DIY Magazine Rack

I’ve been in the process of decorating my son’s room since we moved in two years ago.  I’m super special that way.  😉   Or just really slow.  Whatever.

I’m really close to the finish line which is awesome because I’m sure by the time I call it a wrap it’ll be time to turn it into a “tween” room.  He’s 8 now so how much time do I have?  What exactly is a “tween”?

Anywho, he now has his own magazine subscription.  Yeah, he gets Lego Magazine – so booyah.  My mom also sends him her Birdtalk magazines when she’s done reading them – you don’t want to know.  And we also have these Lego “instruction booklets” coming out of our ears.

I like cool floor coverings, but crumpled paper isn’t exactly the look I’m going for here.  So I decided that he needed a magazine rack  – one that would hang on the wall near his desk area.  I was going for a “functional decor” look.

I was wandering around Lowe’s and found this metal sheet.

Don’t ask me what it is.  I wander around hardware stores like a man in a lingerie department.  I have no idea what half of the stuff actually is, but I still like looking around.  😉  This metal sheet caught my eye because it has teeny tiny union jacks all over it – or at least that’s what it looks like to me.

So, I brought it home and this is what happened next.

It seems like a lot more work than it actually was.  C’mon I made this, so you know it was easy.

The metal is strong enough to hold lightweight magazines and file folders, but this is definitely not for books.  I also want to note that the top of each metal pocket has a smooth finished edge.  I placed the cut edges at the bottom where each pocket is attached to the canvas.  They aren’t that sharp, but I didn’t want to risk him scraping his hand when he pulls a file/magazine down.

The only thing I had to buy was the metal sheet (about $20), everything else I already had.  These plain manila file folders got a fun face lift with some card stock and chalkboard vinyl.

Now his desk area is “done”, and we don’t have instruction booklets and magazines all over the floor anymore.  Well, at least now there are no excuses.  😉

The desk of an 8 yr. old boy………..

does it get cuter……….um, I mean cooler?  He’s all about the “cool” right now.

You can get caught up on his room by checking out these posts here  – the ceiling, the curtains, the bed…….eventually it’ll get done, right?