Yard Stick Magnets

In case you didn't know, I love magnets.  I've made polaroid magnets, bottle cap magnets, clay rock magnets, (to name a few) and now Yard Stick Magnets!

I love how they turned out. 
I got my inspiration from this great post at Modge Podge Rocks - and used these as a teacher gift for Christmas!  I also made a few for friends and family - because you can never have too many magnets.  Especially when they are this cute!!

I used my mitre saw to cut approx. 1.25" lengths of yard stick (because when you can use a heavy duty power tool, why wouldn't you??). 

Then, I followed the tutorial to sand them and paint them, and added a little flair of my own.  As you can see below, I added texture with things as mundane as bubble wrap and patterned paper towels - and they turned out great!

After painting the squares with Sparkle Mod Podge I added embellishments.
I used hot glue to secure ribbon to look like a present:

I had these chipboard heart stickers around - and they worked great:

Everything was made with things I had laying around the house, including these snowmen which were made from cardstock, a little paint, and a scrap of red rick-rack:

I had never used Sparkle Mod Podge before, but it was a MUST for this project.  The glitter shimmer absolutely makes these!  Now I've used the Mod Podge for a few other things too - so glad I have it! 

Last thing, I hot glued a magnet to the back of each.

I stuck each set of magnets onto a canning jar top - they are great for magnet presentation - and put them in little cellophane bags with some ribbon.  So festive and fun!  The great part is, my daughter helped with these, so she felt proud giving them to her teachers. 

So, next time you are looking for a magnet project, or need a nice, simple gift idea, grab a yardstick and go to town!  These are a hit!