A "Lucky Day" for Buttons





About a week ago, I was in a thrift shop that opened in my area.  I caught a glimpse of a worn plastic bag filled with buttons at the back of a shelf. I tried to ignore it since my button collecting has gotten out of hand.  Needless to say, it didn't work.  I picked up the bag and it was only $2.50.  I could see that most of the buttons were still on the cards but couldn't tell much about them because it was tightly taped shut.  I made my purchase and when I opened the bag, I was  surprised!  Here are some of my finds:

It's been a long time since I've seen Roebuck and Co. attached to the Sears name.

These are my favorite!  They were made in Western Germany and cost 25 cents.  The color is watermelon pink with a tiny bit of gold trim.



Mother of Pearl buttons



There was several loose Mother of Pearl buttons.  I wanted you to see the backs of them as well as the front.  Each back is a different color since they are made from shells.

It goes without saying that  I'm happy that I invested $2.50 for these beautiful vintage buttons. 

Japanese Flower

Look at this exquisite button!

 

It is a Japanese enamel button and costs a pretty penny.

You may find it here:

ColletteCollette

 

A Different Type of Button

I think these qualify for a post here, even though they are not technically buttons. At least not the kind you can pick up and turn over.

But they were indeed buttons at one time, so they should be okay here.

These are pictures of buttons from a magazine of the past. I do not know which one. I started to dabble in decoupage and these were donated to me by my mother, a paper artist of some renown. She was so excited that I was attempting decoupage, and knowing I like buttons, she found these in one of her millions of files and handed them over.

I really wish I knew more about them and I surely wish I could see them in person.

Enlarged all of these, as the print is hard to read.

I saved my favorites for last.

 

Don't you just love that...Smuggler's Button?! And wouldn't you love to own one?

Here is a link to a real one:

Smuggler's Button

Remembering

Since this is the Memorial Day weekend, I thought I'd see if I could find some 

interesting buttons that would tie into the meaning of this important holiday.

Here is some of what I found on Etsy.

1940s Domed Airplane Buttons

From NeedleArtSupplies

Button Chain Belt, with (possibly) Civil War Era Buttons

From  HeritageTrails

WW II Uniform Button (possibly, but it is so nice, I wanted to include it)

From BonneyHillShop

WW II Air Raid Precautions Buttons (England)

From TheWatchKey

World War US Army Collar Button

From QuestaTierraVintage

 Russian Army Button, Found on an Archeological Dig

From AlchemyShop

Army Uniform Mending Kit

From hiphuggie

Blingy buttons

Some bling-y, vintage buttons sewn on velvet...to brighten your day!

A glass elephant and some blue ducks

I found some fun "realistic" buttons in a poke (grab) bag at the thrift store the other day, including a glass elephant and some blue ducks!

You are invited to hop over to my own blog, Indulge Your Shelf, to see more photos!

Exciting button event in UK !

Handmade resin button by Buttons by McAnaraks

This is my entry for The Button Project, I'm very pleased with how it turned out. You can see more of the entries here on a slide show
http://victoriascholes.blogspot.co.uk


www.mcanaraks.com
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The Button Project - a stunning exhibition of over 300 contemporary handmade buttons - is taking shape, as buttons start to arrive from all over the world. From Australia to Norway, and all over the UK, artists and makers are translating their work into buttons for this exciting new event.

Artists were asked to work within the constraints of traditional button sizes and fixing methods, but from there, their imagination was free to roam. Each button is a miniature work of art in its own right and highly collectible.

The Button Project is intended to serve as a celebration of the heritage of the area, which began with the silk button. The dynamic buttons come from craft practitioners and artists at the top of their field, plus our rising stars and many who make just for the love of it. They will be showcased effortlessly alongside the silk costume collection at Macclesfield’s Heritage Centre from June 14 to August 8 2013. Plus there will be related displays at the nearby Silk Museum showing treasures of the behind-the scenes button collections, and a lively button-making workshop for kids.

The museum curator, Annabel Wills, says

“It has been wonderful to see how our contemporary makers have responded to the historic collections at Macclesfield. A real feast of talent and inventiveness.”

From precious metals and traditional silk buttons, to glass, felt, enamels and recycled materials; the creativity from makers has been diverse and eye-catching, with The Button Project’s youngest contributor being just 11 years old. The project will be launched at, and will form part of the programme for, the Barnaby Festival, Macclesfield’s summer festival of contemporary arts, culture and fun, taking place in June. Both look set to be events not to be missed.

Grannie's buttons

I was going through a jar of my Grandmother's buttons I got out of her sewing basket; I had already put them in a large glass jar and was just reminiscing.  Some of the cards says 10 cents and some 29 cents. She had several cards of large buttons, she was always sewing . She was born 1907 and lived until 1996. I sure miss her company.  She taught me to put zippers in when I was about 8 years old, also sleeves; never had any problems doing either.
                                                                                                       

     
                                                                             

I love these black glass buttons, not a very good picture but you know what I'm talking about?

                   

I sure wish I had known about the Missouri Button Show.  I am going to look around and get on the mailing list of shows here in Missouri or Kansas.

Missouri State Button Society Show & Buttons!

This button caught my eye recently at the Missouri State Button Society's Spring show. 

Did it catch your eye too?

Do you want to know more about it?

