End Game: DIY Magnet Sets

Most moms I know have lost many a game piece over the course of their children’s lives. Instead of losing your mind trying to find lost pieces that are hiding under your furniture, try repurposing what’s left of the set.

I strongly recommend doing this project when the kids are out of the house, or you WILL have to deal with Someone Small’s tantrum while you are holding a hot hot-glue gun.

This is not a hard craft, but if you don’t want to make them yourself, well…you can always get some from me and help send my kids to England and Sweden next summer!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For this project you will need the following:

Game board pieces
Small magnets (sold at Michael’s or Home Depot)
A hot-glue gun (ditto, and also for the rest of these items)
Mod Podge
Small foam (or regular) paint brush
Cardboard box (opened up), plastic kitchen bag, or lots of wax paper—for final acrylic spray coats
ALSO USEFUL: a safety razor blade or sharp scissors, magnetized drying racks, Clear Acrylic Sealing Spray…and a well-ventilated space

 

Ugh, here come those darned directions….

1.      Line up your game pieces, flipped over so the sharper edge of the machine-die stamp faces up.

2.      Plug in the hot-glue gun. While you wait for that tell-tale smell of skin-scorching danger, prepare the magnets. If you buy strong magnet blocks, wipe them off first because I promise you this: they’re filthy.

If you’re looking to make decorative magnets (aka, too weak to hold up a photo on the fridge), buy magnetic tape or magnetic sheets with adhesive on the back. These sets are always available at Michael’s or at AC Moore’s—bring your 20% coupon because you know that everything's 20% overpriced anyway.
Trim magnetic roll or sheet with scissors or safety razor blade to fit just within the edges of the game pieces.
DOUBLE BONUS! No glue-gun, just peel and stick. Now, Jump 2 Steps Ahead!

3.      Blob some hot glue on to the back of a magnet, then squish it on to the prepared game piece. Always try to center the magnet, but for goodness’ sake, it hardly matters.

4.      When all of the pieces are glued and cool, flip them over. (Did you unplug that hot-glue gun? DO IT NOW before you unintentionally brand yourself!)

5.      Slather a coat or two of Mod Podge on the front and edges of each game piece. It’s easy to hold the little magnets when you do this part, but beware of setting these pieces too close to each other.

 

I’ve had two (and once, three!) freshly Podged pieces leap off magnetized trays and cling to each other in ways that would infuriate a school dance chaperone, fouling up both magnets and glue. Darned magnets these days, no respect….

6.      Let the Mod Podge dry for the recommended time, whatever that is.
You could quit right there. The pieces will be nice-looking and usable. Only thing is, the Mod Podge tends to feel slightly tacky for a long time, like waaaay longer than the official drying time. So, yeah, they can stick to each other and play tug-of-war with each other’s Podge layers… and someone always loses that game.

 

7.      Want to go that last step? Line up your new game magnets on an open cardboard box (or flattened kitchen garbage bag, or wax paper sheets). Spray Acrylic Sealer on the non-magnet side of each and every one.

If you have more than ten pieces to spray, expect to get as high as those glue-sniffers you tried so hard to ignore in high school. Even in a well-ventilated room with all windows wide open, my ears rang for ten minutes after I was done.

 

That’s it!  If you want to give them as gifts and you have kids, hide them now. Otherwise, before you know it, you’ll be looking for that lost game piece magnet under every item of furniture and kitchen appliance.

 

Copyright 2013, Tanya Monier