Crafting the winter away

I love crafts! I can spend hours making tiny creatures or objects from felt. I could probably cover my house in glitter and be very happy (though my husband might move out). Glue, paint, crayons, scrap paper, old books, bits of fabric, ribbons, empty jars, tissue paper.... I have boxes of this stuff. Lucky for me, as a children’s librarian, I get to use these bits and pieces  in my job! I have made many crafts from paper tubes. Popsicle sticks? Have you ever built a house with those?  Paper plates? If you have a red crayon, some yellow paper, a black marker, and some green squares, you can create a pretend pizza. 

Many of you have children at home until January. Crafts are a fun way to while away the hours.  I love Pinterest for craft ideas—you could spend hours looking for things to make. Or you can go directly to my Pinterest CRAFTS board.   

Of course you can get plenty of craft books at the library. Have a billion little rubber bands at your house? We’ve got several books with new ideas for using them, such as Epic rubber band crafts : totally cool gadget gear, never before seen bracelets,awesome action figures, and more!  

I’m a big believer in reusing. I hate to throw out something that I can make into something else. We’ve got books, such  as  Trash to treasure : a kid's upcycling guide to crafts : fun, easy projects with paper, plastic, glass & ceramics, fabric, metal, and odds & ends which will give you some ideas for using those things that might have gone into the rubbish bin.  One look at 1000 ideas for creative reuse : remake, restyle, recycle, renew will make you think twice before you throw away a bottle cap. 

If you are a more advanced crafter, and know your way around a sewing needle, try some projects from the many felt books we have.  Try Felt with Love for some sweet little items, or if zombies are more your style, check out Zombie felties : how to raise 16 gruesome felt creatures from the undead. This book even has a paper coffin that you can photocopy for your little zombies to live in, like this one I made several years ago. 

I couldn't possibly write about crafts without mentioning this gem, which will have you pawing through used bookstores and our next book sale with renewed ferver: BiblioCraft : a modern crafter's guide to using library resources to jumpstart creative projects.

So if you hear the words, “I’m bored” this winter, head to your local library and go straight to the 745 section. You’ll find plenty to keep you busy, and you just might discover a new hobby! 

--Angela Reynolds, Head of Youth Services