DIY Book Clutch Craft for Teens

 Are you looking for a unique craft idea to engage your teens? A DIY Book Clutch program is perfect! In this session, teens can turn old books into stylish clutches by hollowing out the inside and adding fabric and clasps. It’s a creative way to repurpose damaged or discarded books while promoting sustainability and giving teens a fun, trendy project. I found this idea on Sarah & Nick a DIY blog with awesome ideas!

Photo courtesy of Sarah & Nick DIY Blog

Materials needed:

• Old hardcover books (donated or weeded from your collection)

• Fabric, glue, scissors, and clasps

• Decorations (stickers, gems, paint, etc.)

Program steps:

1. Hollow out the book by carefully cutting out the pages.

2. Line the inside of the cover with fabric.

3. Add a clasp for closure.

4. Let teens personalize their clutches with decorations and designs.

Teens will love this hands-on, creative project that allow them to express their individuality. A book clutch is not only a fun and fashionable accessory but also a great way to introduce conversations about upcycling and sustainability. Plus, it gives them something to show off to their friends!

Tune in for my next blog post. I have so many ideas to share. 

Keep on reading!

Mrs. Librarian Lady

Celebrating Multicultural Crafts!

Good Morning!  It's a chilly November morning here in Northern California.  37 degrees is actually very cold for us Californians!  I woke up this morning feeling super excited because my colleague Dunyau and I presented at the California Library Association's (CLA) 2018 Conference on November 10th at the Santa Clara Convention Center.  We sent in a proposal last spring and it was accepted.  Our presentation is called Celebrating Diversity & Multiculturalism Through Crafts.  We had a lot of time to plan for our presentation and we did a lot of research because we are librarians and that's what we do :)  We had an amazing slideshow that Dunyau made on Canva and so many excellent topics to talk about.  We were really focusing on cultural awareness and helping young children learn about diversity and how we can find ways to share our similarities and differences.  When we were finished talking we invited everyone to make the crafts that we showed in our presentation.  What a blast it was!  All of the participants (I think there were around sixty) were really excited to try and make the crafts.  We had five crafts in all for them to make.  There were Ramadan mosaic tiles, Diwali painted pots, Pride ribbon streamers, Multicultural paper dolls, and Dia de Los Muertos mini tin altars.  I especially liked the mini tin altars, they are super cute and very easy to make.  Several participants told me that they were "inspired" and they are going to try these crafts at their library.  We are very excited to continue to share our research and presentation with other libraries and plan to create a webinar and possibly even a class that we take on the road!

Next time I will share more about our presentation and feature some of the crafts with the supplies needed and how to make them.

Teen Summer Challenge Extended!

Hello everyone!  I know it's been a while since I have checked in here.  I've been busy writing for the Programming Librarian blog and was working on a great piece called the Teen Summer Challenge.  I didn't get a chance to finish up on the PL blog, so I was thinking that since summer isn't officially over until September 22nd that I would post the rest of my summer challenge ideas here.  My plan is to post about projects that teens will love to do at the library during the summer. I’ve got ideas for refreshing summer recipes, creative crafts, and even some outdoor activities. If you are a teen librarian or school librarian you can join the challenge by duplicating these engaging ideas at your library. Here's a sneak preview of some of the projects on my summer list that are still left to do:

• Yarn bowls
• Games 101
• Leaf art
• Kaleidoscopes
• Plant pals
• Sock puppets
• Mastering the jump rope
• Waterproofing the jump rope
• Custom crayons
• Lazy summer day playlist

Here are some crafts and activities that I already tried at my library!


Summer Fun with Adorable Tape and Dancing


More Summer Fun with Dream Catchers and Playing in the Dirt


May the Fourth of July Be With You


Feel free to try these crafts and activities out any time of the year!


Love your library!


Mrs. Librarian Lady