I’ve written about Mod Podge before, but only about my Mom’s use of it. I also made things out of ModPodge. I think my mom must have been losing her keys a lot so I made her a very large keychain using a block of wood, magazine clippings, and Mod Podge.
When I was very young — 3 years old, perhaps — my mother bought or was given a book about crafts for children (a Web search indicates that it came with the My Book House set). While I remember making one or two of the crafts in the book, I mostly remember looking at the book over the years.
The one project I remember doing with my mother was the Indian Designs project. It involved soaking a square cut from brown grocery bag in warm water, squeezing the water out and letting it dry while stretched out. When it was dry we cut it into a bear skin shape and decorated it with “Indian” designs. I remember the rough feel of the paper after it was dried and can almost even smell the wet brown paper bag. This may or may not have been a school project, but I do remember having that pretend bear skin sitting around my bedroom for years.
Some of the crafts in the book seem complicated and requiring materials not found in an average person’s home (for instance, Bunny Doorstop which calls for basswood, whatever that is and a coping saw (again — whatever that is). Others involve only a few materials (for instance Paper Tearing).
I held onto this book first, because I thought I might be able to use some of the ideas with my students (never did) and second, I thought that I might use some of the ideas with my own children (again, never did). Now I hang onto it because I remember poring over it as a kid, dreaming of the day we’d make A Moving Picture Show in a Box or Valentine Hats or Scottie Caps.
So, joy? Maybe a little. It’s a keeper.
When I was very young my parents purchased a set of books that probably set the course of my life as a reader: My Book House Books. These were a set of books that began with nursery rhymes and stories for young children and progressed to stories for older children throughout 12 volumes. The stories were mostly classics and I learned about literature through those pages.
A Christmas present from my parents in 1971 was a sort of follow-up for me, although now that I think about it and where the book was purchased (a Christian bookstore) I wonder what was left out of the book for the sake of decency (yes, I am jaded these days). I was 15 when I was given the book. Mom bought herself a copy too — I found that in a desk drawer last summer.
I recently came across the book my folks gave me 46 years ago while sorting books in the basement. This is a keeper because of my feelings for its history (joy). Every single poem or quotation in the book can be found on the Internet, but it is nice to have these all in one place categorized by topic or intent such as Achievement, Creed, Determination, Influence, Joy and Work. I think used this book to find poems and quotations for when I’d send people cards or letters.
Now that I look through the pages for a sample to share with you, I notice that it is very Christian and God or Christ is mentioned in many of the quotes or poems. Here’s one that doesn’t, under the topic Criticism:
“I have made a ceaseless effort not to ridicule, not to bewail, not to scorn human actions, but to understand them.”
— Baruch Spinoza
I like that one. And according to Wikipedia Spinoza was a Panthiest.
Clutch Cargo Lips 