The Papercrafting League

I often have receipts, mail, coupons, etc...that I place on our kitchen counter for my husband to take to work, or that I need to remember to take with me on errands on any given day. I detest clutter, and having these lying all around on my workspace was often confusing! I needed somewhere to put them, instead of the refrigerator door, as my hubby often didn't see them - so...my METAL project was born out of my need for practical organization and my love for crafting! I hope you can use this tutorial for your own personal magnetic reminder board, and I'll list some other uses at the end of my post!

So let's get started! First, you will need to locate a piece of galvanized sheet metal! These can be found at your local Sheet Metal Shop, or Heating and Cooling company! Check the Yellow Pages of your local phone directory if you don't already have a company you regularly use! **Just stop by and ask for a piece of scrap sheet metal cut to the size you need, in my case: almost 12 in x 12 in! (YOU WILL ALSO NEED 3-6 small pieces of scrap metal to m ake your decorative metal magnets! These should be 1-3 inches in size, either square or rectangle. Mine were just randomly cut at the metal shop from another scrap in the heap!) Mine are pictured a little further down with the re-purposed magnets I pried out of some old magnetic clips I had.

*They will likely just give it to you for free, or charge you a very minimal price! (My husband and I own a family heating and air, custom metal duct business, so my scrap was free!) And if you agree to mention the business on your blog or to those who see your project, they may give it to you for free as well! :) You will also need a 12in x 12in square picture frame; I had a white, wood frame on hand which coordinated with my kitchen trim.

Tools & Supplies you will need:

Self-Healing mat, 12 in paper trimmer, scissors, Xacto knife, metal/acrylic cutting ruler, sanding block, and corner rounder. Pictured are the various adhesives I used: ATG Tape Runner, Tombow Permanant, Xyron 150 Sticker Maker and CTMH Liquid Glass.

You will also need several (3-6) small scraps of metal to make your magnets, and the same number of STRONG magnet pieces!

**The thin magnetic sheets, strips and coils are not strong enough to hold through several sheets of paper and cardstock! (I repurposed several strong, round magnets out of some old magnetic clips I had.)

You will also need Mod Podge, a craft sponge, and a rubber brayer to adhere the first layer of cardstock to the sheet of metal.

Here is photo collage of the embellishments I used on my project, and the Prima Valentine stem I also used 1 piece of solid 12in x 12in cardstock, and portions of 3 coordinating patterned papers. Now we can start constructing our Magnet Reminder Board! 1. Adhere base cardstock to clean sheet metal with a thick layer of Mod Podge using a sponge. Apply Mod Podge in sections, and smooth each section with your Speedball rubber brayer or similar tool.

2. Place the sheet metal face down between to flat, firm surfaces, and place a weighted object on top of your "metal sandwich" to help keep the cardstock smooth. Set this aside to dry.

3. Now, position your Prima multi-flower stem onto your frame, and adhere is with generous strips of clear Liquid Glass adhesive. Hold in place for a few minutes, and set aside to dry.

4. Next, let's construct the small metal-based magnets you will need to hold items onto your board! **These also serve as part of the decoration/embellishment on your board without taking up space! Run your small metal pieces through a Xyron sticker maker 150 loaded with permanant adhesive.

Cover the sticky side of your metal pieces with paper of your choice, and then trim off the excess using your Xacto knife, self-healing mat, and firm craft ruler.

Next, adhere your strong magnets to the raw metal side of your magnets with clear Liquid Glass adhesive, and be generous! Mine oozed around the sides of the magnet a little. Set these aside to dry, as you will be embellishing these last. (This photo shows mine face down with embellishments.)

5. Now it's time to trim any excess cardstock from your now dry metal sheet with your Xacto knife, ruler and self-healing mat.

6. Next, trim your first, second and third patterned papers to the desired size and shape, and adhere them to the solid cardstock!

I used my ATG for larger areas on the backs of my papers, and then went around very close on all paper edges with my Tombow adhesive runner. I have better control with a smaller tape runner, personally.

Here is the beginning of your Magnetic Reminder Board! For one of my patterned papers, I wanted a distressed look, and to take out some of the brightness of the green of the paper, so I did some heavy sanding all over with my 3m sanding block.

This photo shows "before" I sanded. And here is the "after" effect! For the Bandana patterned piece, I used the corner rounder for some interest on 2 of the corners.

Next, I ran lengths of ribbon and ric rac through my Xyron sticker maker 150, and positioned those onto my sheet metal.

I also tied a length of white tulle around the frame and flower stem in an upside-down bow, and it needed no adhesive.

7. Last, flip over your dry magnets, and embellish as you desire! I used some Prima and Recollections paper flowers, and cut golden pom poms off of trim and edhered them with Liquid Glass adhesive. I also added a few of these onto the frame as if they were part of my flowered stem!

8. Last - place your new magnetic memory board into your frame, replace the backing, and you are all done! Voila!

*I think these would make great baby gifts if made in coordinating nursey colors for a new mom! She could place photos, keepsakes like hospital bracelets, etc...on her board to display temporarily, and then later scrapbook them! Appointment reminder cards are also great to display, too! This could also be a sesaonal/holiday decoration! Just decorate as many sheets of metal as you like, and switch them out in the frame as seasons and holidays change!