Bottle Cap Photo Magnets

I know it has been a while...a LOOOOOONG while, actually...

But...here is a little crafty goodness from me to you!

This was actually a request craft from two Bluebird Momma's...KQ and SL. Sorry that it took me so long to share ladies...but here is one of the crafts that you requested. Enjoy and let me know how it goes.

Supplies:

1. Photo/Picture of your choice

2. 1 inch round hole punch (can be purchased at ANY craft store and Walmart)

3. Bottle Caps (these are REALLY "in" right now, so you can probably get them at any craft store or Walmart. If not, search for a home brewing company in your area. They will have them for sure!!)

4. Magnets (can be purchased at ANY craft store and Walmart. Take one of your bottle caps with you so that you can make sure that the magnet is not too big.)

5. Liquid resin of your choice. Here is a picture of the one that I used, which I purchased at Michael's. In this picture you can also see examples of 3 magnets that I made.

Directions:

This is, by far, one of the simplest crafts that I have ever made! I am sure that you will find it equally as EASY and will be able to whip out 50 of these bad boys (chicos) and girls (chicas) (no discrimination here) in less that 30 minutes.

1. Select the photo/picture that you want to use.

2. Place the photo/picture in the hole punch FACE DOWN!!

3. Flip the hole punch over and you will now be able to see EXACTLY what you are about to cut. Move the picture around until you get it right where you want it. Now punch the picture. It may look a little big, but it will fit perfectly. If you are making several magnets, cut all of your pictures out at once and have them ready to go.

4. After you have ALL of your pictures cut and ready, mix the resin. This resin is a 2 part resin. You will need to mix and stir 2 equal parts of this resin to make it work. MAKE SURE THAT THE PARTS ARE EQUAL!! If you mix more of one than the other...it will not cure properly. This resin will need to be used immediately after it is mixed.

5. Place all of the caps on a flat tray or cookie sheet. Fill ALL of your bottle caps up half way with resin. Immediately place your picture on top and push it down so that it has good contact with the liquid resin.

6. After you have placed all of your pictures, go back and pour enough resin into each bottle cap so that the picture is COMPLETELY covered with liquid resin. Once they are all poured, you will see a million tiny bubbles in each cap. To get the bubbles out, you need to exhale (not blow) on the caps. You will see the bubbles immediately begin to disappear. Continue exhaling on them until all of the bubbles are gone.

7. Move the tray to a place that where they can dry undisturbed for 24 hours.

8. Once they are completely dry, mix up a small batch or resin (1 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon). Turn the bottle caps over, picture side down and apply a small drop of resin on it. Put the magnet on top and push it down to make a good contact. Let them dry for 24 hours and you are done!!

(see number 7 below before starting this step)

Sorry that I did not have more pictures...feel free to send me a comment/question if you need additional help.

Tips and Useful information:

1. Michael's, Hobby Lobby and JoAnn's all price match and honor each others coupons. So, even though I have not seen the resin in JoAnn's, I took a JoAnn's 50% off coupon to Michael's and got the resin for half off. I also took a Michael's "50% off on all hole punches" flyer to Hobby lobby and got the hole punch for half off. This little tidbit will come in useful for when you are purchasing your supplies.

2. I have found it better to use actual pictures printed on actual photo paper as opposed to printing out pictures on copy paper from my printer. The thicker photo paper keeps the resin from bleeding through and washing out the color on the photos.

3. A little of this resin goes a long way! So since this may be your first and last time working with it, buy the smaller kit. You can get 100's of magnets out of the small kit if you are using it just for this project.

4. To make it shine...sprinkle some fairy dust (ultra fine glitter) in the resin before you pour it. Just a little goes a long way and you will be able to see the glitter when you hold the magnet up to the light.

5. I got 100 bottle caps for $6.00 at Indy Wine Art. Mine are all gold. If you can get silver or gold ones REALLY cheap, buy them!! You could always paint them the color that you want. I would recommend a spray paint made specifically for metal.

6. Whatever you use to mix/stir your resin with/in should not be used to eat in/with again. I use popsicle sticks or plastic spoon handles to stir and I use disposable medicine cups to measure and mix. When I am finished, I toss the spoon and I wash the medicine cups out with rubbing alcohol. These cups will now be used for resin only!! As long as the resin is still wet, it can be cleaned up with rubbing alcohol and paper towels.

7. Before you glue your magnets to your bottle caps, make sure that the magnets are facing the correct direction! Magnets have 2 sides. One that will adhere well to metal and one that will (sometimes) repel metal or not adhere as well. Stick your magnets on a flat metal tray. Put a drop of resin on the side facing up and then apply you bottle cap. This will gurantee that your magnets will stick.

8. This resin STINKS!! Do this project in a well ventilated area.

If you have any questions...shoot me a COMMENT and I will post a reply!!

~Quita