Glass Marble Magnet Tutorial

(NOTE-all of this can be found in Michael’s Craft stores)

You will need: 

* A small bag of flat, clear glass marbles (you know the kind people put in fishtanks and vases?). Try to find good ones, without any bubbles.  They may come in several different sizes (1/2”, 3/4”, 1”, etc) and shapes (try to find squares, these look great, and may be easier for beginners!)

* Strong, thick round magnet, in the same size or just smaller than the glass beads.  I like 3/4” glass and magnet.  

* Magazines, books, etc.  Anything with small images that would look awesome as a magnet.  I like using vintage greeting cards - the paper is sturdier; I’ll explain why that is important in a minute)

* A strong clear adhesive, like Diamond Glaze (which I like because of it’s pointed-tip applicator)

* A crafting knife, or scissors.  I use scissors, because I’m a lefty and can’t use a craft knife without disaster.

Step 1:

Use a placemat, or craft cutting board under your work area.  Place the glass marble on top of the image, and cut along the marble carefully.  Or, you could trace along the marble with a pencil lightly, and cut out the image afterward with scissors.  If you’re a serious paper crafter, you may even have round punches in the appropriate size.  Have at ‘er.

(Ok, so like I said -the reason I like using vintage greeting cards is because they are generally made of a thicker paper, and magazine paper is quite thin.  This means that sometimes the dark magnet shows through behind the magazine cut-out.  You can easily fix this by gluing a piece of white card stock over the magnet and under the image.)

Step 2:

Now squeeze a layer of glue onto the glass, and make sure you cover the entire area.  Don’t use too much, or it will squish out of the sides.  But don’t use too little, because it will be noticeable under the glass.  I suggest practicing with a few spare pieces of paper before using the images you really like.  

Step 3:

Place the image carefully on the glued underside, squeezing out any air bubbles.  Hold for at least 15 seconds.  You will probably have a two to five second time-frame to adjust the image to fit the glass properly.  Use it.  

Step 4:

Go grab a latte.  Let your works of art dry.

Step 5: 

Now that it’s dry, you can glue the magnet on. (But first, if needed, cut off any paper hanging off the sides)  You can use the same adhesive as before.  Dab a small dot in the centre of the glass, and press the magnet down firmly.  Allow to dry again (another latte? flip through a magazine?).

Step 6: 


Enjoy your beautiful magnets!  And send me photos!