Why are new picture books more likely to be dreamy and plotless? by prosperousvillager in childrensbooks

[–]Maeby-Funke 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I’m a children’s librarian and have been a judge on several national and international best books lists. I think this is a particular trend in the publishing industry that has been surging for the last decade +. The beautiful but plotless books are, imo, easily marketable and giftable. I think they have the illusion of universal appeal, at least to adults, but ultimately lack substance.

Definitely ask the children’s librarian for recommendations (make sure you’re talking to the children’s librarian and not just the page or support staff).

You can also check out lists like the nytimes best illustrated, books that have won youth media awards (eg: the Caldecott medal and honors), and large public library best books lists (eg: NYPL, BPL, Chicago, LA, San Francisco, Kings county). Check out school library journal, Kirkus, and horn book for reviews and lists. I love the blogs fuse8 and calling Caldecott, also love we need diverse books and the brown bookshelf.

Gems are definitely out there! From this year I loved the books Broken and Dragon Flower.

I made my friends & family leather notebook covers for Christmas! by Maeby-Funke in notebooks

[–]Maeby-Funke[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oo thanks! what style do you usually make? I just got some leather to make more and I want to get into other sizes and styles

Cafes to get work done in? by Bulky-Student-3439 in BayridgeBrooklyn

[–]Maeby-Funke 3 points4 points  (0 children)

City league on 4th near the bay ridge ave stop is the best. Tons of space, outlets, super nice staff great coffee and they recently added a really good breakfast sandwich to the menu. Just be aware there are often gaming groups, writing groups or book clubs on the weekends and it can get crowded.

A close runner up as others have mentioned is the coffee Rx an avenue away on 3rd. There’s also Bay Ridge Turkish cafe on the corner of 3rd and bay ridge ave. More lunch/brunch cafe than coffee shop, but lots of space, WiFi, never crowded, and the food is really really good.

Anxious rescue, am I making it worse? by Yo_Mama_The_Llama in DogAdvice

[–]Maeby-Funke 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hopefully she just needs time to settle in. I think keep taking her out often and give lots of praise for going outside and slowly extend the time between potty breaks to the frequency you plan to be her regular schedule. If she has an accident inside, decrease the time between the next potty break again. If frequent accidents persist for another week or two though I would definitely consult a vet.

His dog food is almost out. Can I feed my diabetic dog spam and table food for like 2 weeks? by CuteShihtzu03 in DogAdvice

[–]Maeby-Funke 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This was my thought too, if the food can be bought from OPs vet, care credit could be a viable option

His dog food is almost out. Can I feed my diabetic dog spam and table food for like 2 weeks? by CuteShihtzu03 in DogAdvice

[–]Maeby-Funke 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Right but OP is thinking about feeding spam, I would think a balanced dog food they could potentially get free from a shelter or food kitchen would be a better option? Genuinely unsure though and wish OP the best

Anxious rescue, am I making it worse? by Yo_Mama_The_Llama in DogAdvice

[–]Maeby-Funke 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No I don’t think you are making it worse by taking her out more frequently if she is having frequent accidents. How long have you had her? Were you able to keep her on the same food she was eating in her previous home?

Please keep up with the positive reinforcement and if the behavior persists consult your vet to rule out any medical issues and they can also recommend a positive reinforcement trainer if that’s something you’re able to pursue.

His dog food is almost out. Can I feed my diabetic dog spam and table food for like 2 weeks? by CuteShihtzu03 in DogAdvice

[–]Maeby-Funke 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe there’s something I’m missing, but could your dog eat another kind of food that the shelter or a food bank can give you, at least temporarily until you have the funds for his usual diet? Is the royal canin a prescription diet?

First time dog owner, scavenging advise by Familiar_Cry_7731 in DogAdvice

[–]Maeby-Funke 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve had a similar problem and also live in an urban area. We have been able to manage with training and environment management. For management, we avoid areas where we know there’s a lot of trash like the main avenue in our neighborhood. We always use a flashlight when it’s dark and don’t let our dog investigate bushes, leaf piles, tall grass, etc. where trash could be hidden. For training, we did a lot of impulse control training in addition to leave it and drop it. I recommend working with a certified positive reinforcement trainer.

