Made It: From Drab To Fab

Hello! I wanted to find a way to corral my collection of magazines and it looked like I found it earlier this week at the MSU Surplus Store - bought five cardboard magazine files for $4.00. 

They  seemed sturdier than the ones typically found at the office supply aisle; heavier cardboard had been used. The exteriors were a little beat up, but I figured I could cover them in some fashion to disguise their appearance. 

Here's a before photo:

The paper label says "Nematology Literature List", but  unfortunately none of my magazines pertain to that subject. So off that label went. 

A quick Internet search revealed several tutorials on covering magazine files and I decided this one looked good. However, I soon realized that all magazines files apparently aren't created equal. My 12"x12" scrapbook paper (a recent garage sale find) wasn't large enough to cover the angled sides of my files. They're obviously a little larger than those from the office supply aisles. 

I'd seen some online tutorials for covering magazine files with wrapping paper, but my on-hand supply of that material is low at the moment. Then I came across a can of white spray paint and decided to use that (I likely could have used acrylic craft paint, but spray paint would be quicker to apply.)

Even though I did it outside, the spray paint was smelly, but covered the sides of the file just fine. I let the paint dry overnight, then covered the tall straight side with a piece of scrapbook paper. I used decoupage for the glue. I had a hard time getting the paper to stick well, however, so either I didn't use enough decoupage or it's not strong enough for this project. 

Here's how it turned out:

All traces of the magazine file's previous life as an organizer of nematology literature have been obliterated. I'll be able to store my issues of Flea Market Style in it instead!