Library of Things: Bissell Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner
Library of Things: Bissell Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner
These machines remove deep-down dirt, spots, and stains quickly and more effectively because of the powerful suction lifts and remove them for good. Cleans Multiple Surfaces: carpet, upholstery, stairs, area rugs, auto interiors, and more.
Suggestions
For clogged and cleaning for the return follow these instructions: Check for suction at the back of the unit after removing the hose where it attaches to the back of the unit. If there IS suction at the back of the machine with the hose removed, follow these steps: Unplug the unit from the outlet. Check the Pre- and Post-Motor filters for debris. Dirty filters can restrict airflow. The Pre-Motor Foam Filter is square. You can find it in a pull-out tray under the Dirt Tank. The Foam Filter may be hand washed in cold water with mild detergent. Reinstall the filter when it’s completely dry. The Multi-Layer Post-Motor Filter is rectangular. It can be found on the side of the machine.
Note: The white Multi-Layer Post Motor Filter isn’t washable.
Make sure the dirt tank is empty. Check the upper tank for build-up or clogs. If it needs to be cleaned, use a short, Phillips-head screwdriver and take off the separator plate with a cloth (can be dampened with water or a mild detergent). Replace the dirt tank. Check for good suction at the end of the upholstery hose. If there’s good suction, make sure the hose is connected firmly to the lower hose on the back of the vacuum. If there’s no suction, check the hose for splits, cracks, or clogs. Make sure the Brush Roll is rotating. If it isn’t, take the access plate off and examine the brush and belt for damage. The access panel can be taken off by lifting the four tabs on the bottom of your machine. Clearing clogs detach the Upper Hose from the machine. Insert a broomstick into the hose to push any obstruction through. Remove the screw from the left side of the lower hose on the back of the unit. Straighten this section of hose by pulling it down or laying the unit on its side with the lower hose towards the top side. Look through the hose for any obstruction. Use a broomstick to unclog the hose.
Library of Things: Nordic Ware Caterpillar Cake Pan
Library of Things: Nordic Ware Caterpillar Cake Pan
Who says you have to wait for a caterpillar to turn into a butterfly for it to be fun? With the Nordic Ware Caterpillar Cake Pan, you can turn any humdrum cake into a cool caterpillar confection! This cast aluminum bake pan features eight separate sections that each fits the mold of a part of a caterpillar. After baking the eight sections can be combined and decorated to create one marvelous, happy caterpillar. Each section is perfectly portioned for singular or shared eating! The aluminum pan promotes even cooking and is non-stick to allow for easy release and cleaning. The total batter capacity of this pan is 5-cups, making it perfect for creating a different kind of birthday cake. This pan is ideal for those who like a little more design with their dessert.
Staff Review & Tips
You will need five cups of batter for this pan. Make sure you spray the pan with cooking spray really good because all of the curves in it make this pan a little harder to clean. This is a great pan if you want to have a Hungry Caterpillar Party.
Suggestions
We followed the instructions of the cake batter that we used. You can use a toothpick to help loosen the cake. Then we placed a cookie sheet over it and flipped it to get the pieces out. Take your time cleaning this pan because there are lots of curves that need to be cleaned on it.
Library of Things: Wilton Countless Celebrations Set
Library of Things: Wilton Countless Celebrations Set
It’s as easy as 1-2-3 to personalize any party to celebrate every special occasion. Use one pan to bake cakes shaped like letters A-Z and numbers 0-9, perfect for celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, engagements, and so much more. The Countless Celebrations, letters, and numbers pan set to celebrate every special occasion. The complete set includes a 14.5 x 9-inch non-stick cake pan, featuring a grid-guide bottom, eight pan inserts, one angled cutter, and easy picture instructions. Plus, the inserts nest neatly inside the pan for convenient storage.
Staff Review & Tips
I used one brownie mix to make the letter J. My brownie was short, so I would use two boxes of whatever mix you want to use. I sprayed the rectangle pan and all the pieces I used with cooking spray. There were very mild places where the mix went past the interchangeable inserts; make sure you fit the pieces snug in place and try not to move the pan around a lot.
Tip: Use two boxes of cake mix, spray all parts you are using, and remember to clean well before returning to the library.
