Positively Splendid {Crafts, Sewing, Recipes and Home Decor}

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Magnetic Refrigerator Art Frames

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Do you ever find yourself bitten by the organizing bug? Now that things are cruising along beautifully with my new hallway “mudroom” command center, I am finding myself wanting to reclaim more and more of our home from the clutter.

With the magnetic board I created for my hallway project, I no longer have to count on my refrigerator to house the forms and notes that come home from school. So, the fridge can now be 100% devoted to showcasing the handiwork of my little Picassos. Let’s face it, though: even the most beloved works of art have a way of making a refrigerator looks a bit, ahem, unsightly.

Case in point:

That’s a before picture of my refrigerator, taken yesterday afternoon.

And this is it today! 

What a difference a day and a DIY project can make!

Instead of hanging each child’s art with the typical magnets, I swapped those out for some brightly colored magnetic frames. Now I can choose one special piece from each of them to display at a time, tidily tucking away the other items in my box of keepsakes. 

This really is the simplest of projects! Let me show you how I did it.

For each frame, you will need…
Lightweight document-sized* frame (I found mine at Walmart for $3)
Spray primer and paint
2 heavy-duty magnets
Heavy-duty adhesive (I used E6000)

*Be sure to look for a document-sized frame and not an 8×10, as the document frame will accommodate a standard 8.5×11″ sheet of paper without trimming.

To begin, remove the glass from your frame, and dispose of it carefully or set it aside for later use. Now, spray your frame with a coat of primer and allow it to dry before evenly applying 2-3 coats of spray paint to your frame. Allow your frame to dry completely.

Use your adhesive to adhere the magnets to the middle of each of the short edges on on the back of your frame. Allow your glue to dry completely (overnight is best).

Important: Make sure to leave the back portion of your frame (the little “door” that opens and closes to hold your document in place) intact, as this will prevent the artwork from slipping out of the frame once it is mounted on the refrigerator.

 Now, slip your child’s latest handiwork into the frame and mount it on the fridge to display proudly!

I love how polished this looks now! And the way the magnets are mounted will make it possible to display landscape-oriented pieces of work in these frames, too.

This project is 100% leprechaun approved. 😉

It feels so good to be able to see the front of my refrigerator again! Of course, now that I can actually see the stainless steel, I’ll have to be more diligent about keeping those pint-sized fingerprints at bay. Nuts. 😉

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Looking for more creative ideas for displaying your children’s artwork? Be sure to check out my Cable Art Display tutorial!

Thanks for stopping in!

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Linking this to…
Oopsey Daisy
Creations by Kara
Every Creative Endeavor
Lil Luna
Lolly Jane
Tatertots and Jello
Serenity Now

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. Jessica Kielman says

    You always amaze me! I love this project, because I hate the clutter and things just hanging randomly on the fridge! Can’t wait to make my own!

    Jessica @ Mom 4 Real

  6. Jess says

    What a fantastic idea!!! Looks awesome! And was more appealing to look at instead of just a ton of paper stuck all over it with no rhyme or reason {like ours haha}
    x0 Jess
    {www.CraftyNonsenseNoted.com}

  9. Kristi says

    I love this. It looks so nice and neat. I should try it so that I am forced to pare down what I all keep on my fridge.

  11. Ashley W. says

    I’ve made magnet frames using sheets of magnet paper that I mod podged scrapbook paper to, but this takes it to a whole new level. I love it!

  27. Helen Graham says

    Hi Amy, thank you so much for this post! I just wanted to let you know that I’ve featured this in my top 10 list of projects with frames. Hope you can stop by 😉

  28. Tara says

    Brilliant!! I wish I could do this. We just got a new Fridge and Freezer and we can’t use magnets. 🙁 But you inspired me to make an art wall! Thank you. I will be pinning and sharing this fun idea!

    Tara
    TrendyTreehouse
    thetrendytreehouse.blogspot.com

  29. Darcie says

    I saw your post a long time ago, and remembered it. I tried this at home, but I guess my magnets weren’t powerful enough or my frames were too heavy, so I’m going to have to change it up a bit. Just googled to find you again, because that vision of your organized fridge was still stuck in my head. Can’t wait to make mine work!

    • Amy @ Positively Splendid says

      Hi, Darcie! The only magnets I could find that were strong enough were the very heavy-duty bar magnets at Lowe’s. I hope this helps!