Twelve Weeks of Christmas, Week 11: Scrabble Tile Magnets Tutorial

***Check out the rest of the ongoing series, “The Twelve Weeks of Christmas” HERE.

Christmas is this weekend.

What?

Seriously?!

Yes.

If you’re scratching your head like me wondering how that happened, then it’s also possible you’re needing a few last minute gift ideas (like me).

Today I have a tutorial for Scrabble tile magnets! These are easy, fast, affordable, and perfect for all ages (especially any typography nerds out there).

I made these particular magnets (pictured below) for my brother, who has autism. (He doesn’t read this blog by the way, so no spoiled surprises or anything.) Because of his disability, he was non-verbal until the age of eight. However, before he ever decided to speak, he had an immense vocabulary (500+ words by the age of two) that he communicated through sign language (that he made up), through the spelling out of words on paper or… through alphabet magnets:

You know? Those things. A lot of kids grow up using those at home or in the classroom, and for Derek, they were a very important language development tool. The brightly colored, kiddie magnets have since gone on to a better home and Derek has since started talking, though he is indeed a man of few words. However, I thought it would be fun to sort of re-create these magnets, but in a more mature, mayhaps even chic way! (Yes, I am calling Scrabble peices chic. So there.)

Here’s the finished product:

And here’s what you’ll need:

Scrabble tiles (You can buy these at scrapbook stores, re-purpose them from an old Scrabble game, or buy them online like I did — I got a set of 100 tiles for $10, shipping included.)
Magnetic Tape (I got a 42″ roll for $3 at Michael’s, but I still had about a foot left over when I was done)
Scissors
An hour of free time

How to Do It:

Cut a small piece of magnet with scissors and attach to scrabble tile (no glue required). The tiles are so lightweight that only a small piece of magnet is needed. Hold down for about ten seconds to make sure adhesive sticks to the wood. That’s it!

The Presentation:

I chose to spell out a special message to Derek, hopefully encouraging him to use the tiles in similar ways (my mother has also given the green light for putting them up on her new, fancy-times refrigerator, so this will help). I chose to use a nickel-plated silver tray (originally found at Dollar Tree) that I spray painted chartreuse (previous project). Then, I put the remaining Scrabble tiles in the plastic bag they came in.

One more time…