If you're itching for something interesting to photograph, you might try looking around your home.

I've been putting together a new program to teach, and had a last-minute need for an interesting picture. Being late at night, and lazy, I started hunting around the house. Look at the shelves around you and you'll probably find the same sort of stuff. I found a conch shell, my wife's floatie-pen collection, a pinecone and an ostrich feather. Now all I needed was a way to make them look interesting.

It only took two more things to accomplish that: proper use of light and a close-up lens. I hung a piece of black cloth for a background, then set up two lights (they can be household lights or strobes, either will work). Try having the stronger light to the side, or even behind the object. Do a custom white balance with the light for your camera, then put the camera on a tripod. From that point, it's just a matter of getting close, looking at the details, color and texture, and playing with the light.