Friday, May 6, 2011

Fridge Magnets

It all started with this bumper sticker that came in the mail with my order from Penzey's (which is a great source for good spices if you don't know about it already).
I liked the sentiment, and the subtle colors, and I stuck it up on the fridge.  But then there were magnets holding the bumper sticker, and there was a wrinkle where the part on the back sits that you're supposed to pull away when you stick it somewhere.  So, I decided to turn the bumper sticker into a magnet.
I bought these adhesive magnet sheets, put them together, and I had a magnet. 
It took about 20 seconds.  But then that got me thinking:  What else can I turn into a magnet?  When we first bought this refrigerator, I had promised that I'd find a way to camoflauge the unfortunate black side of the stainless steel appliance.  I had thought I'd do something with moulding or a lightweight frame and fabric, like this:
DIY memo board
Thifty Decor Chick
She attached her fabric and frame to a zinc sheet so she could hang it in her office, but the side of my fridge is already magnetic, so I'm half-way there.  Except, I worry about how the fabric would hold up.  So, what else could I make into a magnet?
I took some of the beach rocks that were in the boot tray and used Gorilla Glue to attach them to some heavy duty magnets.
Those are kind of neat.  Do I make a lot of them and cover the whole side of the fridge?  That seems kind of silly.  What else do I have on hand that I could turn into a magnet?  What do I have lots and lots of?  (Oh, no, she didn't.)  Corks!

I kind of like it.  I bought some balsa wood at A.C. Moore, and used an x-acto knife to cut it into pieces the size of the magnetic strips I used for the bumper sticker.  I used Gorilla Glue to stick them together (because it was what i had; you could probably use any craft glue), and then wood glue to attach the corks.  It took about 10 minutes.
(You can barely see the balsa wood there. Sorry.) So, now I'm not sure what direction to go in.  Do I cover the whole side of the refridgerator in these cork magnets?  Half corks, half rocks? Is that too much cork for one kitchen, considering these...



What do you think? 

2 comments:

Tortla Dot said...

Interesting! Neat solution - especially if you use it to post a recipe or something ornamental according to season. I would have to be disciplined not to cover it in tiny bits of memorabilia which never get removed.

I love the texture and color of the cork. Maybe a simple sheet of corkboard would be easier and less expensive.

Ultimate question ... How will it look when viewed from the kitchen door?


.

Judith @ Love in Marriage said...

Cool idea, Karen. I really like the rocks. I'm not sure about covering the entire side of the fridge in either rocks or corks. Hmmmm?

What did you decide?

Love your inspiration. I get your posts in my e-mail each day. Really enjoying them!