She's Crafty | Yellow Owl's Little Prints

Looking for something fun to make with or for a munchkin during the long hours of the various school vacations of the winter season? Then you have to check out this book: Yellow Owl's Little Prints by Christine Schmidt.

It's pretty much one of the most adorable craft books in our collection.

The focus of Yellow Owl's Little Prints is using various printmaking and other craft techniques to create decorative and fun pieces for children that can be used over and over, and even saved as heirlooms. Christine Schmidt will show you how to make stamps (and point out which toys will make great stamps), how to make stencils, different image transfer techniques, and more. One of my favorite projects is a perpetual birthday banner made out of felt that you can use every year for every member in your family. You can even change the number of candles that are needed!

Reusable and cute!

Schmidt offers some really helpful tips at the beginning of the book in sections titled, "How to Use This Book" and "How to Teach Art to Kids". One of my favorite features in the "How To" section is a table explaining the skills kids typically possess at certain ages and how to involve them in craft projects depending on their age and grade level. Her table begins with preschoolers at the age of three and I think that is just fantastic. Get those little hands and young minds busy as early as possible!

Yellow Owl's Little Prints is a fun, well designed kid-centric craft book with projects that will give you a basic understanding of creating decorative and useful objects. Schmidt's style is whimsical and cute, but with a classic touch that will allow favorites to be saved and passed down.

The projects range in difficulty from Easy to Challenging, but I think even the Challenging projects will be just fine for beginner crafters since Schmidt's instruction layouts are well designed and her step-by-steps descriptions are easy to follow.

Similar books we currently carry geared towards making cool stuff for kids or keeping kids busy with fun crafts and activities:

• Crafting Fun Stuff With a Crowd of Kids
• Baby Crafts: Over 25 Projects to Make and Give
• Made By Dad: 67 Blueprints For Making Cool Stuff
• Martha Stewart's Favorite Crafts For Kids
• Unbored : The Essential Field Guide to Serious Fun
• Knitting For Baby
• Rosie O'Donnell's Crafty U: 100 Easy Projects The Whole Family Can Enjoy All Year Long

Added bonus, if you click on this search term: Crafts, you should be directed down the internet highways to our shiny, new Kids' Catalog where you'll find 429 titles ranging from various holiday craft books to Activity TV DVDs!

So grab a kid, grab a craft book, grab some supplies, and get crafting!

Malia & Kaye

She's Crafty | Handbag Designer 101

Handbags are a major weakness of mine. If I see a unique design or a new decorative twist in construction, I tend to examine the bag until it's settled in my mind that I have to take it home. Over the years I've built quite a collection, but my most treasured piece is a simple patchwork cross-body hobo bag I made myself.

My first handmade handbag.

My love for bags started early in life when I would save what little cash collected on some flashy new purse. As my collection grew, I began implementing various rules regarding the purchase of a new bag. It either has to fill a specific function or it has to stand out in some way. This might entail a small cross-body bag to wear to a theme park or a handbag using hardware I adore or a captivating division of interior space. Then it has to pass the wear test. If it fails getting onto my shoulder and staying there, or feels awkward across my body or on my arm, then no matter how unique it looks I leave it at the store. On the other hand, when it comes to reusable shopping bags there are no rules and I will usually buy on sight.

Some of her details.

After realizing early on that I might have a handbag obsession I started to think about the possibility of making my own bags. At the time I made my first bag I was already dabbling in making alterations to clothes and learning how to sew so I had piles of fabric scraps and a few pairs of jeans lying around just waiting to be re-purposed. I set my heart on making a slouchy hobo bag since it was the trend of the moment. I started with a back pocket from a pair of jeans as the front focal point and the waistband from the jeans became the bottom and sides. The design flowed on from there and I remember having a blast exploring all my creative options. Years passed and though I had fun making the first one and I still have it, it remains the only handbag I've ever made.

