If you are looking for some fun holiday craft ideas, check out Creativebug, which offers you unlimited access to thousands of art and craft videos, all free with your library card. Visit creativebug.com/lib/cdpl and enter your library card number to get started. You can find projects on everything from yarn work to paper crafts to festive foods. Each video comes with a complete list of supplies that you will need and step-by-step directions for you to follow along and complete your project.
Learn how to create sweet “Simple Holiday Cards” using paper and gel pens, or use a fun watercolor wash to make the perfect background for “Embossed Holiday Cards.” Grab your common kitchen ingredients to create “Salt Dough Ornaments.” Leave them plain for a rustic, homespun look, or decorate with paint.
If you want to get fancy, you can make a delicious gift (or treat yourself) following the videos in “A Month of Giftable Goods and Recipes.” Learn how to create your own infused salts, compound butters, glazes, and handmade candies, plus there are downloadable recipe cards and gift tags. You can choose to make a single gift or create generous batches to share among friends or at a gathering. You can also use what you create in another video: “Crafting Together: Make a Snacking Board.” Learn how to create a beautiful board that you can take to holiday gatherings using pantry items along with items created from your giftable goods. Prefer sweet to savory? Watch “Hand-Rolled Truffles” to learn how to make truffles from home using a classic chocolate ganache with only a few ingredients.
If you have a Cricut machine, you can create “Winter Trees Decor” and a “Winter Placemat” to decorate your table for holiday gatherings. There is also an entire series of “Holiday Cricut Crafts: 30 Festive Projects,” which shares how to make a variety of paper crafts from gift bags to garlands to magnetic snowflakes.
Looking for something you can create as a family? Check out “Sustainable Play: Holiday Crafts.” Artists of all ages can craft using regular cereal and cracker boxes, turning them into handmade holiday decorations. Learn to make a menorah that looks like a unicorn by tracing, cutting, and painting cardboard, and creating play-candles with clothespins. Or learn how to upcycle materials to make gift tags, ornaments, mobiles and garlands.
Of course, we also have several holiday crafts and cooking books at the library. “Wild + Free Holidays: 35 Festive Family Activities to Make the Season Bright” by Ainsley Arment (745.59412 Arm) shares how to turn artwork into festive decor and create storybook ornaments, rustic woven winter stars, handmade wrapping paper, and more. “How to Celebrate Everything: Recipes and Rituals for Birthdays, Holidays, Family Dinners, and Every Day in Between” by Jenny Rosenstrach (641.5 Ros) is a warm and inviting guide with more than one hundred recipes and ideas for turning birthdays, holidays, and everyday occasions into cherished traditions. Or create a charcuterie board with inspiration from “Platters and Boards: Beautiful, Casual Spreads for Every Occasion” by Shelley Westerhausen (642.4 Wes). These and many more items can be found in our nonfiction sections of the library.
The library’s normal operating hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday-Saturday; and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. The library will be closed on Dec. 24, Dec. 25, Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 for the holidays.
Megan Taylor is assistant manager in the Reference and Local History Department at the Crawfordsville District Public Library.
