January is Walk Your Dog Month!

January is Walk Your Dog Month and what better way to kick start your New Years Resolutions by reading some great YA books that feature dogs?  If you are like me, you love dogs and want to spend more time with them because they just get you.  This awareness month is a great way to help dust off the January blues, read a few good books, maybe go out and adopt a new dog, or if you already have one start taking him/her out for more walks.  It's a fun way to get out of the house and your dog will love you for it!

Here is a list of YA books that will have you begging for more!

Last Chance by Norah McClintock

In this charming YA novel by Norah McClintock, the main character Robyn is scared of dogs—like, really scared. But she agrees to spend her summer working at an animal shelter anyway. (It's a long story.) Robyn soon discovers that many juvenile offenders also volunteer at the shelter—including Nick D'Angelo, a boy from Robyn's past. A boy she hoped to never see again. Nick has a talent for getting into trouble, but after his latest arrest, Robyn suspects that he just might be innocent. And she sets out to prove it...

The Way to Game the Walk of Shame by Jenn P. Nguyen

A 2017 Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, this witty and entertaining contemporary debut deftly combines high school drama with pitch-perfect flirty banter.

Taylor Simmons is not in a good place. Everyone called her the Ice Queen because she always put her studies first. After she got drunk at a party and woke up next to bad boy surfer Evan McKinley, the entire school seemed intent on tearing Taylor down with mockery and gossip. Taylor's faithful sidekick and loyal pup Oreo is there to help her decide if Evan is a good guy or not.  

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

Sweet with fur flying fun!  Andie must learn to embrace the beauty in chaos in this New York Times bestselling novel about friendship, finding yourself, and all the joys in life that happen while you’re busy making other plans.

Andie has a plan. And she always sticks to her plan. The only thing is that she never planned to become a dog walker.  In this adorable coming of age story, you'll see how Andie changes her points of view and how a half a dozen or so doggos can make a world of difference in the direction you are going in life.  

Suitors and Sabotage by Cindy Anstey

Two young people must hide their true feelings for each other while figuring out who means them harm in this cheeky Regency romance from the author of Love, Lies and Spies and Duels & Deception.

Shy aspiring artist Imogene Chively has just had a successful Season in London, complete with a suitor of her father's approval. Imogene is ambivalent about the young gentleman until he comes to visit her at the Chively estate with his younger brother in tow. This is where things get interesting.  Here we meet Jasper, Imogene's water dog and he may hold the secret to love, well you'll just have to read to find out what happens to this daring young couple.

Marley & Me by John Grogan

Of course, we can't forget Marley, he is one of the most loveable and sweet puppers out there and this book is based on the true story of his life.  Through the telling of this story, we get to see how it is possible for humans to discover the key to happiness through a bigger-than-life, trouble-making, silly but sweet!

John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They were young and in love. Then they brought home Marley, a wiggly yellow furball of a puppy. And from that moment on, seriously, life would never be the same.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Let's face it, Lara Jean's little sister's dog Jamie Fox-Pickle has one of the best fictional pet names ever! He's a Wheaton Terrier and his name fits him perfectly, he's sassy but also very sweet.  This book is great because it has love, romance, mystery, and playfulness that will pull on your heartstrings. 

Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life. Until the day her sister mails her secret letters, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes out of control.

Rotten by Michael Northrup

A troubled teen. A rescued Rottweiler. An unlikely friendship. Jimmer "JD" Dobbs is back in town after spending the summer "upstate." No one believes his story about visiting his aunt, and it's pretty clear that he has something to hide. It's also pretty clear that his mom made a new friend while he was away---a rescued Rottweiler that JD immediately renames Johnny Rotten (yes, after that guy in the Sex Pistols). Both tough but damaged, JD and Johnny slowly learn to trust each other, but their newfound bond is threatened and JD must come to terms with his secrets and face the truth, which is the very thing that he is scared of. This book is a must-read!

Whipoorwill by Joseph Monninger

Sixteen-year-old Clair Taylor has neighbors who are what locals call whippoorwills, the kind of people who fill their yards with rusty junk. Clair tries to ignore her surroundings, choosing instead to dream of a future beyond her rural New Hampshire town. But, when a black dog named Wally is chained up to a pole next door, Clair can’t look the other way. Clair decides to save Wally, and the immediate connection she has with the lovable dog catches her off-guard, but even more surprising is her bond with eighteen-year-old Danny Stewart, the boy next door.

