March 21, 2011

DIY Pantone chip magnets

I try to keep loose Pantone chips in an envelope for future projects, but these nice colors escaped and attached themselves to my file cabinet.

If you happen to own a Pantone chip book or can beg a few chips from someone you know, here's how to whip up some little candy-like magnets.

Cut small pieces of bookboard or other thick cardboard with an X-acto knife. (Bookboard is likely available at your local art store or PaperSource.) Make the pieces exactly the size of the Pantone chips. Then paint the edges white; I used acrylic paint for this.

Attach the chip to the cardboard. I tried using wet glue, but it made the chip curl. So instead I covered the back of each chip with double-stick tape which worked great.

Then cover the face of the chip with paper glaze. It dries with a clear, raised glass-like surface. There are a few products on the market; I used Aleene's Paper Glaze. Let it dry overnight.

Finally, attach a magnet to the back. I used a roll of self-adhesive magnet material, but you could use something stronger, or cut up those promotional magnets you get sometimes from companies.

123 comments:

  1. Those turned out so cute! I love the glossy look they have! :)

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  2. That glaze is perfect! I've been looking all over for something like that. Thanks for the link!

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  3. These are fantastic! I may have to snag some of our unused color chips from work...

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  4. What a GREAT way to recycle those loose chips :) Adorable!

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  5. I really like those!! I wish I had some lying around I could use!

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  6. I LOVE these! I have no Pantone chips but have a lot of paint chips. I bet it could work the same way. What a good idea to use the glaze coating--gives it a very nice finished look. Thanks (as always) for the great ideas!

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  7. These are so coool! Thanks Jess!

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  8. Great idea!The colours are just great!

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  9. Oh how cute! What a great idea! I have a magnet board in my art room - im definitely going to make some of these :)

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  10. These are great. It makes me want to make one on a wooden background, attach a hanging bail, and have myself a pantone chip necklace (a la scrabble tile pendants).

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  11. LOVE these!!! You had me at 'Pantone'.

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  12. Could you apple this product to a small photo and get the same result? Thks for sharing a great idea.

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  13. Oh my gosh, I love these. So cute. I'm thinking you could change them with the season.

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  14. Harvardmom, yep. I'd keep the photo quite small, since the larger the surface area, the more room for dimples and bubbles and whatnot. But sure, go for it!

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  15. Jess this project is sooooo awesome. Thank you so much for the inspiration :). I have a question about the glaze, is this the same as CRYSTAL LACQUER? I too want to use it for paper so I want to make sure I get it right :).

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  16. these are absolutely perfect! just love them. thanks for the tutorial!

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  17. Mayi, I'm not familiar with Crystal Lacquer, but after Googling it just now, I'd say it looks like the same thing. You could always test a little bit on a piece of paper or try it first on any extra Pantone chip that's not as great a color as orange. :)

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  18. Awe, what a cool idea! Your tutorials are the best! ;) Thanks for sharing!

    Hope you're having a nice week!

    Miki.

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  19. you always amaze me with the things you create! love it!

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  20. LOVE these!!! You never cease to amaze me - so creative and talented! Keep up the great work and thanks for continually inspiring us.

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  21. What a wonderful idea! There is something so satisfying about a collection of little swatches of color, I have a huge stack of paint swatches I've collected from hardware stores just to look at them.

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  22. I love these! Such sleek but bright little happy spots in your office!

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  23. I love these what a wonderful splash of color!

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  24. Love it1 I bet this could be done with paint swatches too

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  25. I love this idea. They are so cute and glossy. I'm wondering what else I could make using your technique . . .

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  26. These are super adorable... I'm going to have to dig up my Pantone chips (I even have fabric Pantones somewhere). Wee! Thank you.

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  27. What a great idea...I love the way the paper glaze gives it the shine...will have to try it out.
    Have had paper glaze blottle laying around for a long time now...will have to put it to use now.
    http://nothingbetterthancrafting.blogspot.com/

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  28. i'm in love with this idea! i want to go and buy all the supplies right now, especially the paper glaze, thanks so much for sharing :-)

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  29. I am SO glad i held onto a whole book from spring cleaning a couple years ago! I would be willing to send a few to some people if they wanted to make some magnets.

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  30. these are GREAT! now where can I get some pantone chips from.....

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  31. CAPow, note the comment right above yours :)

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  32. I have an out of date Pantone book that would be great for this project. Such a clever idea!

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  33. How super easy and wonderful! I'd never thought of using these for magnets.

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  34. this is all kinds of brilliant (and cute!). I love this.

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  35. hahahahaha of course never test with orange pantone. that would be a crime ;). you are adorable jess. thanks for your kindness + answering my questions!

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  36. Recycling is always a good thing!
    fondly, Nancy

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  37. I love these! But I would probably become unemployed for using one of their Pantone books for magnets since I don't own my own. *drools with envy*

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  38. You know so well what makes an artist drool... super project!

    Have you ever used the paper glaze on photos? How about fabric? Or is there another product especially for fabric?

