Here's My Heart...

I know you're all getting your Valentines together to share with your own sweethearts, but in the event you need one more gift idea, I'd like to share mine with you.

I love sorting through my vintage buttons to create a button heart for someone special. I've made quite a few of them and while they're simple to make, the effect is quite elegant.

All you need is a 5" x 7" shadow box frame, a large supply of buttons (I like to do all of my hearts in a monochromatic scheme, so I choose buttons from the same color family for each heart), and a hot glue gun. If you're all thumbs like I am, you can use a low-melt gun instead.

I take a heart-shaped template and place it on the velvet background of the frame and outline it with a light colored pencil to make the heart image that I'll use as my guide for placement of the buttons. Be sure to leave enough room around the heart so that you can put your piece back into the frame.

Then, using larger buttons as the base layer (I usually used newer buttons on the center because you won't see them anyway), begin building your heart. You'll notice that I manage to find at least one button with a point - either a triangular or square button - for the point of the heart.

I find this project always relaxes me and it's great fun to make your button heart. Have fun and Happy Valentine's Day!

You're invited to stop over and visit me from time to time at Brynwood Needleworks. I'm always creating something, and I'd love to share more ideas with you! (I'm having a 1000th Post Giveaway that ends Valentine's Day, too!)