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Magical Wall Art for Kids Room

By Lynn Lilly

I have always loved magical mythical creatures and my daughter has taken on the same love. Do your kids love unicorns, mermaids, fairies, and narwals? Create four matching works of art for their room or make their favorite one! We created these super cute designs and embellished them with sequins and buttons from Buttons Galore & More. Our friends at Buttons Galore put together an all in one kit so you don’t have to go out and get everything individually. Shop the kit HERE

Don’t forget to Download the Free Templates of the mermaid, narwhal, unicorn and fairy! 

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Little Firecracker Layout

by Erica Thompson

July 4th is right around the corner and I have been having fun creating with the Patriotic Value Pack from Buttons Galore& More. This is the perfect size pack of embellishments for all your small projects. Today I want to share a layout that I created using the Bella Blvd. Fireworks & Freedom collection along with some pieces from the Patriotic Value Pack. I started out with 2 pieces of white card stock and used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out the 4th of July cut file.

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Loving Every Second

by Erica Thompson

I love using cut files on my projects. Today I want to show you how you can back a cut file using sequins from Buttons Galore. One of my favorite mixes right now is the Mixed Berry Sequins Tins! The colors in this mix are a perfect match with the Happiness collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio. The cut file I will be using today is from Paige Evans. I started out by cutting the file out twice on some white cardstock. I cut one full heart and then the sectioned heart. I will back the sectioned heart with pattern papers and then add the sequins using Glue Dots Micro Dots to the full heart. I love to use the micro dots to add sequins to my paper projects.

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Happy Times Layout

by Erica Thompson

Today I want to share a colorful layout with you. I love to create layouts with cut files and want to share how you can use embellishments from Buttons Galore to add some texture and fun to your layout. I started with a cut file from Paige Evans and backed it with some papers from Cocoa Vanilla Studio.

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Congratulations Shaker Card

by Erica Thompson

Erica here with you today to share a creative way to use 28 Lilac Lane Decorative Embellishment Bottles

For this card I pulled out some fun Jillibean Soup Shaker Shapes to create a shaker tag as the main focus of my card. I filled the shaker balloon piece with some of the Frosted Wings Decorative Embellishments and then sealed it up. These shaker shapes are so fun to fill with all kinds of embellishments and I love mixing it up with buttons, gems, sequins and beads. The Decorative Embellishment bottles are perfect for all your projects.

I stamped and die cut out my Congrats sentiment and popped it up with some foam adhesive for some dimension. I adhered the tag to the card base with a glue dot so the tag can be easily removed if the recipient would like to use it again for something. Here is a look at my completed card using the Frosted Wings Embellishment Bottle

You can check out my process video HERE on my YouTube channel. Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope I inspired you to shake things up with the 28 Lilac Lane Decorative Embellishment Bottles!

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DIY Unicorn Keepsake Box

By Lynn Lily – Craft Box Girls

Lily

Meet Lily. Lily has so many mementos and keepsakes and no where to keep them –  until now! After taking some time to search through Buttons Galore’s thousands of creative embellishments, Lily’s mom (DIY expert Lynn Lily) was inspired to create a unicorn keepsake box for Lily.

“I love this box because you can use an old gift box and it could also be used a jewelry box, bow box or gift box for a little girl!” said Lynn.  Check out the easy how-to video below. Supplies and instructions below the video!

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Family Photo Frame

By May Flaum

Looking for a fun project to do this summer and a way to display family photos? I’ve got just the thing! This is a great project that will work with any 28 Lilac Lane Shaker Cube or Kit. All you’ll need is a wood frame and some liquid adhesive to get started!

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Pretty Pedestal Egg Cups Made With Stacked Buttons

Here is a fun and easy way to display your Easter eggs? Colorful pedestal egg holders made with buttons are a pretty and unique way to showcase Easter eggs! For these egg cups I used a variety of sew through buttons from our several of our  button collections to make the pedestal and flowers and a bee button from the Spring Fling 3D Button Collection for the finishing touch.

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Embellish Planner Pages with Sequins and Button Clips

Planners … Put your own special touch on pages!

I like to make my planner pages stand out by adding a bit of sparkle and bling. A fun and easy way to make your planner unique is by adding some sequins and buttons.  I used a variety of sequin colors from the 28 Lilac Lane line of embellishments from Buttons Galore.

Simply position or sprinkle the sequins on my planner divider page spread.

Once I liked the placement I glued each sequin down. I recommend using Perfect Paper Adhesive. It dries clear and there is no odor plus once dry, you will never see any residue of he glue. I have to say it was very zen. I like repetitive crafts like this.

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Embellish Scissors With Shamrock Buttons For St. Patrick’s Day

Everybody has a pair of scissors. Some of us, well, have a few pairs of scissors. In the past, I have customized my scissors with ribbon or decorative tape. I thought it might be fun to decorate the scissors for St. Patrick’s Day with Buttons Galore’s Glitter Shamrock Buttons.  This is a fun and easy project for any level of crafter.

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Stitch an Easy DIY New Year’s Eve Mask

DIY New Years Eve Mask

It’s Aimee here today for a little creative project to dress up your New Year’s Eve! (Although I’m still in denial that the holiday season is upon us in general.) This DIY New Year’s Eve mask project can be made with or without a sewing machine and is a great project for a novice stitcher – or even little hands wanting to get busy with a needle and thread. Continue Reading →

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Fill an Easy Christmas Shaker Card with Buttons!

easy Christmas shaker card

There are few card styles out there that are more impressive or fun than the shaker card. The 28 Lilac Lane Embellishment Bottles made this easy Christmas shaker card beautiful!

I made this easy Christmas shaker card using the 28 Lilac Lane Embellishment Bottle in “Dragon Fire”. The gorgeous red tones of the buttons, sequins, beads, and pearls are perfect for Christmas cards, and they all come together in one adorable little bottle! Continue Reading →

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How to Make DIY Confetti Poppers for New Year’s Eve

New Year's Eve DIY Confetti Poppers

Hello Everyone! This is Katie from the Buttons Galore & More Design Team, and today I will be showing you how to make a fun project to celebrate New Year’s Eve: DIY confetti poppers!

New Year’s Eve may not be on your mind right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start gathering up ideas for the big day. One idea that you can add to your list are these easy to make confetti poppers! You may have seen confetti poppers before and thought that they were too difficult or too time-consuming to make. However, today, I will be showing you how you can make a stylish confetti popper in only 3 steps. Continue Reading →

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Make a Simple Star Garland for a Mini Christmas Tree

Mini Tree Star Button Garland
My favorite holiday decorations are lovely Christmas trees. I have my big full-size Christmas tree, of course. And several medium sized trees. But I also have at least a dozen cute little mini trees throughout the house. I think that the adorable little mini trees are just as fun to decorate as the bigger ones. Sometimes the small size ornament selection is lacking and they all seem the same from store to store. So I like to get creative and make my own! Continue Reading →

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Make Easy Adorable DIY Candy Earrings

DIY candy earrings
I love wearing fun holiday jewelry, but sometimes it can be expensive or difficult to find! Especially considering the limited amount of time you can wear cute holiday jewelry! Buttons make really great jewelry options, and it’s so easy and inexpensive to make your own earrings using your favorite holiday buttons. I turned these sweet “Candy Treats” 3D Buttons into some simple, but adorable DIY candy earrings in just a few minutes!  With all of the cute Buttons Galore 3D holiday buttons, there are so many adorable options for your own holiday style! Continue Reading →

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Celebrate a Star with this Handmade Birthday Card!

handmade birthday card

Hi, it’s Connie here today with the Buttons Galore & More design team sharing a handmade birthday card design using the themed buttons “Stars” by Buttons Galore & More. These star buttons come in four different colors – green, yellow, blue and red – plus two sizes. They are perfect primary colors, great for creating crafty projects with kids or for special occasions! Continue Reading →

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Gift a DIY Friendship Sign to Someone Special This Holiday!

DIY Friendship Sign

Hello Everyone! This is Katie from the Buttons Galore & More Design Team, and today I will be showing you how to make a fun handmade gift that can be given during the holiday season!

As a gift-giver, I have always loved making handmade signs for my friends and family. This is because handmade signs are super easy to make and are so fun to personalize. Also, from a gift-giving perspective, handmade signs can be very inexpensive to make if you are on a tight budget. With all that in mind and with the holidays fast approaching, today I am going to show you how to make a DIY Friendship Sign. Continue Reading →

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Decorate Your Home Inside or Out with This Fun Fall Wreath!

Hi everyone! It’s Lorrie here with a fall wreath featuring autumn-themed buttons from Buttons Galore & More! This fall wreath will look great on your front door to greet visitors, or on the wall inside your home to add some seasonal flair.

To make this easy fall wreath, I started with a grapevine wreath and a plain burlap bow that I picked up at my local craft store. I decorated the wreath itself with some plastic leaves that I painted in beautiful autumn colors. But the real fun starts with the bow! Continue Reading →

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Easy Thanksgiving Day Candle Holder Table Decor

Hello Everyone! This is Katie from the Buttons Galore & More Design Team and today I will be showing you how to make a Thanksgiving candle holder for super easy decoration for your Thanksgiving!

Making decorations for Thanksgiving Day may not be on your radar, simply because you are most likely too worried about making Thanksgiving Day dinner. However, making some type of decoration for Thanksgiving does not have to be difficult or time-consuming. To prove it, today I am going to be showing you how to make your own Thanksgiving Candle Holder! Continue Reading →

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DIY Easy Sequin Christmas Candy Cane Gift Tags

Sequin Christmas Candy Cane Gift Tags

One of my favorite things during the holiday season are handmade gifts. But even more fun than making just the gifts, I love to make the tags and even the wrapping paper to wrap the handmade gifts in. I start making my holiday gift wrap and tags super early in the year and I put them on everything! These fun 28 Lilac Lane Candy Cane Sequins were perfect to make candy cane Christmas gift tags! It’s such a lovely mix of red and white sequins for the holiday season. The candy cane gift tags turned out so festive and cute. It’s the perfect little tag for a cute little package! Continue Reading →

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Send Holiday Love with a Christmas Shaker Card!

Hi, it’s Connie here with the Buttons Galore & More design team! Today I’m sharing a handmade Christmas shaker card, using the Deck The Halls Shaker Mix by 28 Lilac Lane. The 28 Lilac Lane Shaker mixes are full of beautiful colors of sequins, beads and buttons, mixed perfectly together to get you into the Christmas spirit or at least in the mood to start your Chrismas shaker cards! Continue Reading →

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Easy DIY Thanksgiving Napkin Rings for your Table

DIY Thanksgiving Napkin Rings

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I’ve been thinking about how to dress up my holiday table a little bit more this year. I’ve never actually used napkin rings before, and I thought it might be a fun addition to my Thanksgiving table. These easy Thanksgiving napkin rings only take about 10 minutes to make. Thanksgiving table decor couldn’t get any easier!  I love the fun fall vibe they add to the table. And the buttons from our super adorable Fall Friends button collection were so perfect for the project! Continue Reading →

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DIY Dangle Earrings For Every Occasion

DIY dangle earrings
Hi! It’s Anaya from the Buttons Galore & More Design Team. With the holidays fast approaching, you’ll surely want to dress to impress for all of the upcoming parties and celebrations. If you’re like me, you get tired of showing up in the same old boring earrings. Well, today I’ve got the perfect project for you – DIY Dangle Earrings! Continue Reading →

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Make a Christmas Tree with Presents for Holiday Home Decor!

Hi, it’s Connie here with Buttons Galore & More design team! I have a fun and festive project to share today using “Christmas Tree with Presents“, one of the new Foundations Decor pieces that are now available from Buttons Galore. The 28 Lilac Lane O’Christmas Tree embellishment bottle added some green sparkle alongside some really cute Buttons Galore 3D Christmas buttons. Continue Reading →

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DIY Falling Leaves Home Décor

Hello Everyone! This is Katie from the Buttons Galore & More Design Team and today I will be showing you how you can decorate a new product available from Buttons Galore and More!

If you haven’t noticed, Buttons Galore & More has a new area on their website which is dedicated to home décor. This home décor is a new line of wooden products which are super easy to embellish and decorate. The nice thing about the new line is that you have tons of options for different holidays, themes, or seasons. Continue Reading →

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We’re blog hopping with Poppy Stamps!

Poppy Stamps blog hop

Today, we are excited to share that we are blog hopping with Poppy Stamps!

Don’t miss all of the fun ways that designers are sharing to mix these beautiful stamps with our buttons! Also, there’s special discount codes and a giveaway to enter too! Start hopping to get all the details!

Happy Hopping!

Michele K. Henderson

May Flaum

Jeanne Jachna

Lorrie McCullers

Marybeth Lopez

Anaya Whye

Nancy Penir

Connie Mercer

Jennifer Svare

Kelli Stradling

Robin Tharaldson

Rebecca Keppel

Poppystamps

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Make DIY Sparkling Snowflake Ornaments with 3D Buttons

Snowflake Ornament with the Snowflake Value Pack Buttons

I’m not quite ready for Christmas just yet, but it’s never too early to start planning! Snow is not my most favorite thing in the world. It’s wet and much too cold for this desert girl! I’m a summer fan for sure. However, I do love beautiful snowflakes. Every year I decorate my kitchen with lovely, sparkly snowflakes. I always say that it’s my favorite kind of blizzard! This year I have plans to put a small white tree in the kitchen, decorated with more snowflakes, of course. I wanted to make some of the ornaments myself, and the adorable snowflake buttons in the Snowflakes Value Pack were just perfect for the task of making snowflake ornaments! Continue Reading →

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Holly Jolly Snow Globe Christmas Card

Hi, Connie here with Buttons Galore & More design team sharing a Snow Globe Christmas card using the Holly Jolly embellishment kit by 28 Lilac Lane. It is never too early to start thinking of creating special, one-of-a-kind Christmas cards for those special people you love. Our 28 Lilac Lane collection has put together embellishments kits that take the guess work out of creating special cards. Holly Jolly is the Christmas embellishment kit that is full of festive embellishments that will make beautiful cards – the cards people will want to keep and display! Continue Reading →

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How to Make DIY Pom Pom Pumpkins with 28 Lilac Lane

28 Lilac Lane Autumn Afternoon Pom Pom Pumpkins
The weather here has started to cool down this week and so I’ve decided it’s time to bring out those pretty autumn colors. Pumpkins are my favorite seasonal decoration in the fall – I love using both fresh pumpkins and artificial pumpkins in my decor. Yarn pom poms are such a fast and easy craft to make. They can add a bit of whimsy to any decor. I wanted to make some DIY pom pom pumpkins to add to my fall decorations, and the beautiful Autumn Afternoon Embellishment Kit from the 28 Lilac Lane collection was the perfect addition to finish off these cute little poms! Continue Reading →

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DIY Flower Button Brooches for Fall Fashion Cheer!

