I've been crafting since I was a kid and my mom subscribed to Pack-o-Fun magazine for me. I loved that magazine! I remember doing a coffee grounds gorilla picture and bird string art among many other things - those were just my "masterpieces". I've ALWAYS been crafting something!

Arlene

I can remember my Granny giving me cotton dishtowels to hem on the treadle sewing machine, and later, to embroider on. I remember embroidering days of the week,seems like it was kittens doing housework. This had to be when I was about 4 or 5,before I started school. I moved on up to Barbie soon after, and used to make Barbie clothes on that same treadle. We would also gather mimosa seed pods, and open them up, and string them into necklaces and bracelets. My father would bring home reams of computer paper from work for us to draw on,and we'd make stacks and stacks of clothes for our paper dolls. My grandfather would save small wooden match boxes, and I remember making trains from them and little doll beds, we'd make dolls for them, and Prince Albert cans we'd save all our treasures in and use for making different things. I was always making something, and these are some of my happiest memories :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Kudzu's Blog

They still publish Pack-O-Fun, don't they. Is it the way you remember it? Kudzu - after looking at your blog, your talent and imagination is growing by leaps and bounds! Beautiful work, my dear.

Just glancing, I thought it said "What was the FIRST craft?"

My answer to that was - the fig leafs made into clothing for Adam and Eve. (LOL)

I haven't seen a Pack-O-Fun magazine for years, so I don't know if they're still the same. They used to be half-sized (like Workbasket) with no color pictures at all. This would have been the early 70's. Mom says my dresser drawers were full of butter boxes, coffee cans, tin cans, etc. that I saved for projects! I also remember something I got for my birthday once, you shaped wires into flower petals, then dipped them in some kind of solution and it dried into a plastic-like film, then you built a flower out of them. I also remember learning to embroider - Mom would cut up sheets into dish towel size and iron on a pattern for us. I remember doing days of the week and some hillbilly people.

Arlene

Decorated t shirt... then jewelry.. LOL Now T2T (trash to treasure)

My college professor talked about how one of her former students decorated a denim jacket and sold it for $100 bucks... That was all this poor college student needed to hear....

I've been spending money of craft supplies ever since... LOL

Although I did sell that 1st t-shirt to another college class mate for $5 bucks... after it got an A on an easy class project.... Far from the $100 that roped me into this "hobby" (obsession)

I'm like Arlene seems like forever. I remember making hooked rugs in the playground system when I was litle each school had playgound with after school (till 8 om) activities the boys and girls each had a separate "leader" We had seasons for evetything and one time we learned how to cut bias strips of cotton and mark and hook on burlap. I remember my Mom also did this with me

Making bathroom curtains out of 2 handtowels!! Then earthquake took blockwall down & met my neighbor behind me & she thought we should load up our babies & go to park & learn cake decorating. I laughed, I couldn't even get frosting on straight. She won & we got pretty good, it just took off from there. Macrame, beading, mop dolls,driftwood floral arrangements, crocheting, plastic canvas. I think that is way with most of us, want to see if we can do it!! And then we are hooked!!! Ya gotta do something fun!!! Jan

The fancy ornaments from satin balls, corsage pins and sequins, then Clothespin people..lol They were so much fun. Then I taught myself to cross stitch and then fell in love with repairing vintage costume jewelry. It wasn't the cool thing to do at the time so you could pick the jewelry up really cheap...still have my original work box.
Then it was on when I got married in the late 80's and I stayed home all day...I'd try anything once...lol I lived by the glue gun..lol

g

when I was younger, I can't say I was that crazy over doing crafts. The first thing I can remember is trying to make pot holders with those loops, but couldn't figure out how to finish the edges. I gave up on that LOL. Then I remembered making a hooked rug. That I finished. Don't know if crocheting is a craft, but I made a vest in home ec. when I was in high school. A friend's mother taught me how to knit, but I only know how to do the stitches. I have never made anything. Besides, as I would knit each row, it kept getting smaller LOL.

I've always crafted, seems like, from making little beds for mini dolls out of matchboxes, making my own little books and calendars out of scrap paper, paint-by-numbers, and finally, in high school, finding an art teacher who encouraged me to keep branching out. She taught me to macrame after school and then there was no stopping me. I took sewing and jewelry making in school and then painting lessons much later.

I LOVED those pack of fun mags, making things out of oatmeal boxes and toilet paper tubes, yarn, etc. FUN STUFF!