Retro Cassette Tape Wallets

 Hi Teens! This is Nikki taking over today’s blog with another fun craft that you can do at home! They make a cute gift or you can make one to keep for yourself! This craft is also budget friendly and you might even have some of the materials lying around your house.  Yay Recycling! I love recycling things that can be made into something else! So let’s get started!

Materials you will need:

 1) Cassette tape (Your parents or grandparents might have one that they do not want any more so ask for permission if you can recycle it! If you do not have one, you can buy one online if search the internet, or search local thrift stores).

2) Screwdriver to take apart the cassette tape. You will only be using the outer part of the cassette tape, we will be taking the inside stuff out.

3) Paint (optional) If you do not like the color of your cassette tape you can use paint to change the color! You can even paint it to look like the mix tape from Guardians of the Galaxy.

4) One zipper in the color you desire. It will need to fit around the tape, so make sure to measure.

5) One piece of felt in the desired color (you can match it to the zipper if you like) or you can use scrap fabric or a pair of old jeans!

6) A pen or fabric chalk to mark the felt

7) Hot glue and glue sticks

8) Scissors

How to make it:

Step 1: Take your screwdriver and unscrew all the screws holding the cassette tape to open it up. Throw out the all of the insides of the tape.

Step 2: It’s painting time!! Paint the outside of your cassette tape any color you like and let it dry. You might have to do more than one coat to cover the entire thing well.

Step 3: After your paint has dried completely, measure the felt or fabric for the inside, this will be your lining of the wallet. To do this, take both of your tapes and place them on top of each other lined up like in the picture below. Then trace with marker or pen the outside so you have rectangle shape and cut it.

Step 4: Now it is time to start gluing, so fire up your hot glue gun. Start by having the front of the cassette tape facing to the outside to the left. Now start dabbing hot glue little by little on the side of the cassette tape while adhering the fabric part of the zipper (do not unzip just yet leave it close). Make sure to not get glue on the zipper part or else you will not be open it for the next step.

Step 5: Unzip the zipper and glue the other half of the cassette the same way you did the first one, by gluing the zipper on the side. Make sure to test if the zipper can open and close.

Step 6: Glue the felt or fabric inside the cassette’s one side at a side. Just place some glue lines on the inside of the cassette tape little by little, then fold it and do the other side. Then, if you want to cover the bottom just add a piece a felt so you don’t see any glue. And you’re done!

Anime Valentines

 Hi Teens, Nikki here with another DIY Craft blog post! This time I am keeping our yearly Anime Valentine’s day cards tradition alive! If you are new to the library or the blog, we typically (pre-covid) make these  during Teen Anime Club  the Saturday before Valentine’s Day and it was always popular! I want say a Happy Valentine’s Day to all of my teens that used come to Anime club and to our new teens that have been coming into library to get books! Remember we are still open to come in and check out books. At the end of this post, we will tell you some of our favorite romance manga that you can check out to read! Now let’s get started!

Here is list of materials you will need:

* Printable anime Valentine’s Day cards (or any fandom ones if you are not into anime). If you do not have printer at home, you can come into the teen room to print them out. It is .25 cents per page for color prints, and you will need to have your own library card to access a teen computer. If you do not library card, it is free to get one! Just have parent come in with you because they will need to sign for you. They will also need valid ID that has your current address or a piece paper that shows your current street address with their ID.

* Cardstock in colors red, white, & pink or any colors you want.

* Valentine’s day theme washi tape (can be found online or local craft stores)

* Valentine’s day stickers & foam hearts to decorate (again can be found at local craft stores or online)

* Scissors, decorative craft scissor (optional) & Glue stick

* Gel pens

Step 1: Copy and print out the cards

Search for printable anime Valentine’s Day cards or your other favorite fandoms like Animal Crossing. Copy and paste the pictures into a Word or Publisher document and adjust the size to your liking, print them and cut them out.

Step 2: Time to decorate

Gather your cardstock colors you want to use as a background. Take your glue stick and glue the photos onto the cardstock in the corner while leaving some room to decorate. I used some craft scissors that have different edges to make the cardstock have some flair. Then, take your washi tape and place some around the edges to make border. You can also put the tape first before you glue your photo to make it look like border also. If you notice your washi tape isn’t sticky enough, you can use a little bit of mod podge to help adhere it or use the glue stick on the washi. Then use your stickers or foam hearts to finish decorating. You can even decorate the back of the card too.

Step 3: Personalize it to someone special

Whether it is giving the card to a friend, your boyfriend or girlfriend, your secret crush or a family member, it is nice to personalize a message on the back of the card. You can even just do the normal To: and From: if you like. I like to use gel pens when writing it out the message but you can use markers too.

Step 4: Give it to that special someone

When you are satisfied with how your valentines card is made, give it to that person in a safe way (don’t forget your face mask). If you are doing virtual schooling and can’t see your friend, see if you can mail your card to your friend. Who doesn’t like getting happy mail?! You can even find a template online on to make to an envelope if you do not have one. Doing small gestures like making Valentine’s Day card is a nice way to let someone know you are thinking about them and makes their day.

Below are some recommendations for romance manga, if you feel like reading something romantic!

   

  

   

What's New On Overdrive?

 Ok, so we might have gone a little bananas and ordered WAY too many great new books for you to check out on Overdrive. Here are four we think you might enjoy for the month of February:

City of Villains by Estelle Laure: All we can say about this one is: it's Disney villains, meets DC comics. No, seriously, it is, and it's kind of awesome. Mary Elizabeth is an intern at Monarch City PD, and she FINALLY gets to work a case like a real detective when a young woman goes missing. It all seems pretty straightforward until she meets a girl with horns, a sea monster (well, ok, technically a LAKE monster, but still!) and a bunch of other weird things that definitely should not be in the dark and mysterious city! If you are a fan of anything Disney, or Batman/Barbara Gordon, you just have to read this one. 

A Complicated Love Story Set in Space by Shaun David Hutchinson: Noa goes to bed on a typical night, and somehow wakes up on a space ship, with no idea how he got there. Also, the ship is about to explode. Which is bad. Luckily there are two other people on the ship... but neither one remembers how they got there either. Which is also bad. Of course this is the worst possible time to fall in love, but that is exactly what starts to happen to Noa as he develops feelings for DJ, one of the other passengers. As if you needed more reasons to read this one: there are also aliens and a murder. This is a fun, LGBTQ+ romance, set in.... well, space. Duh. 

Unchosen by Katharyn Blair: Ok, so first, it's a standalone fantasy, which as you may know is SUPER hard to find these days! Also, there are elements of fairy tales AND horror here so what's not to love. Charlotte is dealing with two massive disasters: one, the boy she is madly in love with is in love with her sister, and two, everyone around her is basically turning into zombies thanks to the Crimson, a disease spread by eye contact. Only the Chosen One can rid the world of the Crimson, and it turns out Charlotte is most definitely NOT the chosen one... but the band of marauders looking for the chosen one THINK she is, which is just... bad. Perfect for fans of fairy tale retellings with a twist!

Wings of Ebony by J. Elle: Rue is a typical girl just trying to live her life in Houston, Texas until the day her world is shattered completely. When her mother is shot dead right outside their home, Rue must not only cope with her loss, but she must cope with something she never expected in her wildest dreams: the father she never knew comes into her life to take custody of her and her sister. Oh, and by the way, her father is actually a God. who wants to take Rue to live in a magical city for those with magical powers, which now, includes Rue. Perfect for fans of Tomi Adeyemi and Angie Thomas. 

All of these books and many more are available for you to borrow from Overdrive today!