

Round cookie cutter

Alphabet stamps
Tissue paper
PVA glue

Magnetic strip

1. Take a small chunk of clay and place between two pieces of clingfilm (I found this gave the smoothest surface for the clay) and roll out the clay until it is about 5mm thick. You can of course vary the thickness, I tried slightly thicker but personally preferred them on the thin side. 

2. Cut out the clay with the cookie cutters, I suggest only doing a couple at a time so that the clay doesn't dry out before stamping your wording.

3. Stamp out your phrase, and place the magnets on a cling film lined baking tray. Smooth out any marks or rough edges with a slightly wet cloth and leave to dry according to the pack instructions. It can take up to four days for the clay to fully dry. Note: the thinner magnets have a tendency to curl up as they dry so keep an eye on them and flatten them out if they start to curl up. I made a couple of 1cm thick magnets - these didn't curl up at all.

4. Cut out strips of tissue paper and glue to the magnet, trim any excess and flatten the edges to the back of the magnet. Next paint a thin layer of glue over the tissue paper. I like the contrast of the matte clay against the glossy tissue paper but you could gloss the whole magnet if you prefer. Leave to dry.

5. Cut small strips from the magnet strip and adhere to the back of the clay.

This is a really easy but very effective DIY, I love the colour the tissue brings to the magnet - forget these as gifts, I want to make set for my own fridge!