How to create Your Own Zine DIY Self Publishing Printing

Zines (pronounced 'zeens', shortened from the word 'magazines') are small independent publications. Fun and easy to make, they are a great way to get your ideas across and to share your voice so it is heard in a creative form.

Before there were blogs, there were zines and before there was print on demand books, there were zines. What’s important, is the mere fact of creating, design it, paste it, scan it, print it, then distribute it and or hand it out. Whatever comes natural to you. Design your own publication to reflect the craziness and calmness of your life,  or whatever it is around you that you would like to share with others. Enjoy the ride and thrill of self publication of your own zine, it's all about self expression and creativity.

How To Make A Make a 12-page (10 pages plus a front and back cover), 8.5' x 5.5' zine.

+ Start by taking three pieces of regular sized computer paper, fold them in half horizontally, and hold them sideways like a book.

+ Next pick your subject(s). It doesn't need to be all on one topic. You can have a different topic on every page if you want. Some popular topics are: art zines, photography, poetry, cooking, recipes, self help, diy, psychic, paranormal, discoveries, history, stories, polls, video game tips, talking about a band you like, comics, artwork, recipes, fashion tips, local news, and politics.

+ Pick a title. A good title is short, to the point, and easy to remember.

+ Start looking at the layout. You can do the write-ups by drawing, collaging by hand or on the computer, as long as it all fits on your page size.

+ Make your master copy. This will be what you use to make copies from. Everything should be firmly fastened down and the way you want it to look like.

+ Start making copies. The easiest and cheapest way to print up a zine is usually a making 'two-sided copies;' i.e., you're copying both sides of a master sheet onto both sides of a blank sheet.

+ Possible Extra Supplies
Stapler
Comics
Crayons

Stickers

Magazines

Glue sticks

Washi Tape

Rubber stamps
Colored pencils

Scrapbook Papers
Old Postage Stamps

Security envelope linings
+ Start handing out your wonderful creations, or upload online. Or find others' who love to trade zine for zine :)

You can also research how to Create Digital Download Zines

Velvet and Rust Etsy Shoppe

Lily Elsie Le Belle Epoque Beauty Velvet & Rust Etsy Antique Digital Download Collage Sheets

Lily Elsie Beauties of le Belle Epoque

Lily Elsie had a flawless face, true perfection in my estimation. She was one of the most photographed women of Le Belle Epoque. She was born Elsie Hodder on April 8, 1886 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. On her birth certificate, her mother, Elizabeth Hodder, was listed as a dressmaker. There was no father recorded. Then in 1891 her mother married William Cotton and Elsie took the Cotton name at that time. William Cotton gave his occupation as a theatrical baggage master. By the 1901 census Elizabeth Cotton the dressmaker was listed as an actress. Elsie herself began acting as a child and soon the precocious yet painfully shy child became known as Little Elsie in the world of music hall and theatrical entertainment. She traveled from theater to theater throughout England as she grew starring in many popular shows of the period including, The Arabian Nights, Little Red Riding Hood,  King Klondike,  as Aerielle, the Spirit of the Air, McKenna's Flirtation, Dick Whittington, The Forty Thieves, Blue Beard, The Silver Slipper and the Three Little Maids. From about 1900 she adopted the name "Lily Elsie", not too different from her previous Little Elsie. Having grown into a beautiful young woman, Elsie joined a company at Daley's Theater in London as a chorus girl. Soon she was acting again appearing in fourteen musicals from 1900 to 1906.

Real success did not come to Elsie until she appeared in the starring role in The Merry Widow at the operetta's London premiere in June 1907. The hit show ran for 778 performances at Daley's Theater. The show was a triumph as was Lily Elsie. Overnight she had become a legend. Her face was soon featured on many products  and advertisements from chocolate and biscuit tins to cosmetics. Magazines produced special supplements about her. Clothing designers sold more when their garments were associated with Miss Lily Elsie. Every fashionable woman of the time wanted the plumed hats she wore in The Merry Widow so much so that they became an extraordinary fad. After The Merry Widow, Elsie appeared in 16 more shows always receiving many accolades.

