Halloween…
is so much more than a night where you can terrorize the town with tricks, share devilishly delectable treats, or monster-mash the night away. It's a time of year when one's crafty soul turns toward the creepy, macabre, and ghastly with inspiration most frightening. Do not fear peering into the darkness of creation—wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming of crafts no mortal has crafted before.
For…
this October, join us at our various locations for spooktacular craft programs! Remember that the age groups listed are meant to indicate who the program is geared towards, but all ages are welcome to participate.
- Archer Branch
Address:
13266 SW State Road 45, Archer, FL 32618
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Perler Bead Creations- SPOOKY Edition
Saturday, October 19
2 p.m.-3 p.m.
Meeting Room
Participants will use patterns or their own designs to make fusible Perler Bead Creations! Staff will iron the beads when complete to fuse each art piece.
Non-spooky patterns will be available.
Age Groups: Teens (ages 12-18) & Elementary (ages 6-11)
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Creativity Lab- Exploring Art and Science
Saturday, October 26
2 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
Meeting Room
Have fun exploring a different project each month: arts, crafts, monsters, fossils, or dinosaurs - you never know what we'll delve into next...
This October we'll be making monster corner bookmarks!
Age Groups: Teens (ages 12-18) & Elementary (ages 6-11)
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Spooktacular Fun at the Library
Thursday, October 31
2:30 p.m.-4 p.m.
Meeting Room
Have a howling good time as you discover your spooky name, join our monster games, create a creepy craft, and more. Wear your costume, if you'd like!
Age Groups: All Ages
- Cone Park Branch
Address:
2801 E University Ave., Gainesville, FL 32641
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Art Club - Spooky Embroidery
Wednesday, October 30
4 p.m.-5 p.m.
Meeting Room
Registration Required
During this TeenTober edition of Art Club we will be creating spooky embroidery together! All supplies provided, but feel free to bring additional ones if desired.
Age Groups: Teens (ages 12-18)
- Hawthorne Branch
Address:
6640 S.E. 221 St., Hawthorne, FL 32640
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Ghost Portraits
Thursday, October 17
4 p.m.-5 p.m.
Meeting Room
Get in the October mood by designing and painting a unique little ghost portrait!
Age Groups: Teens (ages 12-18)
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Cemetarium - Create Spooky Terrariums
Thursday, October 31
4 p.m.-5 p.m.
Meeting Room
Ever wanted a cemetery themed terrarium? Then stop by and create a cemetarium with us!
Age Groups: Teens (ages 12-18)
- Headquarters Library
Address:
401 E University Ave., Gainesville, FL 32601
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Teen Tober Plushies
Wednesday, October 23
4 p.m.-5 p.m.
Teen Space
Come and create a special spooky plushie from selected patterns--the library will provide the materials and the skills, you just provide the creation.
Age Groups: Teens (ages 12-18)
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STEAM Crafts
Thursday, October 31
3 p.m.-4 p.m.
Storywoods Room
Join us this fall for STEAM Crafts! Every other Thursday we’ll have new science and art projects inspired by seasonal themes. Planned themes are as follows:
- 9/5: Climate Change
- 9/19: Talk Like a Pirate Day
- 10/3: Hispanic Heritage Month
- 10/17: Sensory Crafts
- 10/31: Halloween
- 11/7: Fall Festival
- 11/21: Color Me Science
Age Groups: Elementary (ages 6-11)
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Halloween Horror Makeup
Thursday, October 31
4 p.m.-5 p.m.
Teen Space
Level up your costume skills at the library! Learn the art of gross and gorey makeup effects and practice looks you can put together at home this Halloween. You’ll have the opportunity to practice with professional makeup, but also to experiment with household items you never knew could be spooky.
Age Groups: Teens (ages 12-18)
- Library Partnership Branch
Address:
912 NE 16 Ave., Gainesville, FL 32601
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3D Design Club
Monday, October 7- Friday, October 11
4 p.m.-5 p.m.
Large Meeting Room
Registration Required
This week we will be creating Spooky fall things.
Join us in using Tinkercad to learn the basics of 3D modeling and creating different 3D objects.
Items will be printed at the branch and available to be picked up at a later date.
Computers and materials will be provided.
