How to Make Magnetic Curtain Tie Backs

Magnetic curtain tie backs are the perfect solution for keeping curtains open while not damaging the wall like hooks or traditional curtain tie backs.

These magnetic curtain tie backs are a great way to add a little of your personality to your curtains without overpowering the room. This simple project is perfect for renters who can't put holes in the wall for hooks, but still want to hold their curtains open to let the sun shine in.

I'll show you two versions I've made for our home: one for the guest room and the other for our son's Pokemon themed bedroom!

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I made these Pokemon fabric black-out curtains to darken our son's room in the summer evenings. But during the day, the room feels too dark with the curtains closed.

I didn't want a big curtain hook right next to his bed, in the inevitable event that he bounces on the bed and crashes into them. These magnetic curtain tie backs keep the room bright and sunny during the day, and allow them to easily swing closed at night. And of course, they had to be pokéballs to go with his Pokemon themed bedroom!

In our guest room, we had the opposite problem. That room looks directly into the neighbor's house, so most of the time we keep the curtains closed. But during the summer, the upstairs bedrooms get really hot, and we keep the windows open at night to create a cross-breeze. These magnetic curtain tie backs are the perfect solution to both problems!

The basic materials for both sets of magnetic tie backs is the same. Get creative, and give your curtains some personality!

Materials for Magnetic Curtain Tie Backs

• Lightweight wooden shapes
  • I used circles, but there are lots of other shapes that would be adorable in a kids room, like these airplanes, ducks or a sheriff badge.
• Scrapbooking embellishments (optional)
  • Our guest room curtain tie backs feature faux flowers found in the scrapbooking aisle of the craft store.
• ¾ inch craft magnets
• 1 inch wide ribbon or cord
• Acrylic craft paint
  • For the pokéballs, I used DecoArt's true red and snow white. The black areas were done with a paint pen for greater control.
• Hot glue gun

How to Make Magnetic Curtain Tie Backs

Start by painting the wooden shapes. I kept it simple and painted them all white.

To make the pokéballs, I traced two coins with a black paint pen to create concentric circles (a Canadian $2 coin and a dime worked best. I found this way easier than trying to draw circles freehand!

The area between the two circles was colored in black. Then I used painters tape to mask off a stripe running through the middle of the circles, and painted the sides black as well.

Paint one half of the circle red, and you've got yourself a pokéball!

Once the paint is dry, apply the magnets to the backs of the circles with hot glue. Make sure to check the polarity before you attach them so the two circles attract instead of repel! The larger circles are paired with a smaller one for the back so it will be hidden.

Next, wrap a length of ribbon or cord around your curtain to determine the length. It should be tight enough to keep the magnetic curtain tie backs in place, but not too tight or the curtains won't drape properly.

In our guest room, I used decorative cord that matches the curtain. For my son's room, I just used 1" wide white ribbon.

Using the hot glue gun, attach one end of the ribbon or cord to each side of the magnetic curtain tie backs.

If you're using flat ribbon, double check to make sure it's not twisted before attaching the second circle.

If you've left your circles plain up until now, this is the fun part! Add decorative elements to the larger circle. This faux flower just happened to match the cord perfectly!

That's it! Your curtain tie backs are ready to let in sunlight (and wake up a sleepyhead!)

Just wrap the ribbon around the curtain and click the two halves together.

When you want to close the curtains, just leave the magnetic curtain tie backs on the windowsill. They'll be hidden behind the curtain and ready for you in the morning!