Magnetic Letters by Happi Crafts

Turning Refrigerators into Art Galleries with Epoxy Resin

Remember when we were kids, and we’d make Crayola drawings to give to our moms’? And where did these pictures reside? On the refrigerator of course! Held in place by an assortment of magnets obtained from a variety of businesses – from professional services providers like insurance and accounting firms – to local restaurants and service stations. These companies were vying for your business, but they’re marketing magnets were securing priceless works of art and creating memories.

DIY Epoxy Resin Magnets

Creating handmade DIY epoxy resin magnets for your own kitchen “art gallery” is easy, and a fun way to further highlight the drawings, pictures, photos and other fridge paraphernalia with a one-of-a-kind personalized touch. Some epoxy resin crafters like to select a theme for their resin magnet collection such the beach or other vacation destination, or perhaps a favorite sports team, musical group or other hobby or pursuit. The possibilities are endless!

Other choices that are only limited by one’s imagination, are the shapes, sizes and colors of these epoxy resin crafts. Silicone molds (epoxy resin doesn’t stick to silicone) may be acquired at hobby and craft stores and come in many shapes and sizes to suit almost any craft desire or artistic inspiration. Once the pieces are cured, magnets are easily glued to their backs.

The fact that silicone molds are reusable may come in very handy – especially if one’s hobby gets noticed and appreciated by others who make requests! Who knows, maybe a thriving online epoxy resin enterprise may be established like Rochelle Anderson did with Happi Crafts (above) exclaiming, “None of this would be possible without your resin!”

Colorful Epoxy Resin – the Dyes Have it

Epoxy resin takes pigment very well and there are a wide variety of dyes, tints and powders, that may be used to create colorful effects, available from craft and hobby stores. Even household items such as colored chalk dust, makeup and paint may be used to color epoxy resin; however, for best results, test a small amount of tinted resin first to ensure you like what you see. Cured resin may be painted as well.

Another way to set your resin magnets apart is to decorate them with glitter, seashells and sea glass, marbles, bits of flora like flower petals – almost anything you can imagine that is the shape and size to fit in your fridge magnet – may be added to epoxy resin before the curing (hardening) process begins. Items like glitter (and pigment) are added during the mixing process; while larger bits may be suspended directly into the resin prior to cure.

To get you started in the epoxy resin magnet crafting process – here are some helpful links:

• Table Top Epoxy Resin Full Instruction Guide
• Dyes, Tints & Pigments, Oh, My! – an Epoxy Pro Guide
• Tips for Tinting Epoxy Resin

To this day, I still have a few of the refrigerator magnets from my childhood. They sit proudly on my current appliance – holding the occasional reminder note or grocery list in plain view so as to not be forgotten. Wouldn’t it be nice to still display a few of those adolescent artworks though? Hmmm…now where did I put those crayons…