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Ahhh, Valentine’s Day. Whether your heart beats fondly for this love-focused holiday or goes ice cold at the thought of it – I think there’s one thing that we can all agree on – that we do adore our Library!

Did you know that Americans were expected to spend $18.2 billion expressing their love on Valentine’s Day in 2017 (according to the National Retail Federation)? But what if I told you that this year you could save a lot of that cash by spending Valentine’s Day with us.

From fun and free “date nights” to DIY gift making programs to romantic (and non-romantic) movies you can stream at home, we have everything you need to make this year’s Valentine’s Day something to remember. So get ready to fall in love…at the Library!

Ideas for Adults

Color Me Calm
Feb. 13, 2018 | 6 p.m. | Birmingham
Join us for an evening of adult coloring and make a masterpiece together as a couple, or create something to give to the person you love!

Fall in Love with Sugar Scrub
Feb. 13, 2018 | 6:30 p.m. | Washington
Looking for that perfect Valentine’s Day gift or a fun and unique evening? You’ll fall in love with our sugar scrub program! Learn how to make a natural sugar scrub with good for your skin ingredients. Registration required.

Poetry Speaks: African American Poetry Read-In
Feb. 14, 2018 | 6 p.m. | Main Library
Poetry is full of passion and therefore a perfect choice for Valentine’s Day! Join us for an evening of some of the most renowned African-American poets of our time. Pick a poem to read to your loved one as a surprise! Register here to read a poem.

Movie Night at Home
Pick up your (and your partner’s) favorite snacks or cook dinner at home and snuggle in for a warm and romantic movie night. Check out hoopla’s special Valentine’s Day movie collection. Hoopla is now available for streaming on Amazon Firestick, Android TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast and Roku.

Ideas for Kids

Get Ready for Valentine’s Day
Feb. 7, 2018 | 4 p.m. | Lagrange
Make a few special cards for your favorite people.

Sweets for the Sweet
Feb. 12, 2018 | 3:30 p.m. | Locke
Get ready for Valentine’s Day! Today we’ll share lovely stories and make chocolate candies that you can keep for yourself or give to someone special.

The Great Candy Race
Feb. 13, 2018 | 6:30 p.m. | Oregon
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with us during the Great Candy Race. Use candy hearts to participate in races and games.

Valentine Science
Feb. 14, 2018 | 4 p.m. | Washington
You’ll fall in love with chemistry with our fun Valentine’s Day themed experiments. Grades 1-5.

Ideas for Teens

3D Printed Adventures
Feb. 9, 2018 | 4 p.m. | Oregon
Ready to show some love? Why not make your loved one something a little extra special this year? Design a custom valentine for printing on our 3D printer.

Valentine Zumba
Feb. 9, 2018 | 4 p.m. | Toledo Heights
Develop a “love” for Zumba with instructor Elaina Hernandez. She will get you moving and grooving to some great music, and maybe even play a game or two!

Finding Cupid (Escape Room)
Feb. 13, 2018 | 4 p.m. | Oregon
Where in the world is cupid? With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, it is up to you to trap him so that he doesn’t strike everyone, causing them to fall in love. Watch out, he is a sly one!

Ideas for Anti-Valentine’s Day’ers

Rock Out with the Anti-Valentine’s Day Tribute

Borrow the Anti-Valentine’s Day Tribute album from hoopla and rock out to some amazing music by Lady Antebellum, Eminem, Beyonce, Def Leppard, Alanis Morissette, Kayne West and more!

Movies that Say “I Don’t Love You”

I love macabre movies and could certainly offer a big list here, but for this purpose I’ll stick to five movies that serve up a healthy dose of romantic relationships which leave me saying “nooooo thank you!” and leave it at that:

American Beauty (Rated R, DVD), The Break-Up (Rated PG-13, DVD), Eyes Wide Shut (Rated R, DVD), Gone Girl (Rated R, DVD) and The Shining (Rated R, DVD).

Schemes, Scams and Ripoffs

Feb. 14, 2018 | 6 p.m. | West Toledo

Being scammed is decidedly unlovely if you ask me! What better way to spend an anti-Valentine’s Day than to join Dick Eppstein with the Better Business Bureau discussing scams – how to spot them and how to protect oneself from them.

2018 Drop-In Programs (held during library hours)

BASH! Valentine’s Day
Feb. 12 – 17 | Heatherdowns

Blind Date with a Book
Feb. 12 – 17 | Reynolds Corners

Captured Hearts, Guess How Many
Feb. 12 – 16 | Toledo Heights
Feb. 12 – 17 | Waterville

Count the Kisses
Feb. 5 – 10 | Holland

Create a Valentine
Feb. 12 – 14 | Waterville

Live, Love, Laugh on the Bookmobile
Feb. 5 – 14 | Bookmobile

Win Our Hearts, Take a Guess
Feb. 5 – 17 | Heatherdowns

For current events, check out our Events page at ToledoLibrary.org/events.

