# Crafts from the past ......  what  popular things did you make  growing up ?



## Toomuchstuff (May 31, 2017)

I've done crafts of some sort all of my life . I thought it would be fun to list all the "oldies" but goodies !  Hhhmmmm....where to start   ~~~   I was thinking back to the days when there were "fads" that went around. I always wanted to make the "in" thing !    I made so many bleach bottle pigs when I was young.  I got felt and googly eyes at the dime store.  I remember melting records in the oven and making bowls. Remember weaving those pot holders  with those stretchy  loopy things ? LOL  I gave  everyone  potholders as gifts. I made kitchen witches , things with plastic doilies , feather flowers, Oval shaped soap wrapped in netting and sequins to look like fish ..... I sewed sequins to printed felt calendars .... paper mache  stuff .... oh ...so much more . Would you like to
 add to the list of trendy crafts growing up  ?


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## Aunt Bea (May 31, 2017)

I remember the potholders made from the stretchy loopy things, we made those at summer day camp along with macaroni crafts, popsicle sticks and weaving plastic boondoggles.


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## NancyNGA (May 31, 2017)

Bea, speaking of potholders and weaving, I had one of these kits as a kid.  Made so many potholders we didn't know what to do with them

Loom and bags of loops:


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## Ruth n Jersey (May 31, 2017)

When I was very young I painted macaroni with water colors, strung them on a string for a necklace or bracelet. Later on I fried marbles for necklaces and bracelets. You put marbles in the oven or in a frying pan over very high heat. When the marbles were extremely hot you put them in ice water. They cracked into beautiful patterns. We bought the little gold tin tops in a craft store and glued them on top of the marble and strung them on a string or chain to be worn. Candles out of old crayons was fun also. First you would fill a wax milk container with crushed ice. Put a wick in the center. We used string. Gathered up all the old crayons you could find,melt then down, and pour over the ice. When it cooled you cut away the wax container and was left with a colorful candle with holes all through it where the ice had melted. It never did burn correctly but was pretty to look at.


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## Aunt Bea (Jun 1, 2017)

I remember those crushed ice candles!

We also made snowball candles with melted wax that had been whipped with a hand held mixer until it resembled snow.

Tandy leather craft kits were pretty popular for belts, wallets and key cases.

In the 70's it was ceramics classes, stained glass sun catchers and macrame plant hangers.

and then there was Christmas!!!

Angels and trees from folded Readers Digest magazines.






Quilling 






and those ten pound beaded ornaments!


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## JustBonee (Jun 1, 2017)

NancyNGA said:


> Bea, speaking of potholders and weaving, I had one of these kits as a kid.  Made so many potholders we didn't know what to do with them
> 
> Loom and bags of loops:
> 
> ...




Still have one of those frames and  bag of loops ...  grandkids have had fun with them on rainy days.


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## Toomuchstuff (Jun 1, 2017)

I remember so many of these ! I could never do macrame ( couldn't tie a knot to save my soul ) but I bought so many plant holders and wall hangings  at rummage sales ,my walls  were all other people's work ~ LOL


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## deesierra (Jun 2, 2017)

When I was a kid, my mom subscribed to a craft magazine called Pack 'O Fun. Anyone remember that?


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## tortiecat (Jun 2, 2017)

I have several of the beaded ornaments that were done by my mother years ago.
I have other ornaments made by her and I treasure them.  They go on my
Christmas tree every year.


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## Toomuchstuff (Jun 2, 2017)

I remember Pack O Fun !  It was mostly used for scouting crafts. (**I ate so many popsicles just to have the sticks for some of those crafts ! LOL ) I also was a member of a club called the "Fad of the Month Club" . Every month you'd send a Dollar to the National Handcraft Society and you'd get a box with a craft project in and all the supplies.  I Still see the kits for sale on E Bay . Great memories !


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## HiDesertHal (Jun 7, 2017)

I used to build Crystal Sets, which were early radios which didn't run on household electricity or batteries.

They were powered only by the signal they were receiving from an outside antenna.

Shown is a Communications Reciever and my home-made Crystal Set.

Nowadays the detector is a simple Diode instead of a Galena Crystal and a "Cat's Whisker".

HDH


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## farmchild (Jun 7, 2017)

Let's see...I did paint-by-number, and the loopy potholder thing, and I really spent a lot of time with my paper dolls - I would trace the outline of the doll and then make my own clothes designs for it, including "tabs" along the edges so I could attach the clothes to the doll. I would, of course, color the clothes.  I had a shoe box FULL of home made outfits for my dolls.  Don't forget the Spirograph or the Slinky.


