Valentine's Day "Zines"

My friend Sandra introduced me to the "zine", a mini-magazine written and illustrated on one piece of paper, then folded to make a booklet.  She sent me two of her creations "Rosemary is Magic" a fairy story  (with me as the main character) and "A Sky of Blue and Gold and Cotton", poems about the weather. I loved the concept (and her works of art), and wondered if I could use the format to make individualized valentines for my grandkids.

The answer is YES!  They end up being a six page booklet with a front and back page.  SO guess what I did all weekend??

Here's the front of all of them, designed specially for each child.

Here's what pages one and two look like.

And pages five and six.

They are each made on one piece of 8 1/2 x 11 paper, divided into 8 sections.  I used clip art, valentines, and stickers.  I traced some of the pictures and colored them with colored pencils and crayons, cut and pasted others.  It was great fun!  I took over every inch of the office and made a  grand mess of the desk, but it was worth it.  I think they will enjoy their own personal Valentine message from Grandma and Grandpa.

The trick is to fold them carefully, cut the correct edge, and refold them to make a booklet.

The finished product looks  like this.

Happy Valentine's Day to you!