Knitting and Crocheting

1. I do not knit or crochet. My grandma used to knit blankets and sweaters, but her hobby never rubbed off on me. If I were to ever knit or crochet, I would make a warm & cozy blanket. I visited the History of Knitting site and it contained a lot of information on knitting. I learned that the oldest form of knitting is called crossed knitting, where the stitches are rotated a half turn. I also discovered that crocheting differs from knitting, because only one loop is active at one time and only one hook is used, as opposed to two needles in knitting.

2. My branch does not have a knititng group.

Coin Collecting

1. I spread out my pocket change and I found a 1942 penny! The back of the coin read -ONE CENT - UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and it contained two feathers on opposite ends. I think it is worth more than 1 cent, probably one dollar. I looked it up on the Historical Image Library, but I could not find it.

2. I searched for a coin dealer in Houston and I found a company called US Coins Inc. They had a lot of coins in their inventory. I browsed their featured coins and was shocked at how much they were selling for! A 1795 Small Eagle Capped Bust $5 coin was selling for $65,000 & an 1893 Morgan Dollar had a price tag of $16,125!! Wow, it is unbelievable how much antique coins cost.

3. I've never been intrigued by coin collecting, so I don't see myself picking up this hobby. But, I will save that 1942 penny, just in case it is worth major bucks in the future!

Zines

1. I didn't know what a zine was until I read the module. I thought this word was pronounced as "sign", but my co-worker Dave said it was "zeen", so I learned something new today. A zine is a homemade magazine or book that includes text or graphic. If I were to make a zine, it would contain my mom's homemade recipes and pictures of the food that she cooks. I've always wanted to make that "book" and pass it on to my sisters, nieces, and daughter. It would be a family cookbook that would be passed on for generations.

2. I think zines inside the library are a good thing. It would reflect other people's opinions, interests, passions, etc. about a particular topic. I don't think cataloging them would be a good idea, but maybe have them out on a table, next to the bookshelf where that topic resides.

Digital Scrapbooking

I visited Scrapblog and created a pink postcard that contained my picture in the middle, a pink gemstone on the right-hand side, the words "oh la la", and a Kiss Me stamp. I tried to copy and paste it to my blog, but it wouldn't let me. So, I couldn't post my layout, but I had a fun time creating it. I think digital scrapbooking is a fun way to organize your pictures and it is less time consuming than doing the manual scrapbooking. Scrapblog lets you post your image to a social website (Facebook, My Space, Flickr, etc.), but I don't know why it wouldn't let me save it to my computer or let me copy & paste it to my blog?

Decoupage

I've never heard of decoupage, but it seems very artsy and time consuming. I don't think I will try my hand at decoupage, because it reminds me of scrapbooking (which I dislike to do). But, I really enjoyed looking at the decoupage art that other people have created and uploaded to the site Flickr. I saw a number of things that were decoupaged: sandals, earrings, boxes, vases, eggs (duck & hen), and some very cute white children's shoes that were decoupaged with a vintage children's picture book (they had a picture of a papa mouse pushing a baby mouse on a stroller out in the field). I also saw the poster chairs that were decoupaged on the Google site and they were a fine piece of art.

Craftspiration

I visited the site Repurposeful, and it contained many ideas on finding new uses for everyday things. I found an interesting and informative post, which stated that cocoa powder and human hair, when sprinkled in your garden, can both get rid of unwanted deer that eat your flowers. I will try the cocoa powder next time I visit our ranch house, where there is an abundance of deer. I don't plan to carry around my freshly cut hair in my purse, so that's out of the question.

I checked out Craftster.org and I saw a video on how to make earrings (I prefer to watch a video than read how-to instructions). I learned a new technique on wire wrapping. Over the summer, I picked up a jewelry making hobby, but I only know how to make basic things. I made a few earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. My goal is to be able to learn advanced jewelry skills and try to make a replica of my wedding earrings (they are dazzling... made with Swarvoski crystals)!