Magazines: An Addiction and a Giveaway!

My name is Paula, and I am a magazine addict.  (Hi, Paula)

I love magazines.  I love reading the articles and looking at the pictures, dreaming about redoing, refurbishing, redecorating and revamping our house and yard.  Of course, we can't afford to do much, but dreaming is free.

I am not a decorator by any stretch of the imagination.  I do like my home to be bright, colorful and homey.  I don't have a Pinterest account to keep a decorating ideas journal, I don't have a swatch collection, or collect paint sample cards.  But I do love, I mean, LOVE to look at magazines.

This is my idea of a "vignette".  Flowers and fruit on a cake stand on our scratched up, needs to be refinished table.  Pretty cutting edge, no?  I told you, I'm not a decorator!

There are magazines upstairs on shelves...

tucked behind the drum set on the landing (anybody need a drum set?)...

I subscribe to Country Living, Real Simple, and Better Homes and Gardens.  I used to get Fresh Home and Mary Engelbreit Home Companion, but they have both stopped publishing.  I occasionally buy Mollie Makes, a British craft magazine.  It is pretty expensive, but as a rare treat, it is fun.  I used to subscribe to Cloth, Paper, Scissors, but I found that I never used the ideas and the style of the art is mostly steampunk, which doesn't appeal to me.

Magazines in baskets next to the couch.

Magazines under the china cabinet.  Please ignore the dust bunnies.

I just got rid of a a huge bunch of magazines via Freecycle.  With four adults living in our very small house, I needed to make some space.  I donated some to the hospital day surgery unit, and took some to the library.  One pile of magazines went to a friend who wanted some Real Simple magazines.  Several boxes went to a group of sisters in town who get together regularly to read magazines, collect recipes, swap decorating ideas and spend time with each other.  I am so happy that the magazines are going to good use!  I still have some more magazines to get rid of.  I hate to send them to recycling if anyone can use them!

So, if you would like a random sample of four or five magazines, leave a comment and I will send you some.  Media mail is pretty cheap, so I don't mind mailing them out.

Also, please let me know if there is a group in your town that can use them and I will send them off.

Is there a 12 step program for people who love magazines?  If they are still around on April 1st, I will bite the bullet and take them to the recycling center.  I think I definitely have a problem!

(Thanks to Kimberly at Camp and Cottage Living for the inspiration)