O is for Oh Comely

A few years ago, on one of my many train jaunts between Saltaire and London, to see David, I picked up a copy of a magazine from a newsagents. Normally, I shy away from the magazine stands. I couldn't care less which celebrity has been snapped on the beach, I don't have a garden, I couldn't give a monkey's about fashion and I couldn't be less interested in reading about gadgets and technology. However, this time, something caught my eye - Oh Comely Magazine!

I was drawn in originally by the intriguing cover and spare, but, somehow calming layout of the magazine. It doesn't scream at my eyes, like so many of the other magazines on the market, it just gently presents interesting stories and appealing images to you, inviting you to wander in and enjoy what it has to offer. Their 'cover girl' is not a glossy, photoshopped film star but a simple portrait of a fresh-faced young woman because, as they put it, "different, interesting women are our heroes".

Adorably illustrated advice from Grandparents.

This wonderful bi-monthly treat presents stories and remembrances, features about crafty trinkets, news about exhibitions, recipes, photo essays, new music and alternative fashion photography (often featuring second hand or vintage finds). It also celebrates creative and interesting people who are not often featured in other publications, such as Kristen Peers, a portrait photographer who is working on a series of images to celebrate her 50th birthday. It also includes a lot of whimsical, fun articles including the editorial team attempting to pass Guide and Scout badges, holding races using their own lego-built cars or finding out how many words can be created from a tin of alphabet spaghetti. Daft, but utterly adorable.

A regular playlist of the music the editorial team
listened to whilst creating that issue is also made
available on Spotify.

Oh Comely is something of an escape for me. After a week of marking, parents' evenings and college politics, it is bliss to curl up under the quilt with photographs from around the world, people's memories of their childhoods, a playlist of new and interesting music, fascinating finds from people's attics and the fanciful, glorious illustrations. It is, clearly, very carefully targeted directly at me as a roughly middle-class woman in her 30's, but I don't care. Fire away, Oh Comely - you've hit my taste, dead-on!

One of the best things about the magazine, in my opinion, is the interaction between the readership and the team behind its creation. Each month features one of the most adorable letters pages ever, where the front of each note or postcard appears on one page and the reverse of each on the back of the same page. It is wonderful to see how Oh Comely has inspired people all over the world to get drawing, making, writing and pondering and the enthusiasm for those, like me, caught up in this magic little oasis of escapist calm. As well as running a film club for their readers, they decided to deliver some of their editions by hand, to celebrate their third birthday (as seen in the video below).

The back cover often includes a positive
message - such as this one from last issue.

For my birthday in 2012, David bought me a year-long subscription to the magazine as a gift and, not only did I get a lovely hand-written postcard from the team to tell me that I had been bought a subscription, but every new issue was delivered with the message 'Happy Birthday' in my address. It was such a fantastic present as, naturally, it lasted all year. I was lucky enough to receive the same gift (amongst other treats) this year - brilliant!