Painted Clothespin Magnet Gift Set

I’m a big fan of handmade magnet sets as hostess or thank you gifts, since they are useful, pretty, and can be made relatively quickly. These mini-clothespin magnets are the perfect size to hold a note or photo. Paired with a homemade layered soup mix, the magnets make a cozy, thoughtful gift for fall.

Painted mini clothespin magnet set and layered soup in a jar gift set from Carla Schauer Designs. — Mini clothespin magnets and layered soup mix.

To make these clothespin magnets, I used mini-sized clothespins in a dark finish and cork ribbon for a natural look, along with a light cream paint. I also needed liquid glue, cut-to-size magnet strips, and a fine-detail paint brush.

Main supplies to make a painted min clothespin magnet set. Tutorial from Carla Schauer Designs — Main supplies to make clothespin magnets

This cork ribbon is one of my favorite craft store finds. The cork is backed with a thin layer of polyester to allow it to be flexible without splitting or cracking. Once the cork ribbon was glued to the mini-clothespin, I used fine-tip scissors to trim away the excess.

On the cork, I handpainted some simple designs using my detail brush and cream acrylic paint. You can be as elaborate or as simple as you like in your designs. When the paint was completely dry, I added 2 small pieces of magnet strip cut to fit the clothespins.

Steps to make a clothespin magnet gift set. Tutorial from Carla Schauer Designs. — Steps to make clothespin magnets.

I clipped my painted clothespin magnets onto a small “thanks” card that I can wrap up in a box or tuck in a gift bag.

A layered soup mix is a tasty addition to the gift, with a Mason Jar showing off the pretty layers of ingredients. I embellished the jar to coordinate with the clothespin magnet set using orange burlap ribbon layered with the cork ribbon around the body of the jar and strips of cork ribbon on the jar lid. The instructions for the soup mix are written on the patterned tag tied around the ring.