Buttons, buttons,
who's got the buttons?
Beautiful Button Crafts
By Brenda Hyde
Several years ago I stopped in to a second
hand sale on the way home. I was looking at a
table with just a few things, but
noticed a tin full of buttons for 50 cents. I
looked up the owner, a sweet elderly lady,
and began to talk with her. It seems she had
been collecting these for years but no longer
needed them. We talked about my having two
boys and a husband who were always losing
buttons and the craft ideas I had seen lately.
I bought the tin and when I got home I looked
through the buttons. I realized that I had bought
a tin of someone's family history. There must
have been stories to go along with many of
those buttons. Since then, I have been on the
look out for button crafts and I have managed
to talk family members into giving me even
more buttons! Here are a few of the crafts I
have found that can be given
to friends and family as keepsakes so they too can have a
little piece of history.
Button Jewelry
Handmade jewelry has never been so easy
when you combine buttons and perhaps
old earrings, charms or even beads to make
brooches and pins. This is a perfect gift
for a young girl or a woman of any age!
The Base: from thin craft wood, cut a
heart shape 3-4 inches across. Sand
the edges smooth. Round will work well too.
The bottom layer: Glue on a layer of
simple shirt buttons of all one color.
The top layer: Affix your special
buttons with glue; keeping the
heart shape intact. If you want
to add earring or charm pieces
work those in where you feel
they look good.
To finish: On the back glue a
piece of brocade or tapestry fabric and
cover the edges of the wood base by gluing
on ribbon or narrow cord. Add a pin back
as the final step.
Whimsical Birdhouses
Bird house kits can be bought in all
sizes, and they make wonderful accents
for inside the house. Often, if you have
a nature center near by, they will sell the
cut wood pieces to build the birdhouse with
instructions. You can also watch the craft
shows for booths that sell unfinished wood.
I have seen miniature birdhouses on stands
that would also work.
Painting: Paint your birdhouse with a primer.
When dry, paint your desired color. You can
also sponge paint or rag roll your birdhouse
for an extra touch with a lighter color. Sponge
lightly or roll a bunched up rag in a small amount
of paint and roll the surface of the birdhouse with it.
The roof: Start with one layer of buttons. Plan
out your theme. If you have many assorted
colors then don't worry about matching, just
glue the flat buttons as a first layer all over the
roof. After that is finished, look through your
buttons for interested textures and shapes
to use at the top layer. Keep gluing until
it looks filled and complete. You can also
add a bird or two from the craft store. If
this is for a child you can paint their name
on the birdhouse front. Be sure to add the
date you made it and your name on the bottom.
Sweatshirts for Mom and Grandma
Grandmas and Moms love gifts that show off
their children's and grandchildren's names!
You can buy a simple sweatshirt in their
favorite color and in the middle of the front
securely sew on buttons to create a heart
shape large enough to write the names
with fabric paint. You can use sayings
around the heart like:
Cute as a button!
We love Grandma (or Mom)
My Treasures
Treasures of my heart
More ideas
Once you start thinking of ways to use buttons
as accents you will need to search the second
hand sales for more of them! You can use them
as decorations on felt Christmas Stockings, or
stockings made of tapestry for a Victorian look.
A small grapevine wreath can be used as a base
for placing unique buttons, especially the gold
ones. Accent with a silk ribbon at the top. I like
to find old wicker baskets at thrift stores or
garage sales, wash them with hot soapy water, and
decorate with buttons and ribbon. Line with
cloth and you have a perfect basket to place baked
goods, candy or other small gifts.
Handmade gifts are always treasured, but old
buttons that carry history with them are a special
touch that will bring smiles.
About the Author
Brenda Hyde is a Mom of three, a freelance writer and
editor of the six newsletters here at Seeds of Knowledge.
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