New Year New Art Projects
Photo courtesy of Kara
Phew! The busy holiday season is past and winter has settled in. This time of year I always find myself thinking of new projects, and often I have seen things at art/craft shows during the holidays that I really want to try out. It’s a great time to learn a new art or craft technique.
One of the library's themed rubber stamp kits.
Your library has Arts & Crafts kits you can check out to make learning free. The kits contain everything you need to try out something new. Some of the items need to be returned like books, knitting needles, embroidery hoops, etc. and other materials can be used up such as yarn, origami paper and embroidery floss. It’s a great way to try something and see if you like it before you have to shell out $$ for supplies!
We also have a terrific selection of books and videos to help you learn something new. Here is a list of some of my favorites:
Participants at an Arts & Crafts program at the library.
Don’t forget about the library’s Arts & Crafts workshops! Each month the library leads workshops at local community centers. These take place at Crestview Community Center on the first Wednesday each month, and at Shawnee North Community Center on the last Thursday. You can see what we’ll be doing each month by checking the Library News – or by looking in the Shawnee County Parks & Recreation catalog. You can register for these workshops by calling the community centers directly. There are also Arts & Crafts workshops at the library. Here are some upcoming creative workshops:
- Button Jewelry: Shawnee North Community Center Jan 29
- Altered Books Techniques: Crestview Community Center Feb 7, Shawnee North Community Center Feb 22
- Journaling With Words and Images at the library Feb 13 & March 13
- Art in Common at the library second Wed of the month
- Card-Making with Cindy at the library Feb 26
- Picture This Photography Club last Monday of most months
Another great way to learn something new is to visit and join a local arts/crafts group or guild. Topeka has a strong creative community and there are lots of folks willing to help beginners. It’s great to get out and meet other people who are interested in the same things. Here is a downloadable/printable directory of local groups and guilds.
Photo courtesy of the Topeka Needlework Guild.
