Crafternoon-To-Go: Refrigerator Magnets

Posted on Wednesday, May 11, 2022 by cs

With so many events happening in May, we thought we would make this month’s Crafternoon super easy: refrigerator magnets. We provide the magnet, flat glass bead, Mod Podge and a glue applicator stick.  All you need are a pair of scissors, a dab of glue and a picture of a family member, furry friend or even just decorative paper. (These kits are designed for adults; the magnets and glass beads can be dangerous for children due to their small size.)

These kits will be available while they last in all of our branches on Friday, May 13. You may pick them up at the reference desk at the Columbia library and near the service desks at our other branches. For other picture craft ideas, try this list.

 

 

Local Trails

Posted on Friday, April 29, 2022 by DBRL_Katie

photo of tree flowers
Crab apple blossoms change from fuchsia to blush pink along one of three Tree Trails on Mizzou’s campus

Getting outside in this spring air is grounding, refreshing and stimulating to all our senses. Budding trees, aromatic blossoms and brilliant shades of green abound. Raptors soar above us in stark contrast to the pastel sky. The creeks and streams babble terrifically cold water. There is so much life to witness and be among.

We are truly lucky in central Missouri to have a number of quality trails and natural areas where we can do just that. But keeping track of all the options can be tricky, as there are many distinct jurisdictions. There’s municipal parks, college grounds, state parks, conservation areas and even a national forest on the southwest border of Boone and Callaway counties. These trails run the gamut of accessibility and activities. Some are paved and centrally located while others are rugged, faintly developed and remote. Use the links below to discover your next local trail.


“Its landscape of entrenched creek valleys, massive limestone bluffs and caves, and rolling grassy uplands intrigues and charms…Listen for spring peepers, watch for Virginia bluebells, and catch the fragrance of wild plum.”

– entry on Rock Bridge State Park from “Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites

Books

Crafternoon-To-Go: Photo Wall Hanging

Posted on Wednesday, April 13, 2022 by cs

photo of wall hanging with various black and white imagesLots of events are coming up: Easter, graduations, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays and many more. And what do we usually do at these events? Take pictures, loads of pictures. Our kit this month shows how to make a photo wall hanging of these pictures in black and white. You can certainly do this in color, but we wanted to highlight the black and white photo look.

These kits will be available while they last in all of our branches on Friday, April 15. You may pick them up at the reference desk at the Columbia library and near the service desks at our other branches. For other photo craft ideas, try this list.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Posted on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 by Ida

Baseball is happening folks! We can all exhale now. Let’s celebrate by checking out what our library has to offer on the topic of this great national pastime.

2015 World Series DVDMissouri is blessed with two teams who have won the World Series in dramatic, wilder-than-fiction fashion. Relive those days of triumph with one or more of these DVDs:
2015 World Series
2011 World Series Champions: STL
St. Louis Cardinals Vintage World Series Film, 1982, 1985, 1987Continue reading “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”

Read the Recipe! Vol. 7: “That Sounds So Good”

Posted on Monday, March 28, 2022 by Jason Delpire

That sounds so good book coverThe subject of this blog was initially inspired by reading a coworker’s work. I wanted to find books that combined two of my loves: music and cooking. So, I searched the catalog for “cookbook” and “music.” The first result was “That Sounds So Good” by Carla Lalli Music. What did I expect, right? Though it was clearly not what I was looking for, the title did interest me. Sigh, the focus of the blog changed, again. There are musicians with their own cookbooks, here is a short list with some of those titles, which includes choices ranging from Sammy Hagar to Snoop Dogg. Continue reading “Read the Recipe! Vol. 7: “That Sounds So Good””

House Love

Posted on Friday, March 25, 2022 by Reading Addict

White house with pink and purple flowers in the foreground

“Houses are really quite odd things. They have almost no universally defining qualities: they can be of practically any shape, incorporate virtually any material, be of almost any size. Yet wherever we go in the world we recognize domesticity the moment we see it.”
Bill Bryson, “At Home: A Short History of Private Life

Continue reading “House Love”

As Blue As Indigo

Posted on Monday, March 21, 2022 by Jonya

Circle of hands dyed indigo blue, taken by Bex Oliger of Columbia, MO.
Photo by Bex Oliger. Used with permission.

Once upon a time I had an indigo dye pot: a ten gallon bucket in the shed under the walnut trees in my back yard. It was the star of any crafting party I held. Sometimes we were overdyeing a yellow and then a quick dip would pop a green color. I remember one afternoon where one table was dyeing with red madder, another was carding wool for spinning and a circle under the beechnut tree had gathered to spin. Then there was my indigo pot with its pungent smell and colorful drying racks. Continue reading “As Blue As Indigo”

Crafternoon-To-Go Kit: Washer Pendant Necklaces

Posted on Wednesday, March 9, 2022 by cs

Get ready for spring by adding a bit of color to your life. This simple craft uses decorative paper, wooden washers and a little Mod Podge to create a colorful pendant necklace.  All you need are scissors or a precision cutting knife and a pencil — everything else is provided.

These kits will be available while they last in all of our branches on Friday, March 11. You may pick them up at the second floor reference desk at the Columbia library and near the service desks at our other branches. You can try these library resources for other DIY necklace ideas.