April is an amazing time for creativity. The world is waking up with the longer and sunnier days of spring, and it’s easy to feel inspiration from the new colors, sounds, and excitement all around us. Whether your favorite craft is painting, sculpting, sketching, origami, or even textile art like knitting, crocheting, needle felting, or sewing, the online resource Creativebug has something for you! Creativebug offers a tremendous variety of award-winning art & craft video classes, taught by recognized design experts and artists. You can search projects or subjects that interest you, and find inspirational videos or step-by-step video tutorials to help you complete your next crafty project. It's a fantastic online resource, and it's available for free to Cromaine Library cardholders!
Even if you don't necessarily like making art, there is something on Creativebug for you: for example, those with a passion for homesteading can learn how to make homemade butter, soap, or an all-natural perfume. Party planners can take classes on cake decorating, flower arranging, and furniture refinishing. And foodies will love classes like canning, giftable foods, kombucha making, and more! If you're already a crafty person but just need some new ideas or inspiration, you can also use Creativebug for daily practice of your favorite skills. Take video classes like Yoga of Yarn: A Daily Practice in Mindfulness and Making or Treasure Hunt Your Writing Style to keep your skills sharp and to find new ideas!
Let's explore Creativebug and see what it has to offer for all creative types.
To get started, find Creativebug on Cromaine's website, under the Classes & Tutorials button of the Research and Learn tab. Or, you can access it here. From this homepage, simply use your Cromaine Library card number and your PIN to create an account.
Once you're logged into Creativebug, you will automatically be sent to the Explore tab of the homepage. From here, you can finish videos that you've started, see new videos recommended for you based on your interests, and explore new classes, seasonal classes, popular videos, patterns, printables, and more! As you find videos that pique your interest, you can save them to your Watchlist to enjoy later. The next tab on your homepage, called My Classes, holds your video Watchlist. You can also find videos that you've watched recently, even if you haven't added them to your Watchlist. The third tab on your Creativebug homepage, called Inspiration, is a community-minded tab where artists can share pictures of their projects. Visit this page to get inspired and to share pictures of your own completed crafts, too!
On the top of your Creativebug page, there is also a main menu with tons of opportunities for learning and crafty inspiration. By selecting the Classes menu, you can explore craft projects organized by category, including yarn crafting, sewing, quilting, needlework, art & design, paper, kids & teens, holiday & party, jewelry, and food & home. There are thousands of art and craft classes to explore, taught by expert instructors, and you have unlimited access to as many of them as you'd like!
The next tab over is the Daily Practice series, which allows users to start a new artistic practice one day at a time. Explore class collections that help you build your skills, explore tools and materials, and flex your creative muscles as you work alongside the instructor throughout the week or month ahead. Whether you’re beginning a painting practice with watercolor or acrylic, learning to crochet one swatch at a time, or piecing together a beautiful quilt top, every project begins with a single step. By breaking bigger skills down into easy-to-follow projects, you'll have fun as you learn your new creative skill!
Under the next tab, Patterns and Printables, you can browse a curated collection of crafty resources, including knit and crochet patterns, coloring pages, and patterns for sewing, quilting, and even recipes! These downloadable files are sure to make it into your craft cabinet, to be used again and again.
The final tab is called Goodies! It features even more opportunities for you to learn a creative skill. You can peruse the Creativebug blog, class calendar, and even explore Creativebug Television (CBTV), a collection of episodes focused on the processes, studios, and daily lives of your favorite artists. You can also peruse a variety of upcoming live events and visit the Learning Journeys page, designed to help you master new skills and guide you along in your creative practice. Learn the basics of crochet, garment sewing, bookmaking, drawing, embroidering, patchwork, and so much more!
Kickstart your creativity this spring with video tutorials on Creativebug! With endless projects to choose from, you're sure to find inspiration for your favorite crafts, or new skills that you can learn. Crochet a rag rug, paint and draw birds and flowers, quilt a baby blanket, create your own holiday and party decorations, make a cross stitch pendant, and so much more. Visit Creativebug and create your account with your Cromaine Library card to get started today!
Happy crafting, Hartland!