Do you have plastic straws laying around? How about melting them down to make some fun summer themed magnets? Plastic straws are outlawed in these parts and I have tons collected over the years. I’m excited how you can recycle or upcycle your plastic straws to create almost any themed magnets, so let’s get started!
DIY Magnets | Recycled Plastic Straws Craft
If you saw my HOW TO RE-PURPOSE PLASTIC STRAWS FOR PARTY DECOR – CRICUT EASYPRESS CRAFT, you know I’m always trying to find ways I can re-purpose or reuse my large stash of plastic straws. Creating “sheets” of plastic in different color patterns using straws is a fun way to add to your crafting material stash. The plastic is thin enough to cut with scissors and works great with die cutting machines like Sizzix. I used my Sizzx big shot to cut these magnets but you can also just use a printed template of any shape, trace and cut with scissors. Which I did with the heart shaped ones. 🙂
What you will need:
Plastic straws
2 Heat protective sheets or Teflon sheets
Cricut EasyPress or Iron on high setting
Sizzix Big Shot or scissors
Sizzig Bigz Dies or printed template
Craft sticks
Magnets
Glue
Start by setting your EasyPress 2 on the highest setting of 400 degrees for 60 seconds. If you are using an iron, set it on the highest setting without steam.
Lay out several plastic straws on a heat protective sheet and place another sheet on top.
Place your EasyPress or iron on top of the sheet for 1 minute. Remove the sheet to reveal the melted straws!
Once cooled, either trace a shape on to the sheet and cut or use your Sizzix Big Shot and Bigz Dies to cut the shapes.
For the Sizzix, create a sandwich using a cutting pad, Bigz Die, plastic sheet and then another cutting pad on top. Roll through the machine.
Place a craft stick on the die to cut mini Popsicle sticks. Yes, the Sizzix Big Shot can cut thin wood too! These mini Popsicle sticks are adorable!
Glue the stick on the back of the Popsicle.
Glue a magnet on the top of the stick. You can also glue a clothespin and then a magnet to make a clip magnet. I did that with the large heart magnet.
Aren’t they cute! And it’s hard to believe these were once straws!
I hope you give this project a try! If you are Instagram, be sure to tag me so I can see what you make. The possibilities are endless!
Happy Crafting!
Be sure to check out these other fun recycled projects by my blogging friends!
2 comments
This is the cutest! Thank you so much for participating!
Thanks Laura!