Fridge Pen Can

Since we got the new fridge, I’ve been trying to keep it nice and neat and use it for organizing our household. I got a slick Martha Stewart stick-on white-board style weekly calendar to put our schedule and menu on. Looks nice, but the dry-erase markers I’ve got were always going missing, along with my other kitchen pens. Inspired by this pin, I made a nice little decorative can that lives on the fridge and holds our pens.

Mine is made from an old Crystal-light container one from the sticks that you use to make a whole pitcher of the stuff (we make it when camping). Anyhow, it’s oval-shaped and has a couple inches of flat on the back, which I think would be important for getting as much magnetized surface area as possible. Here’s how I went about it: I cut the paper to size using my paper cutter. Height same as vessel, width same as circumference, plus a little bit more.

I wrapped it around it and secured it with packing tape. I probably could have glued it, but the tape seemed easy and less messy and it stayed just fine.

Then I took a sheet of sticky-back magnet strip (available at any craft store) and cut out a strip the right size (height same as canister, width as wide as the flat part).

Then you (duh) stick it to the back.

Cross your fingers and see if it will stick to the fridge AND hold the pens. Yay, it works! It’s no Prince William magnet, but hopefully this will keep my pens from wandering off…