We've run a couple of articles on the fantastic ceramic/porcelain buttons of English ceramicist Karen Turner, so I wanted to show you her latest collections as seen on her facebook page.

 Here is the link

KAREN TURNER - HODGEPODGE ARTS - FACEBOOK PAGE

Best wishes

Lynn Holland

www.doodlybird.co.uk 

Royal Button Banner

A friend recently shared this article and photo, and I thought you would like to see it as well. The article is about England's Royal Barge, and this photo shows a banner that will be on it.

That looks like intricate embroidery, but the design is actually made from over half a million gold-colored buttons sewn on with over 31 miles of thread.

Isn't that gorgeous?

Yarn and BUTTONS!

I saw this tree downtown yesterday:

You will notice it has been "bombed", i.e., given a hand knitted or crochet little jacket, just for fun, by some ambitious needleworkers.

But, these illustrious people stole my heart when they added -- you guessed it -- BUTTONS!

Do Take a Look!

Jacqueline has a very nice entry in her blog, Needleprint.
She has given me permission to post this picture from her blog to help entice you to the blog. 

I have a large collection of antique MOP buttons and do miniature paintings on them to sell on my Esty Shop...  Ruth recently bought this bluebird button and beaded it into a pendant for her mother...

This photo is a beautiful pendent featuring a vintage button and it is listed on her site.  http://www.etsy.com/shop/acottagehearth  I love how she chose beads that really showcased both button.  Boy would I love to wear some of the buttons in my collection...


Gerry Krueger
http://olderrose.blogspot.com
www.etsy.com/shop/olderrose

Birdsong buttons

As previously mentioned, I attended Birdsong Two at Karla Nathan's house a couple of weeks ago, and got to visit with fellow Button Floozies Tami, and Beth, who was also a teacher at the event!

Beth and I at Birdsong Two

This blog was also one of the sponsors for the event, too; each of the participants received a bag of buttons and an invitation to join us over here!

Birdsong Two took place in Kansas -- and Kansas has some great antique shopping!  Here are a few of the pretty buttons I brought home:

Look at those mother of pearl cufflinks in the upper left of the photo!  The tiny, boat shaped buttons are dark green and red; they are a very old synthetic polymer -- maybe even Bakelite (that's what the antique dealer said, but I haven't tested them.)

I couldn't leave behind these two cards of blue buttons -- musty and dilapidated though they were!  Such pretty blues!

 And these beauties were a gift to me from Beth!  It's so great to have friends who "get" you!

MORE PORCELAIN BUTTONS FROM KAREN TURNER

KAREN TURNER is a  designer/maker based in South Northamptonshire.
  She completed a BA (hons) Design Craft in 2010 and has shown work at
 New Designers and Mint Gallery in London. 

Karen specialises in unusual decorative ceramics and handmade ceramic buttons.

BIG BEN PORCELAIN BUTTON

I thought you might like to see more of Karen Turners lovely handmade buttons.

 For more information go to

http://www.hodgepodgearts.co.uk

This is one I ordered to use on my Tag Tuesday Jubilee Challenge.
Looks like Karen's done the work for me I could submit it as it is.
It's a great button in ceramic and is 2" in diameter and how nice of her to attach the other two as well. 
 

Hope you have enjoyed my piece.

Lynn Holland

One I Made Earlier Today

Buttons for that Regency Costume

I make Dorset buttons.  My sister recently asked me to make her some to go with a dress she was making for a fancy dress party.  The theme was film so she had decided to go as a character from Pride and Prejudice, or any of the filmed Jane Austen  books.

So here is my lovely sister in her beautiful costume with my little buttons on the back.

Now, you and I know that a Regency lady would not have had a lizard tattoo (at least not that sort of lady) but I think it looks pretty good.  A mixture of modern and traditional that sort of sums up my buttons really.

Alix, Bigbluebed

Pincushion Doll with Buttons

I found this cute vintage pincushion doll on Etsy and decorated her with buttons!

Button Floozies Swap on flickr

If you haven't been by lately, check out the Button Floozies Swaps flickr page!

Now showing: photos of the needlebooks sent and received in our Button Floozies Spring Needlebook Swap!

A Friday smile

I saw this at an antique store in Kansas City last week, and it made me think of all my Floozie friends!

Happy Friday!

SOMETHING REALLY SPECIAL FOR MY MAY ARTICLE...

Let me introduce you to the rather special embroidered buttons of
 freelance embroiderer
 KAREN RUANE 
of Blackburn, Lancashire in the UK.

