We’re Crafty at the Southeast Steuben County Library. Aside from our humble Creation Station Makerspace, we offer several crafting classes each season. Crafting with Kimberly has been engaging patrons each month with a themed craft. We transitioned back to virtual programs via Zoom during the height of this seasonal transition. End of summer, back to school, harvest time hustle causes all sorts of havoc for schedules. I have found that offering virtual classes welcomes many more late-working professionals to participate, as well as parents whose children can craft or play in the sidelines. That type of flexibility is what makes the Southeast Steuben County Library so accessible. Check out our most recent class to decorate your entrance with a Spider Web Wreath.

Limited supply stock made it tough to create the kits for this class. There are no leftover supplies to offer Take and Make kits, but if you loved this craft, visit our library building and you will find the new home for Take and Make kits. Deeper inside the hall of books, across from the Reference desk, you will find the Creation Station Makerspace. At the entrance to the “Station,” there is a collection of crafting freebies. Take and Make kits can be found there, if they are in stock. This feels like the best Trick or Treat offering ever! When you are there, find the sewing machine, serger, 3D printers, and Cricut precision cutter.

Cricut has myriad uses for the crafty individual. With a little knowledge and experimentation with the design software, you can be creating your own apparel decals, custom cards, gifts, and personalized goodies. If you want to know more about Cricut and Cricut Design Space, follow along with the tutorial above. There is also time to register for Maker Monday where we will be creating Halloween Party Decorations. It should be a Spooky Good Time!

You should pick up a Tabletop Birdhouse kit when you visit the Creation Station. The tutorial premieres on Friday, October 8 at 7pm. Grab your glue guns and get ready to craft a cute birdhouse, or give it a Haunted House vibe. A little black paint and a set of fairy lights will surely make these sweet houses look more Herman Munster than Donna Reed. I noted that harvest season is in full swing and the holidays are literally weeks away. I generally get into Donna Reed mode once the days are shorter and cooler. Join me for if you have an interest in a Paper-Free Kitchen and Dining experience. Sign up for the Sewn Napkins tutorial in November. We will be sewing along together to cut out paper waste and be more ecologically conscious.

“It’s Fall and that’s apple picking season.” Fans of Saturday Night Live might recall this hilarious scene of the Chickham’s Apple Farm. If you live Upsate, you know the deal. We pick apples! This sketch comedy mocks the way some farms truly market what nature gives us for free. Just look around your neighborhood or country sides. Johnny planted his Apple seeds everywhere. We’re pretty lucky that way! As a homestead crafter, I love to prepare apples as butter and sauce, but I’ve grown a wild love for fresh-pressed apple cider. Apples from my tree fell too quickly and “got the deers drunk.” Instead of heading up to “Chickham’s” I used the Art of Asking to accomplish my craft (thank you, Amanda Palmer) and picked a bushel for free from my neighbors’ yard. The satisfaction of pressing apples picked by your own hand is tremendous. All the vitamins and minerals, with a bit more elbow grease, make the product even sweeter. Just like any craft, success is all about finding the Joy in the Making.

That’s a wrap for this Stationary moment. I’ll catch you on the flip side!