Homemade Beauty Products and Natural Cleansers

Fresh & Pure: Organically Crafted Beauty Balms and Cleansers by Jules Aron

Natural Soap at Home : How to Make Felted Soap, Wine Soap, Fruit Soap, Goat's Milk Soap, and Much More by Liz McQuerry

The handmade mama: simple crafts, healthy recipes, and natural bath + body products for mama and baby / Mary Helen Leonard ; photography by Kimberly Davis

Beehive Alchemy : Projects And Recipes Using Honey, Beeswax, Propolis, And Pollen To Make Your Own Soap and Candles by Petra Ahnert

Fresh & Pure : Organically Crafted Beauty Balms & Cleansers by Jules Aron

Tired of wondering exactly what went into her beauty products, holistic health and wellness coach Jules Aron decided to make her own. Whipping up a luxurious face mask using little more than honey, apricots, and coconut oil, and an acne-fighting toner with cooling cucumber and antioxidant-rich green tea, she knew without a doubt that no preservatives or toxic chemicals were used. In Fresh & Pure, Aron explains how to use fruit, flowers, herbs, and minerals to craft healthy beauty products that promote radiant skin, strong nails, and shiny hair. With this helpful guide, readers will be able to pamper themselves from head to toe with aromatic, forward-thinking potions like charcoal soap, strawberry rose facial mist, pineapple sunflower body scrub, and aloe and avocado hair conditioner.

Natural Soap At Home : How to Make Felted Soap, Wine Soap, Fruit Soap, Goat’s Milk Soap and Much More by Liz McQuerry

The creator of the natural skin care line Moon Magic, Liz McQuerry offers here a step-by-step guide for natural cold-process soap crafting. Mostly utilizing kitchen ingredients to create a variety of innovative soap blends-including felted soap, beer soap, and seasonal soaps – McQuerry will put you in touch with your inner alchemist. From body bars to hair care bars, with wonderful tidbits and advice on herbs and essential oil blends, you and your family will enjoy a clean like never before. Here are instructions for: Mermaid Kisses Salty Sea Soap. Golden Coconut Milk Soap. Wine and Rose Soap. Felted Soap Stones. Refreshing Lemon Solid Shampoo Bars. Beard Wash Solid Soap Bars. And more! After you learn to make your own soap, you’ll also discover how to scent, color, design, troubleshoot, and even sell your soap. McQuerry’s soaps make for attractive and personal bathroom and kitchen décor at home, as well as nifty gifts for just about any occasion.

The Handmade Mama : Simple Crafts, Healthy Recipes, and Natural Bath + Body Products for Mama and Baby by Mary Helen Leonard

Many of the everyday products we rely on through pregnancy and baby’s first year are actually quite simple to make at home with safe and natural ingredients. Making your own food, homemade skin care products, and everyday objects allows you to choose exactly what you put on and into your body. With help from Mary Helen Leonard, natural lifestyle writer of the blog Mary Makes Good, you’ll create handmade items for mama and baby using sustainable materials. You pick the color. You choose the ingredients. You make adjustments to suit your own tastes and needs. There’s nothing better than custom-made, and when you do it yourself it can actually be affordable! The techniques you’ll discover in “The Handmade Mama” will make cooking, sewing, and planning your own healthy baby projects a breeze. From ginger syrup for upset stomachs to baby powder, changing mats, food purees, teethers, and simple toys, this book is stuffed with useful projects, tips, and sidebars for a natural pregnancy and baby’s first year that you’ll cherish.

Beehive Alchemy : Projects and Recipes Using Honey, Beeswax, Propolis, and Pollen to Make your Own Soap, Candles, Creams, Salves and More by Petra Ahnert

From crayons to cough drops, cookies to candles, “Beehive Alchemy” offers a comprehensive introduction to incorporating the miracle of bees into everyday life. “Beehive Alchemy” is a continuation of Petra Ahnert’s best-selling “Beeswax Alchemy.” With this new book, beekeepers (and bee lovers) will learn about the benefits and attributes of beeswax, honey, propolis, and more alongside a full range of projects and techniques to process and harness the amazing gifts of bees. Whether you keep bees or just love them, “Beehive Alchemy” will become your go-to comprehensive guide for hive-to-home creations.

More ways to inspire your creative spirit …

Cool stuff for bath & beauty by Pam Scheunemann

Nature's essential oils aromatic alchemy for well-being by Cher Kaufmann.

Vintage beauty your guide to classic Hollywood make-at-home beauty treatments by Daniela Turudich

Beeswax alchemy how to make your own candles, soap, balms, salves, and home decor from the hive by Petra Ahnert

Botanical beauty 80 essential recipes for natural spa products by Aubre Andrus

This is part of a series of blog posts dedicated to creating handmade gifts.

Crafty Library Blog Posts

Feeling Crafty?

DIY Holiday Gifts

What’s Really In Your Beauty Products (and How to Make Your Own)?

Give 3 Get 3

Personalized Recommendations Just for You!

Looking for your next great read?Let us help you!Tell us what you’ve enjoyed reading, watching or listening to, and our librarians will give you personalized recommendations.No algorithms, cookies or data mining – just real experts in your community sharing their love of great books, music and movies with you. We call it Give 3 Get 3.Get started today at ToledoLibrary.org/Give3Get!

Originally posted by Amy H. at ToledoLibrary.org/blog/make-your-own-natural-homemade-gifts

Valentine’s Day: Fall in Love…At the Library!