Explore vintage basement decor from the 40s & 50s—ideas for laundry, hobbies, games and lounging, plus photos and articles to inspire your own basement makeover.
hobbies
Discover old-fashioned activities for kids from the ’60s that still inspire fun, creativity and imagination today — no screens required.
From neatly organized tool racks to clever storage solutions, these 1950s (and early 60s) home workshops maximize space and productivity.
The basic concept hasn’t changed much in 100 years, but vintage Erector Sets like these are still popular, still inspiring creativity, and still being used to build everything from mini roller coasters to motorized robots.
Try your hand at these traditional patterns for Americana quilts – the pride of America’s past, and adaptable for many uses today.
What did many of our grandparents and great-grandparents look most forward to getting for Christmas? In many cases, trains – like these vintage American Flyer train sets!
Here, look back at the rediscovered art of stenciling, plus see dozens of examples of traditional stencil patterns from throughout history!
Here are a few authentic old-fashioned ways to make homemade soap, with directions from the olden days in Nebraska back in 1908!
After hitting the market in the early 1980s, it didn’t take long for the Rubik’s Cube to become one of the most popular toys ever. Here’s a look back!
Learn how to macrame with the 70s technique to create vintage-style projects – a macrame plant hanger, a belt, basket-style coasters and a macrame owl.
Before individual stickers-by-the-yard became popular, sets like these Halloween stickers were the big thing with kids in the 70s and 80s! Take a look back!
This collection of vintage Girl Scout uniforms, badges and insignia represents a century of tradition, friendship and — most of all — girl power.
As long as antique buttons have adorned our clothing and shoes, people have been collecting them. Made from a multitude of materials – from metal to bone, wood to plastic – buttons are miniature pieces of everyday history.
Billions of 80s stickers were collected by millions of kids – and appeared on everything from binders to books, cassette tapes to sticker collection albums. Do you recognize any of these vintage stickers?
Anyone obsessed with vintage Strawberry Shortcake probably dreamed of these pieces of sugary sweet delight featuring their favorite gal – dolls and toys, of course, but also bedding, wallpaper, roller skates and more.
Remember apple head dolls – the early American craft with folk art roots that became popular again in the ’60s and ’70s? Find out how to make these shrunken apple dolls, and more about the art of dollmaking.
Based on one of the many traditional needlework crafts, these vintage needlepoint designs might just inspire you to get creative in all-new ways!
Antique scrapbooks have been made for generations – each era having their own creative styles as well as unique subject matter. Here’s a look back at how and what people were scrapping long ago.
Creativity is not something you are either born with or not: it needs to be discovered, nurtured, and expressed for it to grow. Here are 12 tips from the 1980s that are just as helpful today as ever, plus a look at some creative visions from the past.
Put together a half dozen pieces of this DIY fun furniture for kids, and your child will have endless play ideas. Made from just one simple box construction, the pieces are great for pretend games, the right size to use as table and chairs.
How many of these cool vintage scratch-n-sniff stickers do you remember seeing? Can you vividly recall their scents, too? Here’s a look back at a collection of more than 50 of the decals.
The lads and gents who were out fighting during the hard years of the Civil War didn’t just have battle plans on their minds. They were often bored and lonely, and looked for entertainment, news of home – and love – through letters.
When you joined this Young Model Builders Club back in the 1960s, with each kit, your child would get a booklet outlining the history and development of the original car or other object upon which the model was based
Kodak Brownie cameras revolutionized the way we took photos in the early 20th century, and suddenly made photography a popular hobby.
Take a look back at these creative handmade vintage quilts from the ’70s. These are the 51 prize winners out of almost 10,000 entries.
The classic Nintendo Entertainment System came with a robot, a light-sensing video gun, ‘true-to-life’ graphics and a library of games. Here’s a look!
Make bedtime wonderfully wild with these lion and elephant quilted comforters for kids, that can turn nights from hassle to heyday. See how to make them here.
A terrarium is not only easy and fun to put together, it’s a snap to care for. Here are several vintage ideas to help you make your own!
Old-fashioned Granny squares are easy to do and multiply so fast, you can turn out an afghan fast. And since you crochet a square at a time, you can carry them anywhere.
Leave it to the kids if you want an honest opinion of TV’s effect on family life (1955) by Jack Cluett – June 1955 When
Create your own distinctive beaded jewelry – bracelets, necklaces, belts, headbands – by weaving it on a basic box loom! Here’s how to do this retro bead craft.
What were early motorcycles like? Check out 17 of the top models from 1909, plus see how popular they were at the huge Los Angeles motorcycle meet!
Can you guess what was the #1 evening pastime according to nearly half of the people interviewed in a 1974 Gallup survey?
Thomas Edison says people work too hard, but that pleasure is as necessary as food. ‘This is an electric age. The pressure was never heavier, nor the grind harder.’
Shortly before her clothing line debuted – and back when her son, Anderson Cooper, was 8 years old – the multi-talented heiress Gloria Vanderbilt came out with her own print magazine: Gloria Vanderbilt Designs for Your Home.
6 million teenagers love to sew – this is what they will make this fall Ladies’ Home Journal – September 1960 Full of enthusiasm, teenagers
Explore the rise of vintage video games in the 1970s and their impact on home entertainment!