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  39. I haven't used it on photos, but it works the same way on fabric—makes a clear, plasticky coating on it and doesn't seem to affect the color. Or maybe the color gets a little brighter, if anything.

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  40. These are so creative! What a fun idea. I love the bright colors you used. Can you imagine actually having a wall painted in that bright of pink? ha, that would sure wake you up in the morning!

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  41. I love the picture before the glaze dries just as much (if not more) than the finished photo.

    I guess you can tell this DIY was a huge hit? :)

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  42. Yeah, apparently so. Everybody likes shiny, pretty colors, I guess!

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  43. Someone on etsy is selling Pantone Pendants. I was seriously considering buying one.

    http://www.etsy.com/shop/gadgetgirl?section_id=7196260

    NOW I can make my own (thanks to you). I just have to find me an out of date Pantone book. I'm sure you could use this for photos, paint chips and walpaper! Thanks so much! I cannot wait to try it.

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  44. What a great idea! Can't wait to try it out. :)

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  45. Love them! I definitely need to head out to the raft store and pick up some of that Paper Glaze!

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  46. DecoArt Triple Thick works the same as the paper glaze! I'm just saying, is all... :)

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  47. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!

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  48. OMG, I want to turn those in jewelry! Thanks for the great idea!

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  49. good idea
    I really like your blog
    I talk about you on my blog

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  50. these are brilliant! And luckily I think I have some chips I can use - woo hoo! Blogged your idea here - http://spicklebee.blogspot.com/2011/03/fancy-friday-3252011.html

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  51. Love these, and I have two out of date Pantone books :-)

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  52. Kristen from Apple Love- You said you have a book of chips and you would be willing to part with a few??? I would love to do this project and am hoping to track a few down. Would you mind emailing me brookeage(at)msn(dot)com.

    Thanks so much! These are so, SO cute!

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  53. What an awesome idea! The finished magnet looks so great. I love the colors — what a great way to make use of old paint chips!

    Thanks for sharing,

    Rachel

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  54. This is awesome! I am definitely going to have to do this.

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  55. I like the idea. Look cools and cute too.

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  56. Oh how cute! That paper glaze is so awesome!

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  57. I am so going to create these for my creative director friend, Tina. She is going to LOVE LOVE LOve therm. Thank you for the wonderful idea.

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  58. Such a nice idea, pantone olours on the fridge!

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  59. What a great idea! I like it so much that I decided to make a blogpost about it (If you want to read it it's: http://a-silver-cloud.blogspot.com/2011/04/great-idea-diy-pantone-magnets.html)
    And now I'll go and find my paint chips. Thank you!

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  60. So cute and cheerful!
    How does one get their hands on Pantone paint chips? Do you have to purchase them? Thanks!

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  61. Yeah, the chip books are a couple hundred dollars, so unless someone is a design professional, they likely won't have one. You could check eBay, or else Pantone sells individual replacement pages, too.

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  62. I have been obsessed with making these since I saw this post a few weeks ago! I couldn't find Aleene's Paper Glaze so I subbed with ArtDeco Triple Thick glaze. It was good; glossy like in the tutorial pics - but NOT GOOD for pinks and reds!! It washes them out to an orange colour! A great colour, of course, but what's the point in a Pantone magnet if it's not the right Pantone? lol I finally managed to track down the paper glaze and am excited to finish this project!

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  63. These look really terrific! Perfect for an inspiration board.

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  64. I'm in LOVE!! I have tons of these things from work and always wanted a creative way to use them. You're a genius!!

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  65. I just made these - they are adorable. Mine took about 2 whole days to dry, but love the shiny look. I followed your instructions except used spray adhesive mount instead of double sided tape - but my corners are kind of coming up so the tape is probably better. I didn't have old chips but just designed some look-alikes using Pantones in Illustrator. Love the way they look in my office - thanks for the article!

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  66. ooohlala! these are wonderful!! I'm so glad i found your excellent blog! hours of fun here!

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  67. I linked to this post on my blog (A Blank Page) here: DIY Shiny Magnets :) Thank you for the inspiration!

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  68. How can you get pantone chips?! I would LOVE to make these! Thanks! taylor(dot)montgomery3(at)gmail(dot)com. Thanks you all!!

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  69. @Kristin, does the offer for some Pantone chips still stand? I would love to make a few of these magnets! :o) @Jess, i know there are a lot of replacement pages you can get from Pantone- are there any that you recommend? Great project!! Thank you!

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  70. Delicious, cute, enchanting and yes - I think I want to eat them! Bravo on a brilliant and professional demo and creations - Alison

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  71. thanks for sharing this !
    I never heard of this type of paper glaze and your projects are awesome!

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  72. These are amazing! My sister works at a paint shop and they have specials on certain colors from time to time but it was a pain to make window displays, they did this so now they have three magnets up at all times, on sale, soon to be on sale, and most popular.

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  73. Love this project! Featured it on my blog today http://delightfullynoted.blogspot.com/2011/08/8-creative-ways-to-reuse-paint-chips.html

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  74. Absolutely adorable and what a great idea!! !