DIY Flower Button Brooch

Hello button lovers! This is Katie from the Buttons Galore & More Design Team, and today I have a fun DIY flower button brooches project if you are someone who is just not ready to make that transition into the fall season!

Now, as a fall season girl at heart, I know making flower button brooches sounds a bit weird in September. However, there are those folks who just love spring and summer. If this is you, then these flower button brooches should make the fall season a bit more bearable and make those warm cardigans a bit cuter! Continue Reading →

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Easy DIY Decorated Candle with Buttons & Ribbon!


Hey, y’all! Lorrie here with a fun new DIY decorated candle project that is super easy but makes a great gift!

I’ll admit it – I am a candle addict! I have a ton of them in my own home, plus they are my go-to gift for lots of different people: teachers, co-workers, friends, in-laws. You name them, and they have probably gotten a candle from me! Since I do love giving them, I am always on the lookout for deals on candles, because as much as I love them the one downside is that sometimes they are a little expensive. I have found that after the holidays, lots of stores have great prices on candles. I usually buy several to give throughout the year. But sometimes, those candles can be a little boring. They may be just a plain jar candle, or like I used for this project, just a 3-wick pillar candle. But with a little ribbon and some Pet Shop Button Basics buttons from Buttons Galore & More, these plain candles can go from “meh” to “wow” very quickly! Continue Reading →

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Make a Thread Spool Photo Holder with Buttons!

Hi, Connie here with Buttons Galore & More design team sharing a simple and cute (as a button) thread spool photo holder. I will be using the Buttons Galore “Winter Mist” Haberdashery button mix. The buttons are a beautiful mix of vintage greens, purple, burgundy and light tan.

thread spool photo holders

I created several of these thread spool photo holders using the supplies I had on hand. They can be enhanced many different ways to make them each unique. I wanted the original spool label to remain. I used felt to wrap around the center of the spool adding color to the project. (The spools could also be painted or pattern paper could be used.) The Winter Mist Haberdashery button pack comes with different size buttons and beautifully coordinated. You get a nice mix of color!

thread spool photo holders

Supply list to make thread spool photo holders:

How to make thread spool photo holders:

  1.  Insert large paper clip into spool hole – if it is loose glue it in.
  2.  Measure and cut felt for center of spool. Wrap around the spool and glue.
  3.  Glue buttons and embellishments to front of spool.
  4.  Let dry.

thread spool photo holders

These thread spool photo holders can be used as teacher gifts, personalized place cards, displays for vintage photos, to show off a proud kid moment, and in many more ways. What about holding a favorite recipe? There’s so many ways for using these photo stands.

thread spool photo holders

thread spool photo holders

These thread spool photo holders are fun to make and the kids can join in too. Adding different elements can truly make them a “one of a kind” thinking of you gift. Buttons Galore & More have gorgeous buttons that would be perfect for this project! Thanks for stopping by today!

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Gift A Beautiful Beaded Pendant

My project today is a sweet little pendant necklace that comes together pretty quickly and makes a great gift.

Don’t be daunted by the idea of sewing on the beads! It’s true that sewing beads can be a little fiddly because of their tiny size, but once you get the hang of it, it’s a great beginner project for jewelry making.

Here’s what you need to make this little beaded pendant necklace:

Put your scrap of fabric inside your embroidery hoop for sewing and outline the inside circle of the mini embroidery hoop with a pencil onto your fabric. Using the little cameo from the 28 Lilac Lane set, use craft glue to glue this to the center of the circle you just outlined. Let dry completely before moving on.

After your cameo is completely dry and securely attached to your beaded pendant, take a small plate (or use the lid of the Tea Time set) to pull out the beads. From your divisible embroidery floss, pull out one thread strand and thread your needle, making sure to leave a knot in the end. Sew a row of the larger green beads around the edge of the little cameo. Then repeat with the gold beads and then the blue beads.

To finish your beaded pendant, position the mini hoop on your design and draw a cutting line approximately 1/2 inch around the hoop. Cut it out. Place the cut design on the center plate. Then place the mini hoop on top and push it down to secure it. Flip it over and using a hot glue gun, place the glue around the inner edge. Push the fabric down in a circular motion. Add glue to the backing piece on the inner edge. Position it on the back of the hoop with the notch top and center.

You can either add a jump ring to your beaded pendant for your necklace chain to go through or thread the chain through the bolt in the center of the hoop.

Voila! You have a sweet little beaded pendant necklace ready to wear on a fun night out or to gift to a friend!

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Learn How to Make a Candy Corn Bracelet with Buttons!

Hi everybody! It’s Anaya from the Buttons Galore & More Design Team. Halloween is fast approaching and I must confess, I’m excited. No, I’m not into the creepy scary stuff – I’m just looking forward to the candy!  If you love Halloween candy like I do, I know you’ll enjoy making this super sweet candy corn bracelet.

how to make a candy corn bracelet using 28 Lilac Lane buttons!

Supplies Needed for Making Candy Corn Bracelet:

How to Make a Candy Corn Bracelet:

Start your candy corn bracelet by separating the buttons by color and size. You will need to select buttons of a similar size to stack and create little button candy corn charms for your bracelet. Cut a 3-4″ length of wire and gently fold into a ‘U’ shape. Stack buttons with yellow on the bottom, orange in the middle, and white on top. Push the buttons together and twist one end of wire tightly around the other. Trim the excess wire and create a loop using round nose pliers.

how to make a candy corn bracelet using 28 Lilac Lane buttons!

Repeat this step a until you have enough to fill your your chain. My bracelet is 7″ and I have attached a button charm to every other link.

how to make a candy corn bracelet using 28 Lilac Lane buttons!

After filling the candy corn bracelet with button charms, gather your selection of beads. I am using 10mm yellow, orange, and white glass pearls along with larger clear and white glass beads. Using headpins, add 2-3 beads to each of the remaining empty links in the chain.

how to make a candy corn bracelet using 28 Lilac Lane buttons!

Once the bracelet is as full as you’d like, place a jump ring on each end of the chain. Attach the toggle clasps to the jump rings and your candy corn bracelet is complete!

how to make a candy corn bracelet using 28 Lilac Lane buttons!

I hope you’ll give this candy corn bracelet a try! It’s so cute that it’s definitely worth the time and effort to make. You can even modify the steps a bit to create a matching Halloween necklace and earrings. With this kind of arm candy, you’ll be sure to get all the sweet treats you desire this Halloween candy grabbin’ season!

how to make a candy corn bracelet using 28 Lilac Lane buttons!

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Decorate with a DIY Happy Halloween Photo Holder

Hello, everyone! This is Katie from the Buttons Galore & More Design Team and today I have a fun Halloween Photo Holder project that you can make to display those Halloween photos or reminders!

This Halloween Photo Holder is perfect for the Halloween season, due to all the pictures you will be taking during the holiday month. With that being said, even though I’m labeling this project as a photo holder, it could also hold other items as well. For example, it could hold notes, reminders, or that special Halloween party invitation.

To decorate my Happy Halloween Photo Holder, I decided to go with a vintage Halloween look. I achieved this look by using scrapbooking paper that had a vintage Halloween theme and by using the Buttons Galore & More ‘’Scary’’ button tote. This particular button tote was a perfect color palette to use in this project because it included all of the main Halloween colors.  Besides the color selection being great, this pack of buttons also provides a wide variety of buttons in different styles and in different shades of those main colors. Overall, whether you like a vintage, modern, or spooky Halloween look, this button pack (I believe) could be used to achieve any number of styles.

So, to find out how to make your own Happy Halloween Photo Holder, keep reading below!

Supplies to make Halloween photo holder:

  • Buttons Galore & More “Scary” Button Tote
  • wooden sign
  • wooden house shape
  • wooden Happy Halloween phrase
  • small wooden close pin
  • Halloween scrapbooking paper (I used Carta Bella Trick or Treat collection)
  • paint
  • foam brushes
  • Mod Podge Glossy Decoupage Glue
  • scissors
  • twine
  • hot glue gun + glue sticks

Step 1: Paint your wooden pieces in whatever colors you like and then set them aside to dry.

Step 2: Cut out pieces of scrapbooking paper that will fit on the front of your wooden sign and on the front of your wooden house shape. Then grab your Mod Podge and adhere those pieces of scrapbooking paper to your wooden pieces. Finally, set everything aside to dry.

Step 3: Grab your hot glue gun and begin assembling your photo holder! To do this, first glue on your ‘’Happy Halloween’’ phrase and your wooden house shape to the main wooden sign. Then have fun decorating the sign by adding all the buttons that you like! For my photo holder, I chose to use a variety of buttons from Buttons Galore & More ‘’Scary’’ button tote.

Once the front of your photo holder has been decorated, flip it over to the back. Then hot glue your close pin to the back of your sign with the clamp side facing up and sticking out over the edge of your sign. Finally, glue on a piece of twine to create a way to hang your photo holder.

Once you have added your twine you are ready to display your new Happy Halloween Photo Holder!

I love how this Happy Halloween Photo Holder turned out! It would look so cute hanging in an office or even on a simple cork board.

This design could be adapted for any holiday (such as Christmas) by changing up the buttons and paper. What holiday would you like to make it for?

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Make a DIY Tailgate Party Invitation with Buttons Galore

Fall is quickly approaching, and we all know that fall means FOOTBALL! Today, I will show you how to make the cutest DIY tailgate party invitation using football themed buttons from Buttons Galore. So get ready to fire up the barbecue and cheer on your favorite team!

DIY tailgate party invitation

Supplies needed for DIY tailgate party invitation:

How to make a DIY tailgate party invitation:

Using a paper trimmer, I cut the brown cardstock to 5″ x 7″ and the tan cardstock to 4.5″ by 6.5″. I then inked the edges of the tan cardstock with brown chalk ink to add dimension. I used a tape runner to attach the tan cardstock to the brown cardstock to make the base of the invitation. Next, I hand lettered the words on the invitation. I used a fineline pen to do the lettering, then used a brush pen to darken all my downstrokes. This is an easy way to make your hand lettering look great, even if you aren’t that good at it! The word “football” made from alphabet stickers was then added.

DIY tailgate party invitation

I then chose the buttons I was going to use. Most of these buttons had shanks on the back. In order to use them on a flat surface like this one, I had to remove the shanks. This is easy to do using a button shank remover or a pair of side cutters. I clipped off the shanks, then attached the buttons to the invitation using red line tape. This tape is strong enough to hold these buttons securely!

I placed the buttons all around the card in the white spaces. The buttons give this invitation a fun feel and cool dimension that you just can’t get with any other embellishments… plus they are absolutely adorable!

DIY tailgate party invitation

Your guests won’t be able to resist this super fun invitation! Go team!

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Reversible Halloween & Thanksgiving Fall Countdown Calendar

It’s hard to believe it, but fall is creeping upon us and with Fall comes holiday after holiday. Here is a fun and fairly easy fall countdown calendar project to count down the days till Halloween and/or Thanksgiving using some easy to find craft materials and of course…buttons!

Here’s what you need to make this fun, reversible witch and scarecrow fall countdown calendar.

First, print out your patterns and cut out the felt according to the directions on the patterns. You will have 1 brown hat, 1 black hat, 1 green face and 1 tan face. If you are sewing your project together, go ahead and sew around the curved part of the face. Don’t forget to leave the top open! You will then need to sew your black button eyes onto the green face and onto the tan face.

If you are gluing your project, go ahead and glue the two faces together and then glue the black buttons for eyes onto each face. Let dry well before going on to the next step.

Cut out a wiggly, carrot shaped nose for your witch, along with a circle nose for your scarecrow. Attach them to your faces with craft glue. Use the black permanent marker to draw a mouth for each.

Next, if you are sewing your hats together, sew up and around the two sides, leaving the straight edge of the hat open. Then slide your face inside the two pieces of your hat and sew together; making sure to sandwich all the layers of the felt together when you are sewing.

If you are gluing, glue the hat pieces together and then slide the face inside the hat. You can attempt to glue these parts together, but I would recommend leaving them unattached. They will appear one piece when you attach it to the cork board.

Heat up your hot glue gun and while it’s heating, separate your button pack. The witch hair uses 31 of the purple and green buttons and the scarecrow uses 28 of the orange  from the Trick or Treat Button Basics BCB129. Glue the buttons on the thumb tacks and let them cool off.

And there you have it! Attach your witch to your cork board with straight pins and either start out with all 31 buttons, taking one off each day until Halloween arrives, or add a button each day as it gets closer! Whichever you prefer!

Once Halloween is past, flip over your witch and start counting down the days till Thanksgiving!

fall countdown calendar

Thanksgiving and Halloween are coming fast…make your fall countdown calendar today!

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How to Make a Cute Halloween Spider Web Hair Bow

Halloween is coming soon – can you believe it?! You can make this fun Halloween Spider Web Hair Bow in less than 30 minutes. This is one spider web your little girls won’t mind having on their heads because it’s just so cute! It’s easy to customize too, using the same technique with different kinds of fabric, different colors or different accessories.

How to Make a Cute Halloween Spider Web Hair Bow

Supplies needed to make a Cute Halloween Spider Web Hair Bow:

Halloween Spider Web Hair Bow Supplies

Step one:

Cut circles in the tulle and black fabric. You will need two  3-4″ black satin circles, and one 1″ black circle. You will also need to cut six 3-4″ circles from the white tulle as well. I used a styrofoam cup to trace my circles. It was the perfect size.

Halloween Spider Web Hair Bow - Tulle Circles

Lots of fabrics will melt great for this project, but I find cotton fabrics don’t melt as well as the synthetic blends. My favorites to work with are satin or chiffon fabrics. This is a great project to use scraps, and you should use whatever you have on hand. It doesn’t take much!

