DIY: magnetic board and magnets

I must preface this post by saying that I am up Nor'te en da UP of Michigan right now on rotation and so please please please forgive the strange photographs of my projects as I had to be a bit creative with my work space since I am staying at a tiny little motel!

Soooo I have been wanting to work on my magnetic board and magnets for a while now I just needed time and time is bountiful up here when there is nothing for me to do in this little motel room but craft with Becks (who is also on rotation with me!) 

---here is how they turned out!

And here is what my treasure started out looking like!

Best part was that it was on clearance---thank you tacky Valentines day decorations!

Pretty simple with a glue gun!

I wanted to give the back a finished look so I just put card stock weight scrapbook paper over the edges of the fabric.

And then had to hunt at the smallest JoAnne Fabric EVER (I shouldn't complain it is amazing that they have one here at all!!!) for some ribbon to hang my project.

Next----on to the magnets, my first attempt with Michigan scrapbook paper was a fail.  (Note the magnet on the back side showing right through the scrapbook paper)

So I took an evening break and in the mean time Becks and I went on a thrift store adventure and look what we found:

For all of you who are too young to remember a time before Wikipedia----its an encyclopedia!!!

:o)

First of all I think that these encyclopedias are a real find because they were only twenty five pennies!  Also they are from 1933 and have amazing browned worn pages and that wonderfully amazing (super stinky) old book smell....ahhhh I love my treasure books I am going to use the for TWO million crafts in the near future!!!!

Starting with my second attempt at magnets!

***Side note---Becks grabbed up the M volume and used the Marriage pages for scrap booking---HOW CUTE IS THAT?!?!?

My second attempt was much more successful here are my hints and tips:

-Mod Podge your glass stone (I got mine from the dollar store) right to the paper---GO LIGHT on the mod podge--trust me!

-Sand off the edges of the paper to get a worn/finished look that doesn't require measuring or special cutting

-Place a second layer of paper (thick-ish in weight) so you don't see the magnet or glue through your pretty image (this was my mistake from the first attempt).

-Sand again and then add your magnets, the stronger the magnet the better, next time I do this I will be going for something even stronger than these....I should have known that even though the package clams mine should have be super strong, when they were the cheapest in the aisle the really might not be :o)

-Use and strong but clear colored glue...I bought jewelry glue because I figured it would come in handy for other projects and it is both of the above, I am sure you could use anything though!

I think they are pretty cute annnnndddd I must note that there is a trend here:

Wasp, Watch, Water, (Watercolor) techniques, and Watertown

Yes I am guessing you figured it out, I bought the W vol. 

Bonus:

I found Watertown WI in my encyclopedia---- pretty cute since Cal's whole family grew up in Watertown---awhhh what are the chances?!? (wait it was a W encyclopedia)

And because my ideas just don't seem to stop I had the idea to use my Big Ten scrapbook paper to make team magnets so I could put them up for the football season----ahhh have I explained how much I love football?!?!?  LOVE!!!

What do you think?!  Are you inspired are you going to make some?!?  Do you wish you had an old smelly encyclopedia?  What would you do with it?  I would love to hear about your ideas!