Every Day is Mother's Day!

Every Day is Mother's Day!

 

Here’s to Moms everywhere.  I know…it’s not Mother’s Day, but a few days ago we were featured in a charming treasury…an Etsy gal was honoring her mom’s birthday with a curated collection of things her mom would like.  Our magnet wasn’t about moms, but it was an upbeat magnet about retirement.

Here is the treasury that featured us:  Mom's Moxie

And here is our magnet that was selected: 

 

And that brought me to thinking about my mom and all that she does to help me in my business.

Just as I was thinking about all this, the phone rang and it was my mother.  She had a lead for me from a museum that she had visited.  Now you have to understand that during the 20 years we have been in business making magnets, mom has always “introduced” us wherever she travels.

Now, at 80 something (I’m not allowed to tell you exactly how old she is…LOL) and going strong, she is still my “star” salesperson!  Thanks Mom!

Two other “Mom” Etsy Treasuries that we were featured in this month are:

                                             Mother's Day  and Hot Mother's Day Gifts

both of these featured the same Mom theme magnet:

 

Check them out…some of the curated collection treasury items were humorous, others touching, others just plain nice gifts.  Mother’s Day is coming and there are lots of nice selections.

Thanks to the Treasury curators who selected us for their collections!

And thanks to all those mothers out there…especially mine!

xoxo Mom!

SUMMER IN SARATOGA SPRINGS

Have you ever been to Saratoga Springs?  It's a magical place!  So many things to do and see, including strolling and shopping in the victorian downtown.  I've been going there for many years.  My brother and his family have lived there for a long time and my mom moved there about six years ago and lives on Saratoga Lake .  It really has become my second home.  I've also done quite a bit of business there over the years where our magnets have been sold in gift shops, museums and farm markets.  We make quite a number of Saratoga specific designs from original paintings I have done, several of which I have posted here.  One of the shops, The Crafters Gallery, is pictured here.  We've had our magnets in their shop since they opened over 15 years ago.  They carry both our Regional Saratoga Magnets as well as our Quotes and Sayings Magnets.  Visitors love to take a memento home from their trip and our Saratoga magnets are a great little souvenir.  They also buy a lot of our Quotes and Sayings magnets for themselves and for gifts.  Here are examples of some of the regional magnets we have for sale there.



Canfield Casino



A Victorian Home

One of the original paintings
I did for a magnet of the
National Museum of Dance

 Aside from visiting the Historic Saratoga Race Course and the renowned Saratoga Performing Arts Center which is a remarkable venue for the orchestra, rock concerts, and the ballet, one of my favorite places to visit is a long time customer of ours, National Museum of Dance & Hall of Fame.  The museum is a program of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. It was established in 1986 and is the only museum in the United States dedicated entirely to dance. Located in the former Washington Bath House, a spacious, airy 1918 Arts and Crafts-style building in the Saratoga Spa State Park (another wonderful place with many things to do and see, the museum houses a growing collection of photographs, videos, artifacts, costumes, biographies and archives comprising a contemporary and retrospective examination of influential contributions to dance available to the general public.

There is studio space on the property for advanced students in ballet and dance programs to enroll in master classes with renowned dancers, rehearse in sessions open to the public and participate in pre-performance conversation with visiting professionals. Education, residencies, and performance on the Museum campus enriches the atmosphere by representing the future of dance, as well as its past.

This grand facility is available for rental by individuals or groups, for catered weddings, gatherings and events.

This is one of the photo magnets we make for their gift shop.  We've also used this for custom wedding favors for events held there.  Below is another magnet of their logo.

I'm off to visit this week for a couple of days.  Maybe I'll see you strolling downtown, at the track, or the Dance Museum!

Fredda

The Magnificent Magnet

http://www.themagnificentmagnet.com

CREATE YOUR OWN MAGNETS!

We're offering our magnetic sheets for sale on ETSY and instructions to MAKE YOUR OWN MAGNETS.  Purchase our magnet sheets in small quantities of 3 sheets that are each 7 x 10 inches.  Our magnetic sheets are .030 inches thick...sturdy and strong.  They DO NOT go in your printer, but rather have an adhesive backing that is peeled off and your print is adhered to it.


You can create wonderful and lasting keepsakes for party favors, photo magnets, or favorite mementos of a trip or event. Put your children's artwork on a magnet! 


You can scan your subject in and reduce it to the size you want on sites such as PicMonkey.com  which is an easy photo editing site or any other photo editing software you have, print it out and put it on a magnet!  Keep them for yourself or create wonderful event favors and gifts to give out at parties, dinners, fundraisers, etc.  The possibilities are endless!


