mag mania!

I have a prediction: All of these lovely magazine subscriptions will ultimately be the demise of my sweet little organized world. They were out of control again, just like my closet. I don't know how it happened. I was doing so well to tear the photos I liked out of them, but somehow, they just multiplied. I couldn't keep up. The imposing stacks had begun to cover every surface. So, here was my strategy to sort my way out of the clutter.


I took every copy that had been lying around and sorted them according to publication, on the living room carpet. (Except for Chris's mags, which only created one little stack on their own.) I then sorted them further: some I knew I could just recycle without looking through again, and others needed a second glance so I could retain some of the information and photographs for my design files.

Over the next few days, while I was relaxing at night or waiting for the coals to heat up on the grill, or for the chicken to bake in the oven, I quickly flipped through the issues and kept only the best ideas and looks, and recycled the rest.

Back in the living room, the more current and "keeper" copies fit nicely into my magazine rack.


The back issues of Cottage Living and domino, my faves, each got their own fabric box on the end table. I found these boxes at TJ Maxx for only $13 each, and they just happen to be covered in the same fabric I made curtains out of for the dining room and, more recently used to cover the lamp shades. Now that's good decorating karma!



And, since Chris's magazine addiction is much less severe than mine, he gets his own smaller basket, for current issues, on the coffee table.

It seems that I am destined to learn this lesson of magazines-turned-clutter over and over again, despite my best intentions to keep on top of it. I have vowed that when most of these subscriptions have run their course, I will not renew. I think that is the key right there. This wisdom I will pass on to you: if you are not a fiendish decorator like I am, stick to subscribing to only a couple of your favorite publications, and purchase others from the newsstand only when they grab your attention or need inspiration. Hopefully, it will help you to live a life less cluttered!