Buttons

dian57 · Post by **dian57** » Jun 19, 2005 6:24 am

I have inherited 2 large Hefty bags full of buttons from a seamstress. Some are on cards, some strung together, but most are loose. There are no cute, hip or trendy ones, mostly plain metal, plastic or pearl in all different colors.

Any suggestions for what I might do with them?

wingnut · Post by **wingnut** » Jun 19, 2005 10:36 pm

Well you could decorate a lampshade with them. hmmmm
or you could mosaic something with them. You could frame them ( if they are pretty) of mosaic a frame with them.

Thats just some of my ideas Im sure someone else will come up with something more crafty and creative.

janey · Post by **janey** » Jun 20, 2005 11:43 am

Two Hefty bags??? Ohmygoodness, that's a lot of buttons!

Assuming you won't be using all of those for your own crafts, you might think of donating some to the art departments of elementary and middle schools in your area....Art and early el teachers are always looking for things like this. Been there.

Also, my Mom just spent two weeks in a rehab facility for a broken hip, and there was a Recreational director there that did crafts with the patients. He is always on the lookout for craft items.

As well, the Occupational therapists there used things like buttons and coins for activites to improve the dexterity of hands and fingers of some of the patients.

Buttons are good.

JaneG · Post by **JaneG** » Jun 20, 2005 11:47 pm

Go check out the "Garden Junk/Art" thread in the Garden Discussion and Design section. Mary Ann has a picture of some smaller garden globes covered with buttons. Here's the link

download.php?id=35246

The buttons are sort of ornate, but I'm sure it would look great with all different colors of plain buttons also.

Just don't ask me how to do it!!!! (Not sure if Mary Ann made or bought these.)

With my bunches of old buttons, I filled an old-fashioned half-gallon canning jar with them and put on an old zinc lid. It sits in my sewing room and looks cute.

dian57 · Post by **dian57** » Jun 21, 2005 6:02 am

My original plan for the buttons was to use them in a very large (4 x 4.5') mosaic. The area in front of my potting bench has such compacted soil that grass doesn't grow and I end up standing in mud. The mosaic will be of Astraeus, the God of the Four Winds and done in shades of gray, white and black.

The more I think about it, the more I worry about plastic buttons surviving through the bitter cold winters we have. I've decided to go with stained glass instead.

Now I have all these buttons. I was hoping someone would come up with a few ideas before I donate them all to the nursing home activities department of the facility I work in.

A friend's young granddaughter in San Francisco has a button collection. When she visits, we all let her pick through our button jars. If I still have the bags next time, I can just imagine the look on her face when I bring them out for her to look through.

Soummer · Post by **Soummer** » Jun 21, 2005 6:43 pm

how about some mosaic work that can be used inside, or brought in? I think mosaic is a great idea, I'd love to see it done with buttons

janet · Post by **janet** » Jun 21, 2005 7:01 pm

Find a large glass bottle or jug that they will fit into, fill it with the buttons, add lamp hardware, and voila! A custom lamp. I have one I made from an old 3-liter Almaden wine bottle (yes, I drank the wine

) that is full of small white shells from the Caribbean. Looks great, is functional, and reminds me of a great trip and some good memories each time I see it.

janet · Post by **janet** » Jun 21, 2005 7:09 pm

Button wreathes are kind of cool looking, too, depending on the buttons, of course. The Garnet Hill catalog had a stunner on the cover a couple years ago. They got so many comments on it, they started selling the wreathes the next year!

dian57 · Post by **dian57** » Jun 22, 2005 6:50 pm

Ah, Janet, you tease, you! I did a Google on Garnet Hill button wreath and came up with some literature on the background of it, but no images! You've really got my curiosity peaked with the thought.

I did get a response on using buttons on an outside mosaic and it was a no-go. As I thought, the plastic won't hold up to the winter temps nor the pressure of being used as a walking surface.

Now to try another search engine for that wreath . . .

patsue53 · Post by **patsue53** » Jun 23, 2005 10:13 pm

Here's some cute ideas. http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_home_access ... 63,00.html

http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml ... navLevel=4

dian57 · Post by **dian57** » Feb 23, 2006 8:06 am

I cleaned out a closet last weekend and guess what I found . . . yep, 2 Hefty bags of buttons.

Think I'll pick the best out and donate them unless anyone raises their virtual hand and asks for them.

Dianne

Kas · Post by **Kas** » Feb 23, 2006 5:02 pm

Why don't you sell them on ebay? I bet there are a lot of collectors out there who would love to take a chance on getting something collectable. Just a thought.

Kas

wishiwere · Post by **wishiwere** » Feb 24, 2006 3:21 pm

I saw a cute display in someone's sewing room online where they collected jars with different colored lids. Then filled the jars with the same colored buttons. They sat in a window and were really kinda cute for a sewing /craft person or room?