Your “homework” is lovely! Really stunning!

We had a ThinkMaker, as well as a Sterno generator, and a woodburning kit. And we still have all our extremities, no scars. Those came from falling off bicycles.

Wonderful treasures, I can imagine how nostalgic they feel.

I don’t see ashtrays used as such anymore, but still love that Cartier set. Will you find a use for them, or just display somehow?

We had a K Tel glass cutter.

How cool is that?

We had the Thingmaker too - with lots of variations - one made jewels from powder and one made flowers - my dad also taught us to use his enameling kiln - it was like this one:

When I was little my dad was a packaging engineer and Mattel was a customer. My brother and I loved it when he went there because he was able to purchase from the company store. We had the Thing maker and the Creepy Crawlies. And yes it got hotter than heck.

We had a ”toy” heated knife saw for cutting shapes out of styrofoam. Our toy tool bench had a real metal hammer.

I also had a CreepyCrawler maker and loved it! My toy stove was pink metal and plugged into a standard outlet and got hot. I cooked some of the cake mixes that came with it (just add water) and when those were gone I made twice-baked saltines and served those to the neighborhood kids and my dolls. Later still I cooked mudpies in the oven, some with a grass topping.

I remember individual ashtrays at each place at the table, and had six sets of tiny salt and pepper shakers, one set for every two diners. It’s def much easier than sending one pair all around the table. Even now I always use two sets on the dining room table. When we hosted formal dinners (our housekeeper and her granddaughters waited the table) I put my crystal knife rests at each place and we used those for the knife and dinner fork when the plates were changed. Have not used those now for six years 🤔

Could those ashtrays be used as coasters?

Love your design project, Pal!

What great finds! I love the 3D Japanese inspired piece.

My sister and I had Creepy Crawlers and Thing Maker. I also got the Flower Power molds. I kept a shoebox with a variety I had made and complete box for the Creepy Crawlers. My children were never interested in making or playing with anything in my shobox, so I donated while moving to the lake house. The flowers were my least favorite. I kept a head and a couple of spiders for a long time.

I really like your design project, and would find another use for an ashtray or two.

LOL about the Creepy Crawler. I still remember the smell.

Love your project.

Excellent finds! I loved Creepy Crawlers!!!

Cool stuff. I never had the Creepy Crawlers. I think i’m too old and maybe my parents thought we’d burn the house and woods down. I did bake mud pies in the hot summer sun. Mine were sometimes colored pink with poke berries.

Love your design project, and the ashtrays might have to find another use they look so pretty.

We still used all the silver a few times a year until my mother died and I have 12 place setting of seven pieces (knife, butter, dinner fork, salad/dessert/fish fork, double spoons, soup spoons), and a whole complement of serving pieces and little accessory forks and spoons and such. Then I have a the four pairs of small salt and paper, two medium salt and pepper and a pair of large salt and pepper.

Then a bunch of serving pieces, including some sort of lazy susan hors d'oeuvres server that my dad did not know if it was their wedding present or from my mother's family, a punch bowl with a tray, ladle and 24 cups, two lidded chafing dishes, various lidded serving dishes, trays, trivets, coasters, candy dishes, cocktail stirrers, a champagne bucket, a coffee pot, candle sticks, monogrammed napkin rings, (just two), baby spoons, baby cups, porringers, an epergne with cut glass bowls (again doesn't seem like it's from 1955) and then a random assortment of serving pieces and ladles going back to my great great grandparents. We are going to have to get this all back into a single closet at some point.

We do actually use the flatware and trays and main serving dishes on occasion, and luckily I have a lot of flannel bags so the the upkeep isn't too horrendous. It's actually less upkeep if you use it.

This is also hoarding I suppose, but organized hoarding.

Hoarding maybe, but I feel we all have things that we don't know what to do with and can't see taking to Goodwill.

My one DD will take things that have sentimental value but she is single with 4 sets of china now from grandma/great grandma and many other crystal pieces, etc. SJe about at her limit.

