Your memories awaked my own. My Mom was very artistic. She pressed flowers and "embellished" all of her notes to family and friends. She made Christmas cards that sometimes had to be sent in a box. She made the boxes. She taught us to keep our tools sharp and clean, and our workspace well lit and clean. I still have some of her papier mache fruit. She would get excited if junk mail had a picture she could use. She made collages. My favorites were her collage picture frames and bulletin board frames. What was an ugly weed on the side of the road to others, was a device for stamping or embellishing, to her. When my Dad came home from the office once with computer print-out paper with strips of paper on the sides with sprocket holes, she begged for all she could get. We made paper chains the next Christmas with the strips. She had a way of making marbelized, irredescent paper using an old hog trough, water-based and oil-based paints, and crushed glitter. The paper was very heavy and the glitter could cut your skin, so it was used carefully. Thanks for the memories!! -- Marie

When I was about 9 I made a rose for my mom for mother's day. I can't remember exactly what I used --crepe or tissue paper-- but it was pink. I used floral tape and wire, I guess, to make the stem. Don't know how I had access to floral tape. But the rose looked absolutely REAL to me at that time! LOL! I remember it so well, I think, because my mom wasn't happy with like I thought she would be. I think she was angry with my dad, maybe expecting something from him? Funny about those childhood memories...

I also remember in 3rd grade "mass-producing" these crayon drawings to sell at school. It was a picture of a tall cedar tree and its shadow; beside the tree was an ant hill with ants marching up or down. I think I got a nickle each and sold quite a few! ROTFL! Then my teacher made me refund everyone's money. :-( But I liked her anyway. :-)

Earlier than that, I think we made the colorful chains with construction paper at Christmastime. Can't remember how we adhered them; probably that glue in the amber bottle that had the rubber tip with a slit in it? Remember that from the 60s? I always liked the smell of rubber cement. Which is probably what lured me into paper crafts. LOL!

I think that amber glue was Lepages glue.
I just remembered that a girl who lived in the same apartment building and I would get plain paper and cut out little flowers etc from magazines and glue themon and then sell to the other neighbors for 5¢
Great memories. Do you still have your flower?

Marie - how great to have had such an artistic mom.

My first thoughts of paper would be cutting paper dolls from the Sears/Roebuck catalog. Then the hearts that were made for Mother's Day/Valentines, etc.

Those tissue paper mosaics we'd make in school. The ones where you'd draw your picture on a piece of paper, then take a little scrap of tissue paper, crumple it around a pencil point, dip it in glue, and stick it to the paper. I remember they had a really neat texture, when you were done.

Here is a link that might be useful: description of the project I found online

Anja took my answer, lol! I just loved the glued-on tissue paper. I got very excited anytime I saw tissue paper or paper doilies on the art teacher's cart!
I loved the snowdrift paste with the nice minty smell, but then we switched to the rubber cream paste that stank and made paste "boogies" on everything.
Marie, I read your post with envy. My mom was creative, too but working full time as a third grade teacher she did not have much energy left to do fun things with us. One of my cherished memories is of the time she helped me to fashion a beautiful "Easter hat" for school. The crown was a yellow Chinette bowl and the brim was a paper plate. She decorated it with dried strawflowers and green ribbon. I thought it was the most beautiful hat ever, and wore it in our school Easter parade!
Lia- LOL, why you little entrepeneur!