Buttons!

They've been around a while, holding stuff together in vital areas. Buttons have moved from humble beginnings hundreds of years ago, to the symbol of power and oppulence, and back again. Who doesn't have a jar or bag of random buttons somewhere in their house? Wood, sea shell, plastic, metal, ceramic. Every color and size, I even have some weird chicken ones. My collection brings together my grandmother's, K's mother's, and my own found, thrifted, and purchased. Utilitarian, whimsical, and even scary (as in Coraline's button eyes for the Other Mother and Father), I decided to organize my stash and make something. I found this website as endless inspiration: http://pinterest.com/spilltojill/so-many-things-to-do-with-buttons/

 In about an hour, I whipped up a button tree that I'm in love with. Take some buttons (I used my "browns and naturals" jar), some florist wire (22 gauge is small and good for multi-twisting), and a wire cutter. Make interesting combinations with buttons in the middle of the wire, twist away, and interconnect branches. My tree was a little sparse, but placing it in a tall, skinny vase gave it some oomph. So easy and fun.

For more ideas, I'll share a couple projects I've done in the past with buttons. To the right, they make perfect centers to these simple felt flowers. Cut out the flower shape and a leaf, embroider the edges for a little texture, and match up some buttons. Use floral wire to hold all the pieces together in the center and presto - a permanent, handmade arrangement.

Below is a similar idea. Buttons are the center to these "yo-yo" fabric flowers. Another simple way to use up some scrap fabric and old buttons, these flowers could be made into pins, hair clips, shirt accessories, anything. The "yo-yo's" look great on their own too, without any embellishment. Image google the term, there's some great ideas out there.

Garden Post Script: Going along with the circle theme, just wanted to share an addition to my garden:

What I'm sure my neighbors think is more voo-doo madness from the girl who grows things, this is my newest attempt to deter the birds from digging in my boxes. They aren't eating the seedlings, just looking for seeds - but how heartbreaking to see all the dirt moved around and just rooted plants turned on their sides. I'm thinking the wind blowing around the foil rings will be scary and unpredictable - if not a little unsightly! I will take them down once the plants cover the soil.