Skip to main content

Beautiful Buttons


My own beautiful designer ceramic buttons - crafted by Dottery Pottery 




Don't we all love buttons?  Seeing a tin of buttons anywhere transports me straight back to childhood, rooting around in my grans button tin.  It was a rusty old tin, nothing pretty to look at all - but oh.... did it hold treasures within!  I loved to hunt around for favourites, making patterns and pictures with them.

I must still have a few of them today, though now they've been added to my own tin - along with the contents of my mum's tin too.  In fact I've got three tins!  Greedy or what?  And they're all very pretty.
A large one containing a multitude of vintage finds, many still retaining bits of thread from the garments they were snipped from - a few still attached to their cardboard holders, and priced in shillings and pence. Some are beautiful, and though they may never be used, retain a special fondness.... Others are downright ugly, yet I still haven't the heart to abandon them.



Who doesn't love a button tin - this is my tiny carry-around one
I have another tin in the shape of a cupcake.  That one sits on my desk looking pretty, holding lots of delicate little candy coloured delicates.  The dinky little tin shown above holds the buttons I'm currently working with and is tiny enough to carry around in my work bag.




I adore using buttons in just about anything I make.  I think they add a certain charm.  I also use them to add an individual touch to clothing and accessories.  I'm a proper second-hand rose, and love trawling car-boots and charity shops for bargains.  The plainest v-neck jumper can be transformed by the quick addition of some quirky buttons at the neckline.  Or add to a scarf for instant re-vamp.  Over the years I've attached buttons to hats, bags, pictures - just about anywhere I think I might be able to get away with it!

When I saw this gorgeous figure for sale at a car-boot sale, I was totally smitten.  Isn't it lovely?
Was once part of a Liberty store window display - one of my car-boot treasures
What would otherwise be rather boring, is transformed into vintage loveliness with the buttons and lace - can you see why I had to buy it?

I love to do applique.  In the evenings whilst sat down watching the television, I find it really relaxing.  My embroidery skills are never likely to progress beyond naive simplicity, I just don't have enough patience.  Anything larger than A5 size usually has me running for my machine.  (However, I am forcing myself to handsew a lap quilt at present - out of sheer dogged-mindedness.  It remains to be seen if I ever manage to finish it!).

I have no idea what these three little stitcheries are going to end up as.  The background was a pretty pillowcase I found in a charity shop, and the bird fabric a few tiny scraps left from an Amy Butler fat quarter (miniscule - but too lovely to throw away).  I'm thinking possibly a vertical wall hanging on a white background bound in green.  What do you reckon? 

The perfect size for tweety eyes
So handy for adding detail....
I tend to add buttons to everything!
Super quick button-heart bag charms




I attached these by machine - only broke one in the process!
I see great possibilites for using buttons in my work in the future!  I have a wonderful idea in my head, and must start sketching before I forget.  It will take oodles of buttons so will have to start building up a collection of the right colours and style.  Hmm.... hubbies extensive shirt collection.... now there's an idea?


Lets finish off this button inspired blog with a look at some wonderful creations I've found on the web;


Isn't this just adorable?www.rarebirdfinds.typepad.com



What a stunning piece of art - http://www.flickr.com/photos/cottageqt/sets/72157606910485336/
Natural looking loveliness www.foundonfolksy.blogspot.com
Oh the colours - I want to eat them!  www.thelittleredhen.typepad.com
A little bit biased I know - but I love these!  http://www.folksy.com/shops/thedotterypotter 
How awesome is this!  Fantastic art by http://assets0.folksy.com/shops/fredalicious
Right folks.... that's it for today.  Time for me to button up.














Labels:

Comments

  1. Jenny1 June 2011 at 20:57

    Some gorgeous buttons, your ceramic ones are beautiful! I love the mannuquin too - would really like one of those for the corner of my studio! xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous11 June 2011 at 19:01

    Dear Jan,
    I am an American with a long standing fascination with all things English especially Cornwall. I have read and re-read all of Rosamunde Pilcher's books so many times I've lost count! However, the term car-boot sale threw me. A car-boot is like a car trunk isn't it? So do they have sales where people fill their cars and congregate to have a sale? Very curious!
    Dessy in St Augustine, Florida
    dessmarie{at}hotmail{dot}com

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Oh - go on! It's so lovely to receive messages, and I really do appreciate it.

I always do my best to reply to messages - both here on the blog and personally (as long as I can see an email address)

Popular posts from this blog

Shabby Chic? Definitely Shabby!

I did say I'd share my DIY disaster with you...... Brace yourselves - you may need sunglasses: Snort!  When I started the makeover I can assure you this wasn't my intention.  I had a 70's dressing table that was a nice shape, but a vile wood.  I thought I would transform it by painting it fuchsia to match my bedroom.  10 hours later (2 coats undercoat, 3 topcoat) it was looking good.  Until the top coat starting to flake off before my eyes.  I could have cried - indeed I think I did. Since then it's been sitting in the bedroom annoying me.  It's too heavy to lift out on my own, and anyways I've nothing else to replace it with.  The thought of starting to paint it again doesn't bear thinking about.  So in a DIY frenzy, I attacked it with wire wool. I think I got a bit carried away!  The result is something that gives a whole new meaning to shabby chic.  However, at least it looks intentional and boldly scruffy.  An...
13 comments
Read more

Autumn Giveaway Time

I'm more than a trifle ticked off with Blogger. My post of yesterday has vanished into thin air during the day - and I haven't been near a computer. It was the first time I'd entered a post using the new interface, and I was liking the way it worked. Shame I didn't try a short post first, but no...... dibble decided to do a long article didn't she! Sniff. Back to the old Blogger me thinks. Anyways... I was thinking that it's been such a dismal few days - why not think of something to brighten the mood. Why not have a little giveaway? Trying to be a little different - I've come up with a little competition. It's quite simple....... How many buttons in the jar? I've no idea myself, so it will be interesting to find out. To give you something on which to base your guess, I can tell you I am able to hold the little jar comfortably in one hand. Also I have used a few of the buttons so the jar isn't quite full. So.... What do y...
16 comments
Read more

Don't get Shirty!

My blog posts have been lacking the last few weeks.  This is due to moving home and trying to sort out the chaos.  One of the things required was that hubby thin down his clothing, or there would be no room for any of mine in the fitted wardrobes.  At the last count he had well over a hundred shirts.  Ridiculous.  Under strict instructions to free up half the wardrobe space for me, he set to with bin bags, to turf some out for the charity shops. With a large selection of shirts ousted, I started looking at the fabrics and wondered if I could make use of them myself.  There's a surprising amount of fabric in a mans shirt, particularly an XL one. After cherry picking the ones that were all cotton and nice fabrics, I sat down and scratched my head for inspiration. My first of two makes is this pillow.  When I began I had no real vision of what it was going to look like.  I just knew that I wanted to use some of the front pockets, and make a...
12 comments
Read more