Magazine File Tutorial

I think this is my very first "tutorial;" I'll try to make it easy to understand, but let me know if there's anything confusing!

Step 1: Assemble your materials! I used Electrasol boxes (I usually get this brand of detergent free after rebate, or at least really cheap at Rite Aid), a utility knife, a ruler, permanent marker, and a hot glue gun. I also used spray paint, although you could also just cover the box with paper, but it would be a little more work.
Step 2: Mark your angle on both sides of the box. You want to make sure and cut off the corner with the pour spout in it. I marked my line from the top righthand corner, to a mark 5" down from the other corner. Then you will cut along all the lines using the utility knife, till you get the whole corner off the box. Now, if your magazines will fit comfortably in the remaining box, skip down to the spray painting and finishing step. If your magazines are like mine, though, you'll have to do some more "constructing." :)
Step 3: Pull the spout out of the cardboard. It should pull and rip out fairly easily, and there's no need to worry about perfection here; this part will be inside your file.
Step 4: Cut the front edge off the box. I didn't mark lines, just cut along the box corners.
Step 5: Turn the box up on edge and cut a slit partway down the middle of the bottom of the box. This is just to give a little "ease" so the box won't try to bow out when you put the corner piece inside it. (This slit thing was Jim's idea--good thing I'm married to a handy man, I would never have thought of it!)
Step 6: Now put the corner piece into the box, like this, and put a magazine inside to measure how far the corner needs to stick out of the box. Draw a line at that point so you have a guide when it's time to glue the corner into the box. For my magazines, I needed about an inch to stick out.
Step 7: Take the corner piece back out, and run a line of hot glue along the inside edges of the box. This step and the next need to be done pretty fast, since hot glue likes to dry quickly!
Step 8: Put your corner piece inside the box, making sure to match up your line with the edge of the box, and press to stick it all together.
Step 9: Use a ruler and mark lines on either side of the box, continuing the angle onto the corner. Cut off the extra piece so you now have a nice, regular file box shape. :)
Step 10: Finishing. Take the box to a well ventilated area (or get your handy hubby to do it for you) and spray paint with the color of your choice! You can't tell too well in the pictures, but mine are dark green. The paint did quite well adhering to the shiny box surfaces, though we had our doubts! Let the paint dry overnight, or however long it says on the can. Then you can embellish however you like. I used 1" strips of scrapbook paper, folded in half, to trim the long edges, and hot glued them in place.
Then I added a little tag (also with hot glue) and wrote the magazine title and years on it.
I found that my boxes will each hold 2 years worth of magazines (12 issues).
And here are the finished products! You don't know how GOOD this makes me feel! :) I have enough Quick Cooking mags to fill one more box, and then I'll need to start on my Taste of Homes. :) And Cook's Country . . . and Family Fun . . . and maybe I shouldn't have just signed up for a couple other free magazine subscriptions recently, LOL!
Hopefully this will be useful to somebody. Happy crafting!