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2025 How-To Festival

Saturday, May 10, 2025

Beginning at 10:30 a.m.

Pacific Highlands Ranch Library 

https://youtu.be/-huU0jBZBSM
Colorful banner with 7 smaller images of smiling people holding up crafts that they made, and one of fresh oranges next to a jar of orange marmalade. At the right side of the image is the How-To Festival logo on a pink background.

 

 

The San Diego Public Library is excited to present its the 10th annual How-To Festival on Saturday, May 10 at 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the Pacific Highlands Ranch Library! The How-To Festival is an amazing, experiential learning extravaganza and community event, with something for everyone and for all ages! Simultaneously, a curated collection of how-to videos will premiere on our YouTube channel and will remain available for later viewing. Round up your friends and family and learn something new together like How-To Make an Easy Rubber Band Journal, How-To Make a Succulent Book Planter, How-To Start a Business, How-To Create Art with AI: No Skills Required, and more!

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Discover all our archived How-To videos on our YouTube channel.

 

2020 2021 2022 2023

 


 

Check out our 2025 How-To Festival Line-Up (Videos will go live on May 10 at 10:30 a.m.) 

 

Art & Crafts

Three dimensional graffiti lettering

How-To Fix A Flat with Legible Graffiti
Presenter: James Jepsen
Audience: All Ages | Instructions | Watch Video | Live at Pacific Highlands Ranch Library

Learn how-to jazz up your flat lettering with legible graffiti.
 

Woman holding zipper pouches with sewing machine.

How-To Machine Sew a Zipper Pouch
Presenter: Tracey Herriot
Audience: Teens, Adults  | Live at Pacific Highlands Ranch Library

Learn how to make a fun zipper pouch on a sewing machine.

An open book with a large rectangle cut out of the center of most of the pages.

How-To Make a Book Vault
Presenter: Krystal Williamson
Audience: Teens, Adults | Live at Pacific Highlands Ranch Library

Learn how-to transform a book that would otherwise be recycled into a book safe where you can store important documents or special keepsakes.

Handmade floral wreath headband made from fabric

How-To Make a Flower Wreath Headband
Presenter: Ereka Prevot
Audience: Teens, Adults | Instructions | Live at Pacific Highlands Ranch Library

Learn how-to make a fabric flower wreath headband using a laser cutting machine.

Heart and flower outlines decorated with colorful spirals made out of paper.

How-To Make a Simple Paper Quilling Project
Presenter: Karen Nguyen
Audience: All Ages | Instructions | Watch Video| Live at Pacific Highlands Ranch Library

Learn how-to make a simple and unique art project using a paper craft technique called paper quilling!

Book with succulent cuttings in the center.

How-To Make a Succulent Book Planter
Presenter: Nam Jin Lee
Audience: Teens, Adults  |  Live at Pacific Highlands Ranch Library

Learn how-to transform a book that would otherwise be recycled into a clever and attractive planter for succulents. **Please note this program is for adults and teens only as we will be using hot glue guns. **

Circular wall hangings decorated with images of colorful flowers.

How-To Make a Wall Hanging Using by Recycling Old CDs, Magazines, and Books
Presenter: Ratna Singh
Audience: All Ages |Live at Pacific Highlands Ranch Library

Learn how-to make a beautiful wall hanging using old CDs, magazines, and books.

Variety of zines clustered together

How-To Make a Zine
Presenter: Shanda Watkins
Audience: All Ages | Instructions | Live at Pacific Highlands Ranch Library

Learn how-to make a Zine, pronounced (zeen), a booklet made from a single sheet of folded paper.

Scrap paper, rubber bands, and pencils for making a journal.

How-To Make an Easy Rubber Band Journal
Presenter: Martha Contreras
Audience: All Ages | Live at Pacific Highlands Ranch Library

Learn how-to make a creative flow journal that is bounded by a rubber band. The technique can be used with different materials once learned.

Paper folded into an iris using origami techniques.

How-To Make an Origami Iris
Presenter: Dean Ujihara
Audience: Teens, Adults | Watch Video | Live at Pacific Highlands Ranch Library

Paper folded into an iris using origami techniques.

