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Have you heard of Creativebug? You can access thousands of online art and craft classes. Learn how to sew, paint, decorate cupcakes and much more. It’s free! All you need is a library card and a computer OR tablet/phone with internet access. Jodi Otto, an Administrative Assistant (and sewing enthusiast) decided to give one of the classes a try! She decided on the “Sew a Luckyjuju Owl Doll” class (taught by: Katia Ferris). She began by gathering all the materials and then started watching the videos. In this particular class there were 9 videos totaling to 1hr and 13 minutes. See her process and the final result below:   The materials list:   The video lessons broken down into sections: PDF patterns and important materials, readily available: The process: The end result:   Jodi said she loved how thorough the sections were and how easy it was to follow. She enjoyed making the owl doll so much that she is making two others. One will be on display at each of our branches, so check it out in person! If you have any questions about Creativebug give us a call at (859)962-4000 or visit one of our reference desks at each branch.

Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish Bark, George by Jules Feiffer A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin Corduroy by Don Freeman Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds Curious George by H.A. Rey Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin Exclamation Mark by Amy Krouse Rosenthal Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel Go, Dog, Go! by P.D. Eastman Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson Hello Hello by Brendan Wenzel Hi! Fly Guy By Tedd Arnold How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen I Stink! by Kate McMullan If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña Leave Me Alone by Vera Brosgol Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton The Mitten by Jan Brett Mother Goose Picture Puzzles by Will Hillenbrand Olivia by Ian Falconer Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas [...]

Looking for a cute wedding gift to give? Want to personalize something like a special quilt? Look no further, the STREAM Center at the Erlanger Branch has an embroidery machine! You can embroider towels, quilts, shirts and more. It can do a 4” x 4” embroidery area, the machine has 70 built in decorative designs and 5 styles of font. You can also hook up a laptop and import your own files! The only cost is .10 cents for a bobbin (just bring your own fabrics). I decided to embroider a hand towel with my initials on it, I've included pictures below of the embroidery process! So many colors to choose from! Setting the fabric in the hoop to make sure the design is embroidered correctly. There are different fonts you can chose from, you can also adjust size and position. The final product! I purchased a very soft plush cotton towel, you can see the design peeks through the plush cotton. This is something to keep in mind, if you want your design to be displayed clearly then you might opt for a thinner towel/fabric.   If you are interested in getting something embroidered and learning about the process, you will need to setup a one-on-one appointment at the STREAM center.   The STREAM center also has upcoming sewing related programs, check them out here. Registration may be required.          

Have you ever seen a cool DIY (do-it-yourself) t-shirt on Pinterest and thought to yourself…”I wish I could make that!” Well, you can and it is SUPER easy. The Silhouette Cameo is a pretty impressive machine that can take your design and cut it out on paper, vinyl, fabric or heat transfer material. It’s a crafters dream but it is also an expensive piece of hardware. Did you know you can use it for free (only pay for materials used) at the STREAM Center (Erlanger Branch)? No buying fancy machines or artist background required. I just got back from Walt Disney World on a family vacation and before I left I knew I had to make a cute Disney shirt for my 18 month old daughter. So I picked up a blank t-shirt for around 1.00 $ at Walmart. I then searched the internet for ideas and inspiration on what to put and decided on “Best Day Ever” (from the movie Tangled). I typed out my phrase/design and brought it to the STREAM center. Racheal helped me setup my file, print it out and iron it on/heat transfer it to my t-shirt. The whole process cost me 2.00$ total (1 $ for the shirt and 1 $ for the vinyl used) and took around 30 minutes to complete. Below are some photos of the process and completed t-shirt. Vinyl Colors that are available: Racheal helping to iron on the printed design: The completed t-shirt: My 18 month old wearing her t-shirt in Disney:   Have more questions or don’t know where to begin? Make a one-on-one appointment with a STREAM staff member, they can answer any questions you might have and can help with the [...]

In the cooking world, the Instant Pot has been a huge craze since last year. Haven’t heard about the Instant Pot? It’s a programmable pressure cooker that cooks foods fast and is super easy to use. It also can be used as a slow cooker, rice/porridge maker, steamer, sauté/browning, yogurt maker and food warmer. I purchased my Instant Pot during a black Friday sale last year and started skimming through the instruction book immediately. It may seem intimidating at first but after using it a couple of times I definitely got the hang of it. Something else that helped were Instant Pot cookbooks from the library. Below, I’ve included some of my favorites. Check them out! How to Instant Pot : mastering all the functions of the one pot that will change the way you cook Instant Pot miracle : from gourmet to everyday, 175 must-have recipes   Instant Pot® Cookbook : 60 delicious foolproof recipes   Instant Pot® obsession : the ultimate electric pressure cooker for cooking everything fast Some dinners I have made: General Tso's Chicken Indian Butter Chicken Buttery Ranch Pork Chops & Butternut Squash Noodles   Decorate your Instant Pot: Want to take your Instant Pot to the next level? Decorate it with a vinyl decal made with our Silhouette Cameo at the STREAM Center. Decorating your Instant Pot is very popular, take a look at Pinterest or Etsy for inspiration. Make an appointment with one of our STREAM center staff and they can help you create your design and print it for 1 $ or less. If you already know how to use the Silhouette Cameo, reserve time to use it here. I am a huge Harry Potter fan so [...]