I am not going to spoil the pleasure of looking at Karen's work 

by saying a lot about it because I think the work speaks for itself.

So have a look at the photographs she sent me, then link across to her website and learn more about her wonderful 

Freelance Embroidery, courses she runs, exhibitions 

and then pop into Karen's shop.

 

www.karenruane.blogspot.com 

  http://www.etsy.com/shop/contemporarystitches

I hope you are enjoying reading my articles

Best wishes

Lynn Holland

ONE I MADE EARLIER TODAY

Button Diorama

I just found these beautiful button dioramas on the Yankee Magazine site.  Wouldn't these be sweet with a sewing pattern tissue background?  Just in time for Mother's Day!

Birdsong and buttons

Hello friends!  I am still swooning over my weekend at Karla Nathan's Birdsong Two -- a creative weekend in Kansas where I met up with friends and made some new ones.

This is a photo of a few of us in front of an antique store in Kansas City -- I'm second from the left and next to me on the right is fellow Floozie Tami H.!

 I've posted photos of some of my Birdsong gifts and BUTTONS on my blog for you: click here!

BUTTONS IN THE BASEMENT

I went to Todmorden secondhand market  near Halifax, Burnley and Rochdale in the UK with friends today.  

As we wondered round the market in the rain I spotted a box under a stall that was full of these goodies .....

When the story unfolded about where they had come from we were all hooked.

They had been found in the basement of what once was a high class tailors on Regent Street, Ardwick Green, Salford named Lieberman's. Joanne the lovely owner of the market stall told us how the buttons date from the early 1900's and others that were found may have been featured, along with a shop bag from Lieberman's, in the Manchester Museum.

Joanne gave me these buttons which had been left open to the elements in the basement and eroded into these fantastic textured pieces.  They are a great find for me to add to some of my art work and I will be sharing them with my friend Gemma Thorpe who works with coastal themes.

 I had a lovely time sorting through them.

I'm looking forward to working with them.

 If you are interested in knowing more or purchasing some of Joanne's buttons she is available on

Tel. 01484 769507 or email her at victorianrooms@hotmail.com

or call and see her on the outside market on Thursday at Todmorden.

I hope you have enjoyed my find
Lynn Holland
One I Made Earlier Today 

PORCELAIN BUTTONS

I thought you might like to see 

these wonderful porcelain buttons

by KAREN TURNER of HODGEPODGE ARTS

I think they are stunning

  Artist Statement

My smaller ceramic pieces once again reflect my fascination with the past, memories and a trace of what came before.  I have a collection of vintage lace, buttons and other objects that I press into the wet clay to create interesting textures which also give the pieces a sense of history.  

Guess how many buttons contest

My buddy Kathy, who writes at her wonderful blog kluless is having a Reader Appreciation Giveaway as she has just reached 100 followers!

Visit her blog post and see what you need to do to enter!  And tell her Button Floozies sent you!  You'll be happy you did!

Pretty Vintage Buttons

I bought some pretty vintage buttons at a flea market yesterday~~~

 

 amethyst colored...

 

blue...

teeny blue mother of pearl(?)

come see more photos on my blog :)

BUTTON BEDDING

Here's something that might inspire you.

I am always being asked if I have sewn these buttons on my bedding. 

Well actually no I did'nt I bought  it like that.

It washes okay as well, I just turn everything inside out.

 What made me show you today was when i was looking at  
HEATHER LAWSON OF HELLISH DESIGNS blog

I remembered the buttons on the lampshades she made me to match my bedding.
 So knowing the Button Floozies like something a bit different .... here you go.

Hope you like this little tale.

LYNN HOLLAND

One I Made Earlier Today

NO, DON'T DO IT ! ..........

"No, don't do it " was what I shouted to myself this morning when I came across a draw full of buttons I did'nt realise was there. Knowing full well if I got them out I would be lost and nothing would get done.

 I had already been distracted from my shelf building when I decided to make this little fella on one of the miniature canvasses I bought the other day.

Well the next thing I knew half the morning had gone with me messing about sorting the buttons into colours and putting them into these great Lakeland jam jars I got of the flea market last week.

Eventually the shelves got built, after I forced myself not to run to the computer and start blogging about my button find.

POP OVER TO 

ONE I MADE EARLIER TODAY 

FOR A LOOK AT MY LOVELY NEW DISPLAY SHELVING.

BEST WISHES

FLAT PACK WOMAN

LYNN