Many of the most prominent, wealthy would-be suitors, mostly from the nobility of London, were met with a casual and elusive disinterest that just fueled her beguiling sense of mystery and nevertheless, did not stop them from sending her the most exquisite gifts of jewelry emblazoned in diamonds and rubies and more. Elsie was quoted as saying, "I have never been fool enough to give my heart to one of them, and so they think it must be worth having!" and "I'm always rude to men. And the ruder I am the more they like me!"

After just a few short years of fame, Elsie married Major Ian Bullough, the twenty-six year old son of a millionaire textile manufacturer in November 1911 and relished spending time out of the public eye. She did return to the stage periodically for roles in Malvourneen, The Admiral Crichton, and Pamela. She appeared in 2 films, in 1918 a cameo in The Great Love with Lillian Gish, and in 1919 in the silent movie Comradeship. Then in 1920 she and her husband moved to a village in Gloucestershire for a number of years away from the stage enjoying social events and fox hunting. In 1927 she appeared in The Blue Train and in 1928 her last show,The Truth Game. Her health was said to have been poor throughout her life and she reportedly had several operations during her life on stage. She found the eight performances a week of The Merry Widow especially grueling and found excuses for not appearing in matinees. She was said to have become "difficult". Speculation exists about possible problems with anemia and/or an early onset menopause at age 22. Her husband had problems with alcoholism. She and her husband divorced in 1930.

In her later years she was said to have become a hypochondriac and spent much of her time in nursing homes and Swiss sanatorium. She was said to have become so quarrelsome that even her most devote supporters left her. Luckily, she had the finances to be cared for in style for the rest of her life. Her mental health seriously deteriorated to the point that she underwent brain surgery, a frontal lobotomy, a practice common at the time but since then considered barbaric. She spent the last two years of her life living at St. Andrew's Hospital in London happy in her anonymity. She died December 16, 1962 at age 76 of heart failure and broncha pneumonia.

"Lily Elsie" was the stage name of Elsie (Hodder) Burroughs. She was born to Charlotte Elizabeth Hodder on 8 April 1886. When her mother married William Thomas Cotton in 1891, Elsie took his name, becoming Elsie Cotton.

Below are Digital Download Collage sheets available here: Velvet & Rust 

 Digital Collage Sheets velvet and rust 

Etsy shoppe 

Series #3 written by Maureen Tillman // co produced by Izabella Blue 

ArtMoney Made of Art / Original Art created by Artists as alternative currency

Artmoney is original art that works as a global alternative currency.  I am a mixed media collage artist that loves to create artmoney. I am intrigued with the whole concept of art as money and wanted to share this concept with other artists who might be interested in researching and creating these historic little treasures of art into a form of currency. The goal of artmoney is ambitious and idealistic, but speaks to the core of the creative heart.

Running low on cash? If you are an artist, why not produce some art as money? You may not be able to pay your gas and electric bill with art money, but at least you'll reap the riches of creating!

You can learn more about the ArtMoney movement, by checking out their website..  here.
Also you can learn more about the Founder and Creator of this movement Lars Christian Kræmmer
You can also check out the Facebook Artmoney Community Page.. here

The purpose of AM is: 

+To offer artists worldwide, the chance of financial freedom and worldwide exposure in order to focus on the creative process in the pursuit of a beautiful world.
+To integrate an alternative global currency with local currencies worldwide as a step towards equal shopping conditions for rich and poor regardless of the conditions of the local social environment in the pursuit of a world of individual choice and personal freedom.
+To create an art object with a practical social application. Using art money to pay for private accommodation will bring people together in an intimate private situation. This may offer the chance for new friendships among strangers from all over the world.

This currency may function as a human link across cultural, racial, linguistic, political and religious barriers in the pursuit of a peaceful world.

As many of you know, online sales have been slow for some, so if you are running low on cash, creating some ArtMoney may be just the ticket to cheer you up! :)

Sidenote: Please don't get confused with other artmoney websites out there. ARTMONEY.ORG

Here are a few examples of artmoney from Artists on the website: