Magazine/Utility Rack DIY

There has been a blank space on the wall in our dining (which also happens to be right next to our kitchen) since we moved in over a year ago. Husband and I have also been brainstorming a method for collecting all of our receipts in one place...a place that's convenient because we both know walking upstairs to the office after getting home from work is just too much to ask. The struggle is real, ya'll. 

Then it dawned on us to use the extra pallet board pieces we have hanging around in our garage. And from that our magazine/utility rack was created. Husband is the handyman behind the building process, and together we decided how we wanted it to look. Remember, it needs to house our receipts!

I think the rack turned out perfect, and I think the wall appreciates its new accessory. And I love having the space to display my magazines and some fresh flowers.

So now I thought I'd share how you can make your own! This rack would be great for a child's room to store books and little toys, or how we used it. The possibilities are limitless. 

Husband started out by cutting all the wood pieces he needed, then sanding them all down, which really brought out the natural wood grain (see below).

I told you, isn't that grain beautiful?? We ended up staining it in the end because the out sides of the magazine rack didn't boast the pretty grain. And although hesitant to stain it, we went for it, and I love it even more.

But back to putting this magazine rack together! Husband used a nail gun and wood glue to assemble it. He also had a drop saw for cutting the pieces, and he kept a hammer and pliers handy in case any of the nails needed some flattening/fixing. 

He based the lengths of each piece of pallet wood off of a magazine. We wanted to make sure a magazine would fit (not snuggly) into the top two sections. You could pick any length.

He determined the spacing between the top and bottom shelf by making sure his hand could easily fit into the gap. You know to grab all those receipts ;)

Husband worked piece by piece, first using wood glue and following up with the nail gun. He started by attaching the back slats to the sides. Then he added the shelves and middle divider. Finally he place the two front slats, to create pockets on the shelves.

It's as simple as it looks. And here is the rack pre-stained. We combined some of our stains to make our signature gray stain. It came together quite well, and now we have a place to display our current magazines, and two slots to keep the receipts stored until husband inputs them into our monthly budget, and for coupons (the bottom right). 

The magazine rack now hangs in out dining room/kitchen. It's been the perfect wall filler, and has been so great for keeping us organized with receipts and coupons. Plus it keeps our magazines, especially those with recipes, in arms reach when we're meal planning for the week. 

If you've got a spare pallet and some tools, you should definitely try your hand at this!