I'm a magazine addict.

Along with my yard sale obsession, this is yet another trait handed down from my mother. She subscribed to no less than 20 magazines when I was a child.  We received a different magazine in the mail almost every day of the month. Vogue, Bon Appetit, Glamour, Ladies Home Journal, Woman's Day, Harper's Bazaar. I learned about the birds and the bees from Cosmopolitan, and I saw my first set of non-mommy breasts in National Geographic.

The pièce de résistance is my parents' appearance in Woman's Day back in 1985.  They were featured in an article titled "Clothes You Both Can Love". The article had three couples dress up in outfits selected by the wife, the husband and a "compromise outfit" selected by the fashion editors.  Sadly, my parents never did reached an agreement on which of those outfits my mother should wear...they are divorced now. And I'm taking the express train straight to the top of my mom's shit list with the inclusion of this picture in my blog.

Anyway, back to my magazine addiction.  I currently subscribe to Country Home, Country Living, Cottage Living and Better Homes & Gardens (and Us Weekly, but we won't get into my other obession with celebrity gossip). They seem to have the best mix of vintage & new stuff in their articles. I occasionally pick up Domino, O at Home, Creative Home, Martha Stewart Living, and Romantic Homes (especially when Posie Gets Cozy was featured). My sister, Erin, buys the Better Homes & Gardens Special Interest magazines and gives them to me after she reads them (100 Decorating Ideas Under $100, Bargain Style, etc.).

Every few months (usually after Chris yells at me for having too many magazines laying around), I go through the stack and rip out all of the articles/pictures that I want to keep. I have them organized in about 10 overflowing categorized file folders.  But I would like to organize them a little better. Pam Garrison compiles all her favorite pictures in her "Home" binder. Momogram Mama recommends Cavallini file folders in her great post about organizing your home office and all those ripped-out pages.  Definitely worth a read.  I would like to buy those fancy file folders, but I can't justify it.  I can just as easily "borrow" some from the supply room at work for nothing.

What about you? Which magazines are your favorites? And how do you organize them?

Comments

[Meredith]

Oh my gosh I HEAR you!! I adore Country Home and just subscribed. I was trying to pare down but think I will re-new my Country Living as well...great March issue on needlework. I too bought the Romantic Homes when Alicia was in it, and now I want to subscribe to that too. I have a gift subscription to Southern Living, and I buy US weekly whenever the cover looks interesting (about every week.) Isn't that funny? My mom was a People/Star/Soap Opera digest nut. I loved reading the "trash tabloids" whenever I came home from college.

Love LOVE my magazines! My favorite part of the grocery shopping experience is choosing a new one as a treat for the drudgery of shopping!!

[Kim]

I LOVE magazines! There are several catagories---style/gossip & decorating. Style/gossip favorites are In Style, Lucky, Vogue, and US. Decorating favs are US Country Living, UK Country Living, Romantic Homes & whatever else catches my eye in the store.

By the way, that article with your parents is classic!

[Kim]

I just realised that I didn't say how I organized them. I cut out anything that catches my eye and glue the pics onto plain paper (sort of a collage, but nothing arty)that I slip into page protectors in a 3 ring binder. I have pages that are fashion/style pages & home pages.

Also, I can't believe that I forgot my absolute favorite magazine, which is Mary Engelbreits Home Companion. I have every issue & do not cut them up. I'm not actually a huge fan of her art, but the mag is so inspiring.

[MéLisa]

I used to get a ton of magazines, but we are hoping to move this year, out of state so I am trying to cut back. Right now I only get Burda World of Fashion, Threads, & Adorn. But I often pick up Country Home, Country Living, Cottage Living, Better Homes & Gardens, Style,Art Jewelry, Bead & Button, Bead Style, Beadwork, Sew News & Everyday with Rachael Ray. How I "try" to organize it that I leave all my sewing, craft & jewelry mags as is. The others I will tear out what I like. If it is fashion or clothing I try to match it up with a pattern I already have & put the picture with the pattern envelope. I have all of these in page protectors in 3 ring binds. The decor & home stuff I have a couple blank sketch books that I bought cheap that I paste them in. It works out pretty well.

[julie (jane's apron)]

I get a LOT of magazines. I don't want to sound bossy but you HAVE to get Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion...lots and lots of thrifty and arty stuff.

[suesue]

love somerset studio, mary englebreit, martha and old victoria! also love the pretty folders too so i stamped and painted my own-inexpensive and very fun!

[Trudi]

I am addicted to magazine. Can't walk by a display without looking at the seasonal ones.
I get Home
country home
paper arts
Sommerset Studio
I want
domino
Paper SCissors and cloth
Prevention, again
health
Hoem Companion

[Allison]

Oh my goodness! I too am a fellow magazine addict, but am not seeking treatment as of yet! (How could I with all of those great magazines out there?). My mags are: Home Companion, Living, Country Living, Country Home, Southern Living, and BHG. I'll peruse all day long at the bookstore at others I don't normally buy. I can't even think about ripping pages out of Living or Home Companion, but the rest are torn out and categorized in binders: "Inspiration and Craft","Cooking", "Decorating and Garden". Then they're inserted into page protectors and divided into sections like: bedroom, office, breakfast, etc...
Wow, I feel a little awkward about how obsessive I've become! :)

[Maryellen]

I wish I had time to "flip through" a magazine once in a while. I love my LTD Commodities catalog, and "shop til I drop!" I'll have to wait til retirement to gather favorites, and to organize. What?!!?

[Leigh Ann]

I just did a post about this, my guilty pleasure. Did you know ebay has the best sub prices? I got Domino for $5 for a year. I don't love it, just like it, but was worth it for the cost of one.

I have a gossip read problem, too!

Cheers! LA