Get crafty at Natural Connections workshops

The days are shorter; the weather is cooler.

Leaves are changing color and, soon, snow will be on its way.

How to spend those cold winter days? If you attend one of the upcoming Natural Connections programs — or one of a number of East Bonner County Library events on tap — you'll have any number of activities to keep you busy and entertained all winter long.

The Oct. 26 Natural Connections will be a crafter's dream with a creative free swap and art demonstrations and a host of free activities and lessons. The swap will begin at 10 a.m. at the Sandpoint Library, 1407 Cedar.

"Are your artistic supplies bulging at the seams or do you need to downsize? Let someone else turn your unused fabric, fiber or yarn into their own new creations," said Joyce Jowdy, community engagement and adult programming coordinator with the East Bonner County Library District. 

Supplies for all mediums are being sought — art, sewing, quilting, weaving, crafting and more. Whatever one crafter no longer uses or has extra can be dropped off at the Sandpoint Library or brought to the Oct. 26 swap. In return, crafters can pick up supplies for their next project or donate items they picked up too much of to someone just picking up that craft. Demonstration tables will give hands-on tips and ideas with participants encouraged to trip something new — and take a self-made creation home with them, Jowdy said.

The day of crafting fun continues with a watercolor class by professional artist Genie Higbee, who will demonstrate "playful and practical" techniques that will lead participants step by step through the creation of their own painting. All materials will be provided for the program, which begins at 12:30 p.m., Jowdy said.

"The skills you gain can later be applied to artwork you’ll frame, to social media posts, and to journaling," Higbee said in information provided about the class.

The 20-year Hayden resident has been exploring the visual world for most of her life. She remembers drawing from a young age — page after page displaying groups of people holding hands. Kids, Adults. Families. Friends.

After a career as a graphic designer/copywriter, Higbee said she had the time to explore art and writing for pure enjoyment. The upcoming Natural Connections class gives her a chance to pass on that joy of creation with others and inspire artists and those who dream of creating art.

Wrapping up the day's event will be a class on creating twisted copper wire jewelry. At the hands-on workshop, which begins at 2 p.m., Weezil Samter will teach participants how to upcycle scrap metals as well as how to twist wire into jewelry.

The skills taught in the class can be applied to any number of creative projects, with additional tips on how to upcycle cast-off metals into jewelry or other objects, Samter said in information provided by the library on his workshop.

"Combining the creative with the useful — from copper jewelry to Viking drinking horns to armor for full-contact fighting in the Society of Creative Anachronism — (I am) always exploring new ways to imaginatively reuse discarded materials."

The goal of October's Natural Connections is to give area residents a chance to try new artistic mediums without investing in something they may abandon once they decide it is not their proverbial cup of tea.

Possible demonstrations could include everything from ceramics and weaving to collage, no-sew totes and upcycled clothing.

Additional upcoming events include a Tuesday, Oct. 22 class by Laura Clemmons of Tendril Herbal Apothecary & Healing Center on oxymels, a mixture of honey, vinegar and herbs that are used in traditional medicine. All skill levels are welcome and the class will be held at the Clark Fork Library, 601 N. Main St., Clark Fork.

Participants will not only learn the history and benefits of oxymel but get to create their own to take home, Jowdy said. The class will be held from 5-7 p.m.

Natural Connections for November will be a bit different than past programs with just one program highlighted in the weekday event. Set for Thursday, Nov. 7, the program will take a look at "Living in the Stone Age" and explore "living wild" in the community. The program will be held from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Sandpoint Library.

The program on experiential living "as a wild human amidst a modern world" is a chance for area residents to learn from and talk with local participants from the Lithica Project. The residents took part in a month-long program of living in the wilds of the Okanagan Valley. The program is suitable for all ages.

The Lithica Project aims to connect people with their "innate wildness," helping them develop the skills and wisdom to become stewards of the land, presenters Kirsten Longmeier and Shaun Deller said in information shared by the East Bonner County Library District.

Longmeier who raises a flock of Icelandic sheep with her husband and two children in Priest River, said she finds deep nourishment in learning old-world craft and living in closer harmony

Information: ebonnerlibrary.org/events

    Kirsten Longmeier and Shaun Deller and family will be giving a presentation on experiential living and their participation in the Lithica Project. Part of the November Natural Connections program on Thursday, Nov. 7.