Douglas County Libraries (DCL) empowers you to do it yourself (DIY) this January through DIY programs and events. But you can keep the creative juices flowing all year! We have the books to get you there, and starting in February, we’ll have the tools for checkout too, like sewing machines, looms and spinning wheels. Check out some (or all!) of these.
DIY Temporary Tattoos
by Pepper Baldwin
Baldwin helps you unleash your creativity and design your own temporary tattoos at home. From vintage to abstract, she provides tutorials on how to draw, size, print and apply them.
The Quick & Easy Home DIY Manual
by Matt Weber and Editors of Extreme How-To
Get the tools and skills you need for quick fixes when you need them, weekend projects when you are feeling confident, or major upgrades when you are ready to dive right in.
Craft-a-Doodle Deux
by Jenny Doh
The book presents techniques, ideas and exercises for original doodles made with materials such as paint, markers and gel pens. Seventeen contributors share inventive prompts to jump-start and expand your inspiration for drawing abstract designs and doodles.
Real Life Family Photography
by Amy Drucker
Go beyond the birthday snapshot and learn how to take inspired and unposed family photographs that capture the ages and stages of family life. The book offers tips on fundamental techniques, such as exposure, composition, lighting and focus, and also provides advice on how to photograph babies and pets, giving you the knowledge and freedom to take unique, frame-worthy photos.
Brew Better Beer
by Emma Christensen
Filled with inspiring recipes like Riding Lawn Mower Pale Ale, Maple Cider Dubbel, Finnish Juniper Rye Sahti Ale, Figgy Pudding British Barleywine, and Farmers’ Market Gruit, Christensen’s accessible approach will have you brewing better beer in no time.
Cattastic Crafts
by Mariko Ishikawa
Cattastic Crafts contains over 30 amusing and easy craft projects to make for cats and cat people, including cat condos complete with scratching posts and canopies. Drive your kitty mad with delight with a handcrafted teaser on a string, or sew your feline a one-of-a-kind costume for special holidays. These designs require only basic craft skills, so cat lovers of all abilities can make and enjoy these fun projects.
101 Easy Homemade Products for Your Skin, Health & Home
by Jan Berry
Learn how to make face cleanser, mint body wash, calendula lotion, salt scrub bars, basil and lime lip balm, lavender oatmeal soap, sore throat syrup, thyme counter cleaner, laundry detergent, and much more.
Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs
by Rosemary Gladstar
This beginner’s guide is a great introduction to growing and using 33 herbs and includes gardening tips and recipes for brewing teas; blending salves; and making tinctures, oils, syrups and pills.
Good Clean Fun: Misadventures in Sawdust at Offerman Woodshop
by Nick Offerman
Offerman and his ragtag crew of champions share their experience of working at the Woodshop, tell you all about their passion for the discipline of woodworking, and teach you how to make a handful of their most popular projects along the way. This book takes readers behind the scenes of the Woodshop, both inspiring and teaching them to make their own projects and besotting them with the infectious spirit behind the shop and its complement of dusty wood elves.
Picture yourself at the helm of this bad boy. Now, all you need is a place to start. Read on!
The Colette Sewing Handbook
by Sarai Mitnick
This handbook provides five patterns and all the sewing knowledge you need to make them into reality. Develop your skills, sew a lovely wardrobe, and enjoy the results.
Gertie’s New Book for Better Sewing
by Gretchen Hirsch
Hirsch presents lessons on sewing and customization techniques that can be used to create and enhance a vintage wardrobe, covering such topics as sizing, prepping, tailoring, patternmaking and fitting.
No Patterns Needed
by Rosie Martin
If you want to sew your own clothes but are put off by the idea of cutting out pattern pieces covered with dotted lines and symbols, this is the book for you. Using Martin’s innovative method, you begin with nothing but a rectangle, circle or triangle of fabric and some basic body measurements. Next, follow the detailed step-by-step photographs and diagrams to complete your garment. You’ll need a sewing machine, but no special equipment or expensive fabrics. With plenty of variations suggested, you can play with the designs to make garments exactly the way you want them.
Once you master the art of sewing, why not tackle some spinning? Check out this spinning wheel, literally, along with Start Spinning.
Start Spinning
by Maggie Casey
For knitters, crocheters and weavers ready to make their own yarn, this handy guide provides detailed instructions for spinning both on a spindle and a wheel, and offers a special section devoted to troubleshooting and wheel maintenance that keeps projects on track. It offers a comprehensive look at the various available fiber options, choosing and preparing each type of fiber for use, and crafting these materials into ready-to-work pieces.
Soon you’ll be ready to create your own fabrics, because you’ve realized you’re a fiber genius! Well, you’re in luck. You can check out one of these in February, along with Weaving Made Easy!
Weaving Made Easy
by Liz Gipson
Create beautiful cloth with just a simple loom. This easy and accessible guide to weaving uses the simple rigid heddle loom to create fabrics that are a perfect blend of fun and functionality. Seventeen quick and easy weaving projects show how to make fabrics that are soft and drapey, sturdy and practical, or just plain fun and funky. Projects include woven scarves and belts, pillows, napkins, and hand-woven rugs.
Do on, doer! You’ve got this — and DCL’s got you!
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