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I’ve said it before, and I'll probably keep saying it – I love reading. It’s my favorite hobby outside of crafting and I try to find time to read every day. Our family is constantly reading – fiction, nonfiction, family Bible study, and our college-aged kids are reading a lot of textbooks.
I wanted to make a pen holder that attaches to a book, but I wanted it to be held on with magnets instead of the traditional elastic band that fits around the front cover. One downside to the elastic holders is the damage they can do to your book cover or pages. Another downside is that they won’t fit on multiple sizes of books because if the elastic is too tight it will tear the pages at the top, and if it’s too loose, the thing will slide around. So, you can really only use it on the one type of book it is sized to.
This pen holder doesn’t do ANY damage to a book, and it will work on ANY size book.
I love this thing! It holds pens, highlighters, pencils, markers, whatever you need to write in the margins, highlight a passage, or annotate. It keeps it all handy and easily accessible. You can even keep Post-it note tags or a bookmark in it if you’re like me and are constantly losing your “quitter strip”.
The magnets I used are only 2 mm thick so they don't add very much bulk to the front cover of the book. But, at the same time, they are quite strong, so they will hold the pieces together through a hardcover book as well as a paperback.
It’s perfect for students who need highlighters handy for reading textbooks, Bible study members who like to write in their thoughts or mark passages, and don’t even get me started on how awesome it is for someone keeping a journal!
Plus, there’s no sewing involved in this project, and it only requires a few supplies. Let’s jump right in!
Watch the video tutorial:
Supplies:
Pocket protector – this one is 4.7 inches tall x 3.5 inches wide
Acrylic blank – 6 inches tall and 3 inches wide
Magnets – these are 15 mm wide and 2 mm thick
JB Weld SuperWeld Extreme Glue – this is the one that will adhere to both the fabric of the pocket protector, and the acrylic.
Optional:
Get Started Making a Magnetic Pen Holder
Peel off the protective plastic from the acrylic blank. A Cricut weeding tool works great for this.
Slide two magnets off the top of the stack for each of the four corners and test them out for placement on the back of the acrylic blank. The blanks are slightly smaller than the back of the pocket protector, so if they magnets fit on the acrylic, they will fit on the protector.
Measure out where you want to put the magnets. I placed each of mine 1/2 inch from both edges.
Using a ruler and a Sharpie, make a small dot on the acrylic where you want to glue the magnets.
Glue the Magnets onto the Pen Holder
This is an extremely powerful glue, and the fumes smell pretty darn powerful too. Make sure to work in a well-ventilated area and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to wear some PPE.
Keeping each stack of two magnets attached to each other, place a small amount of glue on the Sharpie mark and then place the magnets on top. Make sure they are straight and positioned correctly, because once the glue dries, there is no moving those magnets around.
Repeat this process for all four magnet stacks on the acrylic.
Leaving the acrylic with the magnets on sitting on your tabletop, squeeze a small amount of glue out onto the back of the top magnet in each stack.
Carefully place the pocket protector down on top of the magnet stack and gently press down so the magnets and glue are completely pressed onto the protector.
The only thing left to do is wait for it to dry. It will take at least a few hours, and I like to let them dry overnight.
That’s it! It’s ready to use. Load it up with whatever you like to have handy when you read, and you're set. You can also make some for friends and family because everyone is going to love them!
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