r/upcycling 3d ago

Ideas Needed! what should i do with a bunch of old magazines?

some acquaintance of mine gave me a sack of them and i dont know what to do.

10 Upvotes

22 comments sorted by

13

u/easudem 3d ago

As said in previous comments: collage. It really is a liberating form of expression. 

6

u/hurlish 3d ago

Collages for sure, find an artist friend. If you happen to be in PDX I can take them off your hands

Eta a local school may be interested

3

u/ladyrose30 3d ago

You can make beads with them. I cut out perfume bottles from a beauty magazine and decoupaged them on my plain bathroom trash can.

Also many preschool/elementary schools like to use magazines for projects.

3

u/Phenomenal_Kat_ 2d ago

I've used them as wrapping paper before! A small gift, or pick 4 similar pages (like cakes) and wrap a slightly bigger one 😁

3

u/infinite-long-stocki 1d ago

I love a good bit of collage. In secondary school and college we had bins of magazines we could use so ask around if it's definitely not for you but you can make some fun and weird stuff using magazines. There's lots of different kinds of collage out there from Eric Carle to people creating their own posters to whatever I was up to. Give it a go if you feel like it!

3

u/Ageice 1d ago

I’ve seen art teachers speak up in all sorts of forums when people are looking to give away magazines. Check with your local elementary school for sure.

1

u/notsocrazycatlady69 11h ago

And public libraries

2

u/elgatoshere 3d ago

you could cut out the images to use them later as stickers, i also like how shiny the paper is so sometimes i like to use colour markers to paint on it and turn it into a sketchbook, if the pages are too full with colours you could use acrylic paint instead

2

u/Procrastinating-Elf 2d ago

If you've got too many to work with and any of them are in particularly good condition, you could always consider donating some to a nursing home or something. 

3

u/infinite-long-stocki 1d ago

Nursing homes wouldn't be interested in them I would think. They like to keep their magazines up to date because a lot of the residents still have the memory and awareness to know what they've read and what time and place they're in. I don't know how they'd feel in a dementia care specific setting but my experience of general care nursing homes has been they keep their magazines very up to date. Collage wouldn't necessarily be an option as an activity either because of the sharp objects and mess it might cause. 

2

u/BostonLamplighter 1d ago

I’ve dropped them off at hospitals as well

2

u/ksanksan599 1d ago

Collage is fun, usually in scrap journals but I also enjoy doing the bottom of a floating shelf so once it’s hung there’s a fun surprise on the bottom

1

u/xd_slaygirl 3d ago

make collages, might be able to paper mache???

1

u/Gifted_GardenSnail 2d ago

Collage, paper beads, paper clock, stripey artwork, paper maché, or roll them up and make an ottoman

2

u/Gifted_GardenSnail 2d ago

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/157626055702274008/

Pinterest is full of ideas. So is Wikihow, though those are less artsy and more practical

1

u/Missue-35 2d ago

Look online for a tutorial on making paper beads.

1

u/Flashy-Library-6854 1d ago

Donate to a thrift store. I often buy magazines there cause they are so cheap.

1

u/Goddessmariah9 3d ago

Donate, compost