It’s a crime anyone with a magazine subscription is guilty of – magazine stockpiling. Month over month, and eventually, year over year, magazines roll in, never to roll out - stuffed in the nooks and crannies because you’re convinced you’ll use them to look up a recipe or re-read an article.
So when reader Christina asked via Twitter, “hey girls! any creative ideas of what to to do with stacks of @NewYorker and @VanityFair magazines? shame to just throw away!” – we knew just what to tell her because we’ve been there before! There are many really beautiful things you can do with old magazines! you just need to use little creativity and elbow grease. In our research, we came across this article which may provide even more inspiration, but here are just a few favorite things we’ve spied in crafty travels that are easy, fun and pretty.
Frame them Up: Probably the easiest thing project is to select your favorite covers and carefully cut them away from the rest of the magazines to frame for the wall. This project works best when you have frames of different shapes, sizes and textures! My hint? never, ever buy a frame full price. Instead, go to your local consignment shop, where you can pick up a ton for a dollar or two each. Don’t even pay attention to color – just look for things that are funky and fun. with just a couple quick coats of spray paint – usually dry within an hour or two – you can make them all a uniform color to match the rest of your decor. you can frame them evenly, or stagger them like the below to add a little more quirkiness.
DIY Coasters: I think one of the cooler upcycling projects for magazines I’ve ever seen is making coasters out of them! This tutorial from How about Orange seems complicated at first but if you take it slow and one step at a time, they come out nicely!
Knick Knack Holders: In my apartment, storage is always hard to come by – so I loved the idea of creating some by throwing away. This vase by Izznit (made of her old magazines) is especially easy. Just cut the magazines pages into strips, and glue them together! Remember to cut them progressively shorter so you can create the funneled look. or, get really fancy with a little practice like the second image from StyleHive.
Gift Bows: Finally, if you want to start very small (throwing things out can be hard to do) – start with making some gift bows for presents! Another tutorial from How about Orange shows how easily they can be put together, with an adorable finished project that looks like this (and notice that if the present is small enough, you can use the pages to wrap too!
Good luck Christina! We’d love to see what you do when you’re done!
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