Makers Make the Holidays Bright 

With the holiday season upon us, it’s a great time of year to tap into your creative side, whether you’re crafting handmade gifts, making seasonal cards, DIY-ing festive decor, or hacking your holiday lighting. At our next Virtual Maker Meetup program on November 30 we’ll be chatting about these projects, so be sure to register!

Gifts from the Heart

A handmade gift is extra special because you’ve chosen to put your time into creating something no one else can give. What’s more, you don’t have to worry about the global supply chain woes and the potential lack of availability of store-bought gifts. 

Librarian Justine wanted to make a personal gift this holiday season. She took a photo of her husband's favourite place, traced the silhouette and cut it out with the vinyl cutter in our  Springdale Branch Library MakerSpace. She used some tips from Creativebug to paint a star-lit sky with watercolours, placed the vinyl cut on top and now has a beautiful nighttime vinyl painting! Using our equipment she has turned a beloved photo into a unique gift for any occasion. Justine is in the process of making more watercolour paintings using MakerSpace tools and a variety of materials to share at our November Virtual Maker Meetup.

Holiday Hacking

South Fletcher’s Branch Library always delights with its fun and creative book return designs. A few years ago, the branch featured a “Charlie Brown Christmas” theme. I was inspired to add an interactive element with the help of a MaKey MaKey, so that when an item passed through, a random sound clip from the movie played. You can read the full blog post on how I created it here. 

I also love to use the MaKey MaKey to hack holiday string lights. Last year, I wired my holiday wreath to light up when someone stepped on my doormat. This year I’m attempting a more challenging lighting project with Arduino, Neopixels, and cheerlights. I’ll share my progress at our November Virtual Maker Meetup. 

Need some more inspiration? 

Look no further than our fantastic lineup of eResources. PressReader offers an array of craft and hobby magazines where you’ll find seasonal projects and tutorials for all types of makers. Mollie Makes out of the UK is one of my favourites. Did you know you can download free project templates and printables? Check out this card I made with one of the paper patterns from the November issue of Mollie Makes and a Cricut Maker. 

O’Reilly, the newest platform on our Digital Library, also has seasonal projects for the technically-inclined. Learn how to make an Internet-controllable Christmas tree or program a digital holiday card. 

And of course, CreativeBug has online classes on a wide range of holiday projects in all sorts of mediums delivered by professional creators. With a daily ornament challenge to deck out your home, and brilliant gift wrap ideas to make your presents pop, you’ll find countless ways to flex your creative skills and make this season special. 

Twelve Days of Creativity Giveaway

You’ll want to mark your calendars for this one! Starting December 1, we’re decking the halls with our Twelve Days of Creativity Giveaway. To join the festivities, head over to Brampton Library’s Facebook page and discover our daily Creativebug class feature. Whether you’re starting to explore your creativity, itching for a new project, or looking for a DIY gift idea, get inspired as you learn about artisan chocolate-making, knitting a winter beanie, creating natural skincare, and more incredible projects! 

What’s more, participation has its perks! Here’s how you can enter for your chance to win a Cricut Maker Champagne.

• Attend our Virtual Maker Meetup - Make the Holidays Bright on November 30 to earn an entry ballot. Click here to register to attend online.
• Like, comment, and tag a friend on any post featuring a Creativebug class between December 1 and 12, inclusive, to earn an entry ballot. Make sure you have a Brampton Library card and follow Brampton Library on Facebook. 

The winner will be announced on Brampton Library’s Facebook page on December 13. 

If you’re new to Creativebug, we encourage you to check it out under E-Learning in our Digital Library. All you need is your library card to get started.