In an Octopus' Garden in the Shade!

Matt H., South Bend, IN 

Matt sent in this great sketch of an octopus that he's been working on. We think it's a pretty great representation. 

We have a lot of drawing resources available at the library either in print or online. Check out this title from Hoopla:

Drawing For Joy, 

15-Minute Daily Meditations to Cultivate Drawing Skill and Unwind With Color--365 Prompts for Aspiring Artists

Curbside Collage!

Sara M., South Bend, IN

Did you know that you can place items on hold for pick up at select locations in the SJCPL system? 

If you're interested in learning more about collage I recommend placing this book, The Art of Personal Imagery, on hold and using our curbside services to retrieve it!

Questions about curbside services? Find details at https://sjcpl.org/curbside or 

call 574-282-4646 to talk to a librarian about what will work best for you!

Paint, Paper, and TP Rolls, Oh My!

The Daughters of Katie S., South Bend, IN

Empty toilet paper roll usage seems to be so hot right now! These art projects that were school assignments involved painting with toilet paper roll tubes (the flowers) and reusing other pieces of cardboard as a paint brush (the castle). How creative! What can you do with materials that are headed to the recycling bin?

Shake My Beans!

Miss Sandy, Francis Branch

Miss Sandy sent in these photos showing a musical shaker that she made from items in her home. 

They are simple and fun and you can customize your shaker to fulfill your wildest dreams! 

Supplies:

Paper Plate

Dried Beans

Glitter Glue (markers or other paints will work too!)

Ribbons

Scissors

  Instructions: 

1.) Fold your paper plate in half.

2.) Place beans inside your folded plate.

3.) Place a thin line of glue along the edge of one half of your plate and press the two sides together.

4.) Wait a few minutes for the glue to dry. 

5.) Decorate the front  of your plate with the glitter glue.

6.) Cut some ribbons and tape or glue them to the back side of your shaker.

7.) SHAKE YOUR SILLIES AWAY!

This Granny is SO Square!

Katie S. 

South Bend, IN

This crocheted granny square blanket is Katie's third blanket that she has completed during quarantine! Way to go Katie!

Tugging at the Heart Strings!

Daughters of Katie S., South Bend, IN

How fun are these string art projects? 

For more on simple string art projects check out the link below:

Simple String Art How To

I'd Love to Cross this Corgi!

Rachel Y., South Bend, IN

Rachel writes in: "This season has included more cross-stitching than I ever could have imagined. This will be a gift for my cousin's birthday next month; her family has a corgi named Roscoe, and she loves all things corgi. The free pattern I found was for a different type of corgi, so I had to customize the colors to get it right. It was a quick project, started and finished in one weekend.

In case anyone else is interested, the pattern I used can be found at this link: https://ladypurl.tumblr.com/post/38434961828/this-is-my-cross-stitched-corgi-and-the-pattern"

Where to Today, TP?

Princess castle: Devlin, Granger, IN (above)

 Unicorns with toilet paper rolls: Devlin, Granger, IN (above)

Mario mushroom with toilet paper rolls: Phoenix, Granger, IN (above)

Not sure what to do was all your leftover toilet paper rolls? Well do we have some creative and whimsical projects submitted by one of our library families who lives in Granger. Transport yourself to any world you want with acrylic paint, yarn, felt, tooth picks, and construction paper! The possibilities are endless. We applaud your creativity and resourcefulness Devlin and Phoenix. Bravo.

Save the Earth Worms!

Grace W., South Bend, IN

The above is a picture of an Earthworm Saver which Grace made with a chenille stick, cotton balls, and tape. Grace colored the cotton balls and taped them to the chenille stick.  She uses her Earthworm Saver on rainy days to save worms that might have wondered too far from their home. 

Papier-Mache Your Day Away!

Dana L., South Bend, IN

How cute are these little fellas? We all need more animals around! 

To make yours:

• shoebox
• papier-mache (made with glue)
• paint and brush 

Papier Mache Instructions