Remembering the '70s brings visions of long skirts, natural colors, long hair and disco. While the peace vs. war politics featuring such spokesmen as John Lennon and Richard Nixon took the national stage, crafts for kids went back to nature, with an emphasis on natural items and creating useful items by hand.
Tissue Paper Flowers
Flowers and nature were themes during the '70s, and crafts reflected the trend. Tissue paper flowers were used for decorating and for giving. These were made by stacking tissue paper in several layers, then folding those layers into a fan fold. After securing the tissue paper in the center with wire or a chenille stem, each layer of the tissue paper is pulled up, one layer at a time, to form a large, brightly-colored flower.
Macrame
Macrame was a craft at many camps and schools in the '70s. Kids made wall hangings, plant hangers and door decorations, as well as jewelry. The hemp bracelets and chokers of the 1990s and 2000s are holdovers of the macrame era.
Pet Rocks
Pet rocks were a huge, money-making fad in the '70s. While the California salesman Gary Dahl got the monetary windfall from his clever idea, kids and adults quickly saw the value of the creation as an easy and fun craft.
Beaded Accessories
Beads were all around during the '70s. While there were plenty to purchase, making things by hand was also popular in the era, and some people chose to handcraft items made from beads. Some of these crafts included beaded curtains, beaded belts and many varieties of beaded jewelry.
References
Writer Bio
Rachel Murdock published her first article in "The Asheville Citizen Times" in 1982. Her work has been published in the "American Fork Citizen" and "Cincinnati Enquirer" as well as on corporate websites and in other online publications. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in journalism at Brigham Young University and a Master of Arts in mass communication at Miami University of Ohio.
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