I bought some things Friday and Saturday and I keep thinking how proud my child self would be with me. That’s to say, I’m very happy with my purchases, and they aren’t too far off from a taste I’ve had my whole life for small things and for paper crafting. Although the paper crafting has never really extended farther than crafting small things.
Let me rewind. Elementary school me is at a Scholastic Book Fair. I find a pop and assemble miniature funky girl bedroom book. It came with glue, ribbon, beads and pages and pages of furniture pieces to make hot pink and purple, with yellow accent, mini bedroom furniture. The nightstand even had working cardstock drawers with bead pulls. I’ve looked for that book in more recent years and can’t find any record of it. I even reached out to Scholastic, but they don’t keep record of old stock.
Middle school me had access to Hallmark computer software. Largely to make printable cards I believe, but it also had so much more. There were print, cut and assemble houses. And I print, cut and assemble every one I could find.
High school me found dollhouse printables online and print out and made little trunks and the like.
None of these things ended up with a purpose (except that house I used as a gift box for a gift for my mom), it was just the making and having.
Activity books are great.
I was also obsessed with stickers in elementary school. You’re supposed to collect your cool stickers in sticker books, but I just collected all the stickers. I still have a box with the best unused ones. But I’ve gotten rid of most.
Also though, those Dover sticker activity books that my grandma would get me from Cracker Barrell or those other branded sticker dress up dolls, or room decoration sheets, those were my ish.
So cut to the O’Hare airport Friday afternoon. I wandered a book store and came across a Brain Games Sticker by Number book. I flipped through it and was quite amused, took a picture, put it back on the shelf and noted that it was something to look into later. Then I walked one rack away and thought “No (shrug), I’m going to buy it.” And I did, then I went and found a seat at my gate and eagerly texted my mom and fiance about my cool find.
And then the very next day, as you already know, I found a train show and some beautiful books within it. 3 Dover Cut & Assemble H-O scale building books. I never even considered something like this existing. They all came out in the 1980s, early 1990s, but why aren’t they still being released? They’re wonderful and would certainly make having a train layout a lot less extensive if that’s you’re thing. Detailed buildings, 9 in each, ready to by made from 2-D to 3.
We’re in trouble though, because the inside cover of the book lists other cut & assemble books the company made and they span beyond just H-O scale. I see more of these in my future. I see the Antique Toy Town book in my future.
I think I may film the sticker placing process and the building making process for some of these, let me know if you’d be interested in that.
It was a good activity book weekend.
What are you still into that you also loved as a child?
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