Here are the simple instructions for creating your custom magnets:

How to make a magnet

Proudly display your favorite photos, child’s artwork, or memento on your fridge!  Great party favors for birthdays, family gatherings, clubs, and other events.  Perfect stocking stuffers, teacher and bus driver gifts for end of year presents.  Use your computer to create all kinds of things to put on a magnet!

1.    To begin, select the photo or artwork you would like to make into a magnet.  You might want to crop it a bit bigger than the final magnet to allow a bit of space to trim down the edge.

2.    Cut a piece of magnet a little larger than the size of the finished artwork size, leaving the paper backing on.

3.    To make placing the artwork or photo on the magnet a little easier, place the magnet piece on a  metal cookie sheet to hold it in place.

4.    Peel back about an inch of the paper backing and place your artwork face up on the sticky surface of the magnet.  Now carefully peel the rest of the paper backing away and smooth the artwork on the magnet as you peel the backing away, to make sure there are no air bubbles.  A brayer (roller) or even a rolling pin or a glass works well.

5.    Trim the artwork that is on the magnet to desired size.  A paper cutter works well for straight edges if you have one, otherwise use a pair of sharp scissors and cut around the artwork, photo or shape.

6.    Your magnet is now ready to display, give as a gift, or even sell on Etsy.com!

Questions?  Reorders?  Email us at greatmagnets@aol.com

The Magnificent Magnet...there’s a magnet for everyone!

http://www.themagnificentmagnet.etsy.com

June Etsy Treasuries that featured The Magnificent Magnet

Here is a list of Etsy Treasuries that featured The Magnificent Magnet during the month of June.

An Etsy Treasury is a curated group of handcrafted items that have been selected by a member who has created this collection.  These are the magnets that were included, but click on any of the links to see the complete treasuries.

TENNIS PLAY 



IT'S THE IRISH LUCK THAT KEEPS THEM SMILING



A 20TH ANNIVERSARY


WHEN IT COMES TO FOOTBALL, WOOPS SOCCER, I AM VERY BLACK AND WHITE ;)


GRADUATION IN BLUE


GARAGE SALE ART


Have you shopped Etsy?  It's a great group of artists who create amazing things as well as a Vintage collection of items sold by many vendors.  Take a look at our shop and then look around from there.
http://www.themagnificentmagnet.etsy.com/

Have a great weekend!
Fredda

Magnificent Magnets and the Pollock-Krasner House

Magnificent Magnets and Pollack-Krasner House

One of The Magnificent Magnet’s newest museum customers is Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center.  This is the former home and studio of Jackson Pollock and his wife, Lee Krasner.  As an art major, I remember studying the Abstract Expressionist movement in college when pursuing my degree in art, and Jackson Pollack was an artist that always fascinated me. 

Here is the magnet design the museum selected, which is a photo they provided us of the inside of the studio.  Our magnets will be featured for sale at the museum beginning this month! 

Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) is regarded as the undisputed leader of the Abstract Expressionist movement. In 1945, he married fellow artist Lee Krasner (1908-1984) and moved from New York City to Long Island’s East End. With a loan from art dealer Peggy Guggenheim, they purchased a small homestead on one and a quarter acres overlooking Accabonac Creek in The Springs, near East Hampton.

      

The property is a National Historic Landmark, a federal designation that recognizes its significance as one of the nation’s most important cultural monuments. It is also a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios program.  Built in 1879, the house is typical of the 19th century farmers’ and fishermen’s homes in Springs, a hamlet in the Town of East Hampton.

Their opening exhibit is The Persistence of Pollock, May 3–July 28, 2012.  Co-organized by the museum’s director, Helen A. Harrison, and art historian Bobbi Coller, the exhibition will feature works that reflect Pollock’s powerful impact and attest to his continued presence as a reference for contemporary artists. The featured artists are Janine Antoni, Robert Arneson, Lynda Benglis, Mike Bidlo, Arnold Chang, François Fiedler, Joe Fig, Red Grooms, Ray Johnson, Vik Muniz, Alfonso Ossorio, Norman Rockwell and Lee Ufan. 

I love this image by Norman Rockwell that features Pollock’s work.

                                                     Norman Rockwell, The Connoisseur, 1962.

                                                Magazine cover. Pollock-Krasner House collection.

The Pollock-Krasner House looks like a great place for a day trip or as a destination if you are vacationing in Long Island.  I am planning to visit this summer when I spend the weekend at my friend’s beach house on the North Shore.

For more information on this site, the exhibit and future exhibits, click here to go to their site.  Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center. 

We are so pleased to welcome them as a customer and to have our handcrafted magnets in their gift shop!

Fredda

http://www.themagnificentmagnet.com

http://www.themagnificentmagnet.blogspot.com/