DIY: Patterned and Printed Fridge Magnets 13 January 2014  |  Nicola

Once the excitement of the Christmas and New Year festivities have died down, it's back to work, school and business as usual - with the exception of any new years resolutions you might have made. Traditionally, January is seen as the month to start afresh, and work towards personal goals; from diet and exercise to shopping habits, saving money and simply enjoying life more, it's always good to keep track of everything. From organising day trips and holidays, to putting up pictures of close friends and family, if you're looking for a way to stay on top of things, some bright and cheerful fridge magnets can help - today, we're going to show you how to make your own magnets in whatever style, shape or colour you like, with a few simple StickyTiger supplies.

To make your own fridge magnets, you will need:

A4 Magnetic Sheets

Card templates 

Printed or textured paper - scrapbook paper is perfect

Various washi tapes

Small, sharp scissors

Pen and pencil

1. The first thing you'll need to do is decide whether you want your magnets in small individual shapes, or long strips. Smaller magnets are useful in case you've got something you want to stick up quickly, but long strips with scalloped or zig-zagged edges look great on the fridge, and will hold more. Draw your templates onto card, and cut them out.

2. Now you need to transfer your template onto the magnet - as they're self adhesive, you can mark your design on the white backing paper. The magnets are fairly thin and very flexible, so they're really easy to cut - you can also use large shaped punches to cut out stars, circles, hearts and triangles quickly.

3. Once you've cut out the magnet, it's time for the best bit - the decoration. To cover with washi tape, you'll need to leave the self-adhesive paper on the magnetic shape; the patterns on the tape will show up better if it's sitting on top of a light coloured background. The easiest way to cover your shape completely is by sticking strips of tape over it, and then simply trimming round the edges - the sharper your scissors, the better, as this will help you to get a nice, clean edge.

If you're using paper or card to cover it, peel the backing paper off, and press your magnet down firmly onto the back of the card - it will adhere immediately, so make sure you're happy before you commit! Once it's stuck, cut carefully round your magnet to leave a lovely colourful shape, ready for the fridge!

4. Arrange onto your fridge, either in rows or by using the long strips to make a large frame. Enjoy your brand new, easy to use, organisation system!