Arts and Crafts

Last month, knitters and crocheters met at the Los Altos Library to make hats, scarves, and blankets for charity. They were given one month to bring the items in to be sent to Warmth for Warriors, Afghans for Afghans, and Soldiers Angels. The month is almost up and we've gotten so many great things back! This program was a lot of fun, and was so . . . more »

You can certainly find rubber stamps and any local craft store, but creating your own unique stamps is also an option. All you need are some basic tools and plenty of inspiration, which can be found in our library! These two books have already served as inspiration for me in my rubber stamp creation, and I'm sure they will do the same for you. Making . . . more »

I am definately a DIY kind of gal. So when V-Day rolls around, I like to look for ideas that give my love missives a personal touch. This year, I was inspired by some of the cards in this book: 175 Fresh Card Ideas by Kimber McGray. Filled with do-able projects ranging from elegant to whisical to zany, this book gives clear instructions and inspires . . . more »

This picture was taken on my last trip to Belgium and the Netherlands. My very favorite museum is the The Mauritshuis in The Hague, where the collection lines the walls of a magnificent palace fit to display this impeccable collection of Flemish and Dutch art. With only 36 known paintings by Vermeer in the world, seeing the famous Girl with a Pearl Earring was a . . . more »

The Silicon Web Costumers' Guild is a non-profit virtual community interested in costumes and costuming. They are a chapter of the International Costumers Guild. They put together an online costuming magazine called Virtual Costumer which comes out four times a year. The back issues are available and free to view and save as a pdf. Current issues are available to members only. The magazine covers . . . more »

photo by Aaron Colussi Check out a great photo essay of patrons at the New York Public Library branches. It's interesting to me to see that libraries are universal no matter where you live, and yet they provide such personal service. What do you do when you visit the library? . . . more »

Welcome Everyone to the new Arts and Crafts Blog! We have assembled a team of talented people to write articles about the latest books, cool new ideas, programming and more going on at your library! We hope to write articles that interest you, ranging from local artists, photography, ecocrafts, steampunk gagetry, and much, much more. If there is something you are interested in, please let . . . more »

Arts and crafts are a great way to spend time with your children, or even as an entire family. Do you feel like you don't have a creative bone in your body? Good news is that in general, kids aren't going to care too much, they just love the opportunity to spend time together, and the library has books to help you out with ideas. . . . more »