Love Knots & Triangles

If you read a lot of YA fiction like I do, you'll start to notice that there are a lot of love triangles in YA lit.  It's a toss-up for many readers, they either live for love triangles or they detest them.  I can't remember when I started reading YA, I think it was in the early 2000's and I remember picking up Twilight, the then-new vampire novel by newcomer herself Stephanie Meyer.  I think pretty much everyone is familiar with the love triangle that happens in Twilight.  The Edward, Bella, Jacob combo was one that I became totally hooked on for several years I had to keep reading each novel in the series until it was done.  In the last book Breaking Dawn, I couldn't wait to find out which guy Bella picks.  I always had my favorite, yes I'm not gonna say who it is. Bella kept stringing us along for all four books and needless to say, I was not a happy camper in the end. Funny enough, many readers love this stuff, where I found myself pretty not too happy with the outcome, but of course I just keep reading and reading and making myself endure love triangles over and over again.  Sometimes I feel like the triangles even expand and turn into what I like to call a Love Knot.  There's so much going with these teen stories that we fall into the trap of reliving our own teen years just to compare.  So, why do we keep doing this to ourselves? Ultimately, it's about making choices and love triangles really show how hard it is to make the right choice.  

I am happy to share that love triangles in YA lit have been getting better and better over the years since Twilight. If you keep reading them I promise your opinion about love might improve overall.  Also, it is good to remember that sometimes love triangles have two really great guys, but one is always just a little sweeter.

Here is a Fun List of YA fiction that Features Love Triangles:

Recycling, Upcycling, and Downcycling

If you’re looking to do a craft program with recycled materials, you may be surprised by just how many items you can reuse creatively. Even a simple plastic bottle can be reused to create something really cool!

We can come up with some super creative ideas for crafts and let's remember that if we recycle materials, it is way better for our environment! There are so many different recycling projects out there where we can use lots of everyday items. Here's a list of many items that can be used and reused for craft programs:

• Glass bottles
• Plastic bottles
• Paper rolls (from kitchen towel and toilet paper)
• Clothes
• Books
• Plastic Pots
• Corks
• Dryer sheets
• Coffee grounds
• Egg cartons
• Shoe boxes
• Old and damaged tiles
• Bottle caps
• Mailing tubes
• CDs and DVDs
• Light bulbs
• Carpet
• Fabric scraps
• Glass
• Office Supplies
• Metal
• Clay scraps

I'm sure there are more items out there that can be recycled, but this list gives us a good idea of just how many different items can be recycled for crafting purposes.

Check out this awesome Youtube video that shows us a whole bunch of ways to reuse and recycle plastic.

34 LOVELY HACKS TO REUSE PLASTIC

Upcycling

Upcycling is a fun way of recycling things that you might not be using and then turning it into something practical that you will use or give to someone else to use. 

Upcycling can be done for all sorts of items on the recycling list. There are so many different upcycling projects out there on craft blogs and on Youtube channels, with creative people upcycling all kinds of different recycled items from cookie sheets and file folder labels.

Upcycling is an awesome way to create fun and decorative items, or items that just work in a practical way, such as a plastic bottle to help water a plant can be extremely useful for anyone. Either way, this helps our environment because rather than throwing the bottle in the trash it is being used over and over again.

The DIY Network has 35 Upcycled Crafts + Easy DIYs that can help you get lot of ideas on your next upcycling project!  Let me know if you try any of these, I'd love to hear all about it!

Downcycling

Downcycling is just as useful as recycling or upcycling and gives sort of the opposite approach since it involves breaking down items into smaller parts and creating something different.  This is usually helpful and gives the creator a lot more pieces to work with, which then gives more value than the item as a whole would have been worth and it's all being reused so that is a great thing.

If you are looking at how to make creative things from materials that you have at home take a look at some of the craft blogs and crafty channels on Youtube about downcycling.  Some ideas focus on using old clothes for art projects or old sweaters for pet clothing or bedding or how to turn old CDs into backyard windchimes.

Here's a great Youtube video that explains very well what Downcycling is all about.  Check it out!

See you next time with some ideas for crafts using fabric scraps that you might just have lying around your house or work.  I have lots of fun ideas for you!

