Gothic Martha Stewart

Today we baked and decorated cookies for the young adult Anti-Valentine's Masquerade Ball.
They turned out amazing and we had a lot of fun.

With no oven in the library, 2 teens and Elizabeth (my supervisor) came over to help.


Elizabeth brought her daughter who is 4. She played with Phaedra while we baked and much mischief insued...
They gave each other tattoos, did make-overs on each other and created elaborate costumes out of dress-up clothes.


The cookies were a lot of fun to make..

Here's a few of our favorites



The girls were our taste testers...

maybe the black icing wasn't a great idea.

If I were a book...

You're Watership Down!

by Richard Adams

Though many think of you as a bit young, even childish, you're
actually incredibly deep and complex. You show people the need to rethink their
assumptions, and confront them on everything from how they think to where they
build their houses. You might be one of the greatest people of all time. You'd
be recognized as such if you weren't always talking about talking rabbits.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Metamorphosis: Change Your Things

Bottle Cap Pins
I have already done this as a program and it was very successfull.
I also made these as presents for my co-workers, using old novel covers.

They best way to get images that are small enough is to print them out using Windows Picture and Fax Viewer using the Contact Sheet print size.




Altered Mint Tins
I always saved my mint tins, hoping I could find what they were good for. I finally found it!



The collage paper will stick to the tins wonderfully if you apply the glue to the paper and stick it to tin. I use Mod Podge as a glue and sealer.


Comic Cards

These are simple and look like you bought them at a specialty stationary store.



To make the envelope, just carefully unassemble the envelope and use it as a template to cut out and fold the comic pages.
For the images on the card, just white out the speech bubble and write in your own message.


Altered Books

Secret book boxes


Using book glue, paint the outside edges of the book. Use a Xacto knife or box cutter to cut out the middle of the book. Coat the inside of the 'box' with the book glue.

Paperback coin purse
Many old paperbacks have great funky covers. Go through your donated items and see what you can find!



Tear off the cover. Cover it with clear packing tape or contact paper. fold it into thirds. Sew it together to create a pocket with a flap. (You can also just use tape, but it's not a lot of sewing and makes it look much nicer.) use self stick velcro create a closure for your wallet!


You've heard of a Duct Tape Wallet...
Here's a Packing Tape Wallet!

What's great about this is that you can use anything... newspaper, sheet music, book pages...


Here is a scan of the directions:

Movies!

I just found out that NICK AND NORA'S INFINITE PLAYLIST is going to be made into a movie!
info

I am also very excited about the A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY movie!
info

And of course, TWILIGHT!!
info

Change Your Inside

Many Teens are getting ready to graduate and will be living on their own for the first time or in a dorm at school. A great program idea to get them ready for this is a RAMEN COOK-OFF! Everyone knows that Ramen is a staple food in your teen and early 20's, so why not give them the skills (and forethought) to make Ramen so much more. It could even be used to impress a date!

You can give prizes for the most creative, best tasting, best presentation, etc...

There are great websites out there, just google "Ramen Recipes".

More on the Inspiration Cards

I wanted to add a great idea to the previous craft idea I mentioned. Dove Chocolates have neat little inspirational sayings inside their wrapper that are perfect for this craft. (I used one on the "live your dream" card pictured below.) Buy a bag of Dove chocolates, let the teens eat them and make their cards with the wrappers!

Metamorphosis- Change Your Outside

This is the section of the summer reading manual that features my contribution: Barbie Makeover.
I had this event in Boone NC at the Watauga County Public Library. It was a huge success! We bought dollar store Barbie dolls and asked the girls to bring in their old ones (if they were ready to part with them or even still had them around). We got all kinds of supplies and we made Barbie more realistic. We gave her grey hair, zits, used different flesh colored clay to make her body more realistic and cut of her feet and reattached them so she didn't have to walk on tiptoes. While we worked on Barbie we showed a documentary calledI, Doll which takes a well rounded look at Barbie and how she influences peoples lives.
We had wonderful discussions and the girls loved it!
The best part was our display of our work.




I have also conducted a mehendi program and it was very successful as well. Again, this program was at the Watauga County Public Library.





Another wonderful program idea for teen girls would need to be advertised as "a program to bring out your beauty". Teens will think they are coming for make-overs, but they will make this:

You can buy rolls of chain and necklace closures, bags of small keys and the bottle charms at craft stores. print out the word confidence, throw in some glitter and everyone is gorgeous!

I also had an idea for a program based on the book,
The Plain Janes. In the book, PLAIN stands for people loving art in neighborhoods and was formed by Jane to make the world more beautiful, noticable and happy. I call these Inspiration Cards. They don't really change your outside, but rather your world. This could also be used along with the book, Stargirl

They are collages made on playing cards with words and phrases designed to inspire and encourage. The purpose is to make them and leave them in public places to make someone smile, or think, or feel warm and fuzzy.


Teens always love my collage programs. It's so creative and easy and open ended. You can buy the metal words and phrases in a craft store along with great paper. It's really easy to collect great collage supplies and it really doesn't cost anything! Save your weeded magazines and old foreign language newspapers.



The very first program I did when I began working in Wake County was a Tshirt Surgery program. There was a HUGE turnout and they keep asking for another. There are great books out there to give you directions and tips, including Generation T.






Our TAB group also make Tshirts using stencils. If you have a graphic image you would like to use, print it out, tape a piece of overhead projector acetate sheets to the image and use an xacto knife to cut out the stencil. We love our shirts!




Up Next: Change your Inside