Age Groups: Teens (ages 12-18)
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Spooky Stickers
Thursday, October 17
3:30 p.m.-5 p.m.
Studio Room
Design and print a spooktacular sticker during chillspace using Canva and the Cricut machine.
Age Groups: Teens (ages 12-18)
- Micanopy Branch
Address:
706 NE Cholokka Blvd., Micanopy, FL 32667
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Pom Pom Monsters- A Halloween Craft!
Saturday, October 12
2 p.m.-3 p.m.
Dance Hall
Let's craft pom pom monsters together.
These cute crafty creations will be a hit with Halloween decorators! It's just a matter of wrapping and cutting some yarn, then adding embellishments. Many variations are possible! All supplies provided.
Age Groups: Elementary (ages 6-11)
- Newberry Branch
Address:
110 S Seaboard Drive, Newberry, FL 32669
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Year of the Book: Boo to You!
Wednesday, October 16
3:15 p.m.-4 p.m.
Meeting Room
Create spooky v-fold pop up cards at the Newberry Branch Library
Age Groups: Adults (ages 19+), Teens (ages 12-18), Elementary (ages 6-11)
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Slime Factory
Tuesday, October 29
3 p.m.-4 p.m.
Meeting Room
Registration Required
Children will get step-by-step instructions to make a batch of slime that they can take home. Before making their slime, they will learn the science behind how slime works. At the end, they can take home the recipe to start their own slime factory! This program is recommended for ages 5-11. Younger children may require adult assistance.
Age Groups: Preschool (ages 3-5), Elementary (ages 6-11)
- Tower Road Branch
Address:
3020 SW 75th St., Gainesville, FL 32608
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Tower Crafts: Painted Mirrors
Wednesday, October 2
11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Meeting Room
Registration Required
Join us in the meeting room for a fun hour of arts and crafts! We'll walk you through how to paint beautifully spooky designs on mirrors, perfect for decorating your home with this October.
Supplies for this program are limited. Please register every member of your party who will be attending.
Age Groups: Adults (ages 19+)
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MakerSpace- No-Sew Fabric Pumpkin
Wednesday, October 2
2 p.m.-3 p.m.
Meeting Room
Join us in making a No-Sew Fabric Pumpkin. All supplies provided.
Maybe, bringing out the pumpkins will usher in some cooler weather.
Age Groups: Elementary (ages 6-11)
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Creepy Cross Stitch
Tuesday, October 15
3:30 p.m.-5 p.m.
Meeting Room
Registration Required
Join us for some spooky fun and make a creepy cross stitch creation!
Come learn the basics of how to start a cross-stitch project from scratch! We'll cover everything from how to set up your needle and thread to how to finish off your spooky project. All supplies will be provided and all level of abilities are welcome!
Age Groups: Adults (ages 19+)
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MakerSpace - Recycled Spooky Haunted House
Wednesday, October 30
2 p.m.-3 p.m.
Teen Space
Time to get spooky and creative. We will be using recycled milk/juice cartons, chalk paint, stickers and your imagination to make unique haunted houses.
Age Groups: Elementary (ages 6-11)
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Teen CreateSpace - Spooky Mini Cross-Stitch
Wednesday, October 30
4 p.m.-6 p.m.
Teen Space
Get in the Halloween spirit with mini cross-stitch designs.
This TeenTober, learn to cross-stitch a bat, ghost, pumpkin, or another spooky design to get in the Halloween spirit. Never cross-stitched before? No problem! We will have all the supplies needed and can teach you this simple and fun craft.
Age Groups: Teens (ages 12-18)
- Waldo Branch
Address:
15150 NE US Highway 301, Waldo, FL 32694
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Family Crafting
Saturday, October 12, 11 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Saturday October 19, 11 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Saturday, October 26, 11 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
ARTspace
30 minutes to do a craft after Story Time with Ms. Miranda.
This month the craft themes will witches, monsters, and Halloween for each respective date!
Age Groups: Preschool (ages 3-5), Toddlers (ages 1-3), Babies ( ages 1 and under)
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ArtSpace: Halloween Mask Making
Thursday, October 17 , 4 p.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday, October 19, 2 p.m.-3 p.m.
ARTspace
Registration Required
Whether friendly, fantastical, or frightening, create a mask for Halloween fun. Materials provided. Arts and crafts ages 5 and up.