Mrs. Librarian Lady

The Three R's: How to incorporate these principles into craft programs

Have heard of something called the waste hierarchy?  If you haven't, you may be wondering what that means. It is the order of priority of actions to be taken to reduce the amount of waste generated and to improve overall waste management processes and programs.

The waste hierarchy consists of 3 R’s as follows:

• Reduce
• Reuse
• Recycle

The Three R’s are considered to be a waste hierarchy and the guidance suggested for creating a sustainable life. Surprisingly, every year approximately 230 million tons of trash or waste is generated and this equals about 4.6 pounds of waste per person per day.  Sadly, less than 1/4 of this is recycled, the rest is incinerated or left in landfills.  In fact, we could recycle about 70% of what is tossed in landfills, with just a little bit of thought and ingenuity. You might be wondering as to how can you incorporate these principles in your daily life. They are not hard to implement. All you need is to bring a small change in your daily lifestyle to reduce waste so that less amount of it goes to the landfill that can reduce your carbon footprint.  My suggestion is to try and reuse any and all materials that can be reused and recycled for craft projects.  Over the next few months, I'll be talking about how to incorporate the three R's into library craft programs and giving out tips and craft ideas that highlight recycled materials.  

Tune in next time for my next installation on how to Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle, this will be a library crafting series with lots of information on recycling, how to use recycled materials for crafts, and how to put on a Three R's craft program.

Mrs. Librarian Lady

What's trending in the world of crafts?

Are you ready to try something a fun craft program at your library?  I love all kinds of crafts, so I am excited to show you my list of crafts that are trending so far this year. If you want to learn something new or revisit an old favorite, I am sure you’ll find plenty to inspire you!

Origami 

Well, there's nothing new about Origami, it's an age-old papercraft that was invented in China in 105 A.D. and was brought to Japan by monks in the sixth century. Today, this intricate paper folding craft is really fun for just about all ages. It's easy to learn and the outcome is some really creative and beautiful projects. The awesome thing is that the more you do Origami the better you get at it. As a bonus, the supply list for Origami is really short!

Weaving

I love modern weaving with a wide range of yarn, color, and texture. DIY wall hangings were making a big splash last year, and I expect even more people will join in and get even more creative with fiber love this year.  DIY weaving would be a great library program and it's so easy to make a cardboard loom.  Just think of all the awesome colors of yarn you will use!

Calligraphy

Oh, how I have always adored calligraphy.  That's funny because I remember not liking to write in cursive when I was in school, but I have always been a fan of the swirling and stylish lettering that makes calligraphy so enticing.  And so it is that brush lettering is evolving this year and with it the more refined art of calligraphy. The awesome thing is that you don't have to try and create your own lettering, you can practice with tracing templates to perfect your technique, and before long all your cardmaking projects will have a more professional appearance.  A calligraphy program at your library would be a great way to introduce the art of calligraphy and transforming letters in a work of art.  The short supply list for this program would be calligraphy pens, template sheets, and sheets of calligraphy paper. 

Pyrography

Pyrography literally means “writing with fire” but the term “wood burning” is probably more familiar to all of us.  Today’s crafters use a specialized tool with a heated tip to burn designs into wood. This fire writing tool can be used to decorate everything from jewelry boxes, crates, cutting boards and more. Ok, I have to get me one of these fire writing tools ASAP!  I definitely think that this could be a really fun library program for adults.  I will explore a little more and share my ideas.

Candle Making

I have so many fond memories of candle making.  I shared in my webinar Living in a Material World last month that I grew up making crafts with my Mom and candle making was one of our favorites. I love that the tradition of making candles is being carried on today and now it has been revitalized with modern materials and techniques. Candles are pretty simple to make, easy to personalize and make excellent gifts or can be used as accents for your own home.  I'll share some ideas for candle making programs at your library in the next few weeks.

Paint Pour

You might be saying to yourself what is this?  This is a pretty cool craft that seems to be taking the world by storm.  Last month my colleague had a program with a different name, but the same concept.  Her's was called Galaxy paint and pour and it was a sold-out show.  I have to say that paint pouring is a mesmerizing craft that consists of mixing various paint colors together before pouring onto your chosen canvas. With different results every time you’ll be addicted to seeing what you create next!

Which one of these crafts are you most excited to try at your library?