At my first Renegade Craft Fair a few years back I met a woman who had just released a new line of handbags. We talked about how she got started, creating designs, textiles and more. It got me thinking about designing and making handbags again. Luckily, a new book had just appeared on the shelf at the library, Handbag Designer 101 by Emily Blumenthal. I checked it out and my knowledge of handbags and handbag construction exploded! I was so impressed and excited, I went out and bought the book. I collected more books, a few patterns, analyzed what I liked about various handbags and even drew up a few designs of my own. Yet, I still have not made an additional bag.

While I'm not sure what psychologically compels me to spend so much time NOT doing what I clearly enjoy doing, I think I'm over it and feeling like I have to create another handbag!

If you would like to learn more about handbag construction and how to sew your own designs, I highly recommend these two books, which we have at our library:

Frame style handbag from Handbag Designer 101.

Again, I mention Handbag Designer 101 by Emily Blumenthal. What an amazing book! Blumenthal goes over each basic style of handbag from clutch to backpack in detail. She includes measurements and layouts for basic pattern pieces and discusses details that make a bag a certain style. Each style type also includes inspiring pictures of examples done by designers to get your creative gears turning. Handbag Designer 101 even has a section of information on how to market and sell your designs. How I can own this book and not have made a ton of handbags by now boggles my mind!

Zippered Wristlet from Sew What! Bags.

After checking it out from the library, I also went out and bought, Sew What! Bags by Lexie Barnes. Sew What! is a great book to learn how to sew various bags, not just handbags--in fact, this book is more about making simple pattern-free bags and organizers like a tool tote and an artist's roll than strictly handbags. Functional and pretty, Barnes's projects are perfect for beginners and lend themselves well to exploring creative use of textiles and tailoring a basic idea to specific needs.

Both of these titles give you the crafty know-how to make whatever bag you just can't live without. Best of all, they encourage the reader to explore outside of the basic designs featured in the books to make the best bag, with the right amount of pockets, the right size compartments, with the perfect combination of fabrics and the most spectacular hardware EVER!

Need more books? Here's a handy list of what we have on our shelves for anyone interested in making a

handbag:

Duct tape purse!

• Crafty Bags For Stylish Girls by Elizabeth Ingrid Hauser 

• The Hip Handbag Book by Sherri Haab

• Folk bags by Vickie Square

• Stuff to Hold Your Stuff by Ellen Warwick

• Making Handbags and Purses by Carol Parks

Even the The Duct Tape Book by Jolie Dobson has a few bag projects!




Malia & Kaye

She's Crafty | Craft Program and the RCF

Last time we met I told you about a teen program I was going to do, the one with the beads and the Morse code...Well, it is now an event of the past and I'm glad to report that it went well! There are only a few things that I would change when it comes to doing a jewelry craft program. Just a few tweaks to make it easier for participants. I also took a few mental notes about general programming for the future, which is going to be a big help for programs that are already in the planning phase. More on that in the future!

Success!

One of my biggest concerns going into the program was attendance. What if no one shows up?! What if too many show up?! What if, what if, what if...but, my fears were for naught--for a teen program we got good attendance with about 20 people in the room! This number included two helpers (thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!), a mother hanging out with her two teens, the same mother's two little ones playing in the back with storytime toys, and me! Check out all the fun...

 

Free faire fun!

In other crafting news, this weekend coming up Kaye and I will be attending one of our very favorite craft events, the Renegade Craft Faire!

Yay, the RCF! Known fully as, the Renegade Craft Faire San Francisco July Market. A.K.A., the craft faire that is free. Yes, free! A.K.A., the most popular craft event I have ever attended, e-v-e-r! If you'd like to attend too, the event is this Saturday and Sunday, July 19th and 20th, from 11 am to 6 pm at the Fort Mason Center Festival Pavilion. For more information, check out the event webpage.

For the RCF, Kaye and I will brave the crushing masses to find little pieces of crafting bliss. We shall feast our eyes on all the innovative craft items and utter a goodly amount of "ohs" and "ahs" at all the beautiful colors and textures. We will circle the limited parking spaces near the Fort Mason Center and end up parking a mile or more away just to enjoy some full-on craft immersion. To say that I'm excited is an understatement. This is an excitement that should be accompanied by horns, a jig or two, and some confetti. And I can't wait to tell you all about it!

