Rugby Spin Off

I've been on the look out for magnets for a while now as I thought they might make more reliable spinner mechanisms for penny spinner cards than round foam pads layered up.  The pads tend to lose their stickiness after a while, especially if someone plays with them a little roughly (which kids tend to do).  Recently I found two different sets and they were both pretty cheap so I bought a few packs of each to experiment with.   One set were just magnets and the other came with metal discs.  

To accommodate the magnet I cut a channel using 2 Spellbinders Petite Ovals which were 4 sizes apart - i.e. 2 sizes apart in the same set.  I tried it with 3 sizes apart and it didn't spin freely enough.

I cut a base for my spinner from acetate as I hoped it would slide more easily than card, using a Spellbinders Circle die.  Also being acetate it's not easily visible if your spinning object doesn't quite cover it.  I used the second smallest circle to do this - i.e. the smallest set from the Spellbinders Circles Large set, though it was only just big enough, so next time I would use the second smallest from the Circles Small set.  I used glossy accents to adhere this to my magnet to make the bottom half of my spool. 

I then adhered a metal disk which came with the other magnet set to the back of the football (cut using the Cameo).  I could just have attached the football to the magnet but now the football can easily attach and detach from the spindle, making it easier to assemble (and repair if it gets damaged).

I coloured the football red and applied a generous amount of glossy accents.  I used the Silhouette Designer software to create the goal posts but they're a bit thin so I'd make them thicker next time.  The hill top and fence were cut with the MFT Rolling Hills set.  The aeroplane was cut with a Frantic Stamper Village Skies die and the banner came from the Ultimate Crafts Sights of Sydney die.  The letters for the name were rub-ons, though I could just have easily printed this first and then cut out the banner.

These mini magnets were a lucky find, but if you check out local hardware shops you can probably find something equivalent.  I have been thinking about using magnets for other interactive cards.  I thought of attaching a magnet to something like a fish and using a "wand" to make it swim around the card.  With magnets it could look like magic and children love magic !!!

Thanks for stopping by, hope that wasn't too confusing.  If you have any questions let me know and I'll try to pop over to your blog and answer them.

Kate