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Library of Things: Zoie + Chloe 3-Piece Dough Press Set
Library of Things: Zoie + Chloe 3-Piece Dough Press Set
Make hand pies, dumplings, empanadas, and more with Zoie + Chloe's dough press set. The once labor-intensive process has been reduced to four simple steps: cut, fill, fold, and press to seal. These three dough presses have diameters of 4", 5" and 6". They feature a decorative crimped edge design, and the dough cutter on the back of the press cuts dough to fit the press perfectly. It is excellent for dumplings, ravioli, calzones, piroshkis, empanadas, pierogies, and pastries of all kinds. They are easy to care for and dishwasher safe.
Staff Review & Tips
Frozen dough circles can be used or rolling puff pastry about 1/16 of an inch in thickness and cut with the dough press you want to use, like in the video shown below, to make the appropriate size. Tip: Spray the inside of the crimpers with baking spray before placing the cut dough on the crimpers. Watch out for over stuffing. You can then bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees, air fry, or deep fry.
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Inspiration
There are so many options on Pinterest and the web to find recipes to use these. I used keywords like dough press recipes, hand pies, dumplings, ravioli, calzones, piroshkis, empanadas, and pierogis to find tons of great recipes to use these for different meals. If you have an air fryer, then you can put that in your search also.
Library of Things: Artograph EZ Tracer Opaque Art Projector
Library of Things: Artograph EZ Tracer Opaque Art Projector
The EZ Tracer is an easy to use art projector for the beginning artist or art classroom. Simply place the projector on top of any art or copy and enlarge the image onto a wall or easel for tracing and coloring. Darkened room required. Copy size: 4 x 4 / 10.2cm x 10.2cm. Projection range: 2x to 10x. Create murals, paintings, signs, and banners faster and more accurately than ever.
Staff Review & Tips
The projector’s bottom has a 3 1/4 x 3 1/4″ opening, which sits over the artwork to be transferred. It is very easy to use with printed pictures taken from magazines, photos, or even fabric. The room needs to be dark, and the projector needs to be at least two feet away from your canvas, paper, or what you are transferring the picture onto.
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Inspiration
For things to trace, you can pick pictures out of books or head over to Pinterest. Using keywords when searching Pinterest or the internet is a great place to start. Try these keywords: pictures to trace, black and white images, or coloring pages. You can use any kind of image that is 3 1/4 x 3 1/4″.
Indie Author Day: November 7, 2020
On November 7, 2020, the Putnam County Public Library will host the 5th annual Indie Author Day. Join us for the talk “Eye for the Weird” by Author Sarah Gerkensmeyer.
Eye for the Weird
How can the strange, the uncanny, and the unordinary help give us more direct access to our characters’ ordinary, human experiences? This presentation, which incorporates a series of interconnected writing exercises, will explore how some “weird” writers like myself work with a careful balance of the ordinary and the unordinary, the real and the surreal, in their fiction. We will look at overt examples of weird writing, such as magical realism, fabulism, and fairy tales. And we will also explore more subtle approaches, such as conducting creative research about unknown topics and discovering a sense of mystery about topics that you are already familiar with. Participants should be both inspired and challenged to discover how injecting a sense of the unknown and the off-kilter—whether to a large degree or only in small doses—might open up the characters in their own writing. I will also share about how growing up in the Midwest helped shape how I view the “weird” in both the landscape that surrounds me and in my own writing.
For more information:
Indie Author Day
Writer Workshop Videos
Sarah Gerkensmeyer’s story collection, What You Are Now Enjoying, was selected by Stewart O’Nan as winner of the 2012 Autumn House Press Fiction Prize, longlisted for the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award, and chosen as winner of Late Night Library’s Debut-litzer Prize. A Pushcart Prize nominee for both fiction and poetry and a finalist for the Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction and the Italo Calvino Prize for Fabulist Fiction, Sarah has received scholarships to the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Ragdale, Grub Street, SAFTA’s Firefly Farms, and the Vermont Studio Center. Her stories and poetry have appeared in American Short Fiction, Guernica, The New Guard, The Massachusetts Review, Hayden’s Ferry Review, B O D Y, Hobart, and Cream City Review, among others. Her story “Ramona” was featured in a Huffington Post piece on flash fiction and also selected by Lily Hoang for the 2014 Best of the Net Anthology. Sarah was the 2012-13 Pen Parentis Fellow. She received her MFA in fiction from Cornell University and now lives and writes in her home state of Indiana, where she is a winner of the Indiana Authors Award and a Sustainable Arts Foundation Fellow.
LIBRARY HOURS
Monday-Thursday: 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sunday: Closed