Football Helmet Christmas Tree Ornaments (or Refrigerator Magnets)

Ever since making the NFL helmet refrigerator magnets, I've been paying attention to helmet designs. I had extra wooden shapes, so I decided to paint some college teams. I turned some into Christmas tree ornaments and others into magnets. Affiliate links below.  

Football Helmet Ornaments (or Magnets)

Materials: 

• wooden football helmets
• Folk Art acrylic paint
• paintbrushes - flat and liner
• hand drill 
• Mod Podge Sealer 
• decorative cord 
• self-adhesive magnets

Steps: 

Use a flat brush to paint the base coat for each helmet you are making. When the paint is dry, you can draw your design freehand. Or, if you need a little help getting the proportions of the logo just right, print out an image of the actual helmet that is the same size as the wooden helmet. Cut around the edges, then use this transfer technique to get the design onto your wooden piece. 

Use the liner brush to paint the logo onto the helmet, then paint the facemask in the appropriate color. The facemask continues onto the body of the helmet. I painted freehand, but you can sketch it out first or use the transfer technique again. 

If you are making ornaments, use a hand drill to put holes into the top of the helmet. If you are making magnets, you don't need a hole. Seal the helmet with Mod Podge. 

Add a piece of decorative cord to hang your ornament or apply a magnet to the back of the helmet. 

Here's a closer look at each of the helmets I made (before I decided which would be magnets and which would be ornaments, which is why you don't see the holes yet): 

Indiana University Hoosiers

University of Oregon Ducks

University of Nebraska Cornhuskers

University of Michigan Wolverines

University of Georgia Bulldogs

I like the versatility of this craft. You could easily have a room full of people working on the same basic craft, but each could choose their own team and whether they want it to be an ornament or a magnet. 

State Seal Glass Magnets

Today's project is a state-themed twist on a classic Mod Podge craft: glass magnets. Instead of using photos, magazine images, or ephemera for the design, use your state seal. Affiliate links below.  

State Seal Glass Magnets

Materials: 

• unfinished wood circles
• Folk Art acrylic paint - black
• flat-backed glass gems*
• state seal stickers
• Mod Podge
• self-adhesive magnets

Steps: 

Paint the wood circles black, then set them aside to dry. Center the sticker on the wood circle. Add a coat of Mod Podge to the back of a glass gem, then position it onto the sticker. Let the Mod Podge dry completely. Adhere a magnet to the back. 

When you use the magnet, pull it by the wooden part and not by the glass gem. 

*Learn from my mistake: Use slightly more expensive glass gems that are specifically made for crafting. I used the cheap ones I had on hand. Not only were they very irregular, but many of them were not crystal-clear. I tried to pick out the best ones for the project, but it's easier to use the better-quality gems to begin with. 

It's really interesting to me what each state has on their seal. Other than those states who have put their seal on their flag (ugh), I wasn't really aware of the details on most state seals. I don't think I have it in me to color all 50 state seals like I did with the state quarters, but I might pick a few of the more interesting ones and color those. 

Fingerprint Heart Magnet for Mother's Day

On Friday, I shared an idea for a homemade Mother's Day heart magnet for one child to give to Mom. Today's idea, featuring fingerprint hearts, can be made by a group of siblings (for Mom) or cousins (for Grandma). Or, you can do like I did and include Mom and Dad to make a family heart. Affiliate links below. 

Fingerprint Heart Magnet for Mother's Day

Materials:

• wooden heart
• Folk Art paint
• ultra fine Sharpies
• magnet tape

Steps: 

Paint the background - a blue sky and green grass. 

When that is dry, add fingerprint roses floating above the grass. To make the rose, add one fingerprint at a 45° angle to the left, then add a second fingerprint at a 45° angle to the right. It is easiest to do with a pointer finger. Use a pinky finger if you need smaller hearts to fit in more people. 

When the fingerprints are dry, paint stems and leaves under each flower. Then use a Sharpie to write each person's name above their flower. I added a dashed border around the edges to finish my heart. 

The final step is adding magnet tape to the back. Display your art on the refrigerator for everyone to enjoy. 

Fingerprint Flower Magnet for Mother's Day

Every mom I know loves gifts that are handmade by their children. This heart-shaped refrigerator magnet features a child's fingerprints, turned into roses. Affiliate links below. 

Fingerprint Flower Magnet for Mother's Day

Materials:

• wooden heart
• Folk Art paint
• ultra fine Sharpies
• magnet tape

Steps: 

Paint the background of the heart with your desired colors. I made a blue wall and a white tabletop, but you can choose whatever colors you want. Then add a vase toward the right side of the heart. Mine is yellow.

