Playing with clay

The simplicity of this tutorial and how adorable it looks made it irresistible to me, I had to write a post about it. Well, I love fridge magnets. When I was a teenager I had a giant metal frame on my bedroom wall, covered in photos and with tons of pretty magnets I collected throughout the years. But how wonderful would it be to make your own little precious magnets?

Photo Credit: Casa & Trend

♩♬   " Why does it always rain on me? Is it because I lied when I was 17? "   ♪♫

This idea is by Italian website Casa & Trend and besides teaching you how to do the actual magnets, it also offers a tutorial on how to make a "directly-painted-on-the-wall-magnetic-board". The pictures on the website speak for themselves, but if you're having trouble understanding it, I suggest Google Translate :)

It's this simple. for the magnets you will need the following:

- Clay (I like to use air dry clay, just because it's simple to use, less messy and as the name says, doesn't require "baking")

- Little magnets to attach to the back

- Acrylic paint and a small brush to decorate

- Glue

- Moulds (this one is optional, the original tutorial suggest we use cookie cutters, but a shape like the ones above can be easily achieved by flattening a smooth round ball and maybe using a craft precision knife to assist you)  

The only tips I have to offer are:

1) Make sure the clay has fully dried before you paint it. Depending on the size of your work, it might take a couple of days. Make sure you allow all sides to dry - in other words, turn your shapes regularly, giving every surface space to breath. 

2) Remember: Once dried, your shape reduces its size. Most air dry clay brands suggest that this reduction is about 7%. 

3) For larger shapes, use stronger or larger magnets. It sounds obvious, but it's the kind of reminder always worth giving. 

Photo Credit: Casa & Trend