DIY Abstract Art Refrigerator Magnets

Cute refrigerator magnets are a must when you move into a new place. When Jake and I bought our house, I wanted something other than local business magnets. They are kind of ugly, and plus they don't do jack when it comes to holding things up. During this time, I was a cashier at a craft store and saw so many glass tiles go through the register I figured I would just make my own glass magnets. The only issue would be the what I wanted the magnets to look like.

For a while, I had been experimenting with abstract paint swirls for my art, and I had a bunch of left over 'test' pieces which worked perfectly for this project (and other projects with glass tiles like pendants, earrings, key chains, etc.). If you want to see how I made my abstract art sheets, click here.

Materials needed:

• glass tiles- I used 1 inch circles and 1 inch squares. You may be able to find the glass tiles at a local craft store, but I bet you they are double or triple the price. 
• magnets-I bought a 10 pack from Joann's but these rare earth magnets work too. Ceramic magnets are bigger and less powerful than the rare earth magnets, so if you want power, go for the latter. 
• dimensional glaze- you can use Tacky glue or any glue that dries clear as long as you don't mind bubbles. The dimensional glaze is for picky people. 
• scissors or X-acto knife
• glue- I used Loctite Power Grab, but E-6000 works too. I prefer not to use anything that needs ventilation or says it causes cancer--but maybe that's just me. 
• small old paint brush
• art or any printed image (use heavier paper like card stock or photo paper) Click here for my abstract art tutorial. 

To begin, you will be gluing the glass tiles to your paper. I start by putting dimensional glaze on my tile and spreading it around with the glue applicator. Then press the tile down on the paper. If glaze/glue oozes out the sides then use less glue for the next tile. If you have a lot of air bubbles try pushing the tile down a little harder or adding more glaze/glue. 

After you have your tiles glued, cut them out, leaving a little excess paper to be trimmed later. I use an X-acto knife so that I can preserve the paper for later use, but a scissors works fine if you don'e mind cutting through unused parts of your art. I like to cut out these small sections just in case the paper warps and lifts the tile off the page. I've had it happen and I was very peeved. 

Leave your tiles to dry for a little while. Maybe an hour. Then trim off the excess paper with your scissors. Next, you need to seal the backs of the paper with more glaze/glue. I squirt some glaze down and then spread it out with an old paint brush. If you are using the dimensional glaze, try to not get it on your fingers, because that stuff is sticky. My fingers were tacky all night because I couldn't get it to wash off (little tip, try rubbing oil on your fingers if they do get sticky.) You only need a thin layer of glaze to seal the surface. Let it dry for another 30 minutes to an hour.

Once the backs are dry, you can glue your magnets on. I squeeze a little Power Grab glue on the magnet and then push it down onto the tile until a little glue squeezes around the sides. If you are using the quarter inch rare earth magnets, maybe use a tweezers to hold the magnet so you don't get glue all over your fingers. A quarter of an inch isn't a lot to work with.  

Once all of your magnets are in place, allow this to dry for as long as the glue tells you to. The Loctite glue sets in 15 minutes, but I let it dry over night. Once they dry, you are ready to stick them to your refrigerator! These magnets are awesome little gifts for people, and they are fun to make! 

As always, leave questions and comments below (if you have any!). Thanks for checking this post! Stay tuned for other random projects. You never know what I am going to feel like doing.