Calling all artists and crafters

Do you enjoy making arts and crafts?

Do you knit, sew, work with paper, clay, wood or glass?

Would you be willing to donate some of your handmade creations to support the Iowa City Public Library?

Then we have an opportunity for you!

ICPL's first annual Fundraising Arts & Crafts Bazaar will be held on December 8, and we’re looking for a variety of donated arts and crafts to sell.  Just about anything is welcome and can be donated for this sale.  More details can be found at the bottom of this post.

And to get you in the mood to craft, here are some of the new crafting books available at ICPL:

A Bounty of Bead & Wire Bracelets by Nathalie Mornu.  Nathalie Mornu has collected 50 wonderful bracelet designs  from 37 leading jewelry artists.  She begins with a well written and easy to follow 10 page section called "Basics" that explains bead sizes, wire gauges, findings, chains,  tools and various techniques used to create the pieces in the book.  Each of the projects is identified by name and artist.  Each has a full-color close up photograph, a materials and tools needed list, and easy to follow step by step instructions. Some projects include notes and suggestions from the designer as well.  The projects run from basic to advanced, from fast to time consuming.  Each piece is a beautiful work of art that you can make for yourself.

Mod Podge Rocks!: decoupage your world, by Amy Anderson. Amy Anderson, creator and moderator of the popular blog by the same name (www.modpodgerocksblog.com) has collected 40 fun projects that run the gamut of decoupage craft - from wearable art to home decore and holiday gifts. Starting with a multi-page introduction to the various formulas of Mod Podge and their many uses, Anderson takes you step by step though each project. A simple supply list and lots of full color photos are provided.

Shrink! Shrank! Shrunk!  Making stylish shrink plastic jewelry, by Kathy Sheldon. If you’re a child of the 70’s you may have fond memories of the Shrinky-Dink ™ craze. Well it’s back with a new twist. Sheldon’s book starts with a great 10-page introduction to the fun of working with the different types of shrink plastics available and the types of artists media used with each. Step by step instructions for more than 30 projects follow, with great color photographs, and 14 pages of templates.

T Shirt Quilts Made Easy, by Martha Deleonardis.  T shirt quilts are a fun way to hold on to memories.  They mean a lot to the person who owned the shirts, but can be rather boring to others.  Deleonardis’ new book takes tshirt quilts up a notch or two.  Using bright colors and wild patterns, she adds pieced sashing and borders to create some amazing quilts that just happen to include tshirt squares.  beginning with ten pages of hints on working with tshirts is followed by eleven separate projects and a gallery of tshirt quilts made by others.  The bold color photgraphs, well written and easy to follow instructions make this a must have if you’re a tshirt collector.

Bazaar Details:

Arts and crafts items donated for the bazaar can be dropped off at the Library from Nov. 26 to Dec. 6.  The public is invited to attend the sale, which starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8^.  The sale will last until it’s all gone or 4 p.m., whichever comes first.  Proceeds will benefit the Library’s Friends Foundation. For more information on the Arts & Crafts Bazaar click here.