Tune in next time for more craft ideas from Mrs. Librarian Lady! 

Exciting News!

I have really exciting news!  I am doing another webinar with Infopeople coming up this summer.  It's a little different than I normally do though.  I will be focusing on crafts for adults, but hey you know how much I love crafts, so this is right up my alley.  The webinar is called Living in a Material World: Craft programs for adults.  I will be on live on Thursday, July 11th at 12 p.m. You can register for the webinar here.  I hope that you will tune in!




Happy crafting to all!

Mrs. Librarian Lady

Celebrating Diversity & Multiculturalism through Crafts Webinar

I am so excited to be presenting on InfoPeople!  I will be presenting an awesome webinar called Celebrating Diversity and Multiculturalism through Crafts with my dear friend Dunyau Maqsoudi-Moreno this week.  Please tune in and check it out!  April 4th 12-1pm Pacific standard time.

Here is a link Celebrating Diversity & Multiculturalism through Crafts Webinar

See you next time with more ideas for crafts and activities for tweens and teens!

Mrs.Librarian Lady

Relaxing & Fun Spa Day for TWeens

For the past few months, I have been trying to pamper myself a little more than usual. I do a lot of running around at work, so when I get home my feet are very tired. I decided to start getting pedicures at least once a month and now my feet feel great and look so pretty. I love picking out a color and then topping it off with glitter!

I recently saw something that really spoke to my heart. On Saturday, I went to get a pedicure and I saw a tween boy getting a pedicure. He and his sister were both getting pedicures while their mom waited in the sitting area. I thought to myself, how cool is this? Later on, I reflected on how these two tweens making lasting memories and bonding which is an amazing thing for a brother and sister to do! 

So, in honor of all of the tweens out there, this blog post is chock full of spa day ideas and activities for guys and girls. Here's a list of fun activities you can do at your library that tweens will love. 

DIY Bath Bombs: Tweens will think you are the bomb after making these amazing bath bombs! 

Homemade Body Scrubs: You'll be tempted to eat these yummy smelling body scrubs.

Easy Towel Wrap: Add colorful ribbon and pins to make this terry cloth wrap unique.

Kool-Aid Lip Gloss: Make these sweet-smelling and tasty lip glosses just for fun. They make great gifts, too!

Glitter Slime: Glittery slime is the coolest thing. 

Hair Chalk: These awesome bright colors go on hair and wash right out. They're just so playful and fun!

Any time is a good time to plan a spa day, so I think I'll start planning mine right now!

Tune in next month for more tips and ideas for tween and teen programming from Mrs. Librarian Lady!

The Antithesis of Valentine's Day

For some reason I'm not a big fan of Valentine's Day. You're probably thinking who doesn't like hearts, flowers, and cards? Well, here's how it happened. One fateful night (too many years ago to admit), I had the worst Valentine's Day of my life. I was newly single, and my best friend was about to get married. We went out to what was supposed to be a fun Valentine's Day party, and I sat there and cried my eyes out the whole night. Since then, I have disliked (loathed is more like it) the day that celebrates hearts, couples and flowers. 

I'm so glad I became a teen librarian because it is the perfect way to use my anti-Valentine's Day powers for a good cause. When I first heard of anti-Valentine's Day, I thought it was an awesome concept! One of the first taglines I remember using for promotions was "Do you hate hearts and flowers? Do you think Cupid is stupid? If you don't fall for this overrated Hallmark holiday, then you're in luck!" I've hosted anti-Valentine's Day teen programs since 2012, and each one has been a blast. This year our anti-Valentine's Day theme is "It's not me, it's you," and we are getting excited for this teen shindig! The key to throwing a great bash is to plan a bunch of fun activities and offer delicious treats. Here are a few of my favorite anti-Valentine's Day crafts and activities:

Rude conversation hearts: These angsty little hearts are totally rude, but 100 percent pure fun to make.

Black duct tape roses: Give a black rose to someone you don't love. 

Bling rings: Give your BFFs bling rings, because they deserve all the bling in the world. 

Voodoo pincushion dolls: Teens will absolutely loves these controversial, yet cool, crafts. 

Valentine potion taste test: Are you up for a little fizzy bubbly at your anti-Valentine's Day party?

Geeky Valentine surprise cupcakes and "she's just not that into you" cookies: You can't go wrong with these treats! 

