I have enjoyed crafting my way through the A to Z challenge this year and for my final post, I’m going digital. I’ve created an online zine to showcase all of my home craft projects.
What is a zine?
a noncommercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized and often unconventional subject matter
When I return from a trip, I spend weeks, even months, crafting my travel album. I journal while away so I have good “notes” and love to find that delicate balance between pictures and text that combine seamlessly to tell the stories of my travels. My trip never feels complete until I’ve transferred my travel memories into a printed keepsake.
Zines are the logical next step for someone with my fascination with composition and layout. Plus, I love how online zines have those fun page turning sound effects.
Click the image below to launch my A to Z digital zine. And, see below for some helpful viewing tips!
I also wanted to highlight some of my fellow bloggers who have supported me during the challenge this year. I’ve called them out in the zine in the featured comment section and have included clickable links to their blogs. Be sure to check out all their fabulous sites. I am sorry if we connected during the challenge and I missed including your site. I would love to have included everyone. I know how much effort this challenge takes and fully appreciate the gift of time my fellow bloggers gave me by visiting my posts, commenting and encouraging me. Next time I’ll have to make a bigger zine.
Viewing Tips
How did I make my zine?
**full discloser** My daughter graduated from Pratt Institute with a Graphic Design degree last year and she helped jump start this project for me by creating a template design that I could use.
She created the pages in Adobe InDesign and all I had to do was add the images and content. Once done, I saved it as a PDF, added in my hyperlinks and uploaded it to flipsnack which transformed it into a digital zine. Flipsnack offers a free version of their software if anyone wants to give it a try!
I’ve enjoyed participating in the A to Z Blogging Challenge again this year. This is my fifth year doing the challenge, and it felt like I was visiting with old friends while also making some new ones. I truly appreciate every one who took time to visit, read, comment, and connect on social media.
Time to start planning again for next year.
Well, maybe I’ll take a week off first although there is that zipper craft I wanted to try…
I’m participating in a Blogging A-Z Challenge for April 2021. I will be posting new content every day this month except most Sundays. Each post is associated with a letter of the alphabet, starting with A and ending with Z. My theme for the challenge is Craft Projects for my Home. To read more of my A to Z posts from this year, click HERE.
1 “Zine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zine. Accessed 29 Apr. 2021.
Weekends in Maine 
That’s so exciting on your Zine… Ive created similar using Microsoft Publisher but the one you’re using probably more advanced. I did my family cookbooks in it and turned it into a pdf. I css as my wait to see all you create. Bef I lose my thought… have you crafted any quilted Xmas balls?
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I have not quilted any xmas balls but now I might have to give it a try!
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I’ll send you a good link.
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That would be great! Thank you!
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This girl is one of the best snd there’s more holidays they can be made for. I made them in fall colors for thanksgiving and I wanted to make eggs for Easter but lost my mojo in making them. https://theornamentgirl.com/blog/patterns/quilted-ornament-tutorial/
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Thanks! I’ll have to give it a try!
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https://everyonehasafamilystorytotell.wordpress.com/category/craft-junkie/. I have posts on ones I made here along with my sweater pumpkins and other crafts
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I have to up my fall crafts. Some of these would be a good option.
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I find lots of ideas in the fb group I mentioned.
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It is so fun to see what other crafters are going.
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Lmk when you try
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I will!
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I’ve never heard of Zines but i’m intrigued! Sort of digital scrapbooking, minus the glue-y mess!
You did a wonderful job summarizing your posts and including our comments. Thanks for the shout-out 🙂
You have basically already written your reflection post. Here’s my Zine, enjoy browsing!
Congratulations on completing another A – Z! How many have you done, at least 3 or 4, we met a good while ago, and I’m glad we did!
https://thethreegerbers.blogspot.com/2021/04/a-z-2021-zero-in.html
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I know – I did feel it had a little bit of that reflections post vibe but I’ll come up with something else for that one.
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What a great way to summarize your crafting theme! I like that your zine is both a scrapbook and a varied tutorial. And ‘zine’ is a word I’ve seen used in Scrabble, but I never knew what it meant til now! 🙂
I really enjoyed your A-to-Z. Congrats on 5 years completing the challenge!
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It was fun to pull all my posts together in one “zine”.
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Zine is a new word added to my vocabulary today … very neatly done and I am proud to be a part of it 🙂 ….it has been fun reading your posts and I will continue visiting for sure …. wishing you happiness fun and health from another part of our planet …Take care
https://pagesfromjayashree.blogspot.com/2021/04/z-for-zoo.html
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Thank you for visiting and commenting on my posts during the challenge. I love that we get to connect with one another from all over the world. That is so fun.
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Congratulations on completing your A to Z and a full month of industrious craftiness!
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I’m ready for a nap! Thanks for visiting and sharing your posts during the challenge.
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Your Zine is so cool! I have really enjoyed reading your blog every day and have been inspired!! Thanks so much for the shout out in your Zine!
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Thank you for all the visits and support during the challenge! It was fun to put the zine together.
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A great way to end the A to Z.
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Thank you! It was fun to recap everything.
