vol. 3
EMPHASIS ON THE FUN IN HAFUBOTI
Hi, friends. I know that it's been a long time since last I did anything obvious with Hafuboti - both the newsletter and the site have been in the state of mere existence. But now I'm hoping to breathe some life back into all that is Hafuboti.

It's been a really rough few years for everyone. I have been struggling with depression (an almost life-long struggle for me), as well as trying to work through some anger I have towards this profession. A heartfelt blog post about my feelings has been percolating in my mind, and someday I'll share it.

But for now? I want to focus on the positive and fun things so that I can gather my strength and to tackle the not-so-positive stuff.

One of the things that I'm most excited about is this newsletter. I have decided to utilize this newsletter in a way that I hadn't planned on: it's going to take the place of most of my blog posts! If you're subscribed to my newsletter, then you'll be getting all the newest art, ideas, and printables before anyone else.

Eventually most of this content will be put into an annual year-in-review post on the site. So if you get sick and tired of these newsletters in your inbox, you can unsubscribe and catch up later.

Not only does this change help me save space on my site, but it also gives you and I a bit more of a connection. I've turned off all comments on my site, but through this newsletter, you can reply to it and we'll connect. Yay!

So grab a cuppa and get ready for ideas, ideas, and more ideas over the coming weeks, months, and years.
SITE CH-CH-CH-CH-CHANGES
As I mentioned above, I need to reduce the amount of space in my site's image library, otherwise I'll need to pay a few hundred more dollars a year, and I can't afford that.

My solution is to transfer most of those items over to Wikimedia Commons. And replacing the images on my site with lower-res versions that will link to their Wiki counterparts. So over the next month or so, that's going to be my main focus on the site itself.
SEPTEMBER 2021 THEME: ART SHOW
This theme marked the return to our monthly tradition of changing up the décor. This was also the first time our newest team members Heba and Meggie handled said décor.

I could tell that they had a mixture of excitement and trepidation about taking on this large and very public responsibility. And to say that I was thrilled with their work would be an understatement.

They came up with the theme to compliment the Mini Art Show that our Children's Librarian and they put together.
Here's a closeup of the "canvas" on the front window. It emphasizes the theme while advertising the self-directed program.

This event was so popular and easy to do that it may become a special tradition. We put tiny canvases, paint (in containers like these), brushes, and instructions in bags as take-home kits. We kept the small easels to reuse in the future.

The exhibition space was on top of our book cases.
This detail on the front windows' interior inside was something we'd never tried before - having the art extend beyond the normal boundaries.

Even with the "spill" being larger than expected, it remained without damage for the entire month (I would have lost that bet).
We made lots of hard decisions when it came to reopening our building to the public.

Things that are gone include all book displays, our scavenger hunts, the magnets in the magnet corner, and our activity tables. So we're trying to keep things as cheery as possible while keeping things as safe as possible for everyone in our space.
Want to Read Other Hafuboti Newsletters?
Most of my readers are looking for the free things that I offer. That's cool. I'm happy when anyone wants to use my work, and don't expect anything in return.

That said, running Hafuboti takes a lot of time, effort, and money - especially now that I'm paying for more site services. Please consider sending a financial thank you by clicking on the image to the right.

Can't afford to give? Then why not send me an email sharing your Hafuboti-inspired stories - those always brighten my day.