Home decor magazines, or shelter mags as they're also called, have been hard hit this past year. The much-loved Domino went under in March (sob!), and heavy-hitters like Oprah's O At Home and Martha Stewart's Blueprint were also casualties of the recession. But there are still great titles out there that will inspire -- homegrown products like Style At Home and Canadian House & Home are going strong -- and the decor section at your local bookstore still boasts a lot of choices. With that in mind, welcome to our first magazine review post!
The Stats
Title: ReadyMade, June/July issue
Cover Price: $5.99 CDN + tax
Availability: Bookstore chains and magazine shops
Frequency: 6 times a year
The Review
I've spent a little time perusing ReadyMade online, so I was familiar with the Des Moines, Iowa-based magazine's particular blend of easy entertaining ideas and super-economical DIY projects.
The mag is divvied up into four sections:
- ReadyCulture, covering new materials and tools
- The Projects, with all types and levels of DIYs from fashion (make a simple, girly tank top out of two boxy t-shirts for $10) to lighting (create a pendant light out of two plastic umbrellas for $53) to gardening (tennis racket trellis for $56, anyone?)
- ReadyLife, which includes pieces on lifestyle, people and food (How I Bought A Houseboat was an interesting read and I can't wait to try Coffee-Can Ice Cream)
- The Useful Pages, which contains all the step by step instructions
Overall, I found ReadyMade rather inspiring and while I might not attempt all the projects and a few of them seemed a bit on the fly, it serves as a solid jumping-off point for a deluge of DIY ideas. The ReadyLife section was most interesting to me because it showed home interiors and interviews with people in the design industry (something I always enjoy).
Final Analysis
You'll probably like it if:
- you enjoy making things with your hands and doing DIY projects
- you enjoy finding new resources for DIY ideas
- you enjoy entertaining and creating personal touches for your guests
You may not like it if:
- you don't like DIY projects and have no use for even looking at them for inspiration
- you'd rather pay the big bucks for something that will last, rather than do it up on the cheap
Related: Our friends at Foodtv.ca have been reviewing magazines for a while, see the latest review here.