There were the cat food cans covered in elbow macaroni and spray-painted silver or gold.

The clay pinch-pots heavy enough to be used as weapons.

The baby food jars covered with scraps of tissue paper dipped in glue water that was supposed to create an effect like stained glass and was probably quite flammable.

And when students in seventh-grade Hawaiian studies were tasked with "make your own ipu," instead of throwing away the top of the gourd, some resourceful teachers had the kids decorate the little caps with El Marko petroglyph designs and take that home as a present for Mom and Dad.

Kids used to make a lot of ashtrays for their parents. It was the rainy day art project in school, the make-and-take craft in summer fun, and suitable for every occasion, from Christmas to Mother's Day. Happy birthday, Grandma, I made you this ashtray.

It didn't even matter if Mom or Dad smoked or not. Everyone knew somebody who smoked, and having an ashtray handy should a visiting smoker light up at the dinner table was the mark of hospitality. My buddy remembers making ashtrays in Cub Scouts and, get this, in a hospital craft class during a weeklong stay in the pediatric ward while recovering from blood poisoning.

Now we know better. Back then, school cafeterias blithely served up peanut butter cookies, too. But no more.

Ashtrays made for the perfect kiddie craft project, though. They were big enough for little hands to work on but small enough so you could finish in a sitting. They didn't have to be leak-proof, dishwasher safe or free of toxic paint. And what else are you going to do with all those empty tuna and cat food cans? OK, the wooden clothespin wishing wells are cute, but not high on the useful scale.

Now, a teacher who hands out empty tuna cans, some beach glass and Elmer's glue and instructs students to decorate a receptacle for their parents' ashes would probably be sued by angry mothers, vilified on message boards and story chats and scolded by righteous third-graders. How dare you glorify something so deadly and insidious! A kid who made an ashtray on his own might be red-flagged for having "issues" at home.

Today, we confront images of a cute baby being bathed in a tub filled with the contents of an ashtray. Another TV spot shows a father feeding his boy a spoonful of cigarette butts and ashes in lieu of breakfast cereal. Gone are the days of the innocent lopsided ceramic ashtray.

Here, Dad, I made you a plaque.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.