These Online Resources Offer Useful & Creative Help During the Holidays
Posted on December 3, 2024 at 7:00 am
For many, the holiday season requires some preparation and work, including shopping, decorating, and crafting (not necessarily in that order). Your local library has online resources to help you this season and all year long.
Consumer Reports for Shopping
If you are planning to do some holiday shopping, it’s a financially sound idea to do some homework and see which brands have the best (and worst) ratings. Consumer Reports ranks hundreds of items, both big-ticket and small items, in an unbiased and fair manner, including things such as microwaves, headphones, cars, laptops, and hundreds more.
What’s being rated varies depending on the items being reviewed. For example, microwaves are rated on predicted reliability, heating evenness, defrosting evenness, speed, noise, and more. Checking Consumer Reports before your next purchase, no matter how big or small, could help you make a smart choice that won’t cost you more to fix or replace down the road.
Creativebug for Crafting & Decorating
Get free, online arts and crafts classes that you can watch anytime, anywhere with Creativebug. You’ll find projects and classes for all skill levels with categories covering art and design, sewing, quilting, knitting, crocheting, paper crafts, jewelry making, food and home projects, and holiday and party crafts. That last category can be great for making seasonal décor, ornaments, wreathes, and gifts, such as candy, soap, scarves, plush toys, and more.
There are many creative projects and online classes to try and explore crafts and ideas for seasonal celebrations. All you need is your in-district library card and an email to start creating.
Flipster for Ideas & Inspiration
If you enjoy flipping through the glossy pages of magazines for gift and décor ideas, we have an easier (and less expensive) way with Flipster, your digital newsstand. Flipster is your source for digital magazines that you can read on a tablet, cell phone, and computer.
You’ll find a goldmine of creativity with Flipster. This holiday season, get inspired with these digital versions of popular magazines for home décor: Architectural Digest, Better Homes & Gardens, and American Farmhouse Style. For crafting and do-it-yourself enthusiasts, you’ll find Crochet World, Quilter’s World, and Family Handyman. If you’re planning to do some cooking, check out the latest issues of Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Allrecipes, and Taste of Home.
You can also access these magazines and many more from the Flipster app.
More in the Digital Library
These are just some of the online resources that you’ll find in the Digital Library. You can also explore resources for many of your other interests and needs, such as this additional sampling:
- Lifelong learning classes: Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, Gale Courses
- Homework help and tutoring: HelpNow, CultureGrams, WorldBook
- Movies, TV, and music: Kanopy, hoopla, Just For Kids
- Digital books: OverDrive and Libby, TeenBookCloud, BookFlix, TumbleBook Library
- And much more: ABCMouse, Ancestry Library Edition, Auto Repair Source
The Digital Library is available to everyone accessing it in our libraries and to in-district library card holders at home and on the go.
We hope you check out a useful online resource today.
Tags: consumer reports, cooking, crafting, creativebug, decorating, digital library, digital resources, Flipster, holidays, online resources, resources, shopping
