Making a magazine is much like watching Mary Poppins dress a nursery in reverse. Rather than pulling all sorts of weird and wonderful things out of the handbag, it’s a process of collecting illustrations, interviews, articles, photographs, recipes and fashion spreads, then ordering and finally cramming (in a polished way) everything between a front and back cover.

Agatha, Mike and Des at the issue 5 read-through last week.

In a similar style, Issue 5 came to life last week during the final read-through before printing. Hours of impassioned debate, two packets of crisps, chocolate, coffee, wine and one paltry can of Strongbow later, we had decided on the final shape of the Issue. We hope you like it as much as we do. It's in the safe hands of the printers as we type but it won't be long before subscribers can check their mail boxes, and everyone else can head down to their local stockists and pick up a copy. As always, we’re looking forward to hearing what you think.

You didn't hear it from us but we're off to the cinema tonight for, well, no-one quite knows. With only a few ambiguous clues to follow and the instruction to 'whisper only amongst ourselves' it promises to be something quite extraordinary. You can join in on the secret until the 27th of February here.

I know I'm a little bit addicted to zines, but the Salford Zine Library is such a great project that I couldn't resist finding out more about it.

We learnt of its existence through Hours, a new publication that gives photographers a disposable camera and 24 hours to take pictures of whatever they want. Their photos are then published in this nicely put together zine. It's the work of Molly Rooke and Matt Shearer.

It turns out that you can browse through a copy of Hours at the Salford Zine Library, an archive of self-published material open to the public. 

We talked to illustrator Craig John Barr, co-founder of the library along with Matthew Walkerdine.

When did it all begin?

The library started in January 2010 after a conversation between myself and Matthew. We had both submitted to libraries in the U.S and thought we should set something up for the north west of the U.K.

How do you source the zines in the library?

All the zines are donations from artist and individual’s private collections. The zines are normally mailed to us and come from across the world: we have had a submission from every continent. We accept anything that is self published in any media. Maybe we should have called it Salford self-publishing library, but 'zines' is a recognisable term. The library has no curatorship and it's open to all to contribute. We both enjoy the wide range of self-published work coming into the library and are often taken back by the ambitious formats and the creative solutions to duplicate work. It is always nice to see something new that deviates from the standard A4 folded photocopy zine.

What's was the purpose of the library? Was it simply to make self-published material availbale to a wider audience?

We wanted to show the variety of self-publishing and the also the importance of being able to work independently without editorial control and censorship. The main aim is to be accessible and show that anyone is capable of duplicating and distributing ideas.

You can visit the libaray at /www.islingtonmill.com/" target="_blank">Islington Mill. Submit your own work by sending it to: 48 Landos Court, Gunson Street, Manchester, M40 7WT.

The subversive, out of the ordinary objects on show at Something for the Weekend are very different from sentimental stuff that we're normally sold at this time of year. It's a selling exhibition, curated by designers Jasleen Kaur and Christopher Thompson Royds. Both recently graduated from the Royal College Goldsmithing, Silversmithing, Metalwork & Jewellery MA and have asked the course's alumni to design and make limited editions of jewelry and semi-precious objects that fit into a condom box. All the wares are even dispensed from condom vending machines.

Jonathan Boyd: I Prefer to Keep My Emotions Secret, silver ring.

Pass by the pop-up shop at space fiftyfour, 54 Rivington Street, London EC2A 3Q. The show runs until 15th February. Oh, and happy valentines day!

The best part of making a magazine is having people read it. We smile when we hear that folk from all over the globe are holding a copy of oh comely in their hands and devouring its pages.

The most common place to find a copy in the UK is WHSmith, where you should be able to get one at every branch, whether you’re wandering on the high street or waiting to catch a plane in an airport.

Unfortunately, from time to time, we’ve had readers contact us to say that an issue isn’t being stocked at their local WHSmith. We appreciate all our readers and want you to be able to get hold of a copy of the latest issue wherever you are. So, we’re asking for your help.

Next time you stop by a WHSmith, have a look to see if there’s an oh comely on the magazine shelves. It should be somewhere in the women’s or lifestyle sections. Then, please let us know if you found it by taking a minute to fill in this form. It'll be fun, we promise.

A very big thank you in advance from the oh comely team.

Photo: David B.

Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration is the latest book to be published by Amelia Gregory - she of the equally loved magazine and blog - which this time makes a happy coupling of style and substance by showcasing the work of 30 emerging illustrators alongside profiles of 50 ethical fashion labels.

With pages of bright and inspiring work alongside designer profiles and a bigger message about ethical fashion, the book feels like an extension of what Amelia's Magazine stands for, being lovely to look at but having its heart in the right place too.

To celebrate its launch, the ground floor of 123 Bethnal Green Road was full of happy faces eating tiny delicious jam scones by Lilly Vanilli and drinking tea out of floral cups. As well as copies of the book to admire (and avoid getting jam on) several of the featured illustrators were also on hand to capture party-goers in glorious technicolour, and I spent ten minutes sitting for lovely Jenny Robins who managed to capture my unruly fringe with charming (or alarming...) accuracy.

The invite promised dancing and dj's late into the night but as I sadly had to be somewhere else, I said a fleeting farewell and ducked out into the night to head home with jam on my coat - the mark of a good party.