Halloween Spider Web Hair Bow Fabric Circles

Step two

Use a black marker to draw spider webs on the tulle circles. Be sure to put a piece of paper under the tulle so you don’t end up with black spider webs all over your work surface.

Halloween Spider Web Hair Bow Tulle Spider Webs

Step three:

Assemble the fabric circles. I use hot glue to assemble mine, but you could easily sew them together if you prefer. Place a dot of hot glue in the center of each circle and press two circles together.

Halloween Spider Web Hair Bow Assembly

Stack the two black circles on the bottom, and the white tulle circles on top of those with a dot of hot glue between each layer.

Halloween Spider Web Hair Bow Assembly

Step four:  

*Please use caution when working with an open flame.  The melting fabric is hot to the touch.  Always keep a bowl of cool water next to your work station when working with a flame in case of burns or fabric that accidentally catches fire.*

Halloween Spider Web Hair Bow Melting

Using a small candle flame (I use a small tea light candle), melt the edges of the tulle and satin fabrics. Carefully hold the fabric down next to the flame. Don’t get it too close.  It just needs the heat from near the flame to curl and melt the fabric.

Halloween Spider Web Hair Bow Melted Tulle

The tulle is very easy to burn. It does not need much heat to curl and melt. A little bit of charing on the edges of the tulle just adds to this cute Halloween spider web hair bow though!  Satin fabric needs just a little more heat to curl and melt. Please be careful not to get your fingers too close!

Step five:

Use glue to attach the adorable 3D Spider Button to the center of the Spider Web Hair Bow. Glue some sequins from the Trick or Treat Bead and Sequin mix to the bow. I used black sequins from the mix and some black seed beads.

Halloween Spider Web Hair Bow 3D Spider Button

Step six: 

Attach the alligator hair clip to the back of your spider web bow using hot glue and the 1″ circle of black fabric.

Halloween Spider Web Hair Bow Alligator Clip

Isn’t it the cutest little spider web you’ve ever seen? I love how the adorable little spider buttons have a cute little heart shape on their backs. Even my spider phobic four-year old didn’t mind wearing this cute little spider in her hair!

Halloween Spider Web Hair Bow

You can easily change this technique to suit any style or holiday! Chiffon is my favorite fabric to melt. The curl is fantastic! Change the color of the fabric and the tulle and add other fun embellishments for endless combinations! I want to make one with red chiffon, white tulle, and these adorable 3D Candy Cane buttons for Christmas!3D Candy Cane Buttons

Which 3D buttons would you put in your hair bows?

How to Make a Cute Halloween Spider Web Hair Bow

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Make Easy Victorian Framed Art with Themed Buttons!

Hi, Connie here with the design team sharing a Victorian framed art piece using Victorian accents by Buttons Galore & More. The themed button selections were the perfect accent for this framed art piece. The beautiful thing about these Victorian accent buttons is that you can change the color so easily. Spray paint works great!

Victorian Framed Art

The frame was painted with acrylic paint and sanded to create a distressed finish for a vintage look and feel. The inside piece is vintage dictionary paper. I stenciled the paper with the word “create” in black acrylic paint. The silk flowers were wrapped with twine and then adhered to the side of the frame with strong glue.

Victorian Framed ArtThe Heirloom Keepsakes buttons were glued to the side of the flower cluster. They come in several different colors. I used the light green ones for this project.

Victorian Framed Art

The Victorian Rose buttons and the Gold Filigree corners were spray painted a pewter color and adhered to each inside corner of the frame.  The Filigree corner was attached first and then the Victorian Rose button next.  The shanks were clipped off, using wire snips, to give a flat surface to adhere them.

To finish my Victorian framed art, the frame was splattered delicately with black and pewter paint. That process was achieved by spraying a puddle of paint, on a paper plate, and then using a toothbrush to splat the paint on the frame. It’s an old technique but still one of my favorites!

Supplies needed:

Thanks for stopping by~

Connie Mercer/DT Member

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Create Fall Wood Coaster Wall Decor with 28 Lilac Lane

If you’re like me, you just can’t wait for the temperatures to drop. Now is the perfect time to get started on some fun and simple projects for fall. Today, I’m going to show you how to use the Autumn Afternoon embellishment kit by 28 Lilac Lane to create an awesome fall wood coaster wall decor piece for your home.

fall wood coaster wall decor by Anaya Whye for 28 Lilac Lane

Supplies needed to create Fall Wood Coaster Wall Decor:

Instructions to create Fall Wood Coaster Wall Decor:

The first thing you need for this project is a wood surface. I’m using a 4 1/2″ round wood coaster that is about 1/2″ thick. Next, you will need to find a stamp with a word or phrase that expresses the perfect sentiment. I have selected a “smile” stamp. Smiles are always in season! You can of course go with something specifically related to fall. Most importantly, ensure that anything you choose will fit nicely onto your coaster.

fall wood coaster wall decor by Anaya Whye for 28 Lilac Lane

I have drilled a hole in the top in order to attach a string, but you may be able to find one that is pre-drilled for crafting. On a scrap piece of duck cloth I have stamped the word “smile” in black ink and then glued the fabric to the coaster’s surface. Then I used a clear-drying glue to begin adding pearls and sequins.

fall wood coaster wall decor by Anaya Whye for 28 Lilac Lane

Don’t forget to leave room for buttons! Using a glue gun, I arranged the buttons closely together near the bottom edge and stack a few for extra dimension.

fall wood coaster wall decor by Anaya Whye for 28 Lilac Lane

The kit includes leaf and feather pendants in bronze that look great hanging and add just the right touch for the season. I looped the cord through the wood coaster and each pendant. I used a 7″ length of hemp cord. After I attached the pendants, I just tied a knot in the cord to finish it off.

fall wood coaster wall decor by Anaya Whye for 28 Lilac Lane

For the last step, I applied a few seed beads using the tiniest dab of glue. Using tweezers will assist in applying the beads exactly where you want them. As we all know, glue can at times get messy!

fall wood coaster wall decor by Anaya Whye for 28 Lilac Lane

And its just that easy! Your newly embellished fall wood coaster wall decor is complete.

fall wood coaster wall decor by Anaya Whye for 28 Lilac Lane

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How To Make A DIY Button Pumpkin Wall Hanging

Hello Everyone! This is Katie from the Buttons Galore & More Design Team, and today I have a fun button pumpkin wall hanging project to get you in the mood for fall decorating!

button pumpkin wall hanging

This project is perfect to make if you are looking for an easy and inexpensive way to spice up your home décor for fall, halloween, and thanksgiving. I got the idea for this project when I saw a felt wall hanging designed for the 4th of July. However, instead of a pumpkin, the original wall hanging had a heart shaped flag made from felt and a few buttons. Personally, I thought the idea was cute but could be recreated in a simpler way. In today’s project, the whole DIY is only 3 steps and does not involve any sewing tools!

To decorate my button pumpkin wall hanging, I used two button sets for a majority of the project. Those two button sets were the 28 Lilac Lane ”Pumpkin Spice” Embellishment Bottle and the Buttons Galore Autumn Value Pack. Both of these button sets provided a wide variety of harvest/fall style buttons and worked really well together. My personal favorite out of both of these sets was definitely the 28 Lilac Lane ‘”Pumpkin Spice” Embellishment Bottle because you received a ton of beautiful orange colored buttons.

So, to find out how to make your own pumpkin button wall hanging, keep reading below!

Supplies for Making Button Pumpkin Wall Hanging:

How to Make a Button Pumpkin Wall Hanging

button pumpkin wall hanging

Step 1: Cut one piece of felt that measures 9 inches by 10 inches and two smaller pieces of felt that measure 2 inches by 3 ½ inches. Then cut out one piece of burlap that measures 6 ½ inches by 8 inches and two smaller pieces that measure 1 inch by 3 ½ inches.

button pumpkin wall hanging

Step 2: Layer the larger piece of burlap centered onto the larger piece of your felt and glue it into place with your hot glue gun. Then layer the smaller pieces of burlap centered onto your smaller pieces of felt and glue them into place. Finally, create loops for your wall hanging by folding over the smaller pieces of felt/burlap and glue them in the corners of your larger felt piece.

button pumpkin wall hanging

Step 3: Now take your pen and draw the outline of a pumpkin onto your burlap. Then begin gluing on your buttons around the outside of your pumpkin to create an outline and then fill in the middle with more buttons. For my pumpkin, I decided to go from dark to light buttons and then use shimmering half pearl flat backs for the stem. Finally, use the rest of your normal buttons and decorative buttons to decorate the rest of your wall hanging.

For my button pumpkin wall hanging I used the following:

Once you are happy with how your button pumpkin wall hanging looks, you are ready to hang it on the wall by sliding a dowel rod or wooden stick through the two loops!

button pumpkin wall hanging

button pumpkin wall hanging

I loved how this pumpkin button wall hanging turned out and I think it would look so cute as part of a gallery wall!

While creating this project, I did free hand the design of the pumpkin. However, if you are not comfortable drawing your own pumpkin (in step 3), you can always google ”pumpkin template” and print out a template to trace around. With that being said, if pumpkins are not your thing, you could always change the main image to be something else. For example, I think a leaf created from the 28 Lilac Lane “Toasted Graham” Embellishment Bottle would look really pretty.

If you made this pumpkin button wall hanging, what 28 Lilac Lane items would you use?

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Make a Fun Coffee Gift Card Holder for National Coffee Day!

coffee gift card holder

It’s National Coffee Day, and what better way to celebrate than with a gift card to your favorite coffee shop? Using 3D buttons from our Buttons Galore Sweet Delights collection, you can make a sweet card that doubles as a gift card holder!

Supplies Needed to Make Coffee Gift Card Holder:

Instructions for Making Coffee Gift Card Holder:

  1. Trace front of side stepped card onto the back of one sheet of patterned paper. Cut out with scissors and adhere to front of the card. Ink edges of paper if desired.
  2. Cut two 3/4″ strips from the second sheet of paper. Ink edges if desired. Adhere one strip to the bottom of the card. Cut the other strip in half. Adhere one piece to the top of the card, and adhere the other on the second “stairstep” of the card.
  3. Spell out “Thanks a Latte” by placing stickers onto leftover pieces of the 2nd sheet of paper and then cutting out rectangles around the words. Inks edges if desired. Adhere to card with foam pop dots to add dimension to the card!
  4. Remove shanks from back of “coffee cup” and “cupcake” buttons with a button shank remover. Adhere to card using red line tape.
  5. Adhere gift card to the last step of the stepped card using red line tape.

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Celebrate Fall with Button Vase Fall Canvas Wall Art

Autumn is one of my very favorite seasons. I love the cooler (but not cold) temperatures and the gorgeous bright colors that appear in nature. This Button Vase Fall Canvas wall art is the perfect project when you’re short on table space but want to add those beautiful fall colors to your home.

Button Vase Fall Canvas Wall Art

Supplies needed to make a Button Vase Fall Canvas Wall Art:

How to make a Button Vase Fall Canvas Wall Art:

Autumn Canvas Button Vase Supplies

Step one:

Use a pencil to draw (or trace) a simple vase shape to the bottom half of your blank 16×20 canvas.

Pencil Sketch Vase

It doesn’t need to be perfect, just a rough outline so that you know where to place the buttons for the button vase. The buttons will cover up any pencil marks. I drew a round vase, but you can make it any shape you want. Whichever shape you use, make sure to keep it on one end of the canvas.

Step two:

Glue buttons to the outlined vase you drew on the canvas.  I used a hot glue gun to attach the buttons.

Hot Glue Buttons

Because I was using Silk Autumn Leaves in my vase with beautiful red and orange colors, I made my vase Yellow to complement them. I used every yellow button in the Harvest and Fall Festival button sets to fill my round yellow vase. I liked that the shades of yellow in these two sets were in line with the yellow you’d actually see on fall leaves.

Yellow Button Vase on Canvas

Don’t glue buttons inside the mouth part of the vase at the top but fill the rest of the vase.

Step three:

Use a sharp craft knife to cut a line in the canvas just above the buttons in the mouth of the vase.

Vase Opening

Step four:

Insert your Autumn Silk Florals or Leaves through the hole in the canvas. Arrange them however you like.  I find that the canvas vase looks best when it’s full. I used four Silk Leaf stems to fill my vase.

Button Vase with Leaf Stems

Step five:

Turn your canvas over, and use hot glue to secure the stems in place for added stability.   I used an entire small glue stick to fix my stems in place.

Secure Leaf Stems

Step six: 

Use single leaves to fill in any blank spaces or gaps at the base of the stems.  Secure them in place with hot glue.

Single Leaves

If you have some unruly leaves on the stems that aren’t laying quite right, a dot of hot glue can help secure them to the canvas in a more pleasing way.

DIY Button Vase Fall Canvas Wall Art

Hang your canvas on the wall, or prop it up on a table for a beautiful bright pop of autumn colors! I think that I will take a slightly smaller canvas and use the red buttons in the Fall Festival and Harvest button packs to make a smaller red vase with some pretty silk sunflowers! The pair will look great together with my fall decor. The possibilities are endless if you just change the color of the buttons for your vase to complement the flowers or leaves you have! Happy Fall Crafting!

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Learning To Sew with Buttons on a Fall Hoop Project

I’ve had the joy of teaching sewing in our community for the past few years to children of all ages. When people discover that I teach sewing to children, the first question they always ask is “what is a good beginner project?” This little hoop project is always my number one go-to project for anyone who has never used a needle and thread and wants to learn to sew. Even better, including buttons in the project ensures that they will also walk away with a great life skill for those days when a button pops off their shirt at the most inopportune time – and you know we’ve all been there!

learn to sew with a fall hoop project

First up, let’s talk supplies. You will need the following to complete the two hoops:

Now that you’ve gathered up all your materials, let’s get started and learn to sew! First, you need to find something to make a roughly 8-inch circle. Find a bowl or something round to trace around and cut your blue felt into two circles.