Colored, line-drawing of cartoon character Bluey.

How-To Draw Bluey
Presenter: Janet Yeager
Audience: All Ages | Instructions| Watch Video

Colored, line-drawing of cartoon character Bluey.

Woman hand-sewing a flower lei.

How-To Make a Flower Lei
Presenter: Helene Idels
Audience: Teens, Adults |Instructions| Watch Video

Learn how-to make a flower lei with colorful flowers to use as a necklace or a headpiece.

Close-up of the bottom edge of an opened book.

How-To Repair Books Using Household Items
Presenter: Krystal Williamson
Audience: Teens, Adults | Instructions | Watch Video

Learn how-to repair your beloved paperback and hardback books using items you have at home like glue, cereal boxes, cardboard, and scrap fabric. 

 

Cooking

Close-up of the bottom edge of an opened book.

How-To Make an Easy Detox Drink
Presenter: Beena Chopade
Audience: Teens, Adults | Instructions | Watch Video

Learn how-to make one basic recipe for a delicious detox drink.

Bundles of green onions in a grocery store display.

How to Re-Grow Green Onions  
Presenter: Christina Wainwright 
Audience: All Ages | Instructions | Watch Video

Learn how-to give the green onions that you bought at the store new life, by growing them again.

 

Instructional

Kids practicing for a play

How-To Have Fun with Improv
Presenter: Tonya Lehman
Audience: All Ages |Live at Pacific Highlands Ranch Library

Learn how-to have fun with improv, which is a little like charades, guessing games, and storytelling all mixed up together. You don't need any improv experience, just a willingness to have fun!

Paper cutout of person looking overwhelmed surrounded by clips of newspaper headings

How-To Avoid “The Frantic Panic” of Caregiving
Presenter: Lorraine Carroll
Audience: Adults |Live at Pacific Highlands Ranch Library

Learn how-to discover your innate ability to overcome the chaos of caregiving for yourself and others!

Little Free Library station painted red.

How-To Create a Free Little Free Library in Your Neighborhood 
Presenter: Kathy Hargrove
Audience: All Ages | Live at Pacific Highlands Ranch Library

Learn how-to find kits to build, choose a good location, and select a steward to monitor the library.

A young girl in traditional South Indian attire, sitting in front of colorful sheer fabric.

How-To Perform the Classic Indian Dance Bharatanātyam
Presenter: Aditi Singh
Audience: All Ages | Live at Pacific Highlands Ranch Library

Learn how-to perform movements from this classical dance form that is popular in southern India.

Silhouette of a woman dancing, with the text "Salsa Dance Without a Partner."

How-To Salsa Dance Without a Partner
Presenter: Shinu Panakattan
Audience: All Ages | Live at Pacific Highlands Ranch Library

Learn how-to salsa dance alone, without a partner, and have fun!

Logo for The StartUp department at San Diego Public Library

How-To Start a Business
Presenter: Sarah Hendy-Jackson
Audience: Adults | Live at Pacific Highlands Ranch Library

Learn how-to navigate the basics of starting a business. The Library’s "The StartUp” department will explain how aspiring entrepreneurs can tackle the basics of business planning and talk about the collection of business planning resources available at The StartUp center including reference books, online databases, advice from business representatives, Adobe Suite for designing logos, patent and trademark research, and more. 

Man reading newspaper in old Spanish town

How-To Walk the Camino de Santiago
Presenter: Jody Stell
Audience: Adults | Live at Pacific Highlands Ranch Library

Learn how-to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain from a seasoned traveller who has done it twice.

Man dressed in Santa costume with red robe.

How-To be Santa (or other costumed character)
Presenter: Evan Fickling
Audience: Adults | Watch Video

Learn how-to successfully perform in-costume with advice from a professional costumed entertainer.

Waterfall surrounded by red and orange cliffs in impressionistic art style.

How-To Create Art with AI: No Skills Required
Presenter: Jyotika Singh
Audience: All Ages| Instructions | Watch Video

Learn how-to use AI tools to turn simple ideas into unique artwork, empowering anyone to create art regardless of skill level.