When that is dry, add fingerprint flowers in the space above the vase. If a young child is doing this, they can use their pointer finger. If the child is older with fingers that are less petite, you might want to use the pinky finger. Then use a brush to paint a heart onto the vase.

When the fingerprints are dry, paint medium green leaf shapes in and around the flowers. Don't fill in all the spaces at first. Leave room to add dark green shapes. While I was waiting for the green paint to dry, I added a grey shadow and some texture to the tabletop. This is optional. 

When all the paint is dry, write "Happy Mother's Day!" on the left side using a Sharpie. I added a dashed border around the edges as a final touch. Then turn the heart over and add a strip of magnet tape.

This project is easily adapted for many other holidays and occasions. Birthdays, Valentine's Day, and even graduation come to mind. Just change out the message!

Salt Dough State Flag Heart Magnets - Painted Version

Ready for the next project inspired by state flags? They're refrigerator magnets! They'd make such a fun classroom project and they are easy to do. Affiliate links below.  

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Salt Dough State Flag Heart Magnets

Materials:

• salt dough (2 parts flour, 1 part salt, 1 part water)
• heart cookie cutter
• Folk Art paint
• Apple Barrel paint pens
• Mod Podge
• magnet tape

Steps: 

Cut out hearts from the salt dough, then let them dry. You can dry them in a low oven, but I just air-dried mine for four days. I cut them out on a Silpat and let them sit for a day until they were crusted over and pale, then flipped them. You can see the color difference below between the five on the left I haven't flipped and the three on the right I have. 

After the second side crusted and turned pale, I removed the Silpat and let them dry completely on the cooling rack for two days. Obviously, the drying time is going to vary significantly depending on your temperature and humidity. Do make sure they are completely dry before you paint them though. 

I started by penciling in the basic designs, then adding a base coat. That was really easy for New Mexico and Texas; it took a bit more effort for Colorado and Tennessee. 

When that was dry, I switched to the paint pens to add the white stars on Texas and Tennessee and the red lines on New Mexico. 

Here's a closer look at each:

Seal your hearts with a coat of Mod Podge. When that is dry, cut a strip of magnet tape and adhere it to the backs. 

I'm really happy with how these turned out! 

Cereal Box Grocery List Notepad

I raided the recycling bin for today's project, a grocery list notepad. There's a magnet on the back so that it can hang on the fridge. 

You could use the same concept to make a holiday wish list, a place to write phone messages, a to-do list, or anything else. It can hang from a filing cabinet or inside a locker. Affiliate links below. 

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Cereal Box Grocery List Notepad

Materials: 

• cardboard boxes (I used Golden Grahams, Shredded Wheat and Triscuits)
• lined 5" x 8" notepad
• craft glue
• magnet tape

Steps: 

Use scissors to cut out the letters to spell GROCERIES (or whatever title you want). Cut an extra strip from a cereal box that is the same width as the top of the notepad and long enough to hold the entire message. 

Glue the letters to the cardboard strip, then glue the strip to the top of the notepad. Make sure you are adhering it only to the top strip and not to the paper itself. 

Add a generous amount of magnetic tape to the back of the notepad. 

Now all you need to do is to hang your list. Make sure there's a pen or pencil nearby. When it's time to go shopping, just tear off the top sheet and you're good to go. 

Heart Santa Magnet

The Heart Turkey has a friend. Meet Heart Santa!

 

They both are made with wooden hearts and they're both refrigerator magnets, though you could easily turn them into napkin rings or ornaments. 

Heart Santa Magnet 

Materials:

• wood hearts
• Folk Art paint (red and blush)
• red embroidery floss
• black pony beads
• googly eyes
• cardstock
• cotton ball
• craft glue
• magnets

Steps: 

Paint one heart red and one with your desired skin tone. Set them aside to dry.
 

Cut two pieces of embroidery floss, each around 3 inches. Tie a pony bead to one end of each piece to make Santa's legs.

Cut a hat from red construction paper or cardstock. From the scraps, cut a tiny round red nose. Cut a thin black strip for the belt, a small yellow square for the belt buckle, then an even smaller black square for the center of the buckle. 

Tear the cotton ball in half. Shape one half into a beard, then divide the other half to make the fur trim of Santa's hat, the pom pom on the end of the hat, and two eyebrows. 

