Here is a fun project the Happy Buddy and I have been working on!
The Happy Buddy really has a heart for his family.
Whether it’s Grammie or Mom-Mom or one of the cousins, he’s always asking to see them.
It got me to thinking that our Happy Home needed a little something to help him enjoy his family even when we can’t be with them.
Family Magnets!
What you will need…
Full-length pictures of family members
Adhesive-backed magnets
Scissors
Contact paper (optional, not shown)
Cut all of the family members out using the scissors.
If you would like your family members to have long lives, cover them with contact paper.
*I originally was going to have everyone laminated, but the gal at Staples told me that you can’t laminate photos. The high temperatures make it bubble up, so I thought contact paper would be the next best option!*
Slap a magnet to the back of your family members.
Stick everyone on the fridge!
The Happy Buddy and I had so much fun at our Family Reunion! 🙂
He kept pointing to each family member and saying his/her name.
Then we just sort of sat and stared at our family for awhile – enjoying their presence.
At one point the Happy Buddy ran off with Mom-Mom and took her to his kitchen so that they could eat a cupcake together.
Next we had the idea to use our Family Magnets in a game of Candy Land.
I think the Happy Buddy really likes having the whole gang accessible at all times.
~
And we can’t forget to add a magnet for the newest member of our family…
We are due in April!
Happy Family Magnet-ing! 🙂
Barb
August 25, 2011 at 6:36 amBEST. POST. EVER. !!! Great is His faithfulness! Love you all!
Hugh
August 25, 2011 at 6:41 amCongratulations! We are excited for you all!
knitter82te
August 25, 2011 at 8:02 amCongatulations! Wishing you all the best in your pregnancy.
And I LOVE this idea for the magnets. We live in China, so my son hardly ever sees his American family (my husband is Chinese, and all his family lives within 5 minutes of us) so this would be awesome. I’ll have to ask my mom to send me some magnets to do this.
Leanette
August 25, 2011 at 8:08 amYAY!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!! 🙂
Whozat
August 25, 2011 at 8:10 amCongratulations!!!
megan wright
August 25, 2011 at 8:28 amCongratulations! You are a blessing to so many and to your new child as well.
RoseAne
August 25, 2011 at 8:29 amCongrats! I am so happy that your blessed with another addition…You and Ryan are special members of our church along with Noah and I remember your shower with him so I can’t wait until the shower for this new addition….April is an awesome month *that is my month too of when I was born*
RoseAne
August 25, 2011 at 8:30 am🙂
Stephanie
August 25, 2011 at 8:31 amCongratulations! I’m so excited for you!
Tiffany
August 25, 2011 at 8:41 amCONGRATS!!!! I agree this is the best post EVER!!!
Jennifer
August 25, 2011 at 8:42 amI love the idea! We are across the country from most of our family-I am definitely going to do this!
Congratulations!
Aimee
August 25, 2011 at 8:51 amYay! Great idea and great news! What a blessing!!
Bet
August 25, 2011 at 9:01 amYAY! So thrilled for you guys!!! :o) :o) :o)
Lynn Dixon
August 25, 2011 at 9:12 amCongratulations! What exciting news!
Susan
August 25, 2011 at 9:15 amSo fun! If you printed color pictures on card stock and then laminated, I’m sure that woul work well.
And congratulations!!! How exciting for your happy home!!
Amber Giorlando Ebert
August 25, 2011 at 9:17 amAwe … congratulations on the little bun in the oven. I LOVE your posts!! 🙂
Anita Montgomery
August 25, 2011 at 9:21 amSuper like this idea, we have 1 granddaughter in Bali, 2 in Wisconsin and I more than Super like the last picture magnet, sooooooo excited for you! I will be praying for you, baby to be and your most precious family! Congratualtions and God “biggest” blessings!
jayme
August 25, 2011 at 9:33 amCongrats!
CoolMama
August 25, 2011 at 9:38 amCongratulations! We’re due in February and I can’t wait until next month to find out pink or blue! Hope you are feeling well. 🙂
Lea
August 25, 2011 at 10:02 amCongratulations!!! I can’t wait for all the fun posts having 2 happy buddies will bring! And, I dearly hope this is a little fairy in the making for you. You need a glitter buddy!
The magnets are a super cute idea too!
lauriesibley
August 25, 2011 at 10:21 amYay, Julie!! What a fun way to announce it! So excited for you!!!!
Donielle
August 25, 2011 at 10:23 amCongrats!!!! Hoping for a mini fairy for you, but whomever God has in mind I am so excited for you!
Tasha
August 25, 2011 at 10:33 amI love your big and love opening the emails everyday! Congratulations on your wonderful news!
kaceyleigh
August 25, 2011 at 12:38 pmYEA!!!! Congrats Brasingtons!
