A doll as often as I get around to posting...2024

Senor Cactus came from a party store and was used in a display when we did a community read of a book of Mexican short stories.

I love Alice and have for a long time. I especially love the original drawings from John Tenniel.

Being a librarian is often fun, but also very stressful and frustrating. Society has failed in so many ways, and we see the results. (People without permanent housing, with addiction issues, with mental health issues, being "homeschooled" in a way that means nothing to do all day - they all come to the library. Not to mention things like where to apply for benefits and unemployment payments, where to find tax forms, and where to ask every single question that no real person is available to answer anywhere else.)

Two cornhusk dolls that I made.

TrueFan wrote:

Being a librarian is often fun, but also very stressful and frustrating. Society has failed in so many ways, and we see the results.

That's really sad. When I think of "library," I always visualize the small town library where I grew up; impressively large for a small town, with friendly staff and usually fairly bustling with activity.

In Utah, in the really small town nearest where I live, the library is in what amounts to two large rooms, with a single librarian sitting at a circular counter between them. There's rarely any activity. It's sad, because there was once a "Carnegie Library" in town. The impressive old building still stands, but it is privately owned, somewhat deteriorated, and houses a business that buys and sells deer antlers.

In Florida the library here in Ormond Beach is enormous, with an almost equally large separate section for children's books. But the staff are largely isolated behind thick plexiglas walls -- installed during COVID, I suppose, and are sort of "fake polite" to patrons. There is a uniformed security guard who roams the floor at all times. The space is large and pleasant, the book selection is large and diverse, but the "vibe" isn't very fun.

I can see how librarians become "the face" of local government. All the other government agencies, particularly the so-called "social services," have effectively isolated themselves from the public in vast structures that are difficult to access.

Were the corn husk dolls for a Thanksgiving or for a "traditional crafts" display? Are they really made from corn husks? Did you have to somehow "prepare" corn husks to use them for handicrafts purposes?

At my library, I think we do a pretty good job of being a traditional helpful and friendly library while dealing with - a lot. As has been noted elsewhere, if public libraries didn't already exist there is no way they'd be created in today's society. (Spend shared money on what? My tax dollars going to what?)

The corn husk dolls were a program I did for my doll club, but it was open to the public. There's a whole process to prepare the corn husks. You shape the dolls while the husks are soaking wet. It was fun, but I had borrowed the supplies from someone else so I don't see myself making any more anytime soon.

They look really good. I can imagine there's quite a process to preserve them so they don't go moldy. Might be fun to try.

I get quite the culture shock going into city libraries, where the issues you mentioned with homeless people and those with other problems are present. Not something you ever saw in the library I grew up with, and certainly not here.
I'm surprised at the library in Florida still having all the Covid barriers. ...or maybe they're bulletproof, given the roaming security guard.
Human society is broken

Alliecat wrote:  
I'm surprised at the library in Florida still having all the Covid barriers.  ...or maybe they're bulletproof, given the roaming security guard.  

The image the media has built about Florida being a state full of angry militant arch-conservative gun-toting survivalist successionists is completely inaccurate. The library, in particular, is "woke central." When I'm perusing the New Books shelves, I find myself wondering if there are any books being published today that are not about the dire threat posed by human-induced climate change or about the white male oppression of every class, sub-class, sub-directory, or sub-sub-sub-minority; not to mention the vile evils of capitalist industry. The library patrons are largely elderly, as is to be expected, with a considerable percentage of mask-wearers. About a third of the library staff continues to wear masks, even behind their plexi barriers.

Once in a while there is a library "volunteer" on site. The volunteers are apparently considered to be expendable, as they are not afforded the protection of the plastic shield, nor do they wear masks. Rather, they walk the floor and actually chat with patrons, offering assistance or just stopping to chat.

Where I am, masks are entirely optional for staff, and about a third of staff choose to wear them. A smaller percentage of patrons. My newest hire, who is about 23, is never seen without her masks. (She doubles them up.)

I have tried to reply to this 3 times with no success . Your corn husk dolls look really cool! I think the lack of a face makes them look really serene and beautiful. I would have loved to attend your workshop I bet it was a lot of fun. Our local libraries here are suffering a lot of the same problems. Heating has become so expensive that a lot of pensioners are optting to either ride the bus all day (over 65s get free buses) or to huddle in the Library for warmth. It saddens me that as a country we are treating our most vulnerable like this. I actually wrote an application for a library assistant recently but I didn't end up applying because I'm not sure the kids are quite at a stage for me to go back to work. But please know you are inspiring people!

Thanks for the kind words! When I quit my corporate job I decided to go to library school to give back to society. And I have, but it's pretty draining and stressful sometimes. Everything is so much worse since the pandemic.

We made corn husk dolls in my girl scout troop too. It takes a trial run to get the hang of it but it's not too hard and I enjoyed it.

A bowtruckle I made for a Harry Potter event

Interesting, and nicely crafted. I had to refer to a website on Potter lore to remind myself what a bowtruckle is.

I see your bow truckle and raise you a mandrake

Cute! I've never made a mandrake, did you make this one?

I did. It was pretty simple it's just tights and stuffing and a few cleverly placed stitches and pipe cleaners. I threw a harry potter themed party for some 12year olds a few years ago. I made loads of decorations and my mum helped me make a sheet to look like a brick wall so they could enter through 9 3/4. We even got some bertie bots for the kids to try. This is the only decoration that stood the test of time.

That peach shirt is really cute.
Harry Potter is something that somehow I could never get into *shrug*  
It’s fun that you guys made decorations. I had to look up bowtruckle; sounds like a piece of ship’s rigging to me.  

"Of course! But only because The Boss is making me go. Why do you think I look so grumpy?"

Ha! Valancy and Puddle love to go!

The peach shirt is more or less what I'll be wearing as well. This will be a comfortable attire year.

Niffler and Make It Ugly doll (from a craft event where we made ugly dolls from random craft supplies).

Is that a platypus?
The " Make It Ugly Doll" looks like... ... a voodoo talisman!

Ha ha, a niffler is another Harry Potter thing.

My Make It Mighty Ugly doll is mighty ugly.

Not a doll.

I really love the idea of making ugly dolls. I recently had a discussion with my stepdaughter about how there's dolls that are creepy-cute and dolls that are creepy-creepy. I especially like the crazy fluffy mint hair.

From a feather boa.

Today!