I took an adult education class on wire wrap jewelry making a couple of months ago, and I am now officially addicted to my new hobby.  I’m still a rank beginner, and most of what I make is for myself, since the finished product is usually a little too wobbly and imperfect to give to another person.  But I’m practicing, practicing, practicing, and am ever eager to learn more ways to use my new skill.

Yesterday I got an offer in the mail for the magazine Step by Step Wire Jewelry (clearly one of the catalogs I’ve been ordering jewelry making supplies from sold my name – humph), and I kind of started salivating as soon as I saw that there was a whole magazine devoted to new wire wrap projects.  And then I went online today to investigate if the magazine is any good – and, sadly for my coffers, it looks like it’s fabulous – and that led me to look at some of the books that the magazine editorial staff has written…and all of a sudden I was on Amazon, ready to spend quarts of money that I don’t have.

Screeching mental brakes.  Wait a second, wait a second, I told myself.  Why am I thinking about buying books that I can’t afford and don’t even know much about?  I might well spend precious money on some books that are worthless to me, and then I’ll just be grumpy and pissed with myself.  GO TO THE LIBRARY CATALOG, my inner voice screamed.  You’re a librarian – you know how to order some interesting looking wire wrap jewelry books via interlibrary loan, and then you can audition the books and try out all kinds of cool projects.  FOR FREE. 

And, you know, you don’t have to be a librarian to do this.  All you need is a library card and internet access, and you can sit in the comfort of your own home and request books for yourself.  And lo and behold, in a week or so those awesome books will arrive at your home library for you to pick up and check out for a few weeks.  And guess what?  If you don’t have internet access at home, or if you would just like a little additional help, you can visit your local library and ask a nice librarian (like me!) to find the books that you’re looking for and request them for you.  And you might just be surprised at how many books are at your local library, meaning that you don’t have to wait a week for them to be delivered from another library in the system.  Wow.  That is cool, huh?

So now I’ve requested six wire wrap jewelry books on my library card, and before you know it I’ll have those books in hand and I’ll be acquiring all kinds of new skills and techniques and ideas.  For free.  Libraries ARE awesome!!!