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## NancyNGA (Jun 7, 2017)

farmchild said:


> .., and I really spent a lot of time with my paper dolls - I would trace the outline of the doll and then make my own clothes designs for it, including "tabs" along the edges so I could attach the clothes to the doll. I would, of course, color the clothes.  I had a shoe box FULL of home made outfits for my dolls.  Don't forget the Spirograph or the Slinky.


What a great idea.  That's what I call being creative.  Good for you farmchild!


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## jujube (Jun 7, 2017)

Lots of paint by numbers kits.  I did a "Last Supper" large one for my grandmother one year.  It wasn't a masterpiece but she acted like it was.  That's what grandmas do....

Popsicle stick crafts.

Remember "alphabet soup" letters?  We'd glue Bible verses on wooden plaques using the little letters.

Wicker baskets.  Soak the wicker for a couple of days and then weave, weave, weave.

Pot holders on the little loom, yes. 

Flowers and leaves pressed between two sheets of waxed paper and then ironed.

Painted rocks and shells.


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## OneEyedDiva (Jun 7, 2017)

Aunt Bea said:


> I remember those crushed ice candles!
> 
> We also made snowball candles with melted wax that had been whipped with a hand held mixer until it resembled snow.
> 
> ...


 Aunt Bea...these are BEAUTIFUL !!


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## OneEyedDiva (Jun 7, 2017)

I used to do the velvet paint by number kits. This is the only one I kept for over 50 years. It's faded a bit...the background used to be leaf green.


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## ProsperosDaughter (Jan 26, 2018)

I do not know how popular it was; but when I was a kid I made Papier-mâché jewelry. I would use paper towel and toilet tissue tubes, news paper, masking tape, flour, water and poster paint.


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## RadishRose (Jan 26, 2018)

Oh gosh, I made those ice candles and sand candles, too. 

Fried marbles but never heard of baking a record in the oven- that's fantastic!

Made some corn husk dolls and framed pressed flowers.

Made wine once from honey per The Mother Earth News in a jug with IV tubing during fermentation my nurse friend supplied.

I never made papier-mâché but always wanted to do something with it.


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## Marie5656 (Jan 26, 2018)

*A craft I learned in Girl Scouts was knitting on an empty thread spool. Anyone ever do it?


*


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## RadishRose (Jan 26, 2018)

Marie5656 said:


> *A craft I learned in Girl Scouts was knitting on an empty thread spool. Anyone ever do it?
> 
> 
> *View attachment 47726



oh, that looks familiar! I have done that but can't remember much about it. Fun to see it though.


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## C'est Moi (Jan 26, 2018)

OMG, macrame'!   I haven't thought about that in years, but I was obsessed.   

I learned to crochet while expecting my first baby but after making a pair of booties  (one was tiny and the other was a man's size 12) I had to give it up.   

I always wanted to learn to knit but so far have not done so.


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## Marie5656 (Jan 26, 2018)

RadishRose said:


> oh, that looks familiar! I have done that but can't remember much about it. Fun to see it though.



RR, I found this You Tube video of someone doing it on a store bought spool.


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## RadishRose (Jan 26, 2018)

Thanks Marie! I watched enough to know now, why I'd forgotten it. Ouch. Love the colors, though.


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## twinkles (Jan 26, 2018)

i also have done the pot holders with the loops and the spool thingy -we would take an empty thread spool and bang 4 nails in it and make rugs for our doll house that was a cardboard box- we would cut   butterfly shapes out of felt and sew sequins on them to make brooches


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## SeaBreeze (Jan 26, 2018)

In my 20s I made several macrame hanging planters out of jute, that's about it.


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## Camper6 (Jan 27, 2018)

Marie5656 said:


> *A craft I learned in Girl Scouts was knitting on an empty thread spool. Anyone ever do it?
> 
> 
> *View attachment 47726



That's really neat.  My sisters did that.


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## Camper6 (Jan 27, 2018)

Guys made pea shooters out of clothespins and toy tanks from thread spools.

During wartime our teacher made us go out and pick up all the beans from our pea shooters telling us it was a crime to waste food.


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## Senex (Jan 30, 2018)

I did whittling as a teenager. Made more money selling slingshots than the neighborhood kids ever made on their newspaper routes. I'm still deadly with a slingshot, but now I use a Wrist Rocket.


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## CindyLouWho (Jan 30, 2018)

Yes, Aunt Bea.....Boondoggle!...Oh wow, I used to love making things with boondoggle and all the different colors to pick from....great memory. Thanks for the pic you posted too!


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