Vintage Yardstick Ruler Box Magnets

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Closeup and feature image of old yardsticks with the advertising 'save' on the front and ruler marking turned into a mini 3 inch wide magnet open at the top with a bright green and pink air plant set inside and another ruler box with another air plant below. The versatile ruler box magnets also make great inexpensive magnets to sell when filled with holiday miniatures.

These vintage-style ruler box magnets make great gifts and are an inexpensive make-to-sell item for antique booths, craft fairs, or pop-up shops. I originally made a pair as air plant holders for my refrigerator, but there are plenty of other ways to use them.

Ways to Use Ruler Box Magnets

Here are a few seasonal ideas—and below are all the details on how to make them.

Closeup square feature photo holding a ruler box magnet in one hand that features a miniature pink deer standing in greenery with a little snow brush on it. In the same yardstick box is a candy cane and a miniature red glittered pinecone. In the background is a round silver platter turned magnet board to hold four more holiday magnets made from vintage yardsticks.
Christmas ruler magnet.
Closeup photo of a ruler box magnet made from a vintage yardstick with ACME advertising on the front and filled with floral moss, a sprig of greenery, a side profile of a white flocked bunny with gray ears, a pink nose and cheeks. In the background is a mini wood fence with cut out flowers. Next to the bunny is a mini orange carrot.
Ruler box magnets for spring.

Supplies To Make Ruler Boxes

How to Make Ruler Box Magnets – 5 Easy Steps

STEP 1:

Use a miter box and a handsaw to cut the wood ruler pieces. You will need three (3-inch pieces) for the front, back, and bottom of your box. And, two (1.25-inch pieces) for the sides.

Overhead process shot of cutting wood a wood yardstick into pieces with a hand saw and miter box to make wood ruler box magnets.
Cut ruler/yardstick pieces with a hand saw and miter box.

Tip: Use pieces from inexpensive wood rulers from the office store for the parts you won’t see like the back or bottom of the box!

STEP 2:

Use a sanding block to sand any rough edges.

Process photo showing a piece of the ruler box with a sanding block in the background.
Sand rough edges.

STEP 3:

Apply wood glue and tap one tack nail into each side to make a box.

Don’t worry about making these tiny boxes perfect. A couple of mine have extra nail holes from nails that didn’t catch and wood pieces that overhang a little. This is one of those imperfectly, perfect crafts!

Photo of seven finished miniature boxes made from wood rulers and yardsticks. There is on held up to show the sides, front and inside of the box and six other on a table below with just the front sides showing.
My finished boxes.

STEP 4: Add Magnets

I found that using silicone adhesive to attach refrigerator magnets to the back of these little boxes gives a lasting hold. Apply a generous amount under and around the sides of the magnet and let dry for 12 hours.

Photo of GE Silicone adhesive used to glue two magnets to the back of one ruler box. Shown are two magnets side by side on the back of a ruler box with a generous amount of silicone adhesive applied. Above is the tube of silicone that I purchased at Walmart and a set of .6 inch round magnets in original packaging that can be found at Dollar Tree.
Glue magnets to the back.

STEP 5:

Use hot glue to glue miniatures, ornaments, decorations, and greenery to the inside of your ruler box.

Closeup of five ruler box magnets made from vintage yardsticks filled with holiday miniatures on a round decorative silver metal platter hanging on a dark green wood wall. Clockwise: Magnet 1features a miniature pink deer, candy cane and red glitter pinecone, Magnet 2 had a mini red santa mailbox next to a snow flocked green brush tree, Magnet 3 had a mint green deer miniature with a white bottle brush tree with red, blue and yellow ornaments on it, Magnet 4 has a red truck with a white bottle brush tree in the back, a candy cane and red glitter pinecone, Magnet 5 has a red oil lamp miniature with a bow and red berries on it next to a green bottle brush tree flocked with snow. Please pin this image to your Pinterest holiday craft board to come back to later.
Star divider used has two hand drawn lines with a star in the center, used as a content break and signals new or different content below. This doodle style illustration is in a medium charcoal gray.

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