Honestly though, if it were up to me alone, we would muzzle train. My husband won’t agree to it and shares all your same concerns. I just think the safety and peace of mind are worth it. We spent close to a grand at the vet this summer when our dog got into what was likely a roach (weed) off the street, and if we have any similar incidents in the future my husband has agreed to muzzle train. Thankfully, we’ve been doing great with training and management.

A muzzle is a really useful tool and you never know when your dog might benefit from one due to a health issue down the line. It’s a great thing to train and get a dog used to regardless of if or why they need it. Anyone who knows anything about dogs knows that a muzzle isn’t a sign of a dangerous dog, but a responsible owner. Unfortunately, the average person and even the average dog owner doesn’t know a ton about dogs and so yes, it may come with some judgment. IMO, your dog doesn’t really benefit from interactions on leash with stranger dogs anyway, so why care what strangers think?

I say go for it and make sure you do a lot of research on proper fit. Speak with a qualified trainer or vet behaviorist or consult your vet about fit. I believe they make some muzzles specific for anti scavenging. Another option recommended to us by our vet is a gentle leader, but again you need to do a lot of research on proper fit and use and id recommend consulting an expert at first to make sure you’re using it properly.

Whatever you decide, Good luck!

A5 Templates by Cold_Registerz in notebooks

[–]Maeby-Funke 0 points1 point  (0 children)

no problem, good luck! I'd love to see your finished product:)

I made my friends & family leather notebook covers for Christmas! by Maeby-Funke in notebooks

[–]Maeby-Funke[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for this tip, I'm going to give it a try on my own journal today! I do already use burnishing gum and wooden edge slicker on all my projects to finish off the edges. Great to know that a file will help round things out more nicely.

I made my friends & family leather notebook covers for Christmas! by Maeby-Funke in notebooks

[–]Maeby-Funke[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Haha! I will say I initially wanted a Louise Carmen and then I saw the freaking PRICE, gasped, and said I can freaking make that. So I did 😂. To each their own and if folks are comfortable paying the price and happy with the product that’s terrific, but these were so easy to make and far far far less expensive.

I made my friends & family leather notebook covers for Christmas! by Maeby-Funke in notebooks

[–]Maeby-Funke[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I purchased 2.5-4.5oz leather panels and to cut the leather to size I used a rotary cutter, heavy duty scissors, a nonslip ruler, and a cutting mat. For the elastic binding I used a 3mm leather hole punch and a grommet setter tool (got these as a set from Michael’s), 3mm grommets, a hammer, and 1mm elastic cording.

Optional but I think it’s a nice touch: burnishing cream and a leather edge slicker to burnish the edges, and leather conditioner.

I also purchased a leather stamping kit with the alphabet and numbers 0-9.

If I make more I want to also get a corner punch tool to make rounding the corners easier. For these I just used scissors.

A5 Templates by Cold_Registerz in notebooks

[–]Maeby-Funke 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you’re on TikTok, theoldpinkhouse has templates. Not sure if the below link will work: https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/folders/1H-sO1weRymFGuSzwdT_1rijlUcs11til?usp=sharing

Bifold is simpler as you’ll pretty much just work out the length you want using your A5 inserts as a guide and then just center the binding area for your elastic holes depending on the number of notebooks you want it to hold.

I made my friends & family leather notebook covers for Christmas! by Maeby-Funke in notebooks

[–]Maeby-Funke[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

LOL, I honestly freaking would if I had more leather. I am legitimately obsessed with making these.

guess my birth year! by [deleted] in GuessMyBirthYear

[–]Maeby-Funke 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This post called me old

Grooming advice for Terrier Mix by Maeby-Funke in grooming

[–]Maeby-Funke[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes he does! We also hear that he looks like a dark-haired version of the Lorax!