Esther's Ever After

Are you ready to try something a fun craft program at your library?  I love all kinds of crafts, so I am excited to show you my list of crafts that are trending so far this year. If you want to learn something new or revisit an old favorite, I am sure you’ll find plenty to inspire you! Origami  Well, there's nothing new about Origami, it's an age-old papercraft that was invented in China in 105 A.D. and was brought to Japan by monks in the sixth century. Today, this i ntricate paper folding craft is really fun for just about all ages. It's easy to learn and the outcome is some really creative and beautiful projects. The awesome thing is that the more you do Origami the better you get at it. As a bonus, the supply list for Origami is really short! Weaving I love modern weaving with a wide range of yarn, color, and texture. DIY wall hangings were making a big splash last year, and I expect even more people will join in and get even more creative with fiber love this year.  ...

For the past few months, I have been trying to pamper myself a little more than usual. I do a lot of running around at work, so when I get home my feet are very tired. I decided to start getting pedicures at least once a month and now my feet feel great and look so pretty. I love picking out a color and then topping it off with glitter! I recently saw something that really spoke to my heart. On Saturday, I went to get a pedicure and I saw a tween boy getting a pedicure. He and his sister were both getting pedicures while their mom waited in the sitting area. I thought to myself, how cool is this? Later on, I reflected on how these two tweens making lasting memories and bonding which is an amazing thing for a brother and sister to do!  So, in honor of all of the tweens out there, this blog post is chock full of spa day ideas and activities for guys and girls. Here's a list of fun activities you can do at your library that tweens will love.  DIY Bath Bombs : Tween...

Good Morning!  It's a chilly November morning here in Northern California.  37 degrees is actually very cold for us Californians!  I woke up this morning feeling super excited because my colleague Dunyau and I presented at the California Library Association's (CLA) 2018 Conference on November 10th at the Santa Clara Convention Center.  We sent in a proposal last spring and it was accepted.  Our presentation is called Celebrating Diversity & Multiculturalism Through Crafts.  We had a lot of time to plan for our presentation and we did a lot of research because we are librarians and that's what we do :)  We had an amazing slideshow that Dunyau made on Canva and so many excellent topics to talk about.  We were really focusing on cultural awareness and helping young children learn about diversity and how we can find ways to share our similarities and differences.  When we were finished talking we invited everyone to make the crafts ...

I'm finally going to do to be able to get creative with and let loose my true feelings for Valentine's Day! I'm on a month long campaign to prove that Valentine's Day does not have to be all about hearts, love, and flowers. I'm hosting two Anti-Valentine's Day parties for teens at two different libraries! Wow that double exposure to heartbreak, disillusion, and pain. I love it ♥ I'm an evil genius muhaaahhaaahaaa! Finally something to get excited about in the cold winter weather. Here's my intro to the party invitation and I will be posting for the next month with pictures, songs, and crafts for this anti-heart celebration! Do candy hearts and chocolates make you feel ill? Are you running from Cupid and his stupid arrow? Are you planning your ♥ Day escape? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! You are invited to an ANTI-Valentine Party!!

Library Lion written by Michelle Knudsen and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. Candlwick Press 2006. A touching tale about a very special place that I like to sometimes call home This is a sweet and enchanting story about a lion that visits the library and receives a chance to participate in story time just like all the other children. But, once the lion breaks the rules and roars really loud he is told that he will have to be quiet or leave the library. The lion begins to understand the library rules and does many helpful things for the librarians. One day, an accident happens to the head librarian and the lion does something to break the rules but only to help her because she is hurt. He thinks that he will have to leave the library forever, however he finds out that sometimes rules can be broken especially if it is to save a person in danger. I just love this book and read it to several second grade classes yesterday and they loved it too! This would definitely be a lovely bedtime...