Ruby Galvez, RL

Unleash the creativity of young minds with our exciting kids' craft ideas, perfect for sparking imagination and bringing fun to any library makerspace event!  Materials: Blank notebooks or journals Magazines, colored paper, and scrap fabric Scissors Glue sticks Markers, pens, and colored pencils Stickers and washi tape Mod Podge and brushes Alphabet stickers or stamps Instructions: Prepare the Journals: Provide each child with a blank notebook or journal. If the covers are plain, they can paint or color them first. Create Collage Materials: Kids can browse through magazines and cut out images, patterns, or words they like. Provide colored paper, scrap fabric, and stickers for additional materials. Design the Cover: Using glue sticks, kids can arrange and attach their chosen images, words, and patterns to the cover of their journals. Encourage layering and overlapping for a true collage effect. Add Personalization: Kids can use alphabet stickers or stamps to add their names or f...

Who'd have thought DIY Nature-Inspired Wind Chimes would belong to libraries? These crafts are perfect for keeping young users occupied, although this would work best if the library is near a garden or has a garden. This makerspace idea is great for library marketing and attracting users. Materials: Twigs or small branches String, yarn, or twine Natural beads, shells, and wooden discs Scissors Hole punch (for wooden discs) Paint and brushes Feathers, leaves, and other natural elements Metal bells or chime tubes (optional) Instructions: Prepare the Base: Gather twigs or small branches that will serve as the top of the wind chime. Kids can paint or decorate them with markers if desired. Create Hanging Elements: Kids can cut lengths of string or twine to create hanging strands. They can thread natural beads, shells, and wooden discs onto the strings. For wooden discs, a hole punch can be used to make holes. Add Natural Elements: Incorporate feathers, leaves, and other natural eleme...

 Traditional artists often face several challenges when trying to earn money online. While the internet provides vast opportunities for showcasing and selling art, there are specific barriers that can prevent traditional artists from achieving financial success in the digital space:  1. Digital Skill Gap    - Lack of Technical Skills: Traditional artists may lack the technical skills needed to navigate online platforms, set up digital shops, or market themselves effectively online.     - Learning Curve: The transition from traditional methods to digital tools and platforms can be daunting, requiring time and effort to learn. 2. Marketing and Self-Promotion    - Limited Marketing Knowledge: Successful online selling requires effective marketing strategies. Many traditional artists may not be familiar with digital marketing techniques like social media promotion, SEO, email marketing, and paid advertising.    - Reluctance to Self-Prom...

Earning online has been the most fascinating aspect of internet culture for me, and I have found many avenues for this interest, the most recent and lucrative of which is Creative Fabrica . Sign up with my affiliate link if you're interested:  https://www.creativefabrica.com/ref/2135193/ Tips to Maximize Earnings Online Understand Your Audience : Cater to a niche market or specific audience to stand out. If your past projects and ideas suggest you have a good sense of what your audience might find valuable, keep doing it. How do you know? If you get a lot of likes and comments, it means people (your potential customers) are interactive and interested. Offer Value : Ensure your products provide significant value or solve a problem. High-quality content tends to attract more buyers and word-of-mouth referrals. Offering value is a crucial principle for success in any business, especially when selling products online. To "offer value" means to create products that meet a spec...

If you barely have enough time to go online, you'll want a side hustle that's low-maintenance, flexible, and doesn't require constant attention. Here are a few options: Print-on-Demand Store : Create simple designs for t-shirts, mugs, or notebooks. You can use platforms like Redbubble or Teespring, where they handle printing, shipping, and customer service. Your main task is to create and upload designs, which can be done in short bursts of time. Selling Digital Products : If you have expertise in a particular area, you can create digital products like eBooks, templates, or printables. These can be sold on platforms like Etsy, Gumroad, or my favorite platform, Creative Fabrica. After the initial creation, the products can generate passive income with minimal ongoing effort.               Here's my online store on Creative Fabrica if you need an  example (this is also an affiliate link):  https://www.creativefabrica.com/designer/ruby-cari...

 If you love the meditative escape that adult coloring books provide, the “Enchanted Library” collection is like stepping into a world where magic and literature entwine. This set of 200 unique coloring pages invites you to explore whimsical libraries filled with secrets, ancient books, and mystical creatures, all waiting for your personal touch. Volume 2 of the “Enchanted Library” series is designed with adult colorists in mind, offering a captivating blend of intricate details and imaginative themes. Each page is like a gateway to a magical library, where every corner reveals a new story. You’ll find yourself drawn into scenes of towering bookshelves, glowing lanterns, and hidden nooks that spark curiosity and wonder. The illustrations are rich with fantasy elements—imagine books that float, glowing orbs, and mythical beings like dragons and pixies, all set against a backdrop of gothic and medieval-inspired architecture. These pages offer the perfect canvas for you to experiment ...

Library crafts are a fun way to keep users engaged, especially the young ones. This works for the library because children will remember the place as somewhere to have fun and learn art and not a place where a librarian is always shushing them and telling them not to make a mess! Materials: Cardboard or thick foam board Craft knife or scissors Colored paper and cardstock Butterfly and flower templates or pre-cut shapes Glue sticks Double-sided tape Markers, glitter, and stickers Small faux flowers, fabric butterflies, or other embellishments Paint and brushes (optional) Instructions: Create the Base Letters: Pre-cut large 3D letters from cardboard or foam board. Alternatively, have kids trace and cut out their own letters with supervision. Decorate with Paint: Let kids paint the letters in their favorite colors, and allow them to dry. Cut Out Butterflies and Flowers: Kids can use templates to trace and cut out butterflies and flowers from colored paper or cardstock. Alternatively, p...

 As someone who prides herself on meticulous travel planning, my four-day reconnaissance mission to Singapore was nothing short of enlightening. The goal? Master the MRT system and pinpoint the best hawker centers, all to ensure that my visit wouldn't involve hemorrhaging money on taxis.  Spoiler: taxis in Singapore are the real budget busters . A ride to a nearby area would cost around 12 dollars, which was equivalent to three meals in a hawker's center or one fancy meal in a sit-down restaurant.  Intimidated by the MRT System in Singapore The MRT map initially looked like a rainbow spaghetti dish—a chaotic tangle of lines that seemed impossible to decipher. North-South Line, East-West Line, Circle Line... the names alone were daunting. But my perspective changed as soon as I realized how EASY it was to move around the entire city using this system. It's not lauded as one of the best MRT systems in the world for nothing.  I'll break down the steps I used to use MRT ...