Next up, let’s set them in your embroidery hoops. This is often the most daunting thing for new stitchers, but all you need to do is make an embroidery hoop “sandwich”! Unscrew the bolt just a little and separate the hoops into two parts. Take the part without the bolt and lay it on your workspace. Then lay your blue felt circle on top of the bolt-less hoop and sandwich them all together by setting the hoop with the bolt outside the bottom hoop and the felt. Tighten up the screw and pull on the edges of the felt just a little to make everything tight.

learn to sew fall hoop project

Now, print out the pattern page with your initial on it and cut out the correct initial for you. Use the paper pattern to cut out your initial with whatever color felt you would like. Then gather up your Sunflower buttons, the felt flowers, and your initial. Lay them all out on top of the hoop in whatever design you like best.

learn to sew fall hoop project

Now it’s time to stitch down your initial. Take your white thread and needle. Thread your needle and make sure to put a knot on the end! We are going to stitch down our initial with a running stitch.

learn to sew fall hoop project

learn to sew fall hoop project

First up, bring your needle up from the bottom and pull gently until your knot stops the thread. Don’t pull too hard or you will pull your knot all the way through! Then bring your needle back down about a pinky finger width from where you started and pull the thread all the way through. Then bring your needle back up and then down as you stitch along the middle of your initial letter. Always remember to “follow your thread” and stitch with a rhythm of up and down.

learn to sew fall hoop project

Lastly, grab your Sunflower buttons and lay them on top of your felt flowers. These are shank style buttons and can be a little more tricky for little hands to sew. Start out by bringing your needle up from the bottom and pull it all the way through till the knot stops you. Then take your button shank and thread it onto the needle and thread. Let it fall all the way down and then put your needle back through the top of the felt, pulling the button tight to the felt as you pull the thread from underneath. Continue to sew the button on a few more times and then move down to the next flower.

To finish off my hoops, I like to take a hot glue gun and glue the rim of extra felt around to the inside of the back. But sometimes I like to leave it open like a little ruffle fringe! Your choice!

Put a pretty ribbon through the top and you are done!

learn to sew fall hoop project

To make the tree, gather up a scrap of brown felt and cut out a little tree trunk. You have the option of sewing down your tree trunk with a running stitch or you can use some craft glue to glue it down.

learn to sew fall hoop project

After gluing down the trunk, grab your green thread, a needle and the Apple Pickin buttons from the pack and stitch those down in random spots above your tree trunk. These are the same shank style as the sunflowers. Next, pour out your bag of Green Haberdashery buttons and choosing those that fit best, stitch down green buttons around your apples to fill in the tree.

learn to sew fall hoop project

After you sew all the button “leaves” down, take your apple basket and apples and stitch those down near the bottom of the tree. Add a little ribbon for hanging, finish the back by gluing the felt edge to the back or leave it like a ruffle.

learn to sew fall hoop project

And there you go, two little Fall inspired hoops – these are perfect projects for beginning stitchers!

learn to sew fall hoop project

 

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Accessorize with an easy DIY Button Brooch!

Hi, Connie here with Buttons Galore & More design team! Today I will be sharing an idea using the Toasted Graham Embellishment Bottle by 28 Lilac Lane. The contents of the bottle remind me of graham crackers, buttons in rich brown tones along with seed bead and sequins. Taking beautiful embellishments and adding them to clothing to accessorize is a favorite project of mine. Making a DIY button brooch, to add to a denim shirt or straw hat, is where I started!

Take a small piece of burlap and twist it, to make an easy to create rose flower to serve as the base of the brooch. Coat the ends with a strong glue to keep them from fraying, and mount the burlap flower on a circle of felt, so the flower will not unravel.

Now comes the fun part! Pour the contents of the Toasted Graham embellishment bottle on a dish (so you can see all of the pretties that are in it), and start selecting the buttons for the center of the DIY button brooch.

Using a strong glue, start gluing down buttons, sequins, pearls and beads onto the brooch. Overlapping the buttons and tucking in the sequins under the buttons will make a beautiful looking brooch. Add felt leaves and twine to finish off the brooch. Glue a pin onto the back of the brooch, making it easy to attach to a shirt or hat.

I love how the “create” brooch looks on this straw hat. It’s such a fabulous look for the fall season! Just attach it to the hat, using the pin that was glued to the back of the brooch.

Here is the”inspire” brooch on the denim shirt.  I love this look!

I hope you will give the 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles a try and create something to add to those hats, sweaters and shirts like I did!

Supplies Used:

28 Lilac Lane “Toasted Graham” Embellishment Bottle

Felt (leaves and back of brooch)

burlap

strong glue

word sticker

twine

Thanks for stopping by~

Connie Mercer/DT Member

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Christmas in July | Embroidery Hoop Christmas Card Holder

You can celebrate a little bit of Christmas in July by crafting this fun and easy Embroidery Hoop Christmas Card Holder. This simple craft is a great way to get your kids involved and teach them basic button sewing. It will look so cute on the wall holding your Christmas cards! You can customize it by changing the button shapes, or colors to suit your decor needs.

Christmas in July Embroidery Hoop Card Holder

Supplies Needed to Make Embroidery Hoop Christmas Card Holder:

Embroidery Hoop Christmas Card Holder Materials

Step one:

To start making your embroidery hoop Christmas card holder, lay your embroidery hoop on your fabric and trace around the outside edge of the hoop. Don’t trace right along the edge of the hoop, since you want the fabric circle to be bigger than the embroidery hoop. The circle doesn’t need to be perfect. You will need two fabric circles. I used a canvas drop cloth that I already had, but you could also use a cotton fabric or even burlap. You don’t want the fabric to have too much stretch though, since it needs to hold the weight of the buttons and the cards firmly.

Cut out the circles of fabric, and then cut one circle in half. Don’t waste too much time trying to get the cuts perfect. You won’t even be able to tell if they are or not once the project is finished!

Step two:

Finish the straight cut edge of your half circle by gluing ribbon to the edge and folding it over.

Step three:

Trace a small circle onto the half circle of fabric. I used a wide mouth mason jar lid to trace the circle for my wreath.It was a perfect size. You can make your wreath bigger or smaller as desired.

Step four:

Stretch the half circle fabric piece into the embroidery hoop for stability. Sew green buttons around the circle that you traced on the fabric. Tie a knot in your string and start under the fabric. Bring the needle up through the button and back down into the fabric.

Repeat this step again so that your button is firmly attached to the fabric.

I used big buttons and small buttons around my wreath for some visual interest, and I used green buttons from both the Contemporary Christmas mix and the Button Bonanza Christmas Mix to vary the colors.

Step five:

Use a few small red buttons for berries in the wreath. Sew them randomly into the green buttons using the red thread.

Step six:

Add a small red ribbon bow to the button wreath. You can sew the bow to the wreath with your red thread, or you can use hot glue to attach it.

Step seven:

Lay your button wreath half circle of fabric over the full circle you cut in step one, and stretch them into the embroidery hoop. This creates the pocket for your cards to go into. Trim any extra pieces of fabric on the back of the hoop.  Hang your completed embroidery hoop Christmas card holder on your wall!

You can fit quite a few cards in one hoop, but if you typically get lots and lots of cards from your friends and family, you might want to make a couple of these fun hoops and hang them in a fun arrangement on the wall.

Christmas in July Embroidery Hoop Card Holder

I think I will make two more hoops and put a Christmas tree shape on one, and perhaps some Christmas holly on another. The buttons are such a fun and cute way to add the colorful shapes to the fabric. Do you do any Christmas in July crafts?  If Christmas in July isn’t your thing, this fun card holder can be customized to any time of the year! Create a fun button flower shape and hang it on the wall year round to hold other special occasion cards you might receive, or even just to hold your mail!

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Christmas in July | Craft an Easy Christmas Tablescape

Hi everybody! It’s Lorrie here from the Buttons Galore and More design team, and today I am here to show you a fast and fun way to craft a Christmas tablescape for your holiday gatherings. This holiday decor project is amazingly easy — the kids could even help out with this one!

Supplies to make a Christmas tablescape:

Instructions to make a Christmas tablescape:

To start your Christmas tablescape, wrap a styrofoam ball once with ribbon. Cut and glue the ends of the ribbon. Continue wrapping the styrofoam ball with ribbon until the entire ball is covered.

Once the styrofoam ball is entirely covered in ribbon, glue buttons to the ribbon in a variety of patterns. (Before gluing down shank buttons, use a pair of scissors or a button shank remover to cut the shanks off.)

Repeat the previous steps until you have made enough balls to fill a jar or vase for your Christmas tablescape. To display your balls, fill the bottom of the vase with a mixture of red and green buttons (such as Buttons Galore “Christmas” Button Bonanza, and then add your new ornaments!

This Christmas tablescape project is so quick to make but would add so much to your holiday table, mantel, or coffee table. Of course, if you prefer a more trendy color scheme for your holiday decor, try pairing these buttons with white ribbon and our Contemporary Christmas button mix for a touch of lime green and light pink. It also doesn’t have to be just for Christmas — you could always make the same craft using different ribbon and buttons for various holidays or for every day use!

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Christmas in July | Make an Easy Snow Scene in a Jar

It’s Christmas in July! I’m thinking cool thoughts and making cool things, like this sweet snow scene in a jar!

Supplies Needed:

How to make a Snow Scene in a Jar:

Begin by rolling up a 1″ ball of aluminum foil,  and then press it down to make the ball flat on the bottom. Cover the foil with a layer of white paint and allow to dry. To make the button tree, cut 6″ to 7″ inches of wire, and fold in half. Start with one of the snowflakes in the embellishment kit to attach as the tree topper. To keep the snowflake centered, apply some glue to hold it in place. Continue adding buttons from smallest to largest until it is to the height you desire. Twist the remaining wire and trim.  Leave just enough wire to place in the hole of your snow hill with a dab of glue.

Glue the snow mound, along with any other little holiday figures you may have to the bottom of your glass jar. 

The last step is to add some sparkle and ‘snow’. Pickling salt may sound like a strange item to use in crafting, but it’s really awesome because it’s bright white and looks so much like snow! Also, the salt is heavy and will keep the sequins and beads from settling directly to the bottom of the jar. Pour in as much salt as you want until it reaches a height that makes you happy. Add sequins and beads from the kit, and then give the mixture a gentle swish from side to side to mix things up. That’s it! Your scenic snow jar is complete.

Have fun and experiment with various jar sizes and embellishments to decorate your home or give as gifts.  This project takes just a little time and very basic craft skills. I hope you’ll give it a try if you’re looking for something quick and easy to craft up for the holidays.

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Make DIY Button Filled Christmas Ornaments with the Kids!

Hello Everyone! This is Katie from the Buttons Galore & More Design Team and today I have a fun button filled ornament project for you to make if you are loving Christmas in July!

The great thing about this button filled ornament project is that it doesn’t involve any type of special tools or glue. Because of that, these button filled ornaments are super easy to put together and would be the perfect project to make with your kids. In addition, since this project requires no drying time and is only three steps, you can make a ton of these ornaments over the course of a weekend!

To decorate my ornaments, I used a combination of buttons and sequins. With that being said, I decided to stick with a traditional color palette of red, white, and green. So, in this tutorial, you will see buttons and sequins in those particular colors. But if you want to experiment with a more non-traditional palette, you could try using the The Merriest Button Bonanza, the Winter Wonderland Button Bonanza, the Contemporary Christmas Button Basics, or the Winter Flurries Button Basics.

So, to find out how to make your own button filled ornaments, keep reading below!

Supplies

Step 1: Take apart the two sides of your clear ornament ball, and clean out both halves. (The reason why we are doing this is to make sure that there is no dust or small particles in your ornament.)

If you are using another type of clear ornament ball, simply take off the top and run it under some water to clean out the inside. But using the type of ball that separates into two halves is best as it lets you put larger items inside the ball.

Step 2: Fill up your ornament with buttons, sequins, seed beads and whatever else floats your boat! In the ornament above, I used the following: “Christmas” Button Bonanza, “Holly” 3D Buttons“Sugarplum” 3D Buttons (I used the candy canes from the pack), and the 28 Lilac Lane ”Winter Wonderland” Embellishment Bottle.

When doing this step, I recommend filling up only one side of the ornament ball. Filling up only one side of the ornament will make snapping the two halves of the ornament back together much easier.

Step 3: Once your ornament has been filled, gently snap the two halves back together. Then tie on a string or ribbon to the top of the ornament.

Once you are happy with how your ornament looks, you are ready to hang it on the tree!

These button filled ornaments were so easy to make and were so much fun to put together! Creating this project actually got me really excited for Christmas!

While creating this project, I started thinking about how these ornaments would make great gifts for co-workers, family, or friends. If this is something that you are considering, then you could personalize these ornaments even more by adding buttons related to that person’s career or hobby. For example (like shown in the last photo above), if you are giving this ornament to a nurse, you can mix in some buttons from Buttons Galore and More’s “Doctor Doctor” button set.

If you made these Button Filled Ornaments, what color or style of buttons would you use?

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Christmas in July | Button DIY Candy Cane Ornaments

Hi, it’s Connie here with the Buttons Galore & More design team. We are celebrating Christmas in July, with handcrafted ornament ideas to create with the family.  Looking for a DIY Christmas ornament that is easy for little hands to make? These DIY candy cane ornaments with big red, green and white buttons are easy for little hands to pick up and glue down.

DIY candy cane ornaments

These DIY Christmas ornaments are fast and are very kid friendly to create!

Instructions:

  1. Create a pattern by drawing a candy cane on chipboard and cutting it out.
  2. Punch a small hole, in the top of the candy cane, and place twine through for the hanger.
  3. Wrap the candy cane with jute string, adhering to the top of the candy cane and the bottom. Adhere big buttons to the wrapped candy cane with a strong wet glue. Let dry. Add embellishments, if desired, to complete the ornaments.

DIY candy cane ornamentsThe candy canes are wrapped with jute loosely. Once the big buttons are adhered the jute is nice and secure.

DIY candy cane ornamentsYou may be familiar with our color mixes of flat buttons, but did you know that Buttons Galore & More also makes the cutest 3D buttons? Today, I’m using some called the Holiday Fun collection, that include snowmen, Christmas trees, stars, deer, and a cat and dog, just to name a few. They are so fun, just like their name! I snipped the shanks off and added these cute “Holiday Fun” buttons to the candy cane ornaments. Paper holly leaves are tucked in behind the “Holiday Fun” buttons.

These ornaments are great for gift exchanges and teacher gifts. Decorating a gift bag is another way to use these candy cane ornaments!

DIY candy cane ornamentsI’m looking forward to adding these handcrafted candy cane ornaments to my little Christmas tree this year, mixed with some real candy canes. That is sure to make everyone happy!

