A while back I found these cheap magazine files at Ikea to house the over abundance of magazines we have laying around. When we first moved into our house we subscribed to "Mother Earth News" and "Better Homes & Gardens" and while these magazines may be a little out dated, the information and ideas will come in handy for years to come - plus they're fun to look at! Anyways, we have a lot of magazines on hand.
For the past year or so these files have been living on the counter top of our desk/bookshelf in the living room. While they're not too unsightly, the white was a bit stark compared to the more neutral and dark furniture in the room. When I came across this idea on pinterest, I knew I had to give it a try.
I had been looking for more ways to display photos from this shoot last fall, and right away jumped to this image.
Before printing, I lined up my 5 magazine files and measured to get an approximate size to print my photo. Surprisingly the dimensions were a perfect size for printing, a standard 12x18" print would do. I printed a simple poster at Office Depot for a whopping $.49! The photo is printed in color, but on standard paper - nothing photo quality.
Once home with my photo, I used my quilting tools {I know mom, I'm not supposed to cut paper with my rotary cutter - but it was SO easy!} and cut the photo into 3 1/2" strips. I then used mod podge to glue the strips to the cardboard magazine files. Once it was dry, I put two layers of mod podge on top to seal, rounding the edges over the corners and waiting for each layer to dry in between.
It's by no means perfect, but I am in love with it! And who can complain about such a cheap project? {Between the Ikea magazine files for $1.99, the print for $.49, and the mod podge I had on hand, this project cost a total of $2.48!} I also love that over time I won't feel bad about covering it up with another more recent picture - maybe a sweet newborn shot of the little guy like this!
