With a few cardboard boxes and some aluminum foil, you can make robot costumes that will be the hit of the party. Some easy-to-make masks of aluminum foil will help to make each costume a little different.
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Popcorn balls were a holiday and party favorite for decades. See how these sticky-sweet treats became a go-to homemade snack in vintage America.
See how washboards powered old-fashioned laundry days with scrub, soap and skill, plus vintage photos showing them in action.
Here are some vintage tips for how to tie-dye clothes, right from the 60s & 70s. The results are vibrant patterns, from geometric to lush organic effects.
’70s hairstyles were feathery – shiny – bouncy. Here are some real vintage tips from salon experts so women in the disco decade could always keep their hair stylish.
Want to know how to make an old rotary phone work? Here’s your handy guide, straight from the 50s!
So hot in the 60s, the dramatic, dome-shaped beehive can be created at home! With instructions directly from that decade, find out how to get the vintage beehive hairstyle that creates the illusion of tall elegance.
Try your hand at these traditional patterns for Americana quilts – the pride of America’s past, and adaptable for many uses today.
If you’ve ever bought a pricey bottle of flavoring, you may have wondered: How can you make your own homemade extracts for less? It’s probably a lot easier than you think.
A shrimp Christmas tree appetizer is a scene-stealer and a real buffet beauty, certain to cast a special charm over any holiday party – yet so easy to do! Here’s how.
Adapted from an article that ran in Better Homes & Gardens print magazine back in December 1970, this cute craft how-to for “colossal Christmas balls”
Here are a few authentic old-fashioned ways to make homemade soap, with directions from the olden days in Nebraska back in 1908!
Want to try out some short 1950s hairstyles, or just are looking to see what they were like? Here, check out more than a dozen authentic retro ‘dos from the 50s!
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.
Having a retro party for the holidays? Here are lots of crazy kitschy vintage Christmas appetizers you may want to serve… at your own risk.
Get unforgettable ’50s eye makeup with these vintage beauty tips straight from the fifties! Find out the best ways to use eyeshadow, liner, mascara & more.
Unlock the secrets of ’80s eye makeup through these vintage magazine how-tos. Learn how to nail that retro glam today.
America flipped over Farrah Fawcett’s famous feathered hair back in the seventies, and the trendy retro Farrah hairstyle was copied by millions of women. See lots of pictures of the style, and find out how they created the look!
This frosted ribbon sandwich loaf is strictly for company, and simply delicious! Slice through the cream cheese frosting to reveal layers of ham and egg filling.
Supergraphics: The epitome of 1970s charm Warning! Scrolling too fast through this post may induce a psychedelic experience! With that out of the way… The
Unlike some other vintage beauty products, makeup crayons and pencils never went away — which means you can recreate some of these 70s makeup looks for yourself.
Get old-fashioned recipes to make your own flavored homemade vinegars with fruit and herbs – raspberries, strawberries, pineapple, onions, celery, tarragon and more!
How long do you need to cook your turkey? While making a roasted turkey for Thanksgiving is about as vintage American as it gets, our turkey cooking times and tips offered here are based on the most up-to-date standards.
Along with some great vintage hairstyle photos below, you will also get real-life beauty advice from newspapers published in the 40s and 50s, which offered readers tips on how to get perfect pin curls every time.
How exactly did they repair antique dolls back in the 1950s and before – in the days before toys and dolls were made of plastic? Here’s a look at what went into doll construction and restoration!
What was the retro pastel eye makeup look all about? Making the eyes look big and soft by creating a natural look with pale eyeshadow shades. See it here!
Without a doubt, the humble dump cake has one of the worst names ever, but this sweet treat has still managed to stay popular since its introduction in the mid-sixties. See step-by-step photos for an apple pie dump cake recipe here!
If you’re looking to make a bedroom look a little retro, take a look at these DIY headboards with a vintage look! They may be just the inspiration you need for some old-fashioned home decor.
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.
The best way to gift-wrap a bulky or odd-shaped kitchen appliance or utensil is – don’t! Give it a fanciful shape, instead – with Christmas paper, ribbons, ornaments and more.
Here’s the ’80s way to use everyday corn syrup and tissue paper to make non-toxic face paints for Halloween or a school play!
Based on one of the many traditional needlework crafts, these vintage needlepoint designs might just inspire you to get creative in all-new ways!
These vintage zodiac cross-stitch designs could be used as-is, interspersed and contrasted with plain squares, or the designs adapted to many other uses — such as cross-stitch embroidery for table linens.
With this easy vintage DIY puffy happy face pin project, it’s easy to put on a happy face, a funny face, or any kind of face you fancy with soft, cuddly cotton creatures!
How long does it take to make jello set? Get a chart with the times needed to make Jell-O gelatin desserts and salads.
This flip-over chair – in the original Hudson Valley version of the 1870s or a colorful adaptation – offers the fun of choosing between two seats with a quick flip of a finger.
Even though the girls who used liberal amounts of 80s hairspray were born before beehive and bouffant hairstyles, they still took part in a grooming ritual dating back to the fifties.
Where do wine glasses go? How many forks should be set out on the table – and what’s the difference between them? What about a bread plate? Find out how to set a formal dinner table the proper old-fashioned way with these tips from 100 years ago.
This creative collection of ideas came from Crayola, the famous crayon maker, back in the 1950s. They suggest some simple old-fashioned ways for kids to have quiet fun at home with crayons and paper.