Supply list:

Thanks for stopping by~

Connie Mercer/DT Member

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Christmas in July | Easy Button Christmas Ornament

July has come and that means we are half-way to Christmas! Even though the heat index is out of this world, it’s never too early to start working on Christmas crafts, ornaments and decor. I’ve got an easy button Christmas ornament craft that is simple for even the most beginner seamstress to do. All you need are a few easy-to-find supplies and a cozy spot to sew, and you are ready. This is a super craft for children learning to sew also.

Easy Button Christmas Ornaments

Here’s what you need:

Easy Button Christmas Ornaments

Put your cotton fabric scraps inside the hoop and gather up your buttons and sewing supplies.

You can attack this little project a couple of different ways, by planning ahead or by winging it! I prefer to go ahead and lay out all the buttons ahead of time, so I have an idea of how many I will need. Or you can just choose the buttons you want as you go. Either way works!

No matter how you decide to proceed, you do need to sew down the center row first. For the smaller hoop, it works best to make a center line with 4-5 buttons of equal sizes. For the larger hoop, it’s fun to mix and match and make it look a little zig-zag. Use one strand of a corresponding embroidery floss color and sew each button down with at least 2-3 stitches. After you have your center row stitched down, it’s time to start filling in the top and bottom of the hoop.

Easy Button Christmas Ornaments

To finish, cut your white fabric about one inch from the outside of the hoop and hot glue it to the inside of the hoop back. Then you can hide all your stitches by cutting out a piece of scrapbook paper and gluing it to the edge of the hoop back. Use the ribbon from the embellishment kit for hanging your ornament,  and find a fun place to display your new ornaments!

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Make a fun DIY Sequin Coaster Set with the Kids

Hello everyone! This is Katie from the Buttons Galore & More Design Team, and today I have a super fun DIY Sequin Coaster Set that you can make with your kids!

DIY Sequin Coasters

The project I will be showing you how to make today is a DIY Sequin Coaster Set! Now, you may be thinking that sequins and coasters don’t belong together. However, this DIY Sequin Coaster Set has a protective coating on top which seals in all the sequins and creates a barrier between your drinks and the actual coasters. In addition, this project is kid friendly and can be completed in just 3 easy steps!

To decorate my sequin coasters, I decided to use the brand new 28 Lilac Lane Sequin Tin in Haunted House. Now, even though the haunted house name sounds like it’s made for Halloween, these sequins have a more holographic look to them. For example, the tin contains silver, purple, black, white, and hologram colored sequins. In addition, the sequins are round, hexagon, and star shaped.  For this particular project, I paired the sequins up with some purple paint. However, I think with the holographic look that they have could be paired with a variety of paint colors.

So, to find out how to make your own Sequin Coaster Set, keep reading below!

Supplies Needed:

DIY Sequin Coaster Set

Step 1: Paint your wooden coasters on the front and back. Then set each one aside to dry.

DIY Sequin Coaster Set

Step 2: Apply a layer of Mod Podge onto your coaster then begin adding sequins from the 28 Lilac Lane Haunted House Sequin Tin. While doing this step, you could add your sequins to your coasters in one of two ways. The first way would be to sprinkle the sequins onto the coaster and then spread the sequins out with a toothpick. The second way would be to add each sequin on by hand.

With that being said, no matter what method you use, you want to make sure that your sequins are lying flat on your coaster. This means that sequins should not be glued on top of each other and that each sequin should be lying flat by itself. Also, when making these coasters, I felt that that less was more. For example, I found that using a smaller amount of sequins (in a particular pattern) really gave the coaster a finished look. However, you can do whatever floats your crafty boat.

Once you are done adding your sequins, apply another thin layer of Mod Podge and set the coasters aside to dry.

DIY Sequin Coaster Set

Step 3: Now apply a thin coat of Dimensional Magic to the top of your coaster. When applying the Dimensional Magic you may want to have a tooth pick handy so you can pop any air bubbles. At first the top of your coaster may look ”cloudy” but that’s ok because it will dry completely clear. After you finish applying the Dimensional Magic set your coaster aside to dry for 24 hours.

Keep repeating this process with your other coasters.

When the Dimensional Magic is completely dry, you are ready to start using your new coaster set!

DIY Sequin Coaster Set

DIY Sequin Coaster Set

I loved how this DIY Sequin Coaster Set turned out! Now, I want to make a bunch of different coaster sets in different patterns and colors.

With that being said, this sequin coaster set would be a great summer project to make over the weekend with your kids. Personally, I made these coasters in the afternoon and was able to use them (after the Dimensional Magic had dried) the next day. Also, as coasters, they have held up really nicely with both hot and cold drinks.

This project could be customized with any color scheme that you’d like, of course. If you made this DIY Sequin Coaster Set, what new 28 Lilac Lane Premium Sequin Tin would you use?

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Embellish a Seashell Coloring Canvas with 28 Lilac Lane

seashellcanvas-650x650

This project combines two of my favorite things: coloring and sequins! Using a pre-printed canvas, markers, and new sequins from 28 Lilac Lane, I made a fun project that is an easy way to decorate an ocean-themed room. This project is so easy that even the kids can do it!

To make this project, you will need:

How to:

  1. Color in the coloring canvas using markers. 
  2. Fill in “water” areas of the canvas with clear drying glue. Only work on a small section at a time so the glue doesn’t dry before sequins have been applied.
  3. While the glue is still wet, shake on sequins from the 28 Lilac Lane Sequin & Bead Mixes and the 28 Lilac Lane Sequin Tins. When the glue has dried, shake off the excess sequins onto a piece of paper. You can then reuse those sequins!
  4. Use clear drying glue to mark accents on selected seashells on the canvas. Use sequins from the 28 Lilac Lane Sequin Tins. Shake off the excess.

This canvas was so fun to make. I absolutely love to color so I really enjoyed getting out of coloring books and onto a canvas, and the addition of a little sequin bling just makes it even better!

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Sequin Safety Pin Jewelry will bling up your look!

I’m constantly on the look out for fun accessories. But what I love more than looking for cool things is making my own. If you feel the same way, I have a beginner project to help you accessorize. In just a few easy steps, you can make sequin safety pin jewelry!

Here’s what you’ll need to make sequin safety pin jewelry:

How to make sequin safety pin jewelry:

To start making your sequin safety pin jewelry, open the 8mm jump rings with jewelry pliers and add about 4-6 sequins to each ring along with a bead or two if you’d like. The rings will move around a lot if you start adding them to the pin as you go, so you may find it easier to just make a pile of completed jump rings.

Once you have about 10-12 rings finished, add them to the safety pin. The jump rings should be added to the immovable side of the pin. At this point the pin will look pretty awesome as is, but I just love to add buttons to everything! I find the buttons not only give the pin a unique look, but they will also help keep the jump rings from floating around the loop at the end of the pin.

Cut a 5 inch length of wire. Place wire through one of the buttons holes. Bend one end of wire toward the back of the button. Twist that wire around 3-5 times and trim it. Cut the other piece short, but leave enough wire to create a loop.
sequin safety pin jewelry assembly

Be sure to add a button before the first jump ring and behind the last ring on the pin. This will keep the jump rings from sneaking past the loop and getting away.

And your sequin safety pin jewelry is done!

There are so many options and color combinations available that I have already made myself a nice variety of sequin safety pins! I hope you find this to be a fun and easy way to bring a unique jewelry touch to an old shirt, jacket, or backpack.

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A Mermaid Tale Sequin Chalkboard For Summer Kid Fun!

You don’t have to know how to sew to use sequins! Besides using them on cards, and in fun little shaker packs, you can glue sequins to just about anything for a fun shimmer and shine! I glued some gorgeous turquoise blue sequins from the new 28 Lilac Lane “Mermaid Tale” Premium Sequin Tin to a wood surface for a fun Mermaid Tale Sequin chalkboard. This craft is simple enough for a child to participate in as well!

July-Mermaid-Tale-Sequin-Chalkboard-650x650

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own Mermaid Tale sequin chalkboard:

Mermaid Tale Sequin Chalkboard Materials

Step one:

Paint the wood bracket shape with the acrylic craft paint.  (This is a perfect step for little hands to help with!) I painted the front and back of my shape. Let the paint dry completely.

Paint

Step two:

Paint the inside of the bracket-shaped board with black chalkboard paint following the instructions on your specific bottle. My chalkboard paint instructed to use two coats of paint and allow a relatively long cure time.

July-mermaid-board-gluing-sequins-650x434

Step three:

Glue the blue sequins from the 28 Lilac Lane “Mermaid Tale” Premium Sequin Tin around the outside edge of your bracket shaped board. I used three different size sequins from the tin all the way around the edge of the board. My kids had a lot of fun helping with this step! I had one helper finding the perfect sequins from the tin, and the other helper situating them just right on the glue I was spreading. In less than 30 minutes, we had the perfect Mermaid Tale border around our chalkboard!

July-28-Lilac-Lane-Mermaid-Tale-Sequin-Tin-650x504

Step four: 

When your glue has dried completely, add a ribbon to hang your chalkboard.  I cut a length of ribbon about 12 inches long.  Add a dot of glue to the top of each side of the board, and add the ribbon.  I glued a blue button to each end of the ribbon and added one more sequin inside each button (at the direction of my little helpers).

July-Mermaid-Board-Ribbon-638x650

My daughter took the fun little chalkboard to hang in her room so she can write and draw her mermaid-y messages on it.

Mermaid-Tale-Sequin-Make-A-Splash-Chalkboard-410x650

Using different sequin tins from the new 28 Lilac Lane Premium Collection could result in completely different little chalkboards. I want to make a house shaped Halloween themed one next, using the Haunted House Sequin Tin!

LL322 Haunted House sequin tin

What shape and sequins would you use?

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Sequin Filled Bookmarks Shake Up Your Summer Reading

Aimee here with a great beginner sewing project for adults and children! These sequin filled bookmarks make a perfect little gift for all the book-lovers in your life.

sequin filled bookmarksHere’s what you need to make your own sequin filled bookmarks:

LL628_Pastel Dreams Quartet

This project uses two gorgeous new 28 Lilac Lane sequin products: the “Haunted House” Premium Sequin Tin, and the yet-to-be-officially-announced“Pastel Dreams” Sequin & Bead Quartet that is pictured above. (Yes, you are getting a sneak peek of a new product today!)

To begin, take your pattern (linked in the supply list) and using the dotted lines cut out your felt, clear vinyl and fabric pieces. To transfer the embroidery design to the felt I recommend using Fabri-Solvy. To use, print out the pattern following the directions on the package, tear off the backing and place your rectangle on top of the corresponding felt. Using three strands of embroidery floss; stitch through the felt and the Fabri-Solvy along the text with a back stitch.

Don’t want to embroider? You can easily adapt this project by printing the pattern onto cardstock. Cut out your bookmark along the dotted lines and continue the following directions. Most sewing machines will sew just fine through paper.

Now it’s time to put your sequin filled bookmark together. Lay your three pieces in this order: fabric (wrong side facing up), your felt embroidered piece (or your piece of printed card stock) and your piece of clear vinyl. Use a Wonder Clip or even a small clothespin to hold the layers together, and take it to your sewing machine.

Start your seam on the bottom long edge, making sure that you are leaving a hole to put the sequins and beads in. Stitch all along the three edges about 1/4 inch from the edge. (Tip: if you have a walking foot, this is a great project for using it.) Fill up your bookmark with the sequins and beads. I used roughly one tablespoon. Take it back to your machine and sew up the hole and all the way around the sides again. (This sewing could also been done by hand but it will be more time consuming, of course.)

sequin filled bookmarks

There you go! Your sweet sequin filled bookmark is all ready for your next great summer read. (These also make fun back to school teacher gifts, too, if you change up the sentiment on them!)

sequin filled bookmarks

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Celebrate with a Handcrafted Sequin Flag

Hi, Connie here with Buttons Galore & More design team! This fun handcrafted sequin flag project is great to create with children, and will look fabulous in your home or on your front door, tucked into a grapevine wreath.

sequin flag project

This sequin flag project was created using the brand new Bon Voyage Sequin tin by 28 Lilac Lane. Take a closer look at this beautiful new premium sequin tin!

28 Lilac Lane LL318 Bon Voyage sequin tin

The inspiration for this sequin flag project came from the Bon Voyage sequin tin itself.  It is full of red, white and blue sequins along with white hearts and blue stars – so lush!  Can’t you see a child waving this flag at a celebration parade and then saving it, by tucking it away in a grapevine wreath for the front door?  Or displaying it in a vintage soda bottle? Either way this flag will be a super cute was to display your patriotism!

Supplies needed to make a sequin flag:

sequin flag instructions

How to make your sequin flag:

(1) Sketch out a USA flag on white cardstock that is about 4″ X 6″. Separate the large blue sequins, using a toothpick, from the sequin tin.

(2) Glue the large blue sequins on the flag with clear drying glue. Add the white hearts to the blue section and let dry. Do the same with the small red sequins, placing them in strips. Let dry.

(3) Cut the blue section out, and then the red strips. Piece them on a 4″ X 6″ piece of white cardstock or grid paper. When it is dry, mat the flag on black cardstock.

sequin flag project

(4) Glue the flag to a piece of burlap ( 5″ X 7″ ) and then glue a stick to the reverse side. (I used a stick from my yard.)

sequin flag project

(5) Use twine and buttons, create streamers for the side of the flag. Tie these to the top of the stick.

I chose the vintage soda bottle to display my flag instead of a grapevine wreath. The soda bottle is full of red buttons to hold the stick in place. I really love the finished look!

Thanks for stopping by~

Connie Mercer/DT Member

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Announcing…New 28 Lilac Lane Premium Collection Sequin Tins!

We have an exciting announcement today for fans of our beautiful sequins: New 28 Lilac Lane Premium Sequin Tins by designer May Flaum are available now on our web store! This new collection of six sequin tins includes fun sequin options for fall and winter holidays, as well as for vacation and everyday.

First, let’s take a look at Bon Voyage…a red, white and blue mix that includes 5 different kinds of sequins and features blue stars and white hearts! Use it for patriotic projects, scrapbooking trips to national monuments, and many other things!

