You’re more creative than you think.
Creativebug has thousands of award-winning arts and crafts classes taught by recognized design experts and artists. The classes cover a range of topics including quilting, paper crafts, baking, jewelry making, and more. You also have access to print patterns, coloring pages, and recipes for free. Note: this service is available only to residents of East Greenbush or Schodack. Not a resident of EG or Schodack? Anyone can use Creativebug at the library on one of our computers or on a device connected to our WiFi network.
Creating Your Account
Visit Creativebug and begin creating your free account with your library card.
After entering your library card number you will be directed to an account creation page. Fill out the required account information with your name and email address, and create a password for yourself. Creativebug will send you an email to confirm the account. Now you have access to hundreds of video classes and resources to begin your crafting adventures!
Getting Started
Once you have logged into Creativebug you can explore all the classes and resources it has to offer. Next to the Creativebug logo are different sections of Creativebug: Classes, Daily Practice, Learning Journeys, and Resources. Moving your cursor over Classes and Resources, you’ll see various drop down menus. Mousing over Classes shows the various types of crafting classes Creativebug offers. Mousing over Resources shows sections such as calendar, instructors, and more. On the home page you’ll see featured classes and recommended videos. Clicking on the Creativebug logo at the top of the screen will bring you back to the home screen from any section.
A quick menu is accessible by clicking the circle in the top right-hand corner with the first letter of your name in the center. Here you can find your recently watched, your watchlist, your gallery, and the community tab. You can also access your account and logout.
The notification icon is directly to the left of your profile and is represented by a bell. A small circle with a number in it will appear on the icon when you have a new notification. Clicking on the notification icon will open a sidebar on the right side of the screen showing more detail about each notification.
Clicking on Manage will take you to your profile where you can manage your notifications feed. The notifications feed displays updates about new classes, blog posts, and live events, as well as notifications when members leave comments or share gallery images on classes that you have watched or saved to your watchlist. Any of these notifications can be enabled or disabled to suit your preferences.
Classes
Creativebug offers 1,000+ classes on a variety of topics. You can click on Classes to display all of the classes available, or you can search for a class in the search bar at the top of the screen.
Mousing over the Classes tab displays a drop down menu that lists class topics.
Mousing over each class topic displays a drop down menu showing topics within that particular class subject.
After clicking on Classes or a class topic you will be on the page showing the video lessons. The videos have a thumbnail for the class, the name of the class, the class instructor, and rating. In the thumbnail for each class you will be able to see if the class is new or upcoming in the right-hand corner, and see the length of the video in the top left-hand corner.
Results can be filtered further to find the classes you are looking for. At the top of the results page is a drop down tab to filter results. Clicking it will display a menu where you can filter results by Category, Class Type, and Instructor.
At the top of the results page for the video classes you can sort the results by release date, popularity, and rating.
When you click on a particular video, you will see the video divided up into different sections, allowing you to easily go back or skip ahead to a particular part of the video. There is also an add to watchlist button to save for future viewing.
If you are interrupted while watching a video on Creativebug you can pick up where you left off by clicking on My Classes on the home screen. Next, click on the Recently Watched tab to see videos you have recently viewed.
Daily Practice
Creativebug also has a Daily Practice Tab that will take you to a page with longer videos that challenge crafters with 30 day prompts.
Learning Journeys
Learning Journeys are a curated experience designed to help you master new skills and guide you along in your creative practice. In each journey, you’ll follow a series of classes and techniques that build upon each other, allowing you to gain knowledge at your own pace.
Clicking on a particular Learning Journeys takes you to a page with the classes listed in order to begin your new crafting experience. At the top of the page is the curator of the Learning Journey and the total time of the classes in the list.
Resources
Creativebug provides many free resources for users. From the Resources tab, crafters can access a calendar of recent and upcoming classes, view instructor profiles, check the blog, explore Creativebug TV, access patterns & printables, and find class collections.
Calendar
The Calendar lets you look at the most recent classes as well as upcoming classes. You also have the opportunity to register for live virtual classes. You can use either a Zoom account or an email address to register for the classes.
Instructors
If you have an instructor that you have enjoyed you can find them on the Instructors page. Clicking on the Instructors tab will bring up the list of Creativebug instructors. Clicking on an instructor’s profile will bring up more information on that instructor and will have their video classes posted below.
Blog
There is also a Creativebug blog where you can catch up on all things crafting. The blog has content on crafts fairs and conventions, gives seasonal ideas, and provides more instruction for future crafts.
CBTV
CBTV lets you take a closer look into the lives, arts, and studios of your favorite artists and crafters on Creativebug. This page is also where you can look at previews of upcoming videos coming to CBTV.
Patterns & Printables
Creativebug lets you download and print knitting patterns, coloring pages, recipes, and more. Patterns & Printables can be filtered by topic and craft such as sewing or crochet.
When you click on a particular design, you will get more details on that pattern or item as well as the ability to download it as PDF. There is also a link to video instructions for certain printables and patterns.
Class Collections
Creativebug also offers class collections where classes are curated to cover one crafting topic to give you all the videos you will need to get started on a new craft. An example of a class collection offered is Adventure Begins at Your Library, which features 16 videos on that topic.
Inspiration
Share with the Creativebug community by clicking on the Inspiration tab on the homepage to share photos of your crafts and see other shared photos from fellow crafters on Creativebug.
There are three areas in the Inspiration tab. The first tab is My Gallery where you can upload photos of your crafts and projects. The second tab is Community Gallery where you can view photos that other crafters on Creativebug have shared. The third tab is Pinterest Boards where Creativebug shares link to curated Pinterest boards.
You can take Creativebug on the go. Visit the Google Play store or Apple App Store to download the app on your mobile device. Stay tuned for a post detailing the app.
Have you tried Creativebug yet? Let us know in the comments!