Until next time, stay crafty my friends.

Malia & Kaye

She's Crafty | Morse Code Jewelry

Next Thursday, July 10th at 2:00pm I will be doing a craft program at the Manteca branch! My first craft program ever. I'm pretty excited about this bit of business.

I was asked if I could come up with something crafty for teens as a part of the summer reading program. Wanting to stick with the theme of science, I tried to think of something a teen might like to make that still had some element of science involved. Then I remembered a program Kaye did at the Mountain House Branch a while back: Morse code jewelry.

You may find this surprising but, Morse code jewelry is not only a thing, it's a popular thing. Check out Etsy, an online "mall" of handcrafted items, and you'll find loads of listings. While you're poking around on the internet, take a peek at all the pins at Pinterest devoted to the myriad ways of translating Morse code into wearable art. Fun stuff!

The dits and dahs of Morse code

For those unfamiliar with Morse code, it is a form of communication that uses electrical signals sent over wires. At one end, a message is translated into a collection of dits (dots), dahs (dashes), and pauses and tapped out on a telegraph key. Each letter and number of the message has it's own unique combination of dits and dahs. At the other end, the signals are received and interpreted into the intended message and can be sent over large distances. It was a breakthrough in long-distance communication in 1836.

A telegraph key

Working the design out

When I thought about doing my own spin on creating Morse code jewelry I wanted something minimal and stylish. I wasn't ultimately concerned with the readability of the code. Who wants to actually sit there and stare at someone while decoding their jewelry? Nope, not gonna to happen. Talk about awkward! Then I started to hone in on the idea of hidden messages in jewelry. Hidden messages that will be talked about too. The pieces end up looking like they have specific meaning, that they aren't completely random, and that will catch interest.

"Do those necklaces mean something?"

"Why, yes they do! This one says, 'My patronus is a kitten,' and this one says, 'Okay? Okay.' Cool, huh?!"

The first prototypes for the program ended up being a pair of necklaces that states, "Hello beautiful." I decided to represent the dits with one bead of one color and dahs with three beads of a second color. At first I added beads in between the letters and I didn't like the look. And this is the point at which I went for style over readability and chose to run all the letters of one word together. Looking back, I may go back to adding beads between the letters since I forgot what one prototype bracelet says and had trouble deciphering the code!

Hello beautiful!

This may be my first craft program and I might be quite nervous, that's just the type of person I am, but I think we're going to have fun! I want to provide enough instruction so anyone regardless of their experience with making jewelry can feel confident in their end product but also give participants freedom to play with representing the code. I hope it will be fun and interesting for all involved!

For now, I'm off to make informative handouts, yay!

Malia & Kaye

She's Crafty | He's Crafty

We're all crafty!

So, funny story:

At work one day I was straightening the NEW book shelf when I came across, Made by Dad: 67 Blueprints for Making Cool Stuff by Scott Bedford. I thought, "Duct tape on the spine, it's gotta be cool. Annnd, it'll make a nice blog!" But I left it for another time. Later that very day my mother excitedly presented me with Made by Dad and said, "We gotta blog about this one!"

It was meant to be.

We know plenty of crafty dudes and I'm sure some of you out there know a few too. They're everywhere!

Check out, Men Who Knit. A website devoted to promoting and supporting men who knit. And Mark Montano's Make Your Mark! videos on YouTube are my absolute favorites to watch. We also carry some of his books at our library. He has one of the most fun and fertile imaginations out there.

Of course I know a few male crafters personally too. My dad taught me everything I know and love about knots, which has helped me in many crafting areas. Dad also taught me the craft of splicing wires and got me hooked on the art of collage.

When I first spied Made by Dad I thought of a friend of mine. Dustin's one of the craftiest people I know. He's a blacksmith, does some great embroidery and he sews out of necessity and fun - in fact he's the one who taught me how to turn a pair of normal pants into bell bottoms! And he loves to get crafty with his daughters. He is definitely the perfect target audience for this book.

