Button Floozies

I am down stairs trying to get my studio back straighten up like it was before I tried to clean out unwanted items and ran across a glass candy jars of some of my wonderful old buttons on a card. It was such a sweet surprise                                                                                             I thought I had all my card buttons in another cabinet Oh well I love a surprise,finding buttons that is. I know they are just little pearl buttons but they make my heart go pitter patter                              

My husband and I spent a week in Amsterdam earlier this month, and I spotted this while we were on a canal boat tour: And closer up: I'd heard of the Knopenwinkel --the Button Shop-- but wasn't able to squeeze in a visit, so seeing it from the canal was a nice surprise.  I know another Button Floozy wrote about the shop several years ago, but I'd like to assure everyone that it's still around and that it's in a lovely area of the city. I posted the picture on the Facebook page for my book, The Button Collector .  I was happily surprised when Suzanne Goldsmith , a fellow author, sent me this picture of a button necklace her husband bought her at the very same shop: Once again, I'm convinced that it's a small button world!  

I just finished this mixed media painting this morning. As a finishing touch, I went to my BUTTON COLLECTION. After trying at least twelve different buttons....I settled on the amber clear acrylic button. Buttons and Art go together perfectly! "Reflection" by Artist and Button Collector,  Sue Marrazzo, ISAP, NCS www.suemarrazzo.blogspot.com

 Probably like most of you, I have a (several jars worth) collection of vintage buttons, and some new of course-because I just like buttons ; )  I love to add them as a finishing touch on projects. Picking out just the right one sometimes means: not finding the right one, and setting the project aside indefinitely.  This latest project- a little zip pouch with Charley Harper fabric, called for a mid century modern button, preferably in orange,  I went through brown floral, blue and several oranges... Read more about my process over on my blog ...and see which button I picked : )

Do you see buttons everywhere you go?  I do. And I always wonder about their stories. We took my daughter to Atlanta for fall break and visited the Martin Luther King Jr. historic site, which includes his childhood home, a portion of the surrounding neighborhood, and the church where he and his father served.  As we were leaving the church, my daughter spied a button that had somehow got wedged behind the metal mesh covering that was over a ground-level window. Somehow it seemed prophetic and it prompted me to write about our experience that day. Even though this button probably belonged to a tourist, it made me think about how something so ordinary could have been on the clothing of a person who changed the world!  And the way it was positioned, seeming to grab your attention despite efforts to suppress it, struck me as metaphorical. If you've never been to the MLK historic site in Atlanta, I highly recommend it!  It was more extensive than I expected it t...

I just had to share my latest purchase from a favorite eBay seller: It's a small aluminum or tin box; the top is stamped, "Where's my" and then a collar button.  There are also some decorative incisions including a monogram. I've decided it belonged to Frederick, Felix or Forrest. It came with its own supply of collar "buttons" fasteners, really. 'Had to share.  So much fun!

Our local Evening Star Button Club was founded in June 2005.   Which means this June we'll be starting our 10th year! Our first decade...a celebration is in-order!  Please click here if you'd like to see and read more about our 2014 Christmas party and handmade button-related gift exchanges    Hope 2015 is a good button year to you!