Thursday, February 24, 2011

Chopping Magazines – Or Creating an Idea Book

I love magazines. Home magazines in particular. The glossy pages, the pretty pictures, and the awesome ideas I get from looking at those amazingly decorated rooms and manicured gardens… <sigh> I almost cried when Cottage Living was discontinued.

I used to keep my magazines in stacks here and there, wherever I could find space. Then that collection got a little too cumbersome. Not only was it taking up a lot of space, but I couldn’t find those particular articles or pictures that I wanted to reference which was why I was keeping the danged things in the first place. So, I made myself an Idea Book.

An Idea Book is really a glorified name for a binder with sheet protectors.

I went through all of those magazines and cut out pages and pages – articles, pictures, snippits – and put them in sheet protectors and neatly arranged them in my binder. As I went back through those magazines, sure that I was going to need five binders to encompass all of the awesome information I was sure I needed, I realized something. Most of the magazines really didn’t have more than a few pages each that I felt the need to save. Yes, I had really enjoyed reading it the first time, but it’s not like a classic book that I’d be reading and re-reading. I had absorbed the information I needed to, and the things that I wanted to remember or wanted a specific photo of were relatively few.

My first Idea Book, a lovingly created and decoupaged binder from my college days, grew and evolved so now I have a few different binders:

  • Home – Divided by room, this binder has all of the photos and articles that currently inspire me in regards to decorating and renovating the interior of my home, including tutorials on décor type crafts.
  • Garden – Gardening, landscaping, and plant articles of all kinds reside here, loosely categorized. I also have houseplant items in here.
  • Personal/Beauty – Pretty self explanatory, and also has exercise tips and routines.

How do you organize your magazines?

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