Want some retro-style holiday decor? Find out how to make some vintage Christmas crafts from the ’60s: a burlap wreath, tabletop Christmas trees, a starburst decoration, papier mache ornaments and more.
This retro-style DIY bulletin board framed by satiny stars, clouds, and moon crescents promised to add a soft touch to any 80s teen’s bedroom.
From the crank or self-starter pedal to the spark and magneto, here are some of the basics you would have needed to know to drive a car back in the 1920s.
Old-fashioned spice cake – a deliciously flavorful cake – was especially popular in the ’50s. Try making this homemade version and find out why!
One little piece of felt, cut in a simple shape, a few quick stitches – and, presto! – a hat! Here are some simple vintage one-piece hats you can sew.
Want to make some simple retro ’50s style jewelry? If you’ve got the gift for DIY crafts, we have the how-to guide for you, direct from the fifties.
Here’s how to stencil a tray – transforming an inexpensive metal accessory into a family heirloom, with paint and these included vintage stenciling patterns.
Make a fold-up home workshop Plan, work, store, protect with this “fold away” workshop For Dad only . . . a complete, self-contained home workshop
Make a ‘Lazy Susan’ wardrobe Four-season wardrobe selection at the touch of a finger Separate your wardrobe by season . . . by formal and
Take a look at more than 40 vintage ’40s hairstyles – long hair and short cuts, curled and waved, with and without hats – and see what was fashionable!
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.
This invisible floating Christmas tree decoration from the ’60s – made with shiny and colorful ball ornaments – is so simple, but an absolute showstopper. See how to make your own here!
Love those classic cocktails? Get the recipes here for some of the finest from the 40s: Gin Rickey, Creme de Menthe Frappe, Hot Toddy, Side Car, Pink Lady, Stinger, Champagne Cocktail, Manhattan, Daiquiri & more!
Although L’eggs doesn’t make their egg packing anymore, you can still make adorable egg-shaped ornaments with the help of these vintage craft instructions!
‘Tis the season for vintage Christmas Rice Krispies Treats, so find out how to make clown pops, surprise balls, crispy snowmen, toy animals and puddin’ tart shells and more!
Aren’t they fabulous – these tissue paper poufs from the 1960s to cover your presents? They said, ‘We’ve never seen a more exciting gift wrap idea, or a more impressive one.’
Make a chocolate & vanilla party cake! Fluffy frosting and an easy decorative design can turn a simple cake into a simply wonderful dessert, the perfect finale to any festive meal.
If your family never stays home because there’s nothing to do, check out these ways to pep up your yard or garden. Sometimes the simplest things, as in the play castle here, yields the most imaginative results.
If you want that gorgeous, ingenue-like retro makeup style popular in the ’60s and ’70, here’s how to apply false eyelashes just like they did back then!
Here’s a retro recipe for a cute Teddy Bear cake made of the nicest things you could imagine. And you can make one easily.
Here’s how you can make vintage stained-glass style Christmas ornaments from hard candy! This crafty project is probably easier than you’d think.
Make some retro ornaments for your Christmas tree with these crafts from the ’60s: they’re fanciful birds and butterflies in inexpensive, easy-to-sew felt.
That amazing turkey dinner is going to need carving, so why not learn how to do it right? Here are some easy tips for how to carve turkey that you can keep in mind this Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday!
This fairyland gumdrop Christmas tree is made from gummy candy, toothpicks and a Styrofoam cone. At 24 inches high, it makes a magnificent centerpiece for a Christmas buffet table. Here’s how to make it!
Move out of doors in style during the summer . . . yet provide year-round storage for your boat, motor and outdoor equipment with this boat shelter and convertible patio.
The Hula Hoop fad had millions of children and adults shaking their hips to make the hoop spin. See what the craze was all about – and how to hoop!
For Halloween party fun, make a Hallo Witch Halloween cake! You don’t need any special pans — just cut a square cake as shown, then frost.
A hundred years ago, you wouldn’t have found too many products to help take care of your skin. Ladies back then relied on other little tips and tricks – explained here!
Garnishes can also be an integral part of a dish. What could be prettier than a carrot larkspur, a turnip narcissus, or a cucumber lily? Or a rose, that by any other name, is a radish, lemon, lime, or tomato?
Nothing says ‘luncheon’ like an old-fashioned frosted party sandwich loaf! And they’re so darn pretty, they can even do double-duty as lunch table centerpieces.
The artichoke hairstyle is a casual, layered cut, with the layers tanning out, petal fashion, from the center of the crown — or what would be the stem area of the real artichoke.
To help get the flamboyant & daring looks of 80s makeup, we have some tips straight from the decade that invented them!
Not were the most fashionable vintage hairstyles from 1906 very high, built up of a succession of curls and wavelets galore, but they also held ornaments, combs, feathers, flowers, bows and other stylish additions.
Turns out the majority of baking techniques our great-grandparents used to make a cake from scratch still apply today.
From the scrubbed to the sensational look, here are some expert makeup and beauty tips on how to do your own ’70s-style makeover!
Here’s how to make a retro DIY kitchen island with roll-away cart! This prep and serving center was designed to modernize a kitchen with ’60s style.
Fold-away dining corner A family-centered dining nook tucks away into warm wood paneling Here is an idea that will provide additional living space in your
Considering that we nearly all drink it, why is it that we so seldom get a good cup of coffee?
No-sew wrap-and-go fashion from the 80s From a beach cover-up to a party dress, the perennial “pareo” does it all, with just two yards of