28 Lilac Lane LL318 Bon Voyage sequin tin

Next up is Mermaid Tale! In beautiful shades of turquoise blue, Mermaid Tale features pretty leaf shapes and stunning white sequins with blue tiger stripes. This mix is perfect for those beach or pool themed projects. (Or mermaids, of course!)

LL319 Mermaid Tale sequin tin

Pet lovers will love the new “Happy Place” sequin tin! This new sequin mix features red heart sequins, large gold sequins and a mix of brown sequins. Happy Place will be perfect for your pet projects, celebrating your love of autumn, or sending greetings to your favorite guy!

LL320 Happy Place sequin tin

Halloween is coming fast, and we’ve got the Haunted House sequin tin for that! In a trendy purple and silver palette for Halloween, its clear and silver stars are paired with several shapes and sizes of purple sequins to create a mix that will give your projects the perfect spooky touch!

LL322 Haunted House sequin tin

Of course, before we know it the Christmas tree will be going up…and you’re going to love the Retro Holiday sequin tin! This festive Christmas sequin tin features red and green hearts, clear stars, green sequins, and pink sequins (this year’s hot Christmas color!).

New 28 Lilac Lane LL321 Retro Holiday sequin tin

But just one holiday collection isn’t enough, so we’ve also got the shimmering Festival of Lights! This mix includes three different star sequins (silver, blue, and clear), clear flowers, and two types of blue sequins (large clear and deep blue metallic). This mix is perfect for many winter holidays (such as Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s Eve).

New 28 Lilac Lane LL323 Festival of Lights sequin tin

All of these new premium sequin tins come packaged in a brush metal tin containing 30 grams of sequins, and are available now from our online store. Don’t miss out!

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Hit the Beach with Summer Fun Crafty Sunglasses

Hi! It’s Lorrie here, visiting the Buttons Galore blog today! Buttons are a fun and easy way to embellish your summer fashion, but have you thought of adding them to your accessories? Who cares if you can’t make it to the beach this summer? Bring the beach to you every single day with these super cute crafty sunglasses (that look and feel like they are covered in sand) featuring summer-themed buttons from Buttons Galore!
beach crafty sunglasses

Materials Needed:

  • sunglasses
  • Paradise Found and Fan Shells buttons from Buttons Galore
  • Stone Effects Dimensional Paint from Art Anthology in “Sandstone”
  • foam brush or palette tool
  • hot glue gun
  • button shank remover

beach crafty sunglasses supplies

How to:

  1. Apply Stone Effects paint to the sunglasses with a foam brush or palette tool. If you are using a foam brush, apply the paint with a tapping motion to get better coverage and to add even more dimension.beach crafty sunglasses in progress
  2. While the paint on your sunglasses is drying, remove the shanks from the buttons using a button shank remover.
  3. Once the dimensional paint is dry, place the buttons onto the sunglass frames and the ear pieces by attaching them with hot glue.

beach crafty sunglasses

Now you are ready to hit the beach with your summer fun crafty sunglasses – whether the “beach” is your local pool or an expanse of tropical sand!

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How to Make a Rustic Vine Wreath with Buttons & Beads!

One of my favorite things to make are wreaths. There are so many ways to decorate them and endless opportunities to get creative. I put together this rustic vine wreath using the Victoria embellishment kit by 28 Lilac Lane.

rustic vine wreath with buttons and embellishments from 28 Lilac Lane by Anaya Whye

Supplies needed:

Start with the beading needle and invisible thread. Wrap the thread around the wreath and tie a knot to secure it. Stack beads and sequins onto the needle until you have about 1/2 inch or so on the needle. Wrap the thread around while keeping the majority of the beads and sequins in place on the front of the wreath.

Continue wrapping the thread around the rustic vine wreath until you get back to where you started. You’ll get the best results if you wrap the thread no more than about 1/2″ inch apart.

After adding the sequins and beads, I repeated the process with embroidery thread to add some little buttons.

rustic vine wreath close-up

I cut a few pieces of felt to create leaves and attached them to the wreath with a glue gun, while leaving space for some buttons. Cut a length of wire long enough to wrap around the wreath. Stack 2-3 buttons and push wire through 2 holes in each of them. Wrap the wire around the wreath, twist, and cut  the ends.  Tuck the excess wire into the backside of the wreath so there are no sharp ends left sticking out.

After you have added as many buttons as you’d like, the last step is to tie a ribbon to hang your finished rustic vine wreath! I used a small 6 inch wreath for this project, but of course it can be done in a larger size. I find this to be a perfect size to decorate with inside the house. I often hang small wreaths around the house on the walls alongside my photos and even hang them in my work space at the office.

rustic vine wreath with buttons and embellishments from 28 Lilac Lane by Anaya Whye

Looking for a wreath project but prefer a different style? Check out all our button wreath projects!

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DIY your Wedding Decor with a Diamond Ring Frame

Hello Everyone! This is Katie from the Buttons Galore & More Design Team and today I have a fun wedding decor idea!

DIY Wedding Decor Diamond Ring Frame

When I was given the task to make a wedding decor project, I wanted to create something that was cute, useful, and that could be saved in the long-run. With that in mind, I decided to create a diamond ring frame that could be customized to fit your wedding decor, be useful (since it’s a frame), and be saved by the bride. In addition, this project is super inexpensive to make because it’s made from a wooden plaque, an embroidery hoop, and a piece of foam board!

To decorate the diamond part of the ring, I decided to use the 28 Lilac Lane Embellishment Bottle in Winter Wonderland. Even though “winter wonderland” sounds wintry, this embellishment bottle could easily be used for wedding décor as well because the embellishment bottle contains several shades of white/cream colored buttons, along with seed beads and flat back half pearls. The flat back half pearls (in my opinion) really make this embellishment bottle perfect for wedding projects!

So, to find out how to make your own Diamond Ring Frame, keep reading below!

Supplies needed:

  • 28 Lilac Lane ”Winter Wonderland” Embellishment Bottle
  • wooden plaque (I used a 6 ½ inch plaque)
  • embroidery hoop (I used a 6-inch hoop)
  • DecoArt Americana Acrylic Paint: Snow (Titanium) White
  • DecoArt Americana Acrylic Paint: Sweet Mint
  • foam brushes
  • foam board
  • craft knife
  • Xyron 9’’ Creative Station (optional)
  • decoupage glue
  • hot glue gun
  • picture or image you want to use in your frame

Step 1: Paint your wooden plaque white and your embroidery hoop mint. Then set both items aside to dry.

Step 2: Grab your foam board and cut out a diamond shape. The diamond I cut out for my 6-inch embroidery hoop was 5 inches by 3 ½ inches.

Step 3: Grab your 28 Lilac Lane Embellishment Bottle in Winter Wonderland and start decorating your diamond cut out. To do this, simply brush on a layer of decoupage glue onto your diamond cut out and begin arranging your buttons. While doing this, I also sprinkled on seed beads to fill in the gaps between the buttons. Finally, as an extra touch, I glued on a flat back half pearl to each of the buttons.

Once your diamond has been decorated, set the whole thing aside to dry.

Step 4: Take your picture, sign, or image that you want to use for your frame and cut it down to size to fit on the inside of your embroidery hoop. Then take that image and run it through your Xyron 9” Creative Station. Once you have run your image through the Xyron Creative Station, rub the top of the sticker paper. Finally, peel the image off the sticker paper and adhere it to your wooden plaque.

DIY Wedding Decor Diamond Ring Frame

Step 5: Using a hot glue gun, glue on your embroidery hoop to your main wooden plaque and then glue your diamond on top of the embroidery hoop.

Once all your pieces have been glued on, you’re ready to display your new Diamond Ring Frame!

DIY Wedding Decor Diamond Ring Frame

DIY Wedding Decor Diamond Ring Frame

As you can see, I used my Diamond Ring Frame to hold a sign about taking Instagram photos during the wedding. However, this frame could be made to hold a variety of things. For example, the frame could hold photos, it could direct the guests to do something (like signing a guest book), or simply be used to display a favorite quote. Along those same lines, this Diamond Ring Frame does not have to be used at the wedding. It could also be used as a decoration for the bridal shower or bachelorette party instead!

What 28 Lilac Lane items would you use for your wedding or shower decor?

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Straight from Heaven Baby Nursery Wall Decor [Free Template]

Hello! Kelli here. I am excited to share this sweet button nursery decor with you today! A dear family member is having her first baby soon – a girl! My family member is a Disney fanatic, and so I thought this sweet little project would be just right up her alley for nursery decor.

I wanted to create a button silhouette, but sometimes it can be difficult to get those round buttons to fit into a certain shape.  I solved the problem and saved some time by using a cut out to go over the buttons, giving it nice crisp lines.

straight-from-heaven-baby-girl-nursery-decor-650x434

Supplies needed:

Step one:

Start by printing out the design templates. I used three sheets of 12×12 cardstock. The heavier the cardstock is the easier this project will be. The first sheet you print should be the quote with the stork outline. The second sheet will be the bag cutout, and the third sheet will be blank.

You can download the PDF templates here:

Step two:

Cut out the stork outline. Use a sharp knife or the point of your scissors to poke a hole in the center of the stork, and then cut it out. Alternatively, if you have a Cricut or a Silhouette cutting machine, you can upload the template into the machine’s software and use the machine to draw the lettering and cut out the stork for you, which is what I did.

Step three: 

Lay the sheet with the cut out stork on top of the blank sheet of cardstock. Use it as a template to trace the outline of the stork onto the blank sheet.

The outline will give you an idea of where the buttons need to be placed.

Glue pink buttons to the blank sheet of cardstock, filling in the stork outline. You don’t need to worry about going outside the lines with the buttons.

Step Four:

Cut out and color the stork’s bag. I ran it through my manual die cut machine with an embossing folder to give it a little bit of extra depth. Alternatively, you could use a patterned paper to print the bag template on for an extra something. Glue the stork bag onto the cardstock sheet with the cutout stork silhouette,  making sure to line up the knot on the bag with the stork’s beak. Glue an adorable clothes pin button to the bag. (Cut off the shank first with scissors or a shank remover.)

Step five:

Layer the pages into your picture frame.  First, the stork cutout sheet goes in face down.

Lay the cardstock sheet with the glued buttons on face down on top of the first sheet, and line them up.  Replace the frame back and you’re done!

Now your buttons have a perfect silhouette line without any fuss, and you have some adorable nursery wall art for a sweet new baby.  Change the pink buttons to blue ones for a boy (or yellow if you don’t know the baby’s gender), and it works for both!

 

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ARRR! Scrapbook a Pirate’s Life with 28 Lilac Lane

Hi, Connie here hosting the Buttons Galore and More blog today!  I have a really cute scrapbook page to share using the Pirate’s Life Embellishment Kit by 28 Lilac Lane. This was such a fun kit to create with and couldn’t have been more perfect to create a scrapbook page with for the photos that I had.

A Pirate's Life scrapbook layout

The Pirate’s Life embellishment kit by 28 Lilac Lane includes buttons, sequins, velvet trim, a charm, small seed beads and pirate skull embellishments. I used the Pirate’s Life kit to create my page accents and it was really fun. I looked up pictures of pirate images. Then I hand drew them out on cardstock, cut them out, and embellished them with the contents in the Pirate’s Life kit.

Pirate's Life scrapbook pageThe first embellishment I created was the pirate ship. Drawing a pirate ship can be kind of scary when you’re not sure what one looks like to begin with.  When you have a picture in front of you, it’s not so hard at all! Once the pirate ship was created from pattern paper and buttons, it was ready to put in place on the scrapbook page. It’s amazing what can be created with paper and buttons!

A Pirate's Life scrapbook layoutThe next embellishment to be created was the pirate’s hat. I traced the outline of the hat on cardstock and then embellished it with sequins and the pirate skull from the 28 Lilac Lane “Pirate’s Life” kit.  The embellishment cluster was enhanced with grey pearls from the kit as well. The black velvet trim was added below the film strip of black and white photos and I tucked in a few large buttons in the bottom pirate cluster also. Next, the journal text was created and added to the side of the Pirate cluster.

I hope you are encouraged to create unique, one-of-a-kind embellishments for your craft projects using the embellishment kits by 28 Lilac Lane!

Supplies used:

Thanks for stopping by~

Connie Mercer/DT Member

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Sew Crafty Brooches Make Great Gifts for Crafters

These little crafty brooches make a great quick and easy gift for the lady in your life who loves to sew and create. Use up some scraps of fabric, spread your creative wings and add some bling with a sweet 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kit.

sew crafty brooches

sew crafty brooch

Here’s the supplies you will need:

  • 28 Lilac Lane “Sew Crafty” embellishment kit
  • scraps of fabric
  • wool felt (for the backs)
  • cotton fabric (for the tops)
  • pins (Wonderclips are also super helpful)
  • sewing needle
  • embroidery floss (various colors)
  • jar lid (or something 2-3″ round to trace)
  • a sewing machine (not required, but helpful)
  • safety pin or jewelry pin backs

sew crafty brooch construction-4

First, I laid out my backing fabric (I used a thicker cotton muslin that I had in my stash, but just a general cotton or even felt would work fine too). With a jar lid I had, I traced an outline of my circles onto the top of the fabric. Then I gathered up some various scraps of fabric and laid them out within the outlined circle. I used my sewing machine to sew down a few of the seams, but this could easily be done by hand with just a back stitch using a single strand of embroidery floss.

sew crafty brooch-2

Next up, I laid out different elements from the 28 Lilac Lane “Sew Crafty” embellishment kit. The kit includes some trim, sequins, beads, buttons and a few charms. The trim lends itself greatly to being used as a typical trim or even cutting off each flower individually. This is where you can be creative and every brooch you make will be different!

crafty brooch 2

 

On a few of the seams I chose to add some simple embroidery stitches. I used two strands of divisible embroidery floss for all of my stitching. I made simple X’s, seed stitches, and a chainstitch. I sewed down the trim with a single strand of white embroidery thread and just stitched down on the flowers where the stitches won’t be seen.

pinback on crafty brooch

To finish out my crafty brooches, I took some felt and using the same jar lid cut out the felt and the brooch circles. The pin backs I used can be either sewn or glued down. I sewed down the pin back onto the felt.