Orient both hearts so they are upside down (point at the top, rounded area at the bottom). Glue the googly eyes to the center of skin tone heart. Add the eyebrows, nose, and beard. Glue the trim and pom pom to Santa's hat, then glue the hat to his head. Glue the belt to the red heart, then add the buckle and the inner buckle. Glue the head onto the body. Glue the legs behind the body, trapping them beneath the magnet.

A typo while I was writing this post turned Santa into Satan and left me giggling on and off for ten minutes. This led me to wonder if there are any kid-friendly Satan crafts out there. Alas, there seem to be only Satan-as-serpent crafts and printables about avoiding temptation. But my search yielded this hilarious news story about Satan in Vancouver Island, BC. It's literally old news (2019) but even if you saw it last year, it's funny enough to read again. You're welcome.

Paper Heart Magnet

I made a paper heart refrigerator magnet using the same technique as the monarch butterfly craft. I'm really happy with how it turned out. Affiliate links below. 

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Paper Heart Magnet

Materials: 

• colorful construction paper (or copy paper)
• ruler (that's my FAVORITE centering ruler)
• paper trimmer
• strong craft glue
• micro-tip scissors
• magnet tape

Steps:

For one heart, you will need twelve strips of paper (two each of six different sizes). Save yourself some work and cut two at a time. You can use whatever colors you want, but for simplicity's sake, I'll list what I used. Cut two each:  

• 7" x 1" blue
• 6" x 1" light blue
• 5" x 1" green
• 4" x 1" light green
• 3" x 1" yellow
• 2" x 1" orange

Separate the strips into two identical piles. Set one pile aside. Put a thin line of glue on one end of the 7" blue strip. Put the 6" light blue strip on top. Add a thin line of glue on the same end of the 6" light blue strip and put the 5" green strip on top. Continue until all the pieces are glued together at one end.

Put a strip of glue on the same place you've been gluing. Bend the 2" orange strip over and hold it in place. Repeat the process of adding glue and folding over each strip, one at a time.

When this half of the heart is done, set it aside and repeat the steps with the remaining paper strips to make an identical half. 

Glue one half to a piece of black paper by spreading glue on the edges of each color. Glue the second half in place right next to it, adding a bit of glue to connect the two halves to each other. 

When the glue is dry, carefully cut around the heart. 

Turn the heart upside down and attach two strips of magnet tape to the back. 

 The magnet looks great on the fridge! Pair it with some alphabet magnets to display a message.

By the way, this was quite possibly the most difficult thing I've ever tried to photograph (worse than the glass-etched votive even!). You can see my reflection in the photo, but that was the least of my troubles. I took several dozen photos at different times of day, at angles, with and without fill light, using posterboards to move the light, you name it, and I could not capture the dimension of the heart on the reflective background of the fridge without something looking really weird. This is the best I could do and I had to process it pretty heavily to get what you're seeing (yea, PicMonkey!). Hats off to all the great photographers out there. You really make it look easy and it is NOT easy!

Bunny Magnet (Bunny Week, Day 1)

Welcome to the 2nd Annual Bunny Week, here at My Creative Life!  All week long, I'll be sharing rabbit-related projects and information.  As I said last year, it's like Shark Week, but fuzzier.  

Last year's Bunny Week topics included four crafts and FAQ about owning a House Rabbit:

• Origami Bunny
• Paper Bag Bunny
• Bunny Handprint Cards
• Perler Bead Bunny
• Owning a House Rabbit

This year, I'm starting off Bunny Week with a Bunny Magnet for the fridge.

Materials: ice cream paddle spoon, white paint, white and pink cardstock or construction paper, googly eyes, small pink pom pom, and a magnet.  You'll also need scissors, glue and a black pen.

Start by painting the ice cream paddle spoon white and letting it dry.  While it is drying, cut out two ears, a tail, and thin whiskers from white cardstock.  Cut inner ears from pink cardstock. Glue the inner ears to the outer ears, then glue them into place.  Draw a mouth, then glue the whiskers, nose and eyes into place.  Glue the magnet and the tail to the back.

That's my version at the top of the post.  I made it while Trevor was at school, then left the supplies out for him to make one when he got home.  It's always interesting when I provide him with a sample to see whether he'll make one that looks just like mine or go his own direction. He only made one change this time.  Instead of cutting thin strips of cardstock to make the whiskers, he cut pieces of monofilament.  A good improvement, as it is both easier and looks better.  Here's Trevor's Bunny Magnet:

They look awesome on the fridge.  You'll have to take my word for it, as they photographed terribly against the reflective black surface.  

Return each day this week for more bunny crafts and information as Bunny Week continues!