Throwback Thursday

who needs an eight ball?

I have a vague, but cherished childhood memory of one of my first creative ventures. I had commandeered a bunch of kids of various ages, who were my playmates at after school care, and talked them into a plan of creative genius (well, in my mind it was). We were going to get our hands on a bunch of typewriter paper (that's what it was called in those days), construct mountains of paper fortune tellers, and sell them. I don't remember how I planned to move the product, or compensate the kids, but I do remember rows of those brown folding office tables set up outside, with me walking up and down between them, demonstrating each fold, with all the kids following along.

I laugh about it when I remember it, because a) I was cooking up crazy ideas, even when I was a kid, and b) people do actually make beautiful paper fortune tellers for sale now. One has only to head over to Etsy, and plug in "paper fortune teller", "kissing birds", and "cootie catcher", among other names, to find a slew of makers, some who will even customize them for you. I remember the girls used to put things like boys' names or numbers for how many kids we might one day have on the insides for the fortunes, lol. Did you ever make them as a kid? If you'd like to try making them again (perhaps with your kids?), I've designed and posted a printable template on the resources page of my website. You can print, fold, and be telling fortunes in no time! You can also use the template as inspiration for your own design, with your own fortunes written or printed inside! (I do not, however, encourage the whole child labor thing.) Happy making!