By Brittany Schaaf, St. Charles City-County Library
As 2024 wraps up, I’ve been journaling about my 2025 New Year's Resolutions (and anti-resolutions, as I like to call them): hobbies to start and habits to stop. I figured if the Library was a place to learn, create, collaborate, and read, there were bound to be resources to help me achieve my goals for 2025, right?
Learn a New Skill: I LOVE crafting and especially love the joy of fluttering from one hobby to the next, chasing the thrill of learning something new. In the past few years, I have picked up hand embroidery, watercoloring, crocheting, and a touch of quilting (thanks to Leslie at the Augusta Branch.) I’d really like to pick up some skills in drawing, cake decorating, and a bit of basic sewing.
Luckily for me, the Library offers an incredible resource known as Craftsy. Available on your computer, phone, or other device, this database offers step-by-step video instructions and live classes on anything from sewing a basic tote to time-lapse photography, portrait sketching, quilting, and even how to cook the perfect steak. It amazes me!
Relax More: I’m not great at sitting still; binge-watching a television show or hosting a movie night has never been my forte. Because of this, I feel like I have missed many fantastic programs. So this year, I am going to prioritize relaxing with movies, documentaries, and TV shows from the Library. I plan on kicking it old school, borrowing Blockbuster-style DVDs from the stacks and checking out the ever-changing offerings on Kanopy, the Library’s free streaming service.
Read Outside the Lines: I read a lot of novels throughout the year, but I realized that I don’t often venture outside of the fiction section. This coming year, I would like to be a little more adventurous with my reading selections. The Library offers magazines (both physical and digital). With a little newborn at home, my moments of reading are short and sweet in between nap times; reading a few articles in a magazine sounds much more attainable than a 300-page novel. Plus, they are lightweight and available on devices via Libby and Flipster, so I can even read past the baby’s bedtime!
What are your goals for the new year? Visit the library online at stchlibrary.org or in person, including for one of these amazing programs and events at the Boone’s Trail and Augusta branches.
Coffee and Conversation - Thurs, Jan 2, 9, 16, 23, 30: 9 to 10 a.m. Augusta Branch - adults. Enjoy a cup of coffee, a sweet treat, and conversation with others in the community.
Canasta - Hand & Foot* - Tues, Jan 7, 14, 21, 28: and Thurs, Jan 2, 9, 16, 23, 30: 1 to 3:30 p.m. Boone’s Trail Branch - adults. Need to get out of the house? Learn to play Hand & Foot Canasta!
Crafting Connections - Yarn Arts - Thurs, Jan 2, 9, 16, 23, 30: 2 to 4 p.m. Augusta Branch - adults and teens.Other yarn enthusiasts will keep you company while you work on your knit, crochet, or embroidery project.
Crafting Connections: Sip & Stitch* - Mon, Jan 6: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Boone’s Trail Branch - adults and teens. Bring your current work in progress and join other yarn artists as we sip, stitch, and talk about our projects.
Discover Crafting - Seasonal Pour Over Acrylic Painting* - Mon, Jan 6: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and Tue, Jan 7: 10 to 11 a.m. Boone’s Trail Branch - adults and teens. Join us to create two beautiful paintings on 8” by 8” canvases using an acrylic paint pouring method featuring seasonal colors. This is a repeated event; please register for only one session.
Crafting Connections - I Love Quilts!* - Tue, Jan 7: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Augusta Branch - adults. What will you create? Meet other quilt lovers at this monthly event.
Valentine Gnome* - Thur, Jan 9: 10:30 am to 12 p.m.; Sat, Jan 11: 10 to 11:30 a.m.; Mon, Jan 13: 1 to 2:30 p.m.; Tue, Jan 14: 5 to 6:30 p.m. Boone’s Trail Branch - adults. Perfect for Valentine’s Day, join us to create a cute Valentine gnome sign that measures 5.5” tall. This is a repeated event; please register for only one session.
Read to a Dog* - Thur, Jan 9: 5 to 6 p.m. Boone's Trail Branch - children. Bring a book or choose one of ours and read to an attentive, adorable dog.
Make-It-Monday* - Mon, Jan 13: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Augusta Branch - adults. Grab a friend, come to the Augusta Branch, and work on your unfinished projects! Spend all day or just a little while.
Book Discussion - "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid* - Mon, Jan 13: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Boone's Trail Branch - adults. Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. She chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, so Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jump-start her career. As Evelyn’s life unfolds, Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the actress. But, as Evelyn’s story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
Book Discussion - "The Other Wes Moore” by Wes Moore* - Thur, Jan 16: 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Boone’s Trail Branch - adults. Two kids with the same name were born blocks apart in the same decaying city within a few years of each other. One grew up to be a Rhodes Scholar, army officer, White House Fellow, and business leader. The other is serving a life sentence in prison. Here is the story of two boys and the journey of a generation.
Crafting Connections - English Paper Piecing* - Tue, Jan 21: 2 to 4 p.m. Augusta Branch - adults. Learn how to English Paper Piece, a fun method of sewing fabric pieces together.
*Register at stchlibrary.org/join-class-or-event or call Boone’s Trail at 636-398-6200 or Augusta at 636-228-4855 for more information about classes.
The Boone’s Trail and Augusta branches are open Mon, Tue, and Thur from 9 a.m.- 7 p.m. and Sat, 9 a.m.- 12 p.m. All St. Charles City-County Library branches will be closed on Wed, Jan 1, for New Year’s Day and Mon, Jan 20, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
