Button Floozies

Hi I am Shirlee Fassell a new but really old Button Floozy!! My attraction to buttons began years ago when I played in the button draw of the sewing machine.   I am drawn to them like a moth to a flame.   When we first started serious antiquing 20 years or so ago I used to buy a lot of buttons.  Sewing the buttons to this vest was my justification for some of that collection. Here is a some close ups of the left side of the vest.   A friend I used to work with gave me a jar of her mothers buttons when she passed.  The little bull dogs run around the bottom of the vest. As you can see I couldn't resist the rhinestone pins .... and other pins ... I came across!! The 4 leaf  clover pin is from my mothers jewelry box. The button nestled below the gold pin with the S on it is a perfume button (I think)  the background is velvet.

This time last year, I had the pleasure of meeting Celia Barbieri, aka The Button Florist, who has a studio in the wonderfully boho River Arts District of Asheville, NC.  Celia is a ceramic artist--a potter who creates buttons imprinted with patterns from found objects and bits of nature from across the world. She combines these with vintage buttons to create whimsical button flowers and bouquets. My first Button Florist bouquet was a gift for Valentine's Day.  I take it with me when I go on book signings for my novel, The Button Collector .  It helps spark interest and I like to think it brings me good luck! The following pictures are from The Button Florist Website.  The first shows some of Celia's work in progress:  Her Wallflower Series is fabulous!  Here's a cheerful creation in yellow:  Close-up of a button flower:   A grouping of white flowers . . . with Celia's studio companion and muse, Toot: ...

My favorite antique store had a Spring Open House and I brought home this bag of buttons. It was only $1 and I looked forward to getting it home, to see if it held any treasures. Am I the only one who does that?   It's the thrill of the hunt. There were some teeny, tiny shell buttons tied together on a string (above, lower left.) They were a few of just a handful of shell buttons... among lots and lots of metal ones. The ones above with shiny metal that peeks through the fancy filigreed front are called "twinkles". Even though most of the buttons in the bag were rather plain, I still love them -- especially the little clusters tied together. I even found beauty in these wooden buttons with a plasticized cover, painted gold, that have begun to crack and disintegrate. This pretty silver-y button wasn't metal, but... black glass. It was a satisfying quest! It usually is.

This is a mystery hussif of sorts.  It has pins, needles, buttons and thread and is probably at least 100 years old.  I would love to know more of its history.  The buttons are so unusual that I'm hoping a button collector has seen them somewhere and knows their history. At the top of the interior flap is "Kirby Beard & Co" which when I Googled it found that it was a general manufacturing company in England during the 1800s which did indeed make all kinds of sewing supplies...everything from pins and needles to sewing machines.  They also made many other things as well. The pocket at the bottom has two spools of thread....one black and one white...  The buttons have 4 holes and are also black or white.  The wording on the buttons says "BEST RING EDGE."  Because the whole thing is so sturdy I suspect it may have been for a man....maybe military or explorer...just a guess. It all rolls up into a tidy package se...

I find buttons in my travels to the antique malls, yard sales, and local thrift stores. I am a new contributor to the Button Floozies' Blog.  My name is Sue, and I will share my BUTTON BLISS with all of the followers and visitors to this blog. Please take a look at these recent button finds....