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not martha

to make : fridge tin pen holder


before and after


first, take the lid off


just pull a little and the thingy will bend, the top will come off easily


I painted a white base coat, leaving the back bare








small, strong rare earth magnets


ta da (I'll get around to decorating the band aid tin someday)


I did the same with a wide band-aid style tin 		While I was searching for band-aid style tins I noticed the Starbucks gum tin would be great as a pen holder for the fridge. I took off the lid, it came off easily with a little pressure and wiggling, then I painted a few coats of white. I used matte Mod Podge to put down strips of orange tissue paper (this was done around Halloween time). Then I used silicone glue to attach tiny rare earth magnets to the back. I found the magnets at Radio Shack, but Alex has found some at The Container Store called Mighty Magnet Rounds, see her A-list for more great stuff.

The first one of these I painted all the way around, then glued the magnets on the back. When I tried to pry it off the fridge the tin came with me, but the magnets and some flakes of white base paint stayed on the fridge. So don't bother finishing the back if you are going to use very strong magnets.

I tried regular magnets, see the marble magnet project, but they were not strong enough, the tin tended to slide on the fridge too easily.

I also found a wide silver band-aid style tin at a Japanese stationary store in Palo Alto, California called Mai Do. I took the lid off, glued more magnets down, and it's great for holding small things, recipe cards or notes.


added in May 2005: I did the same thing but with some nice, removable 3M Command interlocking fasteners (like velcro, but not) to attach a pen holder to the inside leg of my desk. Also to note, Eclipse mint tins have the same long thin shape.