DIY Map Magnets

My big sis Molly came home for the holidays from Singapore. It’s still crazy to me that she lives across the world, but she seems to be loving it so I’m really happy for her (But she’s not allowed to live there for too long)! I wanted to do something unique for her for Christmas, so as part of her gifts I made her map magnets of parts of the world she’s traveled to. She’s traveled a lot (I’m jelly), and definitely more places than the magnets I made, but the map I bought was kind of annoying and didn’t have smaller places like Bali on it, which is one of Moll’s favorite spots. Anyway, here’s how I made these cute little magnets…

Here’s what you’ll need:

A map – I bought one at Barnes and Noble. I got the huge one that rolls up and comes in plastic (not laminated of course)
Large clear stones from Michael’s
Aleene’s Clear Gel Tacky Glue
Mod Podge
Thick Magnet Circles – I bought mine at Michael’s

First, I cut out squares of where the state/country was located on the map. I then glued the stone to this square, centering the city/state/country you’re trying to capture. Press down, and let dry on the square. I let them sit for 24 hours, if you’re in a hurry I’m sure they’re ok to start trimming after a few hours.

DIY Map Magnet

Once each stone was glued to its square, I trimmed the excess paper with an exacto knife, and then went in with scissors to perfect them. After this, I used Mod Podge as an extra layer on the back of the stones. I didn’t want to take a chance with the magnet maybe ripping the map paper, so I wanted a layer of something and Mod Podge worked great. It dried within an hour. I then glued the magnets on to each stone back with the Aleene’s Clear Gel Tacky Glue. I let them dry overnight.