Buttons

My name's Nancy, and I'm a button-aholic.That doesn't mean I'm a true collector. I'm not; I'm a hoarder. I have no sense of pride when it comes to what kind of button I accumulate. I'll adopt them all.

The button below is the one that started me down this circuitous road. It's a true collector piece.

Made of elephant ivory most likely in the 19th century, this is carved--see the dragon--and inset with tiny stones. It has a detachable shank--it screws off so the garment could be cleaned without harming the button. I've had this for probably twenty years and think I might mount it in a small shadow box and hang it in the office I still haven't finished. Good idea?

The next few pictures are of some of the largest buttons in my stash. Some I know what they're made of, some I don't.

I have no idea what this one is, but I think it's gorgeous. I'm thinking of using it as a closure on a white linen pillow.

This is another I'm in the dark on re what kind of plastic it is, but I love the mid-century look of it. This and the one above are quite large, perfect for closures on a handbag or memory bag or a pillow....

This one's celluloid. I love the deco styling of it. It too is large enough to use as a focus closure.

I have no idea what material was used in these nor do I remember where I got them. They may have been in the button box my used-to-be next door neighbor gave me. They're an inch and a half wide with metal shanks, probably came from a coat. They too I could see as focus closures, but dang I don't need that many. Some of these I may offer on Etsy, yunno, maybe four of them? That would leave two for me to some day do something with.

These I find interesting; some of them I also feel would make great focal points. (Sometimes when I look at my buttons and think of all the projects I could use them on, I feel overwhelmed. Maybe someday I'll take a shot of all in toto and show what I mean.)

These are celluloid. They truly need a bath, though it would have to be a dry one because they are celluloid.

This bunch is a medley of styles and types. The three at the top are metal, the two on the right below that are shell, the two to the left of those are celluloid, the four at the bottom also are shell, and I'm unsure of the ones that look like wood.

Now a shot of some that make me happy.

A handful of plain mother of pearl (MOP) and various other white buttons, I love the look of them. One of these days I'll do a design of whites on a brown linen pillow. (The two at the front are whistle buttons with one hole on top and two on the bottom. I think they're from the turn of the last century, but because they're so plain, they're not considered collectible.)

Here's something I did with a number of other whistle buttons as well as a few others. I used a sterling bracelet blank with mini glue pads. I like the look of this.

Maybe someday I'll start selling these by the pound. (Yes, I have that many.) I don't have enough years ahead of me to use all I have! (I'm on my third week of having given up sugar. Maybe I should give up buttons next.)

That's all for now. Ta, y'all.