Some of you may not know, but I also have an art blog called tortagialla. From my creative musings there, I started writing a zine about art and craft topics and really loving the process. It occurred to me that issue 8 is all about scrapbooking, but I haven’t introduced it here on the blog. So here’s a little plug for myself!

My handmade zine is called Pensieri, meaning thoughts in Italian. It’s an outlet for me to share my crafty endeavors, from art history to specific techniques and craft subjects. I design the whole zine myself, a one-girl operation when it comes to printing, folding, binding and all the handmade touches. The cover of my zines are created with a big envelope, which results in a back pocket for goodies – a feature I’m particularly fond of. Although it takes a massive amount of time to create these zines, I love the process and love sharing a bit of my knowledge and writing with others. It’s been a really amazing experience for me and ultimately, I think I gain a lot from creating Pensieri.

The last issue of Pensieri is called Scrap Slam Smash – A mini history of memory, story and life keeping. I suppose you can say that it’s a culmination of my own adventures in scrapbooking and how I’ve ended up (thus far)…in terms of why I scrapbook and all the ideas I have for the hobby. I go through a brief history of the hobby, some design principles, a color discussion and pages and pages of journaling prompts as project ideas. I really hope to inspire others to scrapbook in the end. Whether it be a mini project or an ongoing scrap your life in an art journal type of way. Whatever works for you.

I scrapbook because I love the process. I get to relive beautiful memories and celebrate them by scrapping those stories. It’s also a fun and creative release for me. I love playing with pretty materials! I also love to share the results with friends and family, seeing the joy it brings and helping them to relive those wonderful moments in our lives. Again, it’s about celebrating the good and perhaps even acknowledging the bad and working through it.

So if you are interested in getting a copy of my zine, you can find Pensieri issue 8 Scrap Slam Smash in my Etsy shop. Thanks and scrap on!