14 Smart Ways To Use Old Magazines Around Your Home Instead Of Getting Rid Of Them

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Magazines are easy to hoard, as they're often too thin to display on a traditional bookshelf, but too nice to throw away. Instead of getting rid of an impressive collection through recycling or donating, get creative and give them a second life. By finding another use for these flimsy publications, you may even free up a magazine rack that can also be repurposed around the house. There are plenty of smart ways to reuse magazines around a home, whether they're upcycled for functional uses or completely restyled into DIY decor.

Below are 14 clever ways to flip a magazine collection, from enviable wall art to practical drawer liners. These methods greatly vary; some take hours to complete, while others are doable in minutes. We found DIY decor ideas that require little effort to fashion, as well as ideas that require repetitive cutting, rolling, and gluing. There is one thing that all these ideas have in common, though: They're very budget-friendly. Most magazine projects require very few tools and additional materials, even when crafting an entire table. In most cases, you'll need just three major supplies: adhesive, a cutting tool, and the magazine itself. But if you can't even imagine cutting some treasured publications, there are still cool ways to store magazines that also turns them into decor.

Turn a magazine into a festive piece of decor without using any tools. Pick any publication that's in decent condition, folding the pages to create a Christmas Tree-like shape. Follow a tutorial, like Jan Howell's YouTube video, and repeat the same steps for every magazine page, except the front and back cover. Tear away the cover pages when you finish folding, flutter the remaining ones to space them out before setting your DIY mini tree down on a table or shelf. Try adding a decorative star, pom-poms, or other embellishments to dress up the design.

Collect many magazines with aesthetically pleasing covers for this bold decorating idea. First, get enough front pages to completely cover the chosen empty wall space. Once you have those, prepare a wall adhesive like Zinsser's SureGrip Starch-Based Adhesive. Slather the mixture on a wall and press the pages on top, flattening out the creases with a crafting squeegee, such as the Teckwrap Professional Squeegee Tool. This idea is a great way to show off your hobbies and interests or inspiring artwork.

If you're a fan of junk journaling and scrapbooking, scavenge magazines for craft-worthy images. Cut out everything from small characters to landscapes to graphic word art. Magazine pages already have a glossy finish, so there's no need to put a shiny finish on your cutout photos. You can also make the pages more transparent or textured to give your photo-based designs more visual interest and depth. This requires a bit of extra DIY by peeling away the top layer of a desired image with tape to get a transparent version, or sponging Mod Podge on top for a rougher texture.

Skip the simple framed art and go big by framing an entire magazine for your wall decor. This idea is fairly simple — Pick a magazine and tuck it into a shadow box frame of your choice. Most magazines are 5.5-by-8.5 inches or 8.5-by-11 inches, so pick a frame that fits accordingly. To keep the magazine from sliding or moving around in the frame, make a simple foamboard frame insert or adhere the magazine to the frame's backing with double-sided tape.

Make a kitschy coaster for drinks using colorful pages from magazines. You won't need much aside from scissors, Mod Podge Dishwasher Safe Waterbased Sealer, and a paperclip. Make sure you have several pages for each coaster. Start by folding over the edge of one page lengthwise about one-quarter of an inch. Fold it four times for durability then Mod Podge the fourth fold in place before cutting the flat, folded strip. Repeat this about thirty times, then roll the strips around a paperclip. Spiral outward, adding Mod Podge as needed until you have a round coaster large enough to hold cups and bottles.

Design a papercraft wreath made with magazines as your foliage. Use a circular cardboard box cutout or an embroidery hoop as the wreath base or frame. Trace leaf shapes on your magazines and cut them out. Hot glue the leaves around the frame, and point them all in a similar direction for a cohesive look. Use random pages for a shabby chic wreath, or stick to a specific color scheme that matches your interior or the current season. Finish the project by hot-gluing a ribbon or twine to the back before hanging the lightweight wreath on a hook or tack.

Here's another kitschy item to match your DIY coasters — woven magazine placemats. This project requires just scissors and scotch tape or Mod Podge. You'll need about ten pages per placemat. Fold each page lengthwise four times, line the strips side-by-side, and start weaving them through one another as tightly as possible. Use scissors to trim off any hanging or uneven pieces, before layering the whole design in Mod Podge, scotch tape, or lamination to seal it, protecting the finished piece from water and food spills.

Rolled-up magazine pages can be transformed into colorful organizers for countertops, desks, drawers, and anywhere else you need to control clutter. Start by cutting the magazines to the desired height of the basket then rolling the pages into long, narrow tubes. Use a wood skewer to roll them evenly, and secure the tubes in place with craft glue. Assemble the tubes side by side to create a sturdy box of any length, width, or height. If it's too flimsy, squeeze hot glue into the narrow cylinders to make them sturdier.

If you love coming up with random crafts, transform old magazines into useful crafting items. Make hundreds of multicolored beads from the pages using just glue, scissors, and a bamboo skewer. Cut each page into multiple one-inch strips, then slice the strips diagonally to form two triangles. Twirl the triangle around the skewer, add glue, and set it aside to dry. You can also coat the beds in Mod Podge or resin to make them sturdier, glossier, and more bead-like. This YouTube video by Mason Creations etc. even shows how to decoupage the beads or make them look vintage.

This idea has less tasking steps than other magazine upcycling ideas. However, you'll need a few more items to complete the look, including The Better Bevel's Round Glass Table Top and Woodpeckers' Wood Circle Birch Plaque. Instead of rolling up individual pages, roll up the entire publication, using rubber bands to maintain their shape. Stand them up side-by-side using a belt or other wide, sturdy piece of fabric, and follow 5-Minute MAGIC's next steps to finalize the table.

You can also use rolled magazines to dress up a standard cardboard box. Roll up the pages and hot glue them around the outside of the box. You can line the tubes side-by-side for a ribbed look, or experiment with unique patterns like in DIY with Mira's YouTube video. Leave the pages as they are for a colorful storage box, but if you want to paint it, start with an acrylic medium, such as The Crafter's Workshop Matte Gel Medium, to prime the material before painting over it.

If you're looking for a quick way to turn your magazines into a statement, transform a stack into a side table. You'll need a piece of MDF that's the same dimensions as the publications. Prime and seal it and paint if you wish, then attach four swivel wheels, like the Holkie Swivel Caster Wheels, to the bottom. Ensure your wheels are heavy-duty enough to support the weight of the magazines and your table decor. Follow the YouTuber HandmadeHome's tutorial to add a glass top and secure the stack in place with sturdy twine.

If you love re-styling your home for different holidays throughout the year, you likely own a lot of decorative items that spend many months packed up in storage. Keep your fragile decorations in good shape by putting old magazines to work. Rip out the pages and crumple or shred them to create packing paper for Christmas ornaments, glass figurines, holiday-themed china sets, and other breakable items. You can also line the inside of a storage box with fully intact magazines to create an extra cushioned barrier.

Refresh your drawers and cabinets with art that also serves as a protective barrier. Glossy pages are a creative way to line your drawers without spending money on niche liners. Simply keep the pages in place using double-sided tape or command strips. Be careful so when it comes time to move or remove the liners, you don't cause any damage. In most cases, you can use a hairdryer on low heat to loosen the adhesive before gently pulling it off.