Winter Crafternoon

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What is Winter Crafternoon?
This is a fun event that my programming department works together to make happen. This is the 3rd and best one we've done. The idea is that we all put together the supplies and instructions for a few crafts that can be done during the event. We have 4 people that work with different ages so we planned 1 - 4 crafts for the group we work with. We set up in our lobby and couch guests through the crafts and other activities. 

We went all out for decorations this time and it noticeably pulled more people in. The balloon arch is reusable and we plan to use it at other crafternoons as well as our summer reading kickoff. The tablecloths in particular nice because they made cleaning up a lot easier since we threw them away afterwards. We always schedule these when school is out such as spring break. We also had tables and chairs at the back of our area for guests to sit down and craft so they wouldn't take up space at the supply tables. We had so many people at this event that I had to pull out more tables and chairs mid-way through. 


Description:
Happy holidays and happy crafting! Pop by the library for a casual and open Crafternoon. We will provide an abundance of supplies for families and friends to create magical holiday art and craft projects! 

What I did to prepare
The prep for this event is fairly simple. I found some winter-y crafts on Pinterest and gathered supplies for them. My job during the event was to walk around, pick up trash, and make sure there were enough tables and chairs for crafters. My crafts had all the instructions provided for their signs because of this and I told everyone to take a picture if they needed to leave early or sit down. These are the two I put together.



This is how they looked when I set them up.


For the hat, I had extra yarn under the table.

These were the other crafts that my coworkers made. They were a mix of hands-on help needed and take the supplies and sit down.
Candy cane collage - little kids

Snowflake people - little kids

Winter candle - teens

Snowman ornament - teens

Snowman bookmark - teens

Painted wine bottles - adults

Takeaway
This is a fun event that all ages can enjoy. I would recommend at least 3 people help with this event and that doesn't include people who help set up and take down the space. When we do this event here, we set up all morning and slowly take over the lobby over the day. It takes a lot of prep but what program doesn't? It's fun and brings a lot of people into the library.



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