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DIY refrigerator magnets from vintage milk bottle caps

Recycled craft idea: Vintage milk bottle top refrigerator magnets

I created this DIY for a design*sponge guest post. Welcome, design*sponge readers!

My vintage milk bottle caps DIY refrigerator magnets craft is a fun way to add throwback flair to your fridge. See how to make these unique and easy magnets to hold photos on your refrigerator or any metal surface.

I found a pile of buttermilk, chocolate milk, and orange juice vintage bottle caps tucked away in a cardboard box in a lovely antique store in Savannah, Georgia. I just love the graphic design on these cardboard caps — their colors, typography, and their classic place in American history. I thought, why not turn these antique milk caps into retro refrigerator magnets to show them off while making them useful once again?

I think my old milk bottle cap refrigerator magnets happily showcase these little vintage circles of art.

See also: ‘Clay refrigerator magnets DIY tutorial’ »

Orange juice vintage bottle cap from an antique store
Vintage milk bottle caps: buttermilk caps, orange juice caps, and chocolate milk caps
Vintage milk cap from a dairy: Chocolate milk cardboard cap

What are vintage milk bottle caps?

Milk used to be carried and delivered in glass bottles starting in the late 1800s and classic cardboard caps like these capped the tops until around the mid-1950s. Dairies printed their names on the top of the cardboard caps to encourage return and reuse. Nowadays, people call them old milk caps, dairy bottle caps, and glass bottle tops.

You can find your own vintage milk and juice bottle caps on Etsy from dairies all over – Indiana, Nebraska, New York, Quebec, California, and more. There you’ll also find cardboard caps for cottage cheese, whipping cream, orange drink, fruit punch, and other treats as well as ads for ice cream and other items.

I just love the graphic design and typography on antique milk bottle caps and orange soda bottle caps. Aren’t they fun and full of personality?

Milk bottle caps craft idea

My unique milk bottle caps craft idea is simple and inexpensive to make. You can get a stack of milk bottle caps and mix and match the colors and typography to make your own handmade refrigerator magnets. These cardboard drink caps are much cuter than metal bottle caps and won’t scratch your fridge! And you’ll have plenty of cardboard caps to make other crafts like decoupage

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DIY crafts tutorial

Supplies for making DIY refrigerator magnets from antique bottle caps

You only need a couple of supplies to make your own upcycled refrigerator magnets using milk bottle caps.

Visit design*sponge for the full step-by-step instructions for creating my DIY refrigerator magnets from vintage milk and juice bottle caps.

Recycled craft idea: Vintage milk bottle top refrigerator magnets

Be sure to pin these unique DIY refrigerator magnets

DIY magnets on a refrigerator

And see more easy DIY gift ideas like my paper bead jewelry tutorial and fruit & veggie stamping craft.

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Kimberlee

Wednesday 11th of May 2011

These are 'sew' cute! Love 'em. ~Kimberlee

Kloe

Monday 27th of December 2010

This is a great idea! They look great and are a good way of recycling. It's my first time on your website and I really like what you do. Thanks for the wonderful ideas!

Kim

Monday 15th of November 2010

They're great! It would be awesome to find scanned images of bottle tops. It would be easy to print and then affix to cardstock circles, and then attach it all to that flat, self adhesive magnet stuff.

lauren

Monday 2nd of August 2010

I would love to win the velcro...I am a facebook fan, RSS follower AND follow you on Twitter!

Beth

Sunday 18th of July 2010

I've always loved collecting cool magnets and these are so adorable!