domestic diva?

ok - so i'm definitely borderline ocd when it comes to certain things... cleaning, list-making and maybe now magazines. for the past 3 years i have hoarded every single issue of martha stewart LIVING. my MIL got me my first subscription right before stephen and i were married in 2005, and i've been hooked since. maybe it's my subconsious desire to embrace my inner domestic diva or just the beautifully arranged glossy pages that capture my attention - i dunno, but i'm fan.

i guess i was first introduced the unattainably perfect lifestyle of MSLO back when i was planning my wedding - i threw out all my other bridal mags when i found how much better martha's were. they really are something. now here i am - 3 years later - with stacks and stacks of issues that i swear i'm going to reference but then never do. the problem is whenever i recall something i read in one of the issues, i can never remember just which one it was in...frustrating! so rather than pulling out all 36+ copies and flip through each one, i decided it was time for me to consolidate and organize.

with my husband's skeptism in tow, i started going through each issue and ripping out pages of practicality or inspiration. as i tore each page from the binding i felt a mix of guilt - i'm destroying my pristine magazines! - and of progress - finally these things will be of use! although this took forever, it wasn't so bad when i combined the activity with watching march madness or whatever was on my dvr. yay for multi-tasking.

once i got all the pages free, i sorted them in categories, trimmed all the rough edges and strategically placed 1-4 pages in sheet protectors...depending on which pages i definitely wanted to see. with multiple trips to office depot, i was finally able to get all the page covers, binders and dividers i needed to complete the job...sigh.

after working on the project on and off for the past 3 weeks, i can say now that i'm FINISHED, and i'm oh so happy with the results!!! here's a glimpse of the end product:


4 binders in all, here are the breakdown of my categories...just in case any of y'all are as crazy as i am and want to pursue something similar

MONTH - 12 dividers - one for each month with relevant pages placed within (ie. valentines ideas in february, halloween in october, etc).

INSPIRATION - 5 dividers: good things/crafts - health - beauty - style - travel

HOME LIFE - 4 dividers: housekeeping (sub tabs - cleaning, laundry, tools, how-tos, resources) - organizing - entertaining

INDOOR/OUTDOOR - 2 dividers: decorating - gardening (sub tabs - flowers, arrangements, fruits/vegetables, how-to's, landscaping)