Friday, September 12, 2008

My new obsession!

So here's what I do. I discover a new hobby and then I completely immerse myself in it like a crazy person for a while until it runs it's course and I have to find a new one. A couple of years ago I decided to learn to make my own lip balm. I researched the crap out of it, I ordered professional grade supplies off the Internet and eventually I was making the greatest lip balm EVER! It even had pure Shea butter from Africa in it. It was great, in different flavors, with custom labels I created on my computer. I made it constantly and my house smelled like lip balm flavoring, which is just YUMMY!!

Then one day I decided that I was sick and tired of making lip balm and now I have a box full of lip balm supplies in my basement.

Once I decided that I was going to teach myself HTML and design web pages. I bought the books, I researched on the Internet and learned all kinds of cool tricks. That one got old kind of early though and the two other web pages I have besides this one are currently using templates that someone else designed.

Once I decided that I was bored and wanted to research something so I decided to learn about law and the court system. I'm really interested in the Innocence Project, so I decided to research people who have been convicted of crimes that they didn't commit. I know that sounds bizarre, but that's just how my brain works. I like to research things. So I read books on the subject, I watched documentaries on the subject and of course I researched the heck out of it on the Internet. Now I know all sorts of things about people who are in jail for crimes they didn't commit. What am I going to do with that information? Nothing. But now I know. :)

There have been many other hobbies over the years that I've picked up and eventually put back down. I taught myself to sew (one blanket and a pair of pj's later, the sewing machine is in my basement next to the lip balm supplies), I scrapbooked for a while, I painted craft projects for a while, I learned to crochet, I've researched the heck out of random topics...my brain is full of useless information. You'd be amazed at the random things I know that will do me no good in life.

Photography was one of those hobbies that I decided to pick up, only that has been the only one so far that I've never gotten tired of. I don't think I ever WILL get tired of it. That obsession is officially here to stay.

But right now I have a NEW hobby, that I'm sure will run it's course, but it's fun for now. It's making jewelry! When I was in Park City I saw that the resort offered a jewelry making class and I thought that would be fun to try. So I sent the boys swimming with Shawn and I learned how to make a really pretty beaded necklace and earrings. They taught us how to tie special knots that require beading tweezers and how to attach clasps on the end and all sorts of things. I had so much fun that I came home and ordered myself all kinds of beads and clasps and thread and tools. It's SO FUN! Last night I made my mom a necklace and I made myself two bracelets. They're not super fancy, I'm still learning, but I'm having a ball coming up with different patterns and ideas. Maybe if I get good at it I'll sell some in my Etsy shop.

I'm sure that eventually I'll get tired of it and end up with a Tupperware box of beads in the basement next to my other retired hobbies, but for now it's totally entertaining me. This whole story is worthless without photos of the stuff I made but I haven't had a chance to take any. I'll take some soon and post them. Oh wait, the necklace I'm wearing in the photo of me on the lefthand side of this page is the one I made in Park City. It's very simple, but that's how I like my jewelry.

So there's the story of my latest obsession. OH! And I also have an update to another one of my current obsessions-my birds. I went to the bird store today to buy more seed for my thistle sock and realized that it's time to put out suet. Suet is a block of seeds that are kind of in a peanut butter type consistency. You put the block in a little cage and hang it on the tree. It's a fall and winter food for the birds and it sometimes will attract different birds that are coming through on their migration journey. So I'm really hoping that I'm going to be seeing a few different birds in the coming weeks. I've taken a billion photos of my regular birds, so I really need a new subject! I'm hoping to see some woodpeckers or something else interesting. We'll see!

And now that my story for the day is done, I'm off to make myself some earrings! :)

6 comments:

Kate said...

OMG! You and I must be cut from the same bolt of cloth! You know, the one sitting in your basement from that time you became obsessed with quilting?

I did the lip balm thing, too, as a matter of fact. ANNND html. Oh heavens. You're my long lost twin because you know what I bought last week? Supplies to start beading! :p

I have no idea how I found your blog, but I'm quite happy I did. ;)

Wendy said...

Lol! I've found my twin!:) It's too bad you don't live closer, we could have all sorts of fun at the craft store!

Jenn said...

No worries Wendy, I'm exactly the same way. I feel guilty about it though! My basement is full of soap making supplies, scrapbooking supplies, my sewing machine, hair clippie supplies, and tutus. I also research the crap out of everything and have more useless knowledge than I'll ever be able to use, I drive my husband crazy telling him about the weird stuff I learned!

J said...

OMG we sound just alike. Lol! I have done the scrapbooking thing, the beading thing, the sewing thing, the html/graphic design thing. I researched the photography thing. I haven't done the lip balm thing though...hmmmm..lol. My husband would not be very happy though. He hates it when I pick up a new hobby..cause it ends up costing a lot. Lol!!!

Kate said...

Ha ha ha... I've been thinking about this thread all night.

In honor of you, I was up until three AM finishing 4 sewing projects, and making a beaded necklace for my SIL. ;)

I even showed this to my significant other and was like, "See! It's NOT just me!" :)

Irene said...

You sound like me. One day I want to collect and do my kitchen in apples. Then I think I like just roosters. Then I love pigs, and I decide I will do fruit. All of this collection lays dormant in a box while I begin to like sunflowers. I do believe it is a womans perrogative to change her mind. My better half thinks I am stupid . I am this way with the arrangement of my furniture. I just can't seem to get it just right. Also I change curtains a lot. Oh well it keeps me busy