Age Groups: Adults (ages 19+), Teens (ages 12-18), Elementary (ages 6-11)
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ArtSpace: Painting Pumpkins
Thursday, October 24, 4 p.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday, October 26, 2 p.m.-3 p.m.
ARTspace
Registration Required
Gather your gourds and get ready to paint a pumpkin so amazing the Great Pumpkin would be envious! Materials provided. Arts and crafts ages 5 and up.
Age Groups: Adults (ages 19+), Teens (ages 12-18), Elementary (ages 6-11)
However…
if you're more of a shy ghoulie though— like our friend Little Ghost here— feel free to check out these DIY & cookbooks to get your crafty on!
"Horrorgami: Spooky Paper Folding for Children" by Steven Biddle & Megumi Biddle
Handicraft projects for halloween. Includes instructions for a paper-folded monster mask, a set of Dracula fangs and a gruesome skull.
"Tricky treats : Halloween delights for appetizers, snacks, dinner, and dessert!" by Vincent Amiel & Grace McQuillan
Succumb to these yummy recipes perfect for October and year-round! Whether you want to enjoy a treat by yourself, or with your kids or guests, these frightfully fantastic meals will make boys and girls alike shiver... in anticipation! These treats can be enjoyed at any time of day or for any meal, and range from simple to sophisticated, perfect for any beginning or expert baker. With easy-to-follow instructions, entertaining tidbits, and beautiful photography, these delicacies will add a bit of spook to your party or get-together (or at your own dinner table). You'll delight everyone's taste buds when you cook and bake using "Tricky Treats"!
"Fun-to-Make Crafts for Halloween" by Tom Daning
Provides step-by-step directions for over one hundred forty crafts for Halloween.
"Creepy Cross-Stitch: 25 Spooky Projects to Haunt Your Halls" by Lindsay Swearingen
From projects like Wicker Man to Black Rabbit to Blood Moon Weeping Willow, Lindsay's signature style lends a touch of macabre to cross-stitch projects that you'll be eager to hang on a wall or give as a gift. The dark, witchy aesthetic is becoming more and more trendy in fashion and art, and cross-stitch is the perfect medium to try it out. Easier and more accessible than embroidery, cross-stitch is growing in popularity and is an easy craft to pick up and dive into. With moody subjects like nocturnal creatures, thistles, ghostberries and graveyards, these incredible designs will turn you into a cross-stitch master in no time! This captivating collection is full of easy-to-follow patterns and all of Lindsay's best tips and techniques for creating bewitching cross-stitch projects. So whether you're a lifelong Halloween enthusiast or a fan of gothic art, adding a little subversive charm to your cross-stitch repertoire couldn't be easier or more fun.
"Spooky Snacks and Treats: Frightfully Fun Halloween Recipes for Kids" by Zac Williams
40 creepy, icky, sweet, or sticky kid-friendly recipes for Halloween parties and events. Make your Halloween party a scream with these frightfully fun snacks, munchies, sweets, and drinks. Zac Williams serves up the best treats in the neighborhood, sure to elicit squeals of delight from your young guests and goblins. With 40 recipes to choose from, you and your child can stir up a cauldron of Wolfsbane Elixir, scare up a platter of Vampire Bites, Coffin Crunchers, and Dusty Old Bones, or wrap up some Mummy Pups and Spare-Parts Salad that will keep trick-or-treaters of all ages feeling ghoulish and full. Boo!
"Glitterville's Handmade Halloween: A Glittered Guide for Whimsical Crafting!" by Stephen Brown
Celebrate the season of costumes and candy with Glitterville's guide to creating a wondrously wacky and whimsical holiday!
Treat yourself to the kookiest compilation of crafts and decor assembled from Glitterville's creator, Stephen Brown, judge of "Craft Wars" on TLC. "Glitterville's Handmade Halloween" is full of bright, colorful photos, step-by-step holiday how-tos, and over-the-harvest-moon decorating ideas to make your home sparkle and shine this spooktacular season.
A great book for intermediate to experienced crafters, "Glitterville's Handmade Halloween" will delight readers as they make their way through the playfully photographed pages of the book, which include full, never-before-published instructions for making some of Glitterville's most sought-after items, including Halloween candy garland and the studio collection of folk figures.