Finally, I matched the top and backs of the brooches with wrong sides together. The brooches were sewn together using a buttonhole stitch to stitch the two layers together around the edge.  There you have it!! Sweet little crafty brooches ready to wear!

sew crafty brooches

 

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Decorate Your Walls with a Button Globe Mosiac

Hi! I’m Kelli, from the Craft Shack Chronicles blog and I’m so excited to be joining the Buttons Galore Design team! For my first project, I wanted to make a piece of home decor. I’m working on a gallery wall above my piano and I am having fun adding in lots of different colors and textures. You can easily add interesting depth and texture to your home decor pieces by using buttons and sequins to add color instead of paint. I used two 28 Lilac Lane kits to make this fun Button Globe Mosaic.

Supplies needed for Button Globe Mosiac:

Step one:

Draw the design outline onto the wood globe surface. You can trace it, transfer it, or freehand it. Draw the design onto the globe using a pencil. You won’t be able to see it when it’s covered in buttons and sequins so it doesn’t need to be perfect.

 

Step two:

Use green sequins from both Lilac Lane kits to fill in the land shapes. Add a little bit of glue and spread it out. Drop the sequins onto the glue one at a time. I find it easy to use a toothpick to arrange the sequins in the glue but you could use whatever you have on hand.

The glue will dry clear, so you don’t need to worry if you get a little messy.

 

Step three:

Fill the in the oceans with blue buttons. Try to mix large and small buttons into the mix to add interesting variations in the texture. The smaller buttons fit nicely in some of the small curves around the land, while the bigger buttons were easier to use further out in the ocean.

Cover the entire globe with buttons and fill in any gaps with seed beads, or blue sequins from the Lilac Lane Kits.

 

Step four:

Use wood stain to finish the remaining wood part or fill it in with buttons that complement your home decor colors. Finally, use the beautiful rope trim from the Let’s Go kit to attach the camera embellishment from the same kit to the top of the globe. A big white button from the Tea Time kit was the perfect size to put on the globe base.

I’m thinking about adding a little red button heart in the general area where we live on the globe. Would you add it, or leave it as it is? I can’t decide! I’m so excited to hang my new Button Globe Mosaic on my gallery wall soon!

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Make a Fun Wall Hanging with 28 Lilac Lane

Hey y’all! It’s Lorrie here with my first project for the Buttons Galore team! Today I am sharing a cool wall hanging canvas featuring an embellishment kit from 28 Lilac Lane.

quote wall hanging

I had this cute quote that I loved and I wanted to show it off, so I decided to make a wall hanging using the quote and matching scrapbook paper on a 5″x 7″ canvas. Such an easy and fun project!

Supplies needed:

  • 28 Lilac Lane “Let’s Go” embellishment kit
  • 5″x 7″ stretched canvas
  • light brown acrylic paint
  • paintbrush
  • red liner tape
  • adhesive dots
  • brown ink
  • foam adhesive dots
  • patterned scrapbook paper
  • quote (from patterned paper, or use a stamp)

I started by painting the canvas using a light brown acrylic paint. I then cut out the quote and a 3″x 5″ piece of coordinating paper (the quote came from a sheet of quotes as part of a paper collection), and inked the edges.

quote wall hanging

I attached the paper to the canvas using double-sided tape. Then I used adhesive foam dots to “pop up” the quote —  this is an easy way to add dimension to your paper projects. Next came the fun part: adding the embellishments from this adorable “Let’s Go” embellishment kit by 28 Lilac Lane!

28 Lilac Lane Let's Go embellishment kit

I will let you in on a little secret — I am not a big fan of liquid adhesives. I use them on projects, but they aren’t my favorite, mainly because here in the hot, humid south they take forever to dry. So to hold the sequins and beads from the embellishment kit onto my wall hanging, I used my not-so-secret weapon: red liner tape! Red liner tape is a double-sided tape that holds just about anything. It is the perfect alternative to liquid glues.

red liner tape

I applied red line tape to the edges of the canvas, and then sprinkled the sequin mix onto the tape. Just like when you’re using glitter, sprinkle the sequins liberally onto your project, then pick up and shake the item to remove the excess. Once most of the tape has been covered, fill in any empty spaces with the tiny seed bead mix and pearls from the kit.

quote wall hanging

For the finishing touch, I placed gold pearls from the Embellishment Kit on each corner of the quote using mini adhesive dots.

quote wall hanging

Now you have a fun quote wall hanging that would look great on any wall in your home – and plenty of embellishments left over in your “Let’s Go” kit for lots more creative fun!

Quote Wall Hanging by Lorrie McCullers for Buttons Galore using 28 Lilac Lane embellishments. Great wall art for office

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Decorate Flip Flops with Buttons for Fashionable Summer Fun

Summer is almost officially here! I’ve got a super easy project to decorate flip flops with buttons to keep you looking fashionable on the hot days ahead.decorate flip flops with buttons

Supplies Needed:

decorate flip flops with buttons

It’s surprisingly easy to decorate flip flops with buttons! Before you get started, make sure you have a thick strong thread. To begin, select buttons from the pack you want to use and line them up on the flip flop strap using pins. This step is optional, but it will provide you with a preview of way the shoe will look and give you the opportunity to work out the placement of the buttons prior to sewing them into place.

decorate flip flops with buttons

Thread the needle and start attaching the buttons starting at the center of the strap. The first stitch goes into the strap from the top. If you are using a very thick thread or clear plastic thread this will ensure the knot is not rubbing against your foot. After all, you want your shoes to be comfortable!

Be sure to tie all of your knots tightly. Don’t worry about the knot showing, as it will be hidden once you start adding your buttons. Depending on the thickness of your flip flops’ strap and the bulkiness of the thread, you may find it easier to push and pull the needle using pliers. I didn’t have any issues doing it by hand, but I would suggest you have a pair handy just in case you run into any issues.

decorate flip flops with buttons

Continue adding buttons until you get to within an inch or two of the end of the strap. After you have secured the last button, push the thread through so you can again tie the knot on the top of the strap.

decorate flip flops with buttons

Beginning at the center again, add the next set of buttons to the other half of the strap.

decorate flip flops with buttons

Now you just repeat the process for the other shoe and your flip flops are ready to wear! This time of year it’s easy to find inexpensive flip flops just about everywhere in every color you could need. It’s such an easy affordable project to decorate flip flops with buttons and you can make several a pairs in festive colors to coordinate with every outfit for your summer events. I had so much fun with this project I’ve already got two pairs ready for a stroll on the boardwalk!

decorate flip flops with buttons

Don’t waste any time…the beach is waiting! Grab a Button Bonanza bag and a pair of flip flops to start creating your summer wardrobe today!

Decorate Flip Flops with Buttons by Anaya Whye for Buttons Galore & More - Easy project that is a great way to create a custom summer wardrobe!

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Get Festive with a Shaker Card Inspired Bag!

Hello Everyone! This is Katie from the Buttons Galore & More Design Team and today I have a unique but simple project for you guys to make this summer!

Today I will be showing you how to update an old crossbody bag by adding shaker elements onto the bag! What does that mean you ask? Well, if a shaker card and a crossbody bag got together, my project would be the final result. In today’s project, I will be showing you how to incorporate those shaker card elements into a bag. I will also be showing you how you can update a bag with items from the 28 Lilac Lane Embellishment Kit in Stardust.

In addition, I decided to go with a red, white, and blue theme for my crossbody bag. However, you can choose any type of theme and choose any type of bag style for this project. Just make sure that the bag doesn’t have any big embellishments on the outside and that the bag is cleaned (both inside and out) before you begin the project.

With all that in mind, below is the supplies that you will need to make this project!

Supplies Needed: 

Step 1: Determine where you want the shaker elements to be on your bag. When doing this you will want to look for a ”small area” which is flat and that doesn’t interfere which any other components of the bag.

Once you have determined where you want the shaker elements to be, it is time to measure. Measure one area of the bag and then cut out 2 pieces of page protector which fit in that area. Then take your We R Memory Keepers Fuse Tool and fuse the sides and bottom of the 2-page protector pieces together. With that being said, make sure you leave the top of the page protector open.  When you’re done, you should have created a little shaker pouch.

Repeat this step if you are creating more than one shaker element for your bag.

Step 2:  Fill up the shaker pouch that you created in step 1 with buttons, sequins, and seed beads. For my two shaker pouches, I filled them up with buttons, sequins and seed beads from the 28 Lilac Lane Embellishment Kit in Stardust. I also used buttons from the Patriotic Value Pack and sequins/seed beads from the 28 Lilac Lane Sequin & Seed Bead Mixes in Stars & Stripes.

Once you have filled up your shaker pouches, fuse the top together so all your buttons, sequins, and seed beads are sealed in.

Step 3: Using some E6000, apply some glue onto the back of your shaker pouches and then adhere them to your bag. Then to cover up the edges of the shaker pouches, glue some ribbon around the edges of the pouch.

Once you are happy with the placement/look of your shaker pouches, set your bag aside to dry.

Step 4: Now it is time to decorate the rest of your bag! Grab all your different embellishments and begin playing around with how you want them to look on your bag. For example, I replaced the handles on my zippers with the star charms from the 28 Lilac Lane Embellishment Kit in Stardust. I also used the pearls from that kit to decorate the top of my bag along with some star buttons from the Patriotic Value Pack.

No matter how you decorate your bag, make sure you glue down your buttons with some E6000 and to set the bag aside to dry.

Once the glue on your bag has completely dried, you are now ready to wear it!

I loved how this bag turned out and think it would be so cute to wear to a barbecue! With that being said, I would recommend that you wear your shaker bag to functions which are more laid back. For example, a barbecue, going to the thrift store, and so forth.

If you made this shaker bag, what 28 Lilac Lane items would you use?

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Give Your Buttons Beautifully with Faux Vintage Button Cards

Hi! It’s Connie here with my first post for the Buttons Galore & More design team! Today I am sharing a fun project using Button Galores’ “Patriot” Button Tote to make faux vintage button cards and a tote to store them.

Inspired by the navy, natural, deep red and white buttons in the tote, I created a button bag along with hand stamped faux vintage button cards. The buttons are beautiful and look gorgeous on the button cards! This isn’t a difficult project, just a project that requires time. The end result is a beautiful button bag, full of custom assembled faux vintage button cards, that can be used as a decorative way to store buttons, add them to projects, or for giving the buttons as gifts to fellow crafters.

faux vintage button cards with tote

Supplies needed:

The button cards were created using a button card stamp and beautiful buttons from Buttons Galore. Each card has a sample of the buttons that are included in the Patriot Button Tote. No card is alike, as each is created with different buttons. Each button is hand sewn on the card, for easy access and future use. They are created just like the faux vintage button cards (well almost)! Button cards come in all sizes – these are about 2.5″ X 3″. There is plenty of room to mix large buttons with small or medium buttons on the button cards. These are a great gift idea for a crafter or sewist who is crazy about buttons!

faux vintage button cards

The burlap bag is stitched with some scraps of material and more buttons, after all, it is a button bag. The embellishment layers are hand stitched, to the burlap, on the front of the button bag. The button cards fit nicely in the bag. and will work as a great storage idea or a gift that will be loved.

tote for faux vintage button cards

The finished project, with the faux vintage button cards inside the button bag, is all ready to tuck in a gift bag for a special gift!

Faux Vintage Button Cards in a tote - great for gift giving, storage, or using right on mixed media and paper craft projects!

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Make Patriotic Hoop Wall Art with 28 Lilac Lane [free download]

Summer time is kicking up into full gear and July 4th will be here before you know it! Red, white and blue and backyard BBQs are on the horizon! This little patriotic hoop is a great way to get started on those patriotic decorations.

Patriotic Hoop Wall Art

Supplies Needed:

Patriotic Hoop Wall Art

This patriotic hoop features the Stars & Stripes sequin & bead mix that is a mix of larger blue beads, small and large sequins, star sequins and smaller seed beads and glitter. I used the blue beads and sequins to create beaded thread for my hoop.

To get started: take about a yard of each thread; using only 1 strand of the blue divisible floss. Thread all three colored threads onto your needle and pick up different bits of the sequin and beads and push them along down your thread. Continue until you have distributed the beads and sequins sporadically along the thread. They don’t need to be in any sort of order, just make sure that they are spaced out well.

Patriotic Hoop Wall Art

Find a sunny spot and transfer your embroidery pattern onto your fabric. Use three strands of the blue embroidery floss (#336) and backstitch the text. Lay your beaded thread on one of the star lines and with the white cotton perle, use a couching stitch to sew down the beaded thread along the outline of the star. Couch your beaded thread around the star two times.

To finish your hoop you can wrap it in a mix of blue and red fabrics, as I did, or you could even paint the hoop. Set your finished piece inside the hoop, trim your fabric about one inch from the edge of the hoop and hot glue it to the inside.

Patriotic Hoop Wall Art

This patriotic hoop wall art is a great project for even a beginner at embroidery. It’s one that looks like it took hours and advanced skills, but is made up of basic embroidery stitches and techniques and can easily be finished in an afternoon!

patriotic hoop wall art using 28 Lilac Lane sequin & bead mix. Design by Aimee Davis for www.buttonsgaloreandmore.net - easy embroidery project for 4th of July.

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Announcing…the new Buttons Galore Design Team!

We’re so excited today to be able to share with you the members of our new Buttons Galore & More design team!

We’d like to thank all of the fabulous designers who applied. It was an honor to review your applications.

In the end, we selected six designers for the team, all immensely talented ladies who work in a variety of different crafts and styles. We look forward to sharing their work with you in the next few months, and hope that you love them as much as we do!

2017 Spring Buttons Galore Team

So, without further ado…here they are…your Spring 2017 Buttons Galore team!


 

Aimee Davis

Aimee Davis

Aimee says: “I come from a long line of women makers. I sleep under quilts that my grandmother made, my head rests on pillowcases that my aunt embroidered, and my memories are full of time spent watching my mom and grandmother create. The majority of my sewing and embroidery skills are self-taught, and I’d like to think there is a little bit of genetic love seeping through.”

Follow Aimee at her blog, her instagram, and her Pinterest to learn more about her!


Anaya Whye

Anaya Whye

Anaya enjoys designing jewelry, paper crafts, and home decor items embellished with colorful buttons. In 2007, she started YanaDesigns.com to share her love for fun projects and creative craft ideas.

Follow her at her website, her Facebook, her Instagram or her Pinterest to learn more about her.