But so am I. And anyone else who loves to build fun, sometimes gross, but always kooky stuff.

Like this...pair?...of Rock, Paper, Scissors dice I made to quickly end disputes of where to eat out or who gets the last cookie. Users just choose a color and the dice do all the work.

Scissors cut paper. That cookie is MINE!

The projects in the book are leveled from Easy to Tricky. Zen Napkins is probably the easiest. Create simple circles and lines around coffee-shop treat crumbs much like a Zen garden and you're done.

Kaye is getting fancy with her garden in the background.

The Tricky projects are definitely harder but between the detailed blueprints with awesome illustrations and the step-by-step instructions even the Tricky projects seem extremely do-able.

With your brain box and these blueprints, nothing
will stand in your way.

Overall, I love this book. It is crammed full of practical jokes, games, and handmade gifts. I found the instructions easy to follow and the blueprints to be the most helpful guides in a crafting book I've ever come across. So, Dads (or uncles, grandpas, cousins, big brothers, mothers, aunts...), grab your rulers and glue and your nearest kid (or fly solo) and get crafting.

Before I go, I wanted to mention that we will be taking a little trip to the East Bay Mini Maker Faire later this month. On October 20th, Park Day School in Oakland will be hosting a celebration of creativity and learning with hands-on and hand-made fun. I'm sure it will be a blast and can't wait to share our first Mini Maker adventure with you.

Until then, stay crafty!
~Malia

Learning | More Bad Ideas for Bookmarks

I had to laugh when Panteha blogged about the person who marked a page in a library book with dental floss. I shudder to think about how many germs there may have been on that thing. 

Bookmarking with a cat is highly impractical. Photo courtesy of QuinnDombrowski's photostream on Flickr.com. Some rights reserved.

I have worked in libraries for decades now, and I continue to be shocked at the things people use for bookmarks in library books. How do I know about this? People forget to take their bookmarks out of their books before returning them in the bookdrop. Sometimes we even find books on the library shelves with bookmarks still in them.

Panteha makes a good point. You should never put something that may have been in a person's mouth in a library book. Things like bandages and facial tissues are just as disgusting; don't use those, either. 


I would also like to discourage people from bookmarking with items that may be of value to them.

Over the years, I have either seen or heard of books marked with the following items:

• Checks or paycheck stubs
• Bills
• Letters
• Greeting cards
• Credit cards
• Identification or insurance cards
• Currency
• Income tax forms
• Personal photos
• Poems
• Art work
• Love notes
• Report cards
• Homework assignments
• Shopping lists
• Recipes 
• Straw wrappers
• Candy wrappers

We try our best to let the customer know if they dropped something of value in the bookdrop. But sometimes we are unable to be sure which book it fell from, and there isn't enough information on the item itself to help us know who to contact.

It's especially frustrating to find lovely wedding pictures or portraits of loved ones. I wish extra hard that the customer will remember that they used them as bookmarks, and ask the library if it is in the lost and found.

A few years ago, a photograph of a pig on a leash turned up in our bookdrop. This was clearly not a random pig. It may have been a pet or 4H project. In, other words, it was clearly "SOME PIG!" I couldn't bear to toss it in the trash after it languished on our Lost and Found shelf for three weeks, so I have kept it at my desk. I have nicknamed it Wilbur, after the pig in E. B. White's classic, Charlotte's Web. 

I know what it's like to suddenly find yourself in need of an impromptu bookmark. I often use library receipts, or those annoying subscription cards that fall out of magazines. I have even used old envelopes or scratch paper for that purpose. Post-It notes are another great idea, because they don't fall out of the book easily, and can be moved from page to page without damaging the book.

What do you like to use as bookmarks, besides bookmarks?

Some people like to make their own bookmarks. Here are two books that give instructions for making them:

Step-by-Step Papermaking



Let's Knot: a Macramé Book