A Flashback To Childhood

While looking for something completely and totally different this week, I came across a box of toys and games from when I was little. I had just been talking to someone recently about how everything we loved as a kid is popular again, and this box confirmed my theory.


This is the very first sticker book I ever had. You can tell that I made it myself, and I even counted them all and have the number written on the back cover. I got them for accomplishments at my piano lessons and for finishing my chores. 


 I still collect stickers, but they're now in a big bag in the craft room and I claim it's in the name of my business. Mostly I just like stickers. Obviously I always have.


One of the thrills of my surprise box was one of my favorite beginner books. My grandparents gave it to me for my second birthday, and I still have it memorized. Books are very, very special to me, and finding the Little Golden Book version of it at a thrift store recently made me smile.


These books still have a place in my heart, though now I'm upcycling them into journals and gift books. I have more than 130 of them on the shelves in the craft room right now, and I have ideas for every one of them. More to come on that another day...


Many of the things I loved growing up are popular again, including My Little Ponies. In the box was a bag of all my ponies - many of them dressed - along with their combs, shoes, ribbons and other miscellaneous accessories. You can tell that they were played with because that's why I wanted them, not to set them aside pristine in the box for the future. 


Little things made me happy as a child, and they still do. I had tiny colored pencils and little books to tuck in my pocketbook for church. My original Little Pet Shop animals may not do exactly what they were designed to do 30 years ago (ouch), but they are still adorable and still have their homes and food bowls.


And my Miss Piggy paper doll still has all her wigs and outfits, which neatly fit into the steamer trunk envelope. I played with this so much that many of the tabs are gone and the clothes hang on her a little differently than they used to. I had so many stories of where she was going and what she was doing, and they were never the same. This is what toys were all about in the good old days - sparking your creativity and encouraging imagination.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Holland Creme - That Amazing White Stuff In Donuts

Image
I remember going to the grocery store every Saturday morning when I was growing up, and my favorite place in the entire store was the donut case. All the glazed, powdered and filled baked goods drew me like a magnet. My favorites, far and away, were the ones filled with that beautiful white, fluffy creme. At the time I didn't know it was called Holland Creme - I just knew it was the most amazing concoction ever. Ever. Here is my version of this sweet treat. You can make your own fried donuts and fill them, or like I did here, you can cut a crevice into store-bought donuts with a knife and fill them with creme in a piping bag. Either way, you're going to love it. Ingredients: 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup shortening 1 cup butter 1 Tbsp vanilla 7 cups powdered sugar 1. Make a simple syrup by combining sugar and water in a sauce pan over medium heat until boiling, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool complet...
Read more

Recovering An Old Card Table And Making It Usable Again

Image
This card table recover project has been on my to-do list for months. I've been using it as my workspace in the craft room for quite some time, and it sees a lot of abuse. Here it is now, with a neutral cover on it so I can take better pictures for my tutorials. There were dents and dings in the old blue covering from metal tools. And yes, I've used my embossing heat tool on it several times, leaving pretty good scars. The padding underneath the blue cover also made it difficult to keep paper crafts flat when adhering them together, so it was time for something new. That's where a simple vinyl tablecloth comes in handy. The process to recover the table is pretty simple, but I learned a couple of lessons the hard way. I share them with you now. First, don't do this on any surface but a carpet. I tried it on the deck int he sunshine to get better pictures, but all it did was tear up the cover. Second, get a second pair of hands to help you kee...
Read more

Crafts For Teen Girls To Make

Image
In our teen girls Bible study, we're studying our way through the Proverbs 31 woman and it's been such a blessing to me, as I hope it's been to them. Every month we spend an afternoon or an evening together studying Scripture, making something amazing in the kitchen and creating something that corresponds to the verse we're in. Choosing the crafts each time can be a challenge for several reasons. It needs to be something they can completely finish (or do most of) because once they leave they're probably not going to work on it themselves - that's just the nature of teenagers. Remember? It also needs to be a project that keeps they're attention, is age-appropriate and is cool enough that they'll want to keep it or give it to someone special. But hey, no pressure on the Bible study leader, right? Here are just a few of the projects we've done together in the year we've been meeting. * This month's craft will be the adorable cross stit...
Read more