I’m sure this is no surprise to any other crafters out there, but over the years I’ve collected many (many!) issues of Martha Stewart Living. When I say many, I mean jam-packed shelves worth. While most magazines find their way to the recycling bin within a few weeks, it’s a different story with the Martha’s. I flip through them again and again for inspiration because, let’s face it, nobody does it quite like Martha. And while blogs and Pinterest offer much inspiration, there’s just something about a glossy page, with well-considered typefaces, color, and texture that make me swoon.
Despite my adoration, as a professional crafter I’m up to my ears in supplies and space is at a premium. The time has come to part with some of my magazine collection. Luckily, I think the pages are firmly ingrained in my memory for eternity.
Because I couldn’t bear to just recycle them, I had an idea to incorporate pages of Martha’s crafts into crafts of my own. Her crafts are all so beautifully done that they can be turned into totally new show-stoppers in just a few steps.
Here are three simple holiday crafts you can use to recycle the magazines you love!
1. Garland
What you’ll need:
- Magazine
- Scissors
- String
- Hot Glue Gun
Cut out a series of images of roughly the same size (we used the awesome cookies from the Living December 2013 cover) and attach them to the string with a dot of glue on the back of each!
2. Cork Board Ornaments
What you’ll need:
- Magazine
- Scissors
- Silver String
- Acrylic Paint
- Paintbrush
- Round Cork Coasters/ Cork circles of various sizes
- Glue Stick
- Glue Gun
Paint cork coasters in festive colors, and let them dry. Meanwhile, cut out images from magazines that will fit, or can be trimmed to fit, cork circles. Glue image to dried cork and hot glue a loop of string on the back.
3. Mini Gift Boxes
What you’ll need:
- Magazine
- Scissors
- Marker
- Glue Stick
- Gift Boxes
Trace the top of the box onto a magazine image, cut out, and attach with a glue stick. That’s it!
Does this get your creative wheels turning? Leave a comment with ways you would repurpose beautiful magazine photos!