We have officially started redecorating our boys’ room by adding some pops of sunny yellow, including this magnet board.
I love the magnet board, but not the ugly plastic letters. Fortunately, I found this great tutorial at Nice Girl Notes detailing how to create pretty magnet letters. What a fantastic (and cheap!) idea! Using the tutorial as my starting point, I headed off to Hobby Lobby to buy my supplies.
At Hobby Lobby, I found 2 inch round wooden discs for $3.99 per pack of 22. I chose to use plain green and aqua acrylic paints, rather than spray painting my circles. I bought 44 discs and decided to make 3 of each vowel, so I removed 15. Then, I painted the remaining discs aqua on all sides. The paint dries quickly, so I applied another coat.
I knew I wanted to incorporate both green and blue, so I made the vowels green, figuring the boys would learn their vowels easier if they were different. After painting the aqua, I mixed up my green. I couldn’t find the exact green I had in mind, so I added some white to get the right color. Once I had my color, I painted all sides of the 15 reserved discs green.
The tutorial used rub-on transfer letters, but I couldn’t find a font I liked. Yes, I am very picky. Instead, I used a pencil to draw the letters, keeping them roughly the same size. Then, using chocolate-brown paint and a fine tipped brush, I traced over my penciled lines.
I didn’t have time to look for magnet strips while at Hobby Lobby, so Ben picked up a roll of adhesive-backed magnet from Lowe’s. Simply cut the roll into 3/4 inch or so pieces, remove the backing and place on the back, pressing firmly to attach. I considered using Gorilla glue, but the adhesive seems to stick pretty well, so I’ll glue if any magnets fall off.
Vincent started playing with his new magnets, but quickly scuffed them up. Luckily, I had a jar of glossy Mod Podge on hand, so I quickly gave the front side of each magnet two coats. Worked like a charm.
Don’t the new magnets look so much better than the plastic ones? Better than the looks, this project was cheap and easy-just the way I like ‘em. Even better? Vincent loves to play with them.
This is not in the photos, but we had a toy mail box from Target’s dollar department that I glued magnets to. It’s the perfect holder for the magnets!
Jen
/ September 1, 2010Yours are WAY cuter than the magnet ones! Way to go!
Elizabeth
/ September 1, 2010Those are so cute! What a great idea!
ourhumbleabowed
/ September 1, 2010I’m happy with how they turned out, definitely better than the plastic ones!
Cait
/ September 1, 2010Those are adorable! Great job
Wehaf
/ September 1, 2010Magnets can be deadly if swallowed (they can pinch the intestines, perforating them and causing sepsis) so I would recommend using the glue. Other than that, I think they’re fabulous.
ourhumbleabowed
/ September 1, 2010Thanks for the concern and kind words. I’m keeping an eye out for any loose magnets… If they seem loose, I’ll pull them all and glue.
Amanda
Jenna
/ September 1, 2010Super cute! The boys are lucky to have such a creative mama!
Leave Letters
/ September 2, 2010Cute and admirable..thanks for sharing! Hope my kids will love this!
Jenny (Hickey) Klassen
/ September 2, 2010Very cute! What a great little project!
Teice
/ September 25, 2010I am in the process of making these for a freind of mine’s child as a birthday present. Thanks for the idea! There are only 2 difference between yours and mine: I have a set of letter stamps that I am using to put the letters on and I am spelling out his name and his brother’s name on a 3rd color.
katie
/ October 2, 2010This is such an awesome idea! I have been looking for alphabet magnets for my daughter and haven’t found anything I like. These are perfect & I will definitely be making these next weekend! I also LOVE the yellow around your magnet board. Did your magnet board come with the frame, or did you put it together some how?
ourhumbleabowed
/ October 2, 2010Hi Katie,
I love how these magnets turned out, and I bet you will, too. The magnet board is actually a thrift store frame that I painted, then Ben cut down thin sheet metal (make sure it’s magnetic) and I spray painted that. Hope it helps!
Thanks!
Amanda