As satisfying as a well-written recipe, a smart and thoughtful DIY is our kind of lunch break reading. Bonus points if it's an easy project AND teaches us how to make something beautiful.
Today: Geneva from a Pair & a Spare discovers a way to hang magazines or books as a beautiful wall display using this DIY leather strap!
I’m all about displaying magazines and books in a way that utilises their full value. I looked around for a long time for a strap to hang them as art, but was sad to find that most wall straps required you to roll your precious mag -- sooo not going to happen! I decided to make my own display that would show them off, allow them to keep their shape, and last a long time. Read on to see how!
What You'll Need:
1 piece of leather, wide enough to cut out 2 bookmark-sized straps per magazine and at least 6 inches longer than your largest magazine (the average newsstand spine is 11 inches)
A multi hole punch
A pencil
Button studs, 2 per magazine
Brass rings, 1 per magazine
Sharp scissors
(Or pick yourself up a leather kit that includes the above materials.)
How to Make Your Leather Magazine Display:
1. Each holder requires two leather straps: One to slip between the magazine's pages, and another to cover the front binding. Size them no larger than the width of a bookmark, but wide enough to hole punch. Measure out 2 for each holder you're making -- mine were 1 1/2 centimeters (0.4 inches) wide each -- and cut them out.
2. Press the two straps together at one end and punch a hole through both sides with the multi-hole punch, using the size that fits your studs. (Punching them at the same time ensures that the holes line up.) Repeat with the other ends of the straps.
3. For the top section, add the stud's screw from the underside, then slip the brass ring in between the pieces of leather, and screw down the top part of the stud to secure the stack. You're basically sandwiching the leather and the brass ring together with the stud.
4. Measure the length of the magazine you want to hang -- I originally used a Harper’s Bazaar to measure, then added a few centimeters so I knew any size would fit. Punch a hole about 2 1/2 centimeters (1 inch) up from the end through both pieces of leather, then cut a nice tail.
5. Add your button stud to that hole like you did the other (omitting the ring this time). Place your magazine inside by slotting the underneath piece of leather into the magazine/book. Then place some hooks on the wall and add your hangers! The weight of the pages will make them hang at a charmingly jaunty angle.
When your next issue comes in, just slip the old magazines out and the new ones in! You can hang them anywhere, so feel free to play around with using them as decorations.
Do you DIY? Share your favorite projects on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #f52home.
Photos by Geneva Vanderzeil
It's here: Our game-changing guide to everyone's favorite room in the house. Your Do-Anything Kitchen gathers the smartest ideas and savviest tricks—from our community, test kitchen, and cooks we love—to help transform your space into its best self.
Grab your copy
See what other Food52 readers are saying.