DIY: How To Make A Magnetic Notice Board With Button Magnets For Your Crafty Ideas!

Do you know what time it is? It's time to get ORGANIZED! 

Lately there has been a lot going on here at Vivid HQ and we have decided it is about time we got on top of things. I thought I would share a tutorial to show you a pretty way to keep your crafty ideas in order, as I sure as heck know I need one myself right now. With some pretty fabric, a baking tray and buttons for magnets you pretty much can't go wrong with this project!

To make your own magnetic notice board with button magnets, you will need:

A baking tray (baking sheet)

Some buttons or flat trinkets you want to make into magnets

A sheet of magnet

An old tin (optional)

Fabric (enough to cover the front and back of your baking tray)

Ribbon

Needle & thread

Superglue

Did you know that baking trays are magnetic? Because you are going to save a fortune on buying an actual magnetic board with this little diy! The best kind to use is a baking sheet, one with just a lip around the edge rather than a ledge as it will be much easier to fold your fabric around. You really need to sew your fabric in this project unless you want to do some sanding on that tray - non stick surfaces really are NON stick meaning the glue/tape/whatever you can get your sticky mitts on will peel off quite quickly. The upside is that the stitching is all at the back, so no one will see it if its a bit messy.

The first step is to cover your tray. You will be using the flat side of the tray for the front of your magnetic message board, so place this down on the fabric. You need to fold the top and bottom of the material to cover it as shown above...

Pull the material lightly so it is taught on the front and sew the two bits of fabric together. It's going to be hidden so don't worry about how it looks.

Once that is secure, fold the two sides of the fabric inwards the same way, pull taught as before and stitch all of the material together. It should now be completely covered all over. Easy peasy! 

If you have messy corners, go back and tuck them in and stitch the fabric to hold it in place. If you are having problems getting the folds to sit flat, you could give it a quick iron, but remember you are ironing metal and it will get really hot REALLY fast! Give it a few moments to cool before touching it again. 

When you are happy with your corners, the last touch is to add on your ribbon or string for hanging. It will look less messy if you fold it inwards before stitching as it will hide the edges a bit better. I find this way also makes it easier for hanging as you have a little more of a gap for the pin to catch a hold of it too. Once you have attached both sides, your notice board will look a bit like this...

Not bad, huh?!

If you are really not happy about having all of this exposed, you can cover the back with a piece of material cut to size using some fabric glue. Remember to do that before you stitch on your ribbon for hanging :) But as I said, you're not going to see that, you're going to see this...

Hooray! Looks excellent, doesn't it? 

And with that 'hard part' down, you get to have fun making some custom magnets!

I thought it would be nice to make some button magnets for our craft ideas board, but you can use whatever you like as long as it's flat. I found this lovely scissors charm at a craft shop and it's back is flat - perfect for this little tutorial, right!! I quite like having a little tin on hand full of magnets to keep them organized so...

I've made it magnetic! By using superglue, I attached a couple of strips of magnet to the back of the tin so it will stick to the board. Now I can keep all my bits and bobs in a pretty neat and tidy box which is attached to the board itself. Now that is really organized!!

To make your custom magnets, put your trinkets and buttons down on the sheet of magnet, draw round the object and cut each magnet to size. Make sure you have the magnet the right way round first though! Remember you want to be attaching your buttons to the wrong side of the magnet, so it snaps on to the notice board when you pop it on there. Glue the 'non magnetic' side to the button and let it dry. Repete this step with every flat object in your possession :) 

And get yourself organized! 

It will look so excellent with your things on it, you will find it hard to resist not looking at it all the time. That's exactly what you need to do to keep on top of all the things you need to make and do!

What do you think?

We'd love to hear what suggestions you have for magnets. Or if you have any other tips for getting on top of all your work :D hee hee!

Enjoy!

xox