Oh, magazines. No matter how I try to keep you out of my life, you seem to claw your way back in. Whether it’s my husband’s gaming mags or issues that friends and family give me to read, those glossy wastes of paper seem to pile up in my house. Luckily, between my own crafty ideas and projects for my crafting class, there are plenty of ways to give those colorful pages a new life rather than tossing them into the bin.
1. Magazine Page Envelopes
The cover of the magazine works best for this, but if there’s an inner page that you really like, you can always glue stick a second page to reinforce it before you start folding. The Paper Mill has a great collection of envelope templates that you can use. Just keep your magazine’s page size in mind when choosing a template. Worried that your address info won’t show up on your colorful envelope? Use sticky labels to make the addresses pop! Next » Origami
2. Origami
Magazine pages are perfect for folding origami! They’re a little bit flimsier than the origami paper you’re probably used to, so use a gentle hand to avoid tearing. The magazine pages hold folds really well, though. Just cut the paper into squares, and you’re ready to fold. Next» Paper Bowl
3. Paper Bowl
This project would work with almost any sort of scrap paper, but the colors and text on magazine pages give your paper bowl interest. Jamie Ervin shows you how to make a simple, paper bowl. Next » Gift Bows
4. Gift Bows
Add a little flair to your holiday gifts this year with recycled magazine gift bows! Wenona points you to a tutorial for creating your very own upcycled gift bows. Next » Paper Beads
5. Paper Beads
In this video, Threadbanger shows you how to turn old magazines into lovely paper beads: Have you guys done any crafty magazine reuse? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments! [Image Credits: Magazine Envelopes. Creative Commons photo by swirlingthoughts, Origami. Creative Commons photo by loriburleson, Paper Bowl. Creative Commons photo by SuperWife2009, Gift Bows. Creative Commons photo by cuttlefish, Paper Beads. Creative Commons photo by cimorenegal]