Ultimate breakup playlist: I know it hurts to listen, but the pain will only make you stronger.

Tune in next month for more ideas for tween and teen programming and activities!

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.

Mashup Time! P.S. I Like You ♥♥♥

Hello again!  I am pursuing again my idea to pair up YA fiction books with fun crafts and yummy recipes.  I'm thinking of a mashup of craft ideas that go with the awesome YA books I read. I will pick a book and then give a description and then list all of the crafts and/or recipes that apply.  I think it will be fun to see how many of these I can come up with.  Let me know if there is a YA book that you would like me to pair up with a craft or recipe!  

I just finished the sweetest book called P.S. I Like You by Kasie West and have so many ideas for mashup crafts.  In this book, our main character Lily Abbot is writing in her notebook in Chemistry class, Lily scribbles some of her favorite song lyrics onto her desk. The next day she finds that someone has continued the lyrics on the desk and added a message to her intrigue!    

Soon, Lily and her anonymous pen pal are exchanging full-on letters, sharing secrets, recommending bands, and opening up to each other. Lily realizes she's kind of falling for this letter writer. Only who is he? As Lily attempts to unravel the mystery, and juggle school, friends, crushes, and her crazy family, she discovers that matters of the heart can't always be spelled out...  

Here are a few mashup ideas for P.S. I Like You ♥  

Open When Letters

These are really adorable!  You can customize your Open When envelopes for anyone.  This blog Bethartscrafts has a lot of great ideas for you to get started on customizing your envelopes.  

                     IDEAS FOR ‘OPEN WHEN’ LETTERS

Paper Heart Note Fold

You can find a tutorial here on this lovely paper folding crafty ideas.  Paper Heart Note Fold

The Secret Letter

All you have to do is write your letter with lemon juice and let it dry.  To make it visible, wave the paper over a flame (candle, stove, lighter), letting the flame almost burn the paper.  The areas where you applied the lemon juice will brown faster than the rest of the paper, the words will slowly appear, and you will have decoded the secret message.

Tune in next time for a Book n' Craft Mashup for YALSA Top Ten Nominee Passenger by Lisa Lutz!

Mrs. Librarian Lady

Hello Mrs. Librarian Lady is Back!

Wow!  It's been a long time since I posted here.  I feel bad, but I still have lots of fun ideas for teen programs and crafts.  One thing I just implemented at my library is something called the Teen Make n' Take Station.  This is really cool because each month I come up with ideas and buy the supplies, make a few samples and then put out everything at the station.  It has been wildly popular and I am excited to keep this going for our teens that come into the library.  Here is are a few of the crafts I have had at the Make n' Take Station so far.

September:  Paint Chip Bookmarks -  These were so fun and easy to make!  Visit your local home service store that has paint samples and you'll find all kinds of colors there.  Find different shaped hole punches or decorate with metallic sharpies and stickers.  Anything you do with these bookmarks is awesome!

October:  Decorated Animal Masks - The cutest masks ever :) Just print out the masks and make sure to have stickers, glitter, markers, hole puncher, and lots of ribbon

November:  Simple White Tile Coasters - I bought a box of  50 - 4" x 4" white tiles for $20 and decorated a few of them with colorful and metallic sharpies.  They turned out to be so adorable I gave mine away as gifts!

I'm looking for ideas for December, so if you have any easy holiday crafts ideas let me know!

Mrs. Librarian Lady

Reality Scoop

I have been interested in writing about the issues of teens and have found that many of the issues that they face are very difficult.  Since I read so much YA fiction, I have seen that there a lot of books that tackle teen topics in a very sensitive and conscious manner.  A few years ago I started to write about real topics that teens are dealing with such as depression, anxiety, lack of sleep, stress, and other mental health issues and pair these topics up with YA realistic fiction books in a column I called Reality Scoop.  I came up with this idea because I feel like many teens could relate to issues they might be dealing with by reading books they can check out from their library.

Here are a few articles that I have written for my column Reality Scoop on the YALSA Hub:

Random Acts of Kindness
Holiday Stress Released
Depression in Young Adult Literature
Autism Awareness
Mental Wellness

I'm thinking of continuing Reality Scoop here on this blog and I am currently working on a list of topics for 2017,

This will be a fun writing project for the upcoming year!

Mrs. Librarian Lady