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Altered Art Magnet
A Beautiful Recycled Craft Project

altered art magnet


An Altered Art Magnet? I can read the question in your eyes..."What is that?" I'm talking about those free calendar magnets you get from your bank, realtor or some other business. You stick them on your refrigerator for a year and then chuck them in the trash.

Now you can recycle that ugly magnet, and turn it into a beautiful one! Recycled crafts can help relieve our landfills and beautify your little corner of the planet! This is one of my favorite recycled craft projects, because it's not only artistic, but practical. If you are already into other paper crafts, such as scrapbooking or card making, you probably won't even need these instructions. Whether you do or not, I hope you will enjoy creating your own altered art magnet!

For this magnet the theme is "time," based on the quote from Ecclesiastes 3:1 that I used here: "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven." So I used clock faces and metal letters to spell out "time."

To get started you need a few supplies. Although I list what I used here, you can use any theme you wish. Change it up and use whatever embellishments fit the theme for your altered art magnet.

altered art supplies

  • First you need a calendar magnet. If you don't already have one, you can probably find one in a realtor's office, bank, or perhaps your insurance agent. They give them away and it's advertising for them. Of course you won't tell them you're going to tear the calendar off!

  • a selection of scrapbook papers - I used My Mind's Eye 'Signature Suite':
    • 'World of Play' - Dotted Play
    • 'Unconditional Love' - Heart Strings
    • 'Little Girls Are' - Sweet Dots
  • vellum quote - I used Colorbok Vellum Quote Pack - "Everyday Blessings"
  • vellum clock face
  • clock face charm
  • metal letters to spell "time"
  • 2 square brads
  • zots clear adhesive 3D dots
  • zots clear medium flat dots


Tools I used are:

  • paper trimmer
  • scissors
  • xyron large and small - you could also use a glue stick or double adhesive tape. I like the xyron because it covers the entire back, really adheres well and is fast and easy to use.

How to Make an Altered Art Magnet


Begin by peeling the paper calendar off the magnet. There may be a thin layer of paper left on the magnet, but that is fine.

refrigerator magnet

Next, trace the magnet onto the back of the paper you are using for the background. If you set two edges of your magnet into the corner of the paper, you will only have to cut two sides. Use a trimmer or scissors to cut it out. A trimmer will give nice straight lines, but if you are really steady with scissors, go for it. Err on the side of cutting it a little too large. You can always trim excess away later.

recycled craft projects - magnet


Glue the background piece onto the magnet. This is where I really love my xyron. I just run it through, tear it off, and rub the pieces with my finger a little to make sure the glue covers the whole piece. Then just peel off the clear plastic, and you are left with preglued pieces ready to peel off the paper backing. They stick like none other too, so be sure you have it lined up just right before you glue it down. If you don't have a xyron you could also use a glue stick, but be sure to glue the edges really thoroughly so they don't peel back up.

xyronrecycled crafts

Next cut out pieces from your other papers to create the side piece and the top strip. Since there are lots of sizes of these magnets, I can't really give you an exact measurement. My side piece is about 2/5 as long as the magnet and the top piece is about 3/4" wide, which is about 1/5 as wide as the magnet. Just adjust your measurements so that it looks visually pleasing to you.

altered art magnet pieces


Either glue, or run both these pieces, as well as any other paper embellishments you plan to use for your altered art magnet, through the large xyron. I ran the vellum quote, and the vellum clock through at the same time as the paper pieces, which uses less of the xyron refill.

large xyron


Go to Altered Art Magnet Page 2


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