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  75. I love your cute magnets. I followed your steps and made some with photobooth pictures and cardboard instead: http://kcm702.wordpress.com/2011/08/23/photobooth_magnets/

    Thanks for telling us how you did it!

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  76. Loved it. I tried them at home and they turned out so good. Thank you

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  77. Love this idea, always been a bit of a color nut as you can see, always wanted to have that job of naming colors for some major design company or something, this will have to do for now might add my own names though :-) Thanks x

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  78. I have my polaroid frame resized to 1" x .8" but it is HUGE. If I move them over to an 8.5" x 11" canvas I can only fit 2 on a row. What am I missing?

    Help please, I need to make these for a gift for Monday (nothing like waiting until last minute - HA!).

    Thanks

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  79. I'm sorry; are you referring to a different project? This project uses paper Pantone chips from Pantone books; nothing to do with Polaroids. I'm afraid I'm not following.

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  80. This is great. I wanted to make a scrapbook page with scrabble tiles, si I am going to make fake ones with this concept. Thanks a mill!!

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  81. I really wish I would have found this sooner...I just got a new job at a design firm and this would have been a perfect gift to make for everybody...but I guess I know what I'm doing next year.

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  82. Like JeneDawn, I wish I had discovered this sooner! I'm afraid I don't have any Pantone chips—is anyone (that's still subscribed to this comment feed) willing to send me a few of their leftover chips? Otherwise, maybe a trip to a paint store is in order for paint swatches =)

    This is a fabulous idea, by the way!

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  83. so genius! I am sharing your link with my readers tonight as part of a housewarming party ideas!

    hugs! Kim @ Party Frosting!

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  84. I love this product. I have also used it in jewelry making

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  85. oh i just love these -love the glossy finish!

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  86. http://nightsinrosyriotfly.blogspot.com/2011/03/paint-chip-magnets.html

    I believe that this person copied your entire post word for word and pasted it onto their blog???

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  87. Yup, thanks for letting me know. I've contacted them.

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  88. Thank you for this tutorial! These are very cool! Must try these when I get home from travelling :)
    I also shared it my blog: http://whiterabbittreasures.blogspot.com/2012/07/etsy-treasury-magnetic-diy-magnets.html

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  89. These really are beautiful! I have a question, though. Why leave the label on at the bottom? Why not cut that off and just have the color? Is that bad? I think it would look better without it but I figured you probably have a reason for keeping it on there. Just curious. Great project!

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  90. Hi Cheryl,
    Yep, these chips are iconic in the graphic design profession. We use them all the time and they're recognizable by the Pantone name and color number at the bottom. In fact, Pantone has licensed their images to tons of manufacturers, keeping the block of color at the top with the white area at the bottom. Some examples:
    http://www.seletti.it/pantone/pantone_xmas_ball.htm
    http://www.popdeluxe.net/pantone-mug-single.html

    So it's fun (for me) to keep it on there since it's sort of a graphic design inside joke. But you certainly could cut it off if you like! Or use any other kind of paint swatch.

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  91. Es espectacular, voy a probar a ver si lo consigo. Gracias por compartirlo

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  92. Thank you very much for sharing this idea! It inspired me to create my own magnets. :)

    Mini Magnets

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  93. These are adorable!

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  94. All those years I tapes them to my wall after I took them out of the book. Great idea

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  95. Hi Love pantone and your magnets, I featured them today on my blog:
    http://www.inspirationrealisation.com/2013/01/do-inspire-yourself-23.html#

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  96. LOVE these!

    I don't have any Pantone chips, we just have the swatch books at work, so I was wondering if someone could tell me the dimensions (inc the white space) so I can recreate some in Illustrator - I know they won't be authentic, but hopefully they'll look almost as good! :-)

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  97. Hey Sarah,
    The chips are 3/4" wide by 1 3/16" tall. The colored area is 3/4" square.

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  98. Mine came out good at first. THEN, they curled up on the edges like they dried out. Had to ditch them...that was a ton of glue!!

    they looked good for a day....

    oh well

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  99. Wow didn't know about the glaze! It makes them look so legit. Will try!

    http://itsjpei.wordpress.com/

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  100. I love the bright colors you used. Can you imagine actually having a wall painted in that bright of pink? ha, that would sure wake you up in the morning!

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  101. amazing idea i will try it soon

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  102. Having been obsessed with these, I have a couple suggestions. I am making mine larger. I am printing the chips from screenshots of the actual chips on Pantone website (not sure how cool that is, but I am not selling these). 1) They make awesome office gifts for marketing people. 2) Someone here suggested Triple Thick gkaze. Costs a lot less and dries 3 times as fast. Looks the same. Magnet sheets I found that hold paper are 20 mil thick stick on. They do not separate. 3) To glue paper to board (I use old mat board) use extra strength glue stick. Super thin coating. Also, I would not suggest cutting anything thicker than a thick paper with an exacto knife. I have too many battle scars. Use a utility knife for the board. Change blades often!

    Thanks so much Jess! The gift that keeps on giving….

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