I got sick of making bowls/cups out of clay (I don't like the stuff). So a bolted some blanks to a bolt, stuck it in my drill, and used it as a makeshift lathe. Spent too much time on it just for some bowls, but like I said, if it isn't fun, I just can't make myself do it.

Wallpaper book pages make pretty good Sears-portait style backdrops.