Saturday, September 11, 2010

Home Made Toys from my Childhood

Did you make toys for yourself when you were a child?  I did.  I'll bet most crafty adults did.
What reminded me of the things I used to make was this post on a blog about making your own beads from cereal boxes.
I am in the process of making some beads now.  I scavenged some boxes out of the recycling bin before I hauled it to the paper recycling dumpster this morning.  So far it has been great fun.  Expect to see these beads in my Etsy uniquesupplies shop soon!
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As to other things I used to make.....the usual stringing of buttons or beads of course.  I used to save the paper and plastic cups from school lunches, shoeboxes and so on.  Then I would spend hours in the floor cutting them into pieces I would then tape and glue together to make furniture for my Barbies.
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Speaking of Barbie dolls, no need to buy expensive new outfits when your child gets bored with the ones they already have.  Hand them a box of kleenex, any brand will do, and a roll of scotch tape.  Tissues used to come in boxes of 4 pastel colors but I can't say I've seen any lately.  I honestly don't remember if it was Mom or Nana that started this crafty idea, but I would be happy for a good long time creating new outfits for Barbie of wrapped and taped togas, sarongs, etc with the tissues.
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Here's one for boys and girls.  Give them a roll of aluminum foil and see what they can create.  It molds like clay but without the mess.  I used to make all kinds of stuff, most memorably a Barbie sized wishing well.  You can always recycle it after use.
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Twigs, nuts, leaves.  Oh, the myriad of things you can make with these and a little glue or thread, paper and such.  And since is it almost Autumn, save your favorite colorful leaves by ironing between 2 pieces of waxed paper.  They make beautiful wall art.  And a few years ago I did the same with my saved up confetti from the paper punches and used it to wrap Christmas packages.
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What are some of the crafty things you made as a child from trash or odd things?  Do tell please!

3 comments:

June said...

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!
COLOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MY FAVORITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't think I was ever very crafty...I was an impatient child.

Lord Wellbourne said...

Oh, the things I could do with empty thread spools, worn out socks, and lumber left-overs!

Debra Dixon said...

I followed one of your links to this post--I did some beadmaking last year with strips of paper. I lasted one week. It was tedious and not really all that fun. I still need to do something with the beads. I pulled them out the other day and thought about adding them to my Art Nouveau women. They may surface still!

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