Make "StickyFrames" – Universal Car Magnet With Easily Replaceable Content

In this instructable I’ll show you how to make "StickyFrames" – which is a DIY universal car magnet with a replaceable content.

Edit: Do not like magnets? Make sure to checkout  2nd instructable about "inside" StickyFrames that installs in your car!

The messages (content) can be quickly generated on a regular printer and regular paper and changing them is super easy. It comes in 2 different sizes – letter and legal. Applications are many like self advertisement that you can quickly change and modify/remove, memes (awesome for memes!), "For Sale", Political (anti pro something).
Making your own frame is easy. Once you have the material, making it will take 5-10 minutes max. The frame consists of two parts:
- First part is a flexible magnet covered with an outdoor rated adhesive on the front (thickness of .030 works great).
- Second part is a heavy duty sheet protector available at any office supplies store.
Join these two parts together and get final StickyFrames that are both water/dirt resistant and strong enough to stay on the car while driving on a freeway – no different than the standard car magnet.
Here is exactly what you do in order to make your own set of letter sized StickyFrames:

Step 1: Order a Sheet of Flexible Magnet With an Outdoor Adhesive on One Side

Start by ordering a 12x24 sheet of .030 thick flex magnetic material - the peel & stick outdoor adhesive one here:
Of course, you can also use your own magnet vendor; just make sure that the sheet is covered in an outdoor rated adhesive and .030 thick. The material in the link has been tested many times and it works great. It will be enough for a set of 2 letter sized StickyFrames.

Step 2: Get a Pack of Sheet Protectors From Your Local Office Supply Store

Get a pack of sheet protectors at your local office supply store. I like to use the kind that’s 5.0 mils thick, “ink won’t stick”, and with fold-over top flap that secures the content.

Step 3: Join Two Parts Toghether

Place a single sheet protector on the exposed adhesive part of the magnet sheet. To make the task easier, cut the sheet into smaller size “roughly” the size of the letter format (8.5x 11 in). When sticking two pieces together, make sure to eliminate any air pockets between the sheet protector and the adhesive part of the magnet. Also, if you are using the sheet protector with the protective flap, ensure that the flap opening faces up, or “towards your face”.

Step 4: Finish and Trim the Excess Magnet and Plastic

Finally, finish your sticky frame by neatly cutting excess flex magnet material around the sheet protector.

Step 5: Success! the DIY Car Magnet Is Ready

Congratulations, you now made your own StickyFrames. It can be placed on a side/back of your car. Freely adjust, remove, and clean as needed. Keep in mind that the frame is water and dirt resistant, but not 100% water proof. During heavy rain and high humidity there will be some condensation inside of your frame that might affect your message. If that’s the case, it’s no big deal. Just allow the water to dry out and remove the content if necessary. Most likely your message wont be visible affected by the water. Clean inside/outside if needed.

Step 6: Optional: Legal Sized DIY Car Magnet

Directions for creating  “legal sized” StickyFrames are similar, except that you will need a larger sheet of flex magnet , a heavy duty legal sized sheet protectors, and a some legal sized printer paper for your content.

Step 7: Making Content for Your Frames

When creating content for your StickyFrames, you can use web site:
http://www.stickyframes.net
that features a basic web to print interface pre-formatted for letter and legal sized messages. It should work well for creating messages quickly. Save the generated picture on your computer, print, and place in the frame.
You can also use more featured editors such as free
http://www.pixlr.com
famous Adobe Photoshop, or open source Gimp.
When creating letter sized content in Photoshop, I create a new document that’s 2200px(w) by 1700px(h) in size. Similarly, a legal sized document will have dimensions of 2800px by 1700px.
There are also few web sites out there with free cliparts and objects. These can be downloaded as .png images and easily incorporated into your content:
http://www.clker.com/
http://openclipart.org/
http://www.iconarchive.com/
Have fun making your StickyFrames and creating messages.  Transform your car into a moving billboard. No need for  permanent bumper stickers or one time use car magnets.