When my parents had a party or hosted bridge night, us kids had a job: filling the cigarette boxes. And watching Dad fill the lighters, then we used up half the fluid playing with the lighters, Cigarette accessorries were quite the design treats! In the morning, while M&D slept in, we watched cartoons and ate the sugar cubes from the coffee service and built forts with the tablecloths.

crystal knife rests at each place and we used those for the knife and dinner fork when the plates were changed.

@Kswl, you’ve given me an idea! I have blue and white chopstick rests that DH brought back from China. I think I’ll put them on the table for the cookbook club luncheon. We eat in courses but do not take the flatware up. Which side of the plate do they go on? I’m envisioning right.

I love using my sterling and set the table with it quite often. I'm envious of all of the serving pieces you have, @palimpsest.

@bbstx, You are correct. On the right above the tip of the knife.

I actually have sets of Irish Linen Damask napkins, c. 1890s and 1926 based on the monogramming on the tablecloths, that are towel sized by today's standards. I even have a set in the box that is almost 70 years old anyway, could be 100. The tablecloths are enormous and take a lot of maintenance, so they haven't been used since probably the 1970s.

There was a set of cut glass knife rests that looked like dumbbells but I have a feeling they went to the auction. We did actually TRY to pare down some things

Actually since the best way to entertain for sit down is a pair of card tables I bought a number very inexpensive polyester blend tablecloths white, from a restaurant supply place and we just use nice napkins.

My sister has the hope chest down in her basement, and it has some things that get used, like my grandmother's christening dress, which has been worn by many people (everyone from my mother to her children, grand children and great grand children boys included.)

And it has some things that don't get used, like a hand tatted black lace mantilla from the 19th c. that was probably worn to funerals. No idea where it came from but there is not a lot of random stuff, it all belonged to someone in the family.

Actually if you think this is extreme, my SO's family had boxes of receipts from the 1870s (Still have some) . And we have a couple pieces of furniture back to 1840ish, and a Civil War era men's top hat and black wool dress coat. They had a barn full of things until the 1980s sometime.

I love your design school project. What is made of? How did you do that detailed cutting?

Got a kick out of seeing your Thing Maker. Growing up the kid across the street had one. He brought over one day and I was mesmerized watching him use it. As others have said, I can still smell that burning plastic!

Creepy Crawlers, what a blast from the past!

The box with my mother's silver still has a card in it -- a wedding present from her sister and their mother.

There is still a box from our move here almost 20 years ago in the garage. I am now curious to see what is in it. One of my retirement projects is to sort through the box of photos in the bedroom closet.

The project is made out of black foamcore and colored paper and vellum for the translucent bits. I am pretty good with Exacto utility blades and scalpels.

I hope you find a good spot for it and keep it. It's beautiful.

I unpacked a few cardboard boxes of table linens to get them off the floor, into a stack of drawers. Next step is to work with a friend to actually unfold and measure and check for damage and stains, and then decide just what can I do with them. Some my dad brought back from Japan (with silk), some from ”the old country”.

I love using my silver. Now I have Mom’s silver, too, and between hers and my grandmother and great-grands, I have some wonderful (and some mystery-use) serving pieces. And some small sterling salt and peppers, but stored with salt in them so there is a lot of crusting.

bpath, hopefully you will be able to post photos of some of the mystery-use pieces to see if anyone can identify - it could be fun!

Nicole/Black Forest Colorado Z5A

Beautiful, nostalgic things Pal. Your black cherry branches are a work-of-art. A+!

Pal, I meant to add that your art work is very intriguing. What is the size of it?

Maybe a foot square by 4" thick?

I had so many damask napkins I knew I'd never use. I gave them to a friend who grew indigo and marigolds and dyes the napkins with them. So beautiful!

I love using crystal and silver, but I do not have any fine china - maybe I should get some, although we have not had any formal meals here.

I bought some Irish linen damask tablecloths and napkins on eBay (they are cheap there) but have never used them. The dining table in my dining room (area) is round but has two leaves and a total of six chairs, but the rectangular tablecloths do not look right on it.

I love your Japanese style 3-D art project. I did not save any of me 3-D projects - most of them were fairly large (or site installations), and the fish tank that I made got destroyed by my nephew after I gave it to my sister, who had bought the materials for it. I got my design degree in Texas and then moved back to California as soon as possible and without a truck.