If so, please click here and link over to my blog

Vintage Connections for the complete post.  

See you there!

Button Bargain Bonanza

Paying a visit last week to my favorite local antique mall, I really wasn't even looking specifically for buttons, but this is what happens when you keep an open mind. I came across a booth that had 11 little cards of antique buttons on a table, in singles, doubles, and one card of triplets. 

I stood there for quite a while inspecting them all, wondering which, if any (!) to purchase. Not only were they lovely, but they also were rather ridiculously inexpensive. How often do you come across that? I picked out 2 cards--the ones with tiny detailed scenes and left the rest behind.

 

Well, I'm sure you can guess what happened... I couldn't get them out of my mind, rationalizing the notion of buying them all. You know how that is. So, about 10 or 15 minutes and 1 1/2 aisles later I told my partner-in-crime (my mother, that is) that I wanted to go back and look at the buttons again, to which she replied, "Well, yes, of course, go on."

Managing to find the booth again (thank goodness the cards I had picked up had the booth number on them!), I gave them all a cursory second glance (probably more like the fourth glance) and swooped them all up, with no regrets.

Don't these brass ones have a pretty Art Nouveau design?

Most of them are pretty small and all are shank buttons, some self-shank and others with an inserted shank.

These next few sets are my favorites. I am enlarging the photos so you can see the miniature scenes more easily. 

You can see the difference in the amount of wear on these two. 

I think there is a mirror background on these next two. It can barely be seen on the right one, above the castle and through the gate opening.

Now, I am wondering if I should try to clean them. I know there are two schools of thought on this subject--some say it is more authentic to leave them be and others say they should be enjoyed and appreciated for their beauty, which will show better if cleaned up.

If anyone has an opinion on whether this is a good idea or not, please feel free to comment. If the consensus is towards cleaning, does anyone have any suggestions as to the proper method? 

See the owls?

Purple Rain

Do you remember the song by Prince , Purple Rain ? well today it's raining again and I have some beautiful Purple buttons to show off. Anyway I think they are fabulous and beautiful

                                                                     

I don't remember where I got them however I know it was at an auction here in the town where I live now, It had to be early 1980's I am guessing.I know they were in a box with other buttons on cards and I didn't have any beautiful buttons so went for it . Back them $15.00 would have been a huge price for me to pay for a box of buttons.

They are tied on the  card with cotton string. I don't know if that is original or the lady just own them did that. A lot of old buttons are attached to the card with wire.

This is my first Button Floozie post and thrilled to be in the groove with you all 

thanks to Laurie Jackson for asking me to join in . I read her blog 

Indulge Yourself

and all her Button Floozie posts 

Buttons on Pinterest

As I've mentioned before, I have a fun board on Pinterest called Button Love.  Whenever I see a memorable button online -- or a great project done with buttons -- I "pin" it to this board so everyone can see.  You are all welcome to visit/follow it by clicking here.

via Pinterest

How about you?  If you pin buttons on Pinterest, leave the address in the comments so we can all visit and/or follow.  Please link button boards only; other links will be deleted.  Thank you!

Size?

I was remiss in not mentioning the size of this little "Queen of Hearts" crazy quilt shown in the previous post... It is approx.14" square and has only a few buttons on the quilt itself...

But if you like it then you will REALLY like this one which has lots of buttons.

"Handy Hanger" with button.

Using some thread  make a tassel and a loop and  it can be attached to a small quilt or crazy quilt block for a handy hanger...

Our numbers are increasing!

While I was on vacation, this wonderful little corner of the Internet reached over 1100 followers!

1,102

As the blog's Administrator, I receive emails every week from people who just found Button Floozies and want to be a part of the fun.

As our button loving community increases, I would love it if our authors increase posting, too!

Remember, one post a day works best, posts can be scheduled in advance, and everyone should aim for posting at least once monthly.  Thank you to all who do!

Old buttons from St. Augustine

We just returned from a vacation in Florida, where I spotted some historical old buttons from an archaeological dig, ca. 1500, on display.

To read more about the trip and see some pretty photos of beaches, you're welcome to come and visit me at Indulge Your Shelf!

Antique Easter Buttons

Aren't these the cutest Easter buttons?

They are German buttons with a handpainted rabbit on each one.

I found them on this website:

Nanalulu's Linen Closet 

National Button Society - National Button Week

March brings us the National Button Week.

   

 (from my button collection, a grouping of small Victorian Celluloid buttons)

From my buckles, buttons & dress trim collection I purchased in England

  
and from France

 (buttons on original button cards from the collection of Tara Boynton)

 

 From the Home page of the National Button Society website: 

"Households have long followed the practice of snipping buttons from clothing headed for the ragbag. Do you remember playing with your mother’s—or grandmother’s or great-grandmother’s—button box or jar or tin? The impulse to collect is a basic part of the human psyche, and buttons have been admired and collected for centuries. Button collecting was recognized as an organized hobby through the founding of the National Button Society in 1938."  To read more, click on this link: NBS.

  

Here is one of the postcards I've created for 

button presentations:   

 

  (back side)

Bead & Button on-line magazine, offers several great articles on buttons.

 If you are interested in learning more about the National Button Society (NBS) and button collecting, please visit the NBS website  or email me directly.

Happy Button Week!

Button hugs,
Tami Hacker