To-Go Crafts

First, I put a plan together of what crafts I wanted to put into the bag. I knew the crafts had to be economical and the materials needed to be small enough to fit into the tote. While the crafts aren't difficult, they aren’t too easy either. I like to push our patrons to try new things. The crafts I chose for this are all craft projects I have taught before. I didn’t want to add anything new to the mix so as not to make it more confusing for myself and others.

Once I got the plan down for what crafts I would be doing, the next step was to film six videos. Each video corresponds to one of the crafts, so it’s like I’m there teaching them directly. Each tote will include a print calendar with the craft info, times and links. The links direct patrons to the videos so they can simply type them in when the day comes, and they can reach the videos right away. Videos will be uploaded prior to the dates.

Since we are starting our summer reading program on June 15, I'll be distributing the bags one or two weeks before that date. We will take sign-ups by phone and online so people can reserve their bag as supplies last. We have 200 bags with supplies, which is more than our usual sign-up for adults, but since I'm offering to interested teens, I upped the number.

Materials in the plain canvas tote bag (the tote bag is a craft in itself!): watercolor paints, stencils, watercolor palettes, graphite paper, air drying clay, beads and beading string, multicolored paper. All materials are purchased from Amazon or are already owned by our library.