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Congratulations Karen for completing the A to Z with such élan and then to compliment it with a zine. Wow! I bow to you O, Creative Goddess:)
Don’t know what a Zine is –will learn, I’m sure.
Maybe, we will find you on Etsy:)
I’ve bookmarked one or two easy to do ideas from your A to Z–will share pics if the end results are worthy:)
Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
Hugs. xx
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I would love to see how your projects turn out! You are so creative too. I have so enjoyed your posts again this year.
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Just clicked on the pic and love the sound of page turning:)
Congratulations to you and your daughter. This is like discovering a new toy–love it!
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Isn’t it so fun! I love that I now have a digital maga”zine” of all my A to Z crafts!
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Wow, I’ve never seen that before. What a very cool project! (And yes, the page-turning sound is fun.)
Black and White: Z for Zerzura
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It’s so silly and yet so perfect too. I just love that sound!
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A Zine! Yet another fabulous idea to round out your A to Z Challenge — and thanks for the honorable mention! It’s been great visiting your site this month. I love my folded paper trees/memo holders, and hope to cycle back to try a few of the other crafts you wrote about — including the zine. https://mollyscanopy.com/2021/04/zip-code-scares-and-zap-power-outage-atozchallenge/
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It was fun to try something different for the final Z post.
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I love this! Especially since I want to share many of your ideas with my daughter and now they are all compiled in one convenient location!
Congratulations on completing the A to Z Challenge (and all those projects!!).
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Thank you. I really enjoyed connecting with everyone during this year’s A to Z challenge.
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What a clever and fun idea! Your zine is fabulous!
A beautiful challenge ending 😉
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Thank you! I love that I now have all my crats in one convenient maga”zine”.
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How wonderful and thank you so much for the nod to my comment! I love this idea and maybe it would be beneficial for me to use in my crafting as well. Thanks for the idea.
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There are so many possibilities. You could use a zine to showcase all your scrapbook pages or to highlight your all the amazing concerts you’ve gone to. I’m definitely going to play around more with zines. They’re so fun!
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That’s what I was thinking!
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A fantastic idea, and well worth it to show off your amazing craft skills. Well done on a great theme and for making it through the challenge. Look forward to more craft tips in the future!
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It’s always bittersweet to reach Z although I am looking forward to a little bit of a breather.
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Me too!
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Fantastic, and congrats on reaching the end of A2Z for another year, plus I may steal the Zine idea…cheers.
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Please do! It’s such a fun, creative thing to make.
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Congratulations on completing the challenge! Great idea for a Zine 😉
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Thank you. It does feel like an accomplishment this year.
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Congratulations on completing The A-Z Challenge. I enjoyed all your posts.
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What a fun final entry in your series Karen, and it was great seeing your online zine. I am a huge fan of zines and create at least a couple every year – although I’m strictly old-school print-and-mail. Congrats on finishing the challenge, inspiring us all with fab ideas, AND ending up with a zine documenting your projects. Well done!
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It did feel a bit like cheating to do it digitally. I love the homemade feel of the print-and-mail zines where you pour your heart into it and share your passions with a few like minded souls.
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Wow, what a cool little zine! Love it! And thanks for the mention/ comment highlight!
I’m feeling kinda empty without the daily morning scramble to publish two posts.
Need to channel that energy into some of the UFOs (unfinished objects).
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Congratulations for completing the AtoZ challenge. OHHHHH I love the zine and all of your crafts have been amazing! I would like very much to include your blog link on my page if you don’t mind. Do you have a preference of what to use. I like the picture of this post and I will share the vine if you approve? If not I totally understand. Your work is awesome and it should be shared. I’m a little behind with my comments but I sure hope we can encourage each other throughout the year by popping in for a visit now and then. And can’t wait for another round next year.
Have a great day!
Cheers,
Crackerberries
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So sorry – I was crazy busy trying to finalize my Z post. It was one of the few I hadn’t pre-prepped.
Yes, please feel free to share the picture of my zine post. I also posted a GIF/video of it on Twitter and Instagram if you would prefer that type of image (@weekendsinmaine) Thank you for asking and for sharing the post on your blog!
I too am hoping to both do the road trip and continue to visit my A to Z friends once I come back up for air. Thanks for all your support during the challenge!
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Let me know what you think and anytime you want to update the image, just shoot me a message. Thanks for letting me include you here…. Maine is my home and I love to support my blogging buddies.
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Looks great – thank you so much! Where are you located in Maine? I’d love to develop a community of Maine bloggers.
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Well even though I’m from Maine I don’t live in Maine now… miss it at times. But I would still be interested… your blog reminds me so much of the things I loved.
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When you’re from Maine, it never leaves you. I have a childhood friend who has lived in the Seattle area for over twenty years now and when people ask where she is from, she still answers Maine. She visits and stays with me every summer which is so wonderful.
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Awwwe that’s so nice. We were there in 2019… will plan to visit again when the new bun in the oven makes “her” way into the world.
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Very cool idea and I know some grandkids who will try your ideas.😊
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It was fun to see all my A to Z crafts all listed in one place too! I hope your grandkids give some a try.
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😊👌🏻
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Impressed!
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Thanks! I love learning new skills so it was fun to play around with a zine.
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What a lovely idea for a zine!
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