I, like most sane people, hoard magazines as though they are the cure for cancer, rabies, pimples, the colour “hunter green” and wonky shopping cart wheels. The well known fact that they also probably offer 100% protection against nuclear war is just an added bonus.
What the hell are we supposed to do with all these life saving magazines?
Chuck em.
For real.
Throw. Them. Away.
The last time I took a week off I went through all of the magazines I’d been hoarding and got rid of 98% of them. I chose to bundle them up like little glossy babies (that I tied up very tightly with twine) and put them in my recycle bin.
And then, for reasons I cannot explain, I decided to make a magazine rack.
Using only this.
This, by the way, is already going down as one of my most favourite DIYs ever because it is EVERYTHING a DIY should be. It’s easy, unique, useful, inexpensive, quick and cures canker sores.
Materials
2, 6′ lengths of chain
2, 5/8″ dowels (4′ long each)
12 eye screws (#12)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cut dowels to 13.5″ lengths.
- Stain the dowels if you want. (I used some of my super-fantastic vinegar/steel wool stain)
- Drill holes into the ends of all your dowels to make screwing the eye screws in easier.
- Screw in your eye screws.
- Using a pair of pliers or a screwdriver, carefully pry open all the eye screw so you can later fit them onto the chain.
- Attach your dowels to your chain approximately 10″ apart.
- Squeeze the eye screw openings tight again.
- Hang it up!
I hung mine with brass picture hangers like the ones in this box of assorted picture hangers. Side note. Stuff like that is a GREAT housewarming present. Boxes with assorted picture hangers, assorted anchors, screws and nails are the sort of thing everyone needs but definitely won’t own when they get their first apartment or house. They’ll definitely already own magazines.
Prefer to keep your bomb shelter magazines tucked away somewhere safe? I don’t blame you. Not to worry though. This magazine rack is both flexible and adaptive.
With no arguing whatsoever it will become a tea towel rack for you.
I know.
Best DIY ever. Seriously.
Guess what? It’s about to get even better …
Behold the mid-air, hanging magazine rack.
This just turned into a love story.
I used to have an antique church pillar in that corner which you probably never noticed because no one ever noticed it. I had no intentions of keeping this hanging magazine rack in my living room, but I wanted to show you how you didn’t have to hang it against a wall. It has a lot of impact hanging mid-air. It’s instant sculptural art. So I was just going to stick it up in my living room for the pictures and put it back on my foyer wall when the photos were done.
But then, like I said, I fell in love with it in the corner here and it finished off my whole living room for a few reasons. #1, it actually shows up (which the pillar didn’t) so it expands the room by drawing your eye to the furthest corner. #2. It really highlights the other brass in the room that was kind kind of disappearing before. #3. A magazine is much handier for smashing a centipede than that a massive church pillar is. I mean for real, who wants to caber toss a centipede to death? It’s exhausting.
A couple of notes:
- The total cost for this exact magazine rack was $42. ($27 for the chain, $8 for the brass eye screws and $7 for the dowels.
- If you want to make a more inexpensive rack use standard (not brass) chain.
- Using cheaper black chain will also make your magazine rack look more industrial/rustic/antique.
- Brass is very soft so be extra careful when you’re prying the eye hooks open and squeezing them shut.
- If you’re going to hang this from the ceiling make sure you use ceiling anchors. The kind you use will depend on the type of ceiling you have (plaster versus drywall).
- In the event of nuclear disaster you cannot rely solely on being saved by your hoarded magazines. You’ll need your plastic bags and elastic bands as well.
