During my ‘quieting the house‘ rampage, I finally convinced myself to get rid of stacks and stacks of old magazines. Why was I holding on to them? I can not tell you. But from the comments on the IG photo, magazine-hoarding seems to be a common problem among perfectly normal women.
All of those extra magazines got me thinking … what can all of us hoarders do with old publications that we’re truthfully never going to read again? We can make stuff. Cute rolled paper flowers, for example.
Add the rolled magazine flowers to a simple chalkboard project and you have an inexpensive and whimsical piece of art.
Let me show you how to make it.
TO MAKE THE ROLLED MAGAZINE FLOWERS:
SUPPLIES // magazine (or catalog), scissors, hot glue gun
STEP ONE // cut a page from the magazine into a circle. It does not need to be perfect.
STEP TWO // cut a spiral in the circle. Wavy and imperfect is good.
STEPS THREE – SIX //
Tightly coil starting from the outside
Roll to the end
Release coil
Hot glue to center part
TO MAKE A LEAF: 
Cut leaf shape from magazine
Accordion fold and hot glue to hold
By placing a few flowers together with leaves, you get a colorful bouquet.
TO MAKE THE ANTLERS:
Print out the antler template (download in the archive)
Turn over and cover with chalk
Flip template over and trace antler outline with pencil (this will make a faint transfer on the chalkboard)
Trace again with chalk
Add the rolled magazine flower bouquet with double-sided tape to the chalkboard and you’re finished.
Sometimes a minimal project with free supplies is the best.
To download the antler template, you are welcome to log in or join the archive (our library of free printables, fonts, clip art and templates). Log in here.
And now for a few questions: are you a magazine keeper? Do you have any other suggestions for what to do with old issues?
I have made the paper flowers before from your tutorial, but I used scrapbook paper. It might be fun to see what patterns show from magazines. I have some old issues that need to find their way out of my home, too. I used to recycle them, but the recycle bin for magazines was moved out of my community. I like the idea of the antlers with the paper flowers, so will give it a go for my fall décor.
I have lived alone mostly and am going to be moving under one roof with my husband soon and am realizing I need to make a plan for meals, too. He tends to shop for a meal the night of the dinner, a bachelor habit, but I like to be more prepared. So, I appreciate the meal tips, too.
I just can’t handle the cuteness of this.
Just love it! I’m not seeing the antler template though?
love this, so cute. You can make a whole field of them and when the winter snow has you craving spring, ta daa there you will have it. Hugs
Meal Plan: Just thought you might be encouraged to know that the US Army used a 14-day meal plan when my husband served. We have used such a plan at home periodically, and it really helps. No one has ever complained about encountering the same meal too soon. I wish you the best with your plan. It should make the shopping and mealtimes almost effortless :) Thanks for sharing your recipes.
I seriously love this “antler” look, but I believe it would be against my religion to “deface” a Boden catalog such as you did. Oh, how could you! Where is the humanity????
U r amazing
Oooops! p.s. I think your flower idea is lovely, and several will look especially great brightening up our large vintage chalkboard in the hall … !!!
Thanks for all the donation ideas … I like to keep Christmas Magazines & “especially ME” issues of Decorating Magazines, as well as Art, Jewelry & Craft Magazines! As you can imagine, they became mountains, instead of “little hills” after years of saving (NOT “hoarding” ~ teehee!). Not too long ago I went through them, & cut the number down so that I have perhaps only a quarter as many (I also cut my subscriptions down to 2!)
But instead … I’ve started HOARDING Pinterest Pins ~ I will own that! (Now THEY have to deal with my problem!)
I use the pages for collage in my mixed media art and also the letters for quotes, verses, etc.
i am totally a life long magazine hoarder…..i have had a magazine addiction since i was a kid…it’s all my moms fault!!ha…….
when i do my periodic cleaning out i always take mine to our local library………..
when i was little i loved to cut pictures out of them and make collages…..
I donate magazines to the waiting rooms of my doctor’s offices and to hospitals and nursing homes. Teachers sometimes are looking for them for school projects as well. Of course, please be sure and take your personal information off.
I love that idea and will probably copy it!
My duaghter has used magazines to make several things using mod podge. She cut magazine pages into narrow strips and glued them onto a wooden stool that she bought at Michaels. she covered the whole thing in magazine strips and it looks great! Very “artsy”. She used the same technique to cover a journal and a canvas for wall art. What would we do without magazines to fuel our craftiness?
