Research Blog : crafts

Crafty Doodads!

just_renny@evpl — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:30:00 GMT

Come and join Beth Phillips from the Crafty Connections segment on WTVW Local 7's morning news on Mondays. She will be demonstrating two Valentine's Day crafts!

The first will be a clothes pin magnet with colorful Valentine scrapbook paper and glitter. The second will be a lollipop designed to look like a flower! They are so cute and easy to make! All supplies will be provided.

Please join on Tuesday, January 24 at 6:30PM. Click here to register or call Renny at 428-8200 ext 1238.

Candlemaking at the Library

wag.mado@evpl — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 19:38:00 GMT

Leandra Krueger from Wanda's Wax will be presenting this week's Savvy Seniors Series program. We still have some space in the program and would love for you to join us to make your very own candle and take it home with you. The program is being held at Central Library in Browning Room B at 2:00 PM on Thursday (tomorrow) July 7. Come join us for an enjoyable afternoon. Please register online or call 428-8246.

Links for the holidays

googler@evpl — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:47:00 GMT

I've come across a whole bunch of links appropriate to the season.

The Federal Trade Commission has all the info you need about gift cards, with tips on what to ask when you buy them, and contacts for problems.

The Responsible Shopper wants to promote a responsible economy, and believes consumer education is a good way to do that. Their database allows you to "search hundreds of company profiles by name or by industry and quickly compare the corporate responsibility records of companies."

Don't let Santa come down a dirty or dangerous chimney. This site tells you how to make your fireplace and chimney safer by proper cleaning and maintenance.

Your Christmas cactus and poinsettias, and other common seasonal houseplants, all have differing needs for water, light, etc. Read this site to keep them happy so they'll keep your home festive.

Need some holiday trivia, fast facts, statistics? The US Census Bureau features the holiday season this month with facts and figures from its data collection.

DailyLit is a website that supplies free digital books via email or RSS, which might be a fun way to re-read A Christmas Carol. Subscribe using the box at the right of the screen.

Looking for fun family activities? This site has tons of Christmas craft ideas with great instructions, difficulty ratings, and age recommendations. (My favorite is a Santa made out of a potato chip tube that they probably would have called "Chris Pringle" if it weren't for the trademark.)

Last, prepare for New Year's Eve by reading the champagne primer. Epicurious.com explains the varieties of sparkling wines, how to read labels, how to store, how to serve, and much more.

Hobby and craft info galore

googler@evpl — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 22:26:00 GMT

Hobbyists and crafters will be in heaven browsing our new database, the Hobbies and Crafts Reference Center. It contains content from more than 740 magazines and books, as well as access to more than 720 videos and over 140 hobby reports, with detailed "how-to" instructions and creative ideas to meet the interests of virtually every hobby-enthusiast.

Accessed through the Library's databases page (the category is "How-To"), the user is presented with a user-friendly screen dividing the many topics into categories for fun browsing, such as collecting, model building, needlecraft and textiles, paper crafts, etc. For more immediate access to a specific topic, use the search box at the top of the screen.

The result list contains both specific projects, when available, and general information articles (and searchers can use a tab to go directly to the projects, if that's what they're after). The searcher can also use the list of more specific terms that are presented, to narrow the results.

Patterns and instructions are taken from popular magazines and presented in PDF or HTML format. And take note of the "video" tab found for a number of crafts. The short videos are quite informative, and any new knitter needing to learn to cast off, for example, will be happy to have them.

Grown-up dollhouses…

SuDocQueen@evpl — Thu, 21 May 2009 01:28:00 GMT

Have you stopped by Oaklyn to check out their Miniatures display yet? Or at least taken a look at the great pictures we have online? I admit I haven’t gotten over to Oaklyn personally, but I have enjoyed looking at the pictures on our website. They reminded me of how much fun I’ve had looking at other miniature collections, like the Thorne Rooms in various museums around the country, Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, and the Museum of Miniatures in Carmel, Indiana.

But just as you don’t have to actually go to Oaklyn to enjoy Marian G. William’s Miniature Collection, you can also enjoy other miniature collections through our books. There’s the Period Rooms of Ruth McChesney, Treasures in Miniature, Dollhouses, Miniature Kitchens, and Shops from the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center, and for a bit of whimsy Fairy Island: an Enchanted Tour of the Homes of the Little Folk.

And if your tastes run more to doing than looking, try these subject searches. An easy start is dollhouses. You’ll find books from A Beginners’ Guide to the Dolls’ House Hobby to The Modern Dolls’ House and The Dolls’ House Wedding Book. Another good search is doll furniture. You’ll get some overlap with your dollhouses search, but you’ll find additional books like 55 Embroidery Projects in Miniature and Simple Country Furniture Projects in 1/12 Scale. If you’re more into making accessories rather than building furniture miniature craft would be the search for you. You’ll get embroidery, cross-stitch, and needlepoint projects as well as learn how to make miniature food.