Crafts & Hobbies #65: Coin Collecting

Crafts & Hobbies #65: Coin Collecting

Wow. My piggy bank is special, because that is where I keep my interesting stuff. I have a box for the overflow. I consider myself a casual collector. I think it started when Grandpa would give us kids Kennedy half-dollars and Eisenhower dollars. I don't know if any of the other grand kids kept theirs, but I kept mine. Some of the Kennedy's are silver!

Just looking in the box, I see the Kennedy half-dollars and Eisenhower dollars. It is nice to hear the silver ones clink.
There is a Buffalo nickle with Indian profile on front. No date found - it is quite worn.
An Indian head penny, that unfortunately has some corrosion obscuring the date there also.
A Lincoln wheat back penny has the date 1917, but I think I have one or two older in the bank - 190- somethings. A steel penny too.
Roosevelt dimes - 1963 & silver and an oddly colored 1966.

I also have some foreign coins. I really like the Canadian coins I have. Three of them feature King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II as a young woman, and Queen Elizabeth II as an older woman. It shows the changing of the crown and how long Elizabeth II has been Queen.

I also have most , if not all of the state quarters. I just need to find where I put my folder for them. One member of the household does have their folder filled.

Like I said before, I'm a casual collector. I keep stuff in a box & piggy bank. I occasionally check websites for values, but most of what I have is just because it is interesting. There are some dealers in my area and I have window shopped before, but my stuff is just "found". I don't see myself buying coins as an investment. I check my change on a regular basis because you never know what you might find. I'm watchng for those nickles & what ever else cathces my eye.

Crafts & Hobbies #64: Zines

Crafts & Hobbies #64: Zines

I think I might make my own Zine, but it might just be a one-shot & not for distribution. Subject-wise, boy that's a tough one. This could be either instructional or self expression (or both). I can see turning some of the procedures I've written for work turned into a Zine. Maybe staff would remember some of the instructions if they have a more creative format.

I can see how the old pulp magazines could have started this way and some are still in publication today. I think that Libraries with zines are just providing another form of content to their customers. You need to start somewhere and, from what I saw, some of these zines have a big following. If the customers are reading it, why not have it in the Library?

Crafts & Hobbies #63: Digital Scrapbooking

Crafts & Hobbies #63: Digital Scrapbooking

I went to Scrapblog.com and took the 5 minute video tutorial, then created a layout using their free online program. No registration is required to create, but if you want to save, publish, or share, registration is necessary. I didn't try Crop Mom or Scrapbook Flair, but may take a look in the future.

My thoughts on digital scrapbooking: It is fun and I could learn to really like it. I like the idea of keeping stuff stored online, if available, because it doesn't take up memory on your PC.

I did you encounter a problem in trying to make a layout. I found I could not share what I made unless I registered with the website. Permission settings make a difference in how a layout may be viewed if you embed a link in your blog. If the permission is not set to public, others may not be able to see the layout. I only have one page for this "scrapblog", but it could be more.

Here is my layout.

Crafts & Hobbies #62: Decoupage

Crafts & Hobbies #62: Decoupage

I remember doing decoupage in scouts. There were several projects. One was a cigar box. We decorated it inside and out with decopage. If you didn't know it was a cigar box to begin with, you would have never suspected it when we were finished. We also did bottles. You could get a neat stained glass effect using colored tissue paper on a clear bottle or jar.

I really haven't done much decoupage since then, but liked some of the projects I saw on Flickr.
The decoupage chair by moxie may have taken time, but it looks worth it. Daxiang stef's switchplate gives me some ideas on how just a little thing can make a big difference. A switchplate is something I might try to begin decoupage again.

Crafts & Hobbies #61: Craftspiration!

Crafts & Hobbies #61: Craftspiration!

I took a look at Repurposeful, Instructables, and Craftzine. On Instructables, I found the Duct Tape Tear-Away Scratch Pad. This is a really neat and practical craft. You use scrap paper and duct tape to make a tear-away scratch pad. A very Green idea in reusing the paper. The comments on the post are very positive. I'll be using some of the desktop calendar pages that I use as scrap paper. They are aready cut to size. Now where is that duct tape?

Here is my Duct tape Tear-Away Pad:

Front & Back pics

This was EASY. I skipped the glue stick & it still works fine.

Next time, I'll have a front cover too. I used an empty tissue box for the cardboard.

I've browsed around in the multimedia section. I can learn craft techniques or DIY by watching a video or form of written instructions. I like to read over instructions first, but it is nice to have a video option when you are not sure exactly what the written version means. But I do like having a print version always. That way I can just peruse at my leisure and not worry about loosing my place in a video. The written also lets you quickly scan to see if it is something worth doing.

What can I do next?