Easy DIY Craft: Glass Marble Magnets

While looking for materials for my handkerchief pendant awhile back, I came across this other craft idea that I love. The craft is to make glass marble magnets with pretty paper. This craft can be easily adapted to use handkerchiefs instead. Not only are they perfect to hang works of art with, they are mini works of art themselves.

I actually love magnets and I have a ton at my house. Before I got married to my husband, I used to collect magnets from every place I traveled. This used to be my go to travel souvenir item. Anyhow, as you can imagine, over time I have accumulated a LOT of magnets.

I have magnets from every place I have traveled and even some from places I haven’t ever been. This is because after seeing my collection, I started getting magnets from friends as gifts. So those gifted magnets are now my inspirations on where to go in the future.

So this craft is great for me because it combines two things I love: magnets and handkerchiefs.

Besides the color embroidered hankies, for this craft you will also need 3/4″ (strong) magnets, 20mm or larger flat marbles (aka glass cabochon), packing tape, Diamond Glaze adhesive (or any glue that dries clear), and scissors.

The instructions are very similar to the hankie pendants, with slight variations.

First iron your ladies handkerchief flat. For my magnets to stand out I picked several hankies that had bright color embroidered flowers stitched on it.

Place a strip of packing tape on the top and backside of the handkerchief. You are basically creating a seal around the hankie and also making the fabric stiffer to use. You need to create this handkerchief barrier, because if you don’t the fabric of the hankie will appear wet when applying the glue.

Editor’s Note: Unfortunately the pictures don’t show the packing tape very well but it is there, I promise.

Once the tape has been placed, place one round glass marble on top of the hankie. Be sure to center your design underneath the glass marble.

With a pen, outline around the glass marble. You are using the marble as your template to create perfectly round hanky circles. And since I used a hanky with lots of flowers on it, I was able to create many circles using the same handkerchief.

Cut out all the “circles” with a pair of scissors. After cutting out the circles, be sure to wipe off any excess pen marks from the packing tape.

Add a dot of adhesive to the magnet.

Lay the hankie circle on top of the magnet and then add a dot of adhesive to the flat part of the marble.

Press the marble down firmly onto the handkerchief magnet. If any of the adhesive drips out, wipe it off with a damp cloth while the glue is still wet.

Repeat the above steps for the other hankie circles. Let the magnets sit and dry on a flat surface. Be sure to place them some ways apart from each other while drying. If you don’t the magnets will attract each other and potentially shift the marbles off.

I think these magnets will look great on my refrigerator and I love how vintage they look. Now I just need to make room for them under all the clutter that is already there.

Craft Material List

• 3 x Ladies Hankies {Bumblebee Linens}
• 6 x 3/4″ (strong) magnets {Lowes}
• 6 x 20mm or larger flat marbles (aka glass cabochon) {Michael’s Craft Store}
• Diamond Glaze adhesive (or any glue that dries clear) {Michael’s Craft Store}
• Packing tape
• Scissors