I’ve loved dinosaurs ever since I was a little girl. I was that kid who had (awesome!) dinosaur sheets on my bed and knew all the species’ names. When I saw this idea on pinterest, I knew I had to make some of my own!
Supplies
- toy dinos (or any other plastic animals)
- exacto knife
- 2 magnets smaller than the body of your animals
- super glue
- paint (optional)
I got my toy dinos in a pack of 8 at the dollar store (that’s right, 12 cents each). Bigger ones might look a little cooler, but you can’t beat these for price.
I got from amazon because I use them on magnet boards at home and at work, and they’re perfect for this as well. They’re $10 (including shipping) for 50.
Start by picking out a dino to use. Then, using an exacto knife (be careful!), cut it in half.
Take one of your magnets, and trace where you want it to go on one half of the dino. Cut out a chunk at least as thick as one of your magnets. I did this by cutting straight down around the outside, and then cutting inwards from the edge of that cut. Keep adjusting until your magnet fits snugly. To make sure my halves lined up perfectly, I put two magnets stuck together in the hole already cut, colored the exposed half with sharpie, and pressed it against the other half of the dino. This left a mark on the other half right where the magnet needs to go (see below picture) Then cut out another hole in the other half of the dino.
Next, superglue the two magnets into the holes in the dinos. After you glue in one, stick on the other magnet so you can tell which way you need to put in the second magnet. Magnets have north and south poles that line up in a specific direction, so if you put the second magnet in facing away your dino halves will repel each other and won’t stick.
Finally, paint your dino, if you want. I used some acrylic paint and put on a couple layers with a foam brush. Then find a picture you like and attach!
You could also use the halves individually as fridge magnets like !
What a fun project! I feel like I’m always thinking of ideas to USE photo holders but never how to make them. Thanks for sharing this one and getting the gears turning!
this is amazing, love it!! I have a few dinos laying around that are going to be perfect. And possibly make a friend a gift too…. thanks!!
Very cute! Great for kids to make too.
This is great! And a brilliantly vibrant and cheerful colour you’ve chosen too! Thanks for sharing 🙂
That is so great! I love the combination of very serious grown up subject matter (wedding photo) with a childs toy. Whimsical! I found you on Sugar Bees and Im your newest follower. Hurray Pinterest.
Thanks for linking to Take-A-Look Tuesday over at Sugar Bee Crafts. You were featured today!
–Mandy, http://www.SugarBeeCrafts.com
Awesome! Can’t wait to try this, I am magnet crazy!
You show some great ideas on your website. Just stumbled on it when I was looking for some ideas to showcase my foreign coin collection!