Also, I LOVE this idea! Definitely going to use it.
Andrea Worley (@andreaworley)
August 25, 2011 at 1:25 pmcongrats to your family!!
Danielle
August 25, 2011 at 2:19 pmYay for April babies! And the happy buddy is going to be a big brother…he’s so excited 🙂 Love ya!
Julie
August 25, 2011 at 4:10 pmOh my heavens, Congratulations Julie!!
You share with us every day just how much of an amazing mom you are, so that must be why God is blessing your family yet again. Big congratulations!!
kristi
August 25, 2011 at 4:56 pmWonderful post. How exciting…..Congrats!
Shannon Smith
August 25, 2011 at 4:56 pmYAY!!!! I am SO excited for you!!! Congratulations!
Also, I used to do these for family members as a little “thank you for coming to my baby birthday party” when the kids were tiny. I would use contact paper over a close-up photo of the baby’s face, then spray adhesive the pics to magnetic paper and cut out the entire three layers. Your way seems much simpler! 🙂
Jaimee
August 25, 2011 at 5:32 pmYAY YAY YAY!! Big congratulations to you and your sweet little family : )
Monet Sandoval
August 25, 2011 at 6:34 pmWOW!!!! So happy for you both! So exciting! May God bless you on this new journey with #2 on the way! =)
Rachel
August 25, 2011 at 11:09 pmI love how you decided to announce that! the magnets are SO cute!! I loved them in the use of board game pieces what a great way to make sure little kids dont forget which player is which! I wish you all the best in your pregnancy!
Anastasia Jean K
August 26, 2011 at 2:21 pmAhhh Julie! What exciting news and I LOVE the way you announced it: Blessings to all of you:)
Karla
August 26, 2011 at 5:23 pmLong time reader…first time commenter. 🙂
So excited for you and your family.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of the wonderful and creative ideas you share. 🙂
Jennifer
August 26, 2011 at 5:42 pmYea!!!! Congrats to you. I wish you the best of luck.
I love your blog and you have inspired me in so many ways!!!
Katie
August 26, 2011 at 10:17 pmSo excited for you, Julie! Congratulations! 🙂
Tammy
August 27, 2011 at 11:20 amThis is such a cute idea. Thanks for sharing and congrats!!!!!
summer
August 29, 2011 at 7:40 pmwhat a cute idea! i’m making family blocks with pictures and scrapbook paper on 1 inch blocks…different scrap paper to go with each family on all sides but the one with the picture…so it’s easy to put each member with their “family”. but this is a great idea too! my daughter is almost two and she LOVES magnets! think i may have to steal this one! thanks and congrats! (hope your “ride” is funner than mine…i’m due in feb and it’s been rough this go round – finally starting to look up – yay!) have a blessed day!!!
summer
Karen
September 1, 2011 at 1:46 pmCongratulations! I’m so excited that your Happy Home is going to be even happier. 🙂
Rebecca
September 7, 2011 at 10:57 pmCONGRATS!!!
london
January 2, 2012 at 7:35 pmLove this !!! so cute !! but You can laminate photos it works just fine !!
Nicky
May 15, 2012 at 8:28 pmYes I agree, you can laminate photos.. I have laminated all sorts, just use different heat settings… Or colour copy the photo.. Works really well and pic is a bit stronger than contact. We laminate and even use to play with in the bath!
carolyn dickson
August 10, 2012 at 2:27 pmI love this idea. But the person that told you you can’t laminate photos is wrong. I have done it for years and they last longer. I go to staples and office max and not once have any of them messed up . It is a good way to wipe them off and they have lasted for years. Have fun.
Missy
September 1, 2012 at 12:07 amI bet you could just print the pictures on card stock and then laminate them.
bluemoonbarista
September 4, 2012 at 1:05 amI laminate photos all the time. It works perfectly well. Staples lady was wrong.
Fran
September 5, 2012 at 5:53 amI made these last night before reading your post. I’m so glad that I linked here through Grosgrain, I would have been laminating them in the next five minutes to have them done when my son wakes up. Thanks for the insight, now my happy family game pieces won’t be bubbly. We made ours to be game pieces for a board game we made, I can’t wait to surprise my husband!
Tequilla
October 18, 2012 at 4:55 pmU know what would b really cute if u had a girl? Have her stand in that one spot with her (diaper or bathing suit) for 1st pic and change shirts, pants, skirts, dresses, shoes, etc with multiple pics to make a dress up game as herself…or mommy…or big/lil bro or sister…possibilities r endless:)
Stevi
November 24, 2012 at 1:28 pmI have laminated photos. At Office Depot and the kind you can do yourself. I’ve never had a problem with it.