Love this! Where is the chalkboard from or how did you make it?
I made the chalkboard (using an ikea frame). Here is the tutorial: https://jonesdesigncompany.com/create/simple-diy-chalkboard/
For the outside frame, I just decoupaged scrapbook paper to it.
I am a HUGE magazine hoarder!! I brought over a lot of magazine when I moved into my first house last year from my parents. But now I’ve started to read and give them up to co-workers, when I used to keep them all even after reading them!!
I feel with Pinterest, I can now just find the picture of the house I like on the magazine’s website and pin it for future reference. Or if it’s a recipe or a quick styling idea, I just take a picture with my phone and upload that to Pinterest for future reference. That has helped me IMMENSELY with the guilt of not keeping them. But I still have about a year and a half of back issues of multiple magazines to read. Ugh! LOL! I also used to hoard magazine rippings of houses, decoration, wedding, recipes, etc of anything that caught my attention. I finally threw all of those in the recycling a few months ago. so relieving!
LOVE this idea! I want to redo my desk wall and will probably use this on the chalk board! :)
PS would you mind sharing where the pictured ottoman/chair is from?
The little ottoman is from Target a few months ago. It has pretty gold metal legs.
Yes, I also hoard. Do you have the Paper Source envelope templates? It comes in a pack of all different, fun sizes. Magazine paper makes fun, interesting, and colorful envelopes for gifts, or to mail.
This is beautiful! As always, I think your taste is exquisite! Another commenter mentioned preschool art projects. I used to have my students (third graders) make mosaics for mothers’ day. We drew a large, simple shape on a piece of paper (a flower, a strawberry, a fish, etc.) and tore colorful magazine pages into large, thumb print size pieces. Then using a glue stick, the kids would “color in” their mosaic by gluing on the magazine shreds one at a time. They always turned out so beautiful that I wanted to take them all home with me!
Your kids’ teachers may appreciate old magazines for classroom projects. I used to use magazines in my creative writing classes quite often. You can also leave relatively recent old magazines in doctor’s waiting rooms or ask local nursing homes if they’d like them. Finally, some libraries have free magazine exchange bins where you can take a few and leave a few.
Thanks for all your creative ideas! I really enjoy your blog.
Love it! I too am a magazine hoarder.
I have over 10 years of MSL magazines!
Thanks for the idea.
My grandkids are into origami. Old magazine pages (especially the sturdier covers) are perfect.
How about giving them to your daughter’s preschool? Teachers preschool through 2nd are always asking for magazines for art projects.
super cute! your kids are older than mine (5,3,1), so they might not like this, but I let my kids cut/tear out pictures and make a collage. You can also make a really cute wreath by cutting out the middle of a paper plate, cutting out a bunch of leaves and gluing them to the plate. Easy quick project for kiddos. And, of course, my one year old loves to just tear all the pages out of a magazine if I let her:)
I have 3 daughters who love to do crafts (ie cut papers up into hundreds of pieces and tape and glue them together) The result is stacks and stacks of half-used paper. I’ve been trying to think of something creative to do with it. This is perfect! Thanks
This week I saw a cute basket woven from rolled-up magazine pages. I think I can do that! haha (When I find the time.)
My daughter and her roommate cut out letters from old magazines (free hand) and posted the following saying on their dorm room wall: “Life may not be the party we hoped for but while we’re here we might as well dance?” So cute… wish I could figure out how to attach the pix!
So cute! I’m going to use this with my students at holiday time!
How cute is that?! You may have inspired me to start getting rid of magazines AND a craft project too!
I LOVE this! Such a simple yet unique touch to an ordinary chalkboard.
This is such a cute idea…it will be perfect at our cabin. Thank you for always sharing your talents.
and Yes, I tend to have stacks of magazines….but not as much as I use to ….thanks to pinterest. Which by the way….I will be pinning this.
Thanks
I love the way this turned out- sooooo fun! I want to put one on my chalkboard wall- maybe this weekend!
I love this! So cute & simple.
I am most definitely a magazine hoarder. I was just thinking the other day that I have to go through mine and recycle a bunch, because let’s face it, I will probably never sit down to read them all :) I just may have to try this project out!
love this!