Well, finally, I feel that I am making an honest floozy of myself! I took part in a 14 Secrets ATC swap. On one of my offerings called "Good Day Sunshine" I used buttons!!!! I thought the flower button matched the lady's "hat" perfectly! Now I feel like a real floozy! I like that feeling...so, off I go to search my button box for another swap!
Today the CraftGossip blog has a posting with some button-related links. I had a look at them all and especially love Shunklie's etsy shop. She's got some adorable ladybug buttons!
Oh my button friends, check out Rebecca Sower's blog post about buttons and see what she has done with Handmade from Home....
The little button nest for this bird. The bird was embroidered on felt and appliqued to the piece of needlework.
This is the entire piece and it's called "The Rose." I did it for my mother who nurtured and loved roses all her life. The beautiful embroidered rose is an antique applique given to me by a friend. I painted the button by the picture of my mother. She was 16 at the time and now just turned 93.
A Christmas ornament made to hang on a tree, that is decorated with buttons. The buttons do not necessarily need to be the only decoration element of the ornament -- but it should be a main or special element of the decoration. Your ornament should be handmade.
It is a quick turnaround, I realize; please be sure you can adhere to the deadline before committing!
A NOTE ABOUT INTERNATIONAL SWAPPING: Because it is a quick turnaround, I'll be matching you up with partners on your own continent; that should cut down on postage costs for everyone and also shipping time! If you would prefer to ship internationally, please send me an email and if we have enough people who want to do it, I'll put a group together from different continents.
You sign up for the swap by emailing me your name, address, and blog address if you have one. Send the email to: buttonfloozies@gmail.com Please note: Even in you know I already have your email and other info -- please send me a separate email, anyway. I often have more than 30 people who participate in these swaps and so it's much easier for me to organize if I have all the info "in one place" -- I simply tag the email "SWAP" when I receive it and then filter all the swap emails when it's time to make the list. Thank you!!
After you email me the above information, comment on this post that you have; this step is so that I can contact you if Blogger plays tricks on me with emails, as they have been known to do in the past! I just don't want anyone to miss out.
Once you've signed up, you can begin making your 5 ornaments right away! You don't need to wait for your group to get started.
I will randomly place people into groups of 5: on October 29 I will email you each the names and addresses of the swappers in your group. Please note: with groups this size, it's not easy for me to keep track of who has already swapped with whom...so...if you end up in a "repeat" group and you don't want to be...please email me IMMEDIATELY and I will try to switch things around without too much inconvenience.
Take a photo of your creations, then send one of your ornaments to each of the other 4 members in your group; be sure to have them in the mail by Monday, November 19, 2012.
Once all the members of your group have received your swap, post your photos on the blog and/or on our Button Floozies Swap page on Flickr so we can all enjoy them!
My partner, Tamra, and I have sent and received our tins in the Fall in Love with Buttons 2012 Swap! Here's the one she made for me:
Isn't it lovely? She decoupaged it in Fall shades of green and brown -- and just LOOK at the gorgeous selection of buttons she sent!
and the bottom; she used buttons for feet! Tamra also gifted me that hand made barrette made of buttons! How sweet is that? I don't have any button barrettes, so it is really special!
Here's the tin I made for Tamra. I used fall themed papers, ribbons, and a bit of lace. She said she liked vintage, like me, so I decorated the top with lace, vintage millinery flower pieces, and a very pretty old button.
Here's how I did the inside: very simple with papers and felt leaves. Sitting next to it is a card of vintage orange buttons I included, tied to a Fall-themed tag.
I have been hording buttons since a teenager. I finally decided to use some of my precious stash and make this bracelet. You can easily make your own. I purchased a charm bracelet and attached the buttons with jump rings. I added some silver metal buttons and some glass and rhinestone buttons to jazz it up a bit. I wore it to a friend's wedding this weekend passed. I felt like a gypsy in my bangley and jingly bracelet! I hope you love it as much as I do! Enjoy!
"They are very heavy. The material almost looks like black onyx with faceted edges that are set in a heavy gold type metal. The edges are robbed like the sides of a quarter. They are " engraved " on the back side with "J. Brody". I've never seen anything like them. When I googled all I could find was a J.Brody vintage shirt maker."
Perhaps one or more of you button experts might have more information that I can share with her about them. Thanks!
You can find me at Brynwood Needleworks to see what's going on in my studio these days. I always look forward to visitors.
Maggie participated in our Fall in Love with Buttons 2012 Swap, and has completed her exchange with her lucky partner. Plus, she sent me a special hostess gift, too! I wanted to show you on the blog because I KNOW those of you who are still working on your swap (like me!) will be very inspired!
As you can see, she decorated her Altoids tin with felt and Fall themed buttons; then wrapped it all up in that colorful Fall fabric and tied it with orange and yellow rick rack! It was such a fun little bundle to open!
Here you can see that Maggie also decorated the inner lid with leafy paper, and filled the tin with some button gifts! I love all the leafy motifs and the fall palette, but am especially enamored by the vintage ones, like the row of antique glass buttons still carded that she included!
For those participating, don't forget that the Fall in Love with Button Swap 2012 tins are due in the mail no later than this Friday, October 19! We have 36 participants and will be showing as many of the tins as possible on this blog and on our Flickr page, too, so please be sure to check back!
The Official Button Lover's Group on Facebook is a public Group that any button enthusiast can join and is a place for people to ask questions, post their buttons, a button destash per month, and an all around super friendly atmosphere. It is a new group, I myself am not the founder of it, only a member but I started up the Canadian Travelling Button Box and thought we could get some more people to send the box around to through the Button Floozies :)
Doesn't that Traveling Button Box sound like fun? If someone from Button Floozies signs up -- especially Canadians -- and gives it a try, please let us know how it goes for you!
Please come visit me on my other blog, Indulge Your Shelf, to see another beautiful use of buttons in art!