Connie Mercer

Connie Mercer

Connie says: I am a wife and a mom. I am also “Nini” to six beautiful “grands”. I have been a crafter for over 30 years and still love the creative process. Looking forward to getting crafty with Buttons Galore & More.

Follow Connie at her blog, her instagram, or her Pinterest to learn more about her!


Katie King

Katie King

Katie King is a DIY blogger, who believes that crafting should be simple, fun, and unique! She started her blog, Running with a Glue Gun, in order to share her DIY projects and to meet other people who loved to craft! On Running with a Glue Gun she shares DIY tutorials, writes craft product reviews, and shares crafting tips. Her overall goal is to spread the word that you don’t need a ton of money to create an awesome, one-of-kind project!

Follow Katie at her blog, her Facebook page, her instagram, or her Pinterest to learn more about her!


Kelli Stradling

Kelli Stradling

After studying Culinary Arts in Portland Oregon, Kelli went back home to the sunny South West where she decided she wanted to do different kinds of Art. This busy mom of three spends all of her available free time creating in her Craft Shack “she shed” where she can be found burning wood, repurposing old stuff, crafting, sewing, and painting just about anything she can get her hands on.

Follow Kelli at her blog, her Facebook page, her instagram, and her Pinterest to learn more about her.


Lorrie McCullers

Lorrie McCullers

My name is Lorrie McCullers and I am an avid crafter. I have loved crafting with paper since I was a kid — who knew that making collages from magazine cut-outs and playing with stickers would lead me to my life-long passion? I am an AFCI Designer Member and currently serve as a brand ambassador for several crafting companies. In addition to crafts, I love to travel, read, and geek out to several sci-fi TV shows.

Follow Lorrie on her blog, her Facebook page, her instagram, and her Pinterest to learn more about her.


Congratulations again, and welcome to the new Buttons Galore team! We look forward to seeing their work on the blog in June!

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Embellish a Fiesta Birthday Card!

We’ve got birthdays on the brain around here in May. 28 Lilac Lane designer May Flaum was inspired to make her celebration a fiesta, with a card that features a watercolor pinata and a shower of 28 Lilac Lane embellishments!

Fiesta Birthday Card

Wondering what supplies May used? Here’s a look at her list:

This fiesta birthday card by May is so fun and easy to make – for the complete how to, check out her video tutorial below!

Did you notice that something was missing from the video? Here’s May’s explanation for that step that you don’t see in the video…

I did add the pink splatter you see here after filming. Intentional? Not quite… I was cleaning up spilled a bit then said oh to heck with it and went wild! Just a reminder you can always make it work.

Yes, even the fabulous May Flaum has crafting accidents! But as she proves with this cute fiesta birthday card, you can go from “whoops” to wonderful if you just are flexible and think creatively.

Fiesta birthday card close-up

This fiesta birthday card uses the pink and orange tones of the “Fruity Fun” embellishment bottle. But with a change of background cardstock and by using different colors of watercolors, you could make this design work with almost any of the 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles. How about the pink and green of Savannah Stroll, or the red, turquoise blue and green of the appropriately named Fiesta? Pick your favorite colors and make May’s fiesta birthday card your own!

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Happy National Scrapbook Day!

It’s National Scrapbook Day and we are sure celebrating here at Buttons Galore!

Everything’s on Sale!

First up, don’t miss our fabulous sale in our online store! We’re giving 25% off storewide when you use coupon code “NSDFREE” – plus as always on our website you’ll get free U.S. shipping on orders over $30.

NSD Sale Graphic

This means you can stock up on our colorful new mason jars, get those Button Bonanzas for summer kids projects, or score some beautiful new 28 Lilac Lane for your mixed media projects – all at great prices and with free shipping (over $30).

The sale runs through tomorrow (Sunday) but don’t delay – grab your favorite item before it sells out!

But wait….there’s more!

It wouldn’t be National Scrapbook Day without a giveaway…so make sure to stop by and follow our Facebook and Instagram accounts so you don’t miss out, because later today (Saturday) we’ll be running a giveaway on each of those sites!

Need some ideas of what to do with your new buttons, sequins and charms? Make sure to check out our Pinterest page to get loads of great 28 Lilac Lane and button project ideas!

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Quick Flower Banners for a Girl’s Room

Buttons are a great way to add detail to home decor projects. This flower banner project uses them to finish off the flowers and banners that make a plain valance into a pretty accent for a girl’s room.

Flower Banner

Supplies:

My daughter’s room has had this simple white valance since I first designed her nursery before she was born. She’s nearly 14 now, and it seemed time to change it up a bit. She loves everything with flowers, so I thought a flower banner would be an easy and fun way to add some more color to her room.

Flower Banner-1480

To make this flower banner, cut the number of triangle banners you think that you’ll need from burlap or cotton fabric. Die cut the flowers from felt and  hot glue them to the front of the banners. Hot glue a button into each flower center to finish it.

Cut a length of jute twine that is long enough for your window. Fold over the top of each banner, lay the string into the crease, and hot glue the fold down. Once all of the banners are glued onto the string, finish each banner with two buttons.

Flower Banner-1478

If you are decorating on a budget – or even if you aren’t – this is a great way to add some style to a simple valance. And because it isn’t permanent, it can be easily removed for washing the valance, or redecorating. Make one today!

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A Crazy Bird Told Me…It’s Graduation Time!

Graduation season is here! Just because the big day is a formal affair, that doesn’t mean that the cards can’t have some fun. Our 3D buttons dress up this bird so he’s ready for the walk across the stage!

Crazy Bird Graduation Card

Supplies Needed:

This card uses our 3D buttons as accessories for some crazy stamped characters! This character gets a whole new dimension – literally – with a fun button graduation hat and his own button diploma.

To make this card, select a card base in one of the graduate’s school colors. (You’ll want to choose the darker of the two school colors for the card base.)

Cut a 3.75″ by 5″ piece of watercolor cardstock and adhere it centered on the cardfront. Use watercolors in the lighter of the two school colors to paint a block along the bottom of the paper. Stamp the sentiments at the top and bottom in waterproof ink, and then stamp the bird in the middle.

Crazy Bird Grad Card close-up

Use the watercolors to paint in the bird. (I used the yellow school color for the bird’s wings to hold the diploma.) Then cut the shanks off of the graduation hat and diploma buttons, and adhere them to your bird.

This bird will put a smile on the face of your special grad while bringing your good wishes to them! Happy Graduation, Class of 2017!

Easy Graduation Card using 3D buttons from www.buttonsgaloreandmore.com

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Celebrate True Love with a Wedding Shaker Card!

Shaker cards aren’t just a way to celebrate birthdays…they can also be a beautiful way to celebrate a more formal occasion like a wedding! This wedding shaker card pairs a sparkly shaker mix with a doily and die cut heart to celebrate the love of a special couple.

Wedding Shaker Card

Supplies Needed:

  • 28 Lilac Lane “Rose Garden” Shaker Mix
  • Crate Paper “Chasing Dreams” 6×6 paper pad
  • Die Cut machine
  • Sheet protector (or Fuse Tool & Fuseable Pouch)
  • Foam Adhesive Tape
  • Red Liner Tape
  • Colorbox Gold Pigment Ink
  • My Sentiments Exactly “handwritten sentiments” stamps
  • 6×6 card base (made with 6×12 cardstock)

This shaker card features our versatile 28 Lilac Lane “Rose Garden” Shaker Mix that is a mix of gold, clear, pink, and green sequins, pink beads, and pink buttons to create the perfect shaker mix! Use this mix for occasions like weddings, to welcome a baby girl, or for a special birthday message.

28 Lilac Lane Rose Garden

Making this wedding shaker card is simple. Just die cut the doily for the card front, and then die cut the same heart shape out of both the doily and green layer of the card so they can be layered to create the card front with the shaker window. Glue the two pieces together and flip them over.

Using either a scrap of page protector or a Fuseable Pouch and Fuse tool, create a pouch that is slightly larger than the shaker window opening. Fill it about 1/2 full with the 28 Lilac Lane “Rose Garden” Shaker Mix, and then seal it with red liner tape or a Fuse Tool. Then use red liner tape to attach it to the back of the card front so that it shows through the shaker window.

Wedding Shaker Card

To finish the wedding shaker card, attach the pink paper to the card base. Then use foam tape to attach the shaker card layer on top of the pink layer. Finally, cut a 1/2″ strip of paper and stamp the sentiment on it. Snip the ends into a banner and attach it with foam tape for dimension.

Wedding Shaker Card

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Sew a DIY Button Headband for a Pretty Accessory!

Adding buttons is a beautiful way to add some color and detail to just about any clothing item. On this button headband that I made for my daughter, the buttons create a pretty pink contrast to the turquoise and add some shine and texture.

Button Headband

Supplies Needed:

This project is a great way to use up scraps! To begin, I cut a 14.75″ x 4″ piece of quilt fabric. Then I cut a 13.5″ x 3″ piece of the interfacing. I then took them to my ironing board and followed the package directions to fuse the interfacing centered onto the back of the fabric. Before turning my iron off, I folded the piece in half along its length and ironed that fold in place as well.

Button Headband

Then I returned to my sewing table and got out my ruler and a fabric marking pencil. I marked dots 3″ from the ends of the interfacing on each side, and marked a .75″ wide measurement centered in the middle of the interfacing’s narrow end. Then I used these markings to draw lines to follow to create the taper on the ends of the headband. I also made some markings to show where my sewing should stop on the long edge that isn’t folded, so that the headband could be turned right side out.

Button Headband

Next I measured around my daughter’s head and figured out how much elastic it would take to make the headband fit her nicely. To figure this out, I took the measurement of her head and subtracted the length of the interfacing (which would be about the finished length of the headband). That gave me the distance that the elastic needed to cover. Then I added about a half inch to that number and cut my elastic to length.

I laid my elastic inside the folded fabric with the ends sticking out between the two lines that I had drawn. I then pinned it into place to hold it securely into position while I sewed.

Button Headband

I then sewed on the lines I had drawn and across the end of the headband, reversing across the elastic a few times to make it extra secure.

Then, I pulled the fabric so it was bunched up on one end of the elastic, positioned the other end of the elastic, and pinned it in place to sew.

Button Headband

When I was done, I was left with a fabric tube with a hole in the side that was being gathered up by the elastic inside of it.

Button Headband

I used the opening I had left to turn the headband right side out, and after a bit of pressing, was able to fold under the raw edges of the opening and pin them together.

Button Headband

To seal the opening and make the edges of my button headband lie nice and flat, I topstitched around all the way around the edges on my headband. My headband was done…but very plain!

So to fix that, I sat down with a container of the “Strawberry Cheesecake” Color Blend buttons. These shades of pink range from bubblegum to barely there, but all are gorgeous! They are perfect for projects for little girls (and big girls) of any age. I got out a needle and thread, and one and a time sewed a row of buttons along the length of the headband. Yes, by doing this step last the sewing will show on the back side of the headband, but it won’t be visible while being worn. And doing the sewing after the headband is finished makes it easier to ensure the buttons end up exactly in the center, which is a detail that will be seen.

Button Headband

This button headband project is slightly time-consuming but definitely worth the effort! My daughter doesn’t want to take off her beautiful new accessory, and buying a similar one in stores would be much more costly. DIY a button headband for someone special today!

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Make a Pretty Button Flower Card for Mother’s Day!

The spring flowers are in bloom, and Mother’s Day will be here before you know it! So why not combine the two to make a pretty button flower card for mom for Mother’s Day?

Button Flower Card for Mother's Day

Supplies Needed:

This 5″ by 7″ button flower card is super simple to make but so cute! And it’s so easy to make that it would make a great kids’ project for the holiday.

To start this card project, cut a 10″ by 7″ piece of white cardstock and fold in half along the 10″ edge to create your card base.

Cut a 2.5″ by 7″ piece of cardstock from the scraps of the white sheet. Select buttons from the Glam Girl Button Bonanza to make your button flowers with. Then, using the PPA Matte Adhesive, adhere the buttons in place using dots of glue. Set the flower strip aside to dry.

While the glue dries, cut a 1.5″ by 7″ strip of paper for the top of the card, and a 2″ by 7″ strip of paper for the bottom. Adhere them in place along the top and bottom of the card front.

Stamp “Happy Mother’s Day” on a yellow cardstock scrap in dark blue ink. Trim the cardstock to slightly larger in size than the sentiment.

After the glue on the flowers is dry, adhere the flower strip in place across the card front. Glue the sentiment block down on the right side of the card front, over the seam between the flower strip and the bottom patterned paper.

Button Flower Card for Mothers Day

This card design is so versatile! Just by changing the sentiment, the design could also be used for a thank you card, or for a birthday, or for a variety of other occasions. It’s a classic that you can use over and over! To create a smaller card, just use smaller sizes of buttons. With theGlam Girl Button Bonanza bag, you can make this beautiful button flower card over and over!

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Say Congratulations with a Button Balloon Card!

This time of year means graduations, and all sorts of other occasions for which congratulations are in order. Running out of time to make cards for all of them? Just dive into your Button Bonanza bags and dig out some of the largest buttons to make balloons!

Congratulations Button Balloon Card

Supplies:

I used the “primary” Button Bonanza bag for this but the beauty of a simple design like this is that you could use any color scheme that works for your occasion. For a graduation or sports-related occasion, use school colors! Recent graduate got a new job? Make your balloons the recipient’s favorite colors or their new employer’s corporate colors. With our huge palette of Button Bonanza colors, the options are endless!

Button Balloon Card

To make this card, select the buttons that you want to use and arrange them to make a row of “balloons”. Before you glue them down, nudge them up just slightly to get a pen in to draw your “string” lines and bows. Then use clear drying adhesive like PPA Matte Adhesive to glue the buttons down so that it looks like the strings are tied to their bottoms.

For the final step, get out a handwritten sentiment stamp (or a pen if you are braver than I am) and use black ink to stamp the sentiment in the lower right corner of the card front.

Button Balloon Card

Send some button balloons to someone special!

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Announcing the Buttons Galore Spring 2017 Design Team Call!

Do you like to make things with pretty buttons, beads, and sequins? You might be the perfect match for the new Buttons Galore design team!

Design Team Call

Our new design team members will be working with our traditional and practical Buttons Galore brand products as well as our trendy 28 Lilac Lane line. We’ll show your creations to the world via our blog and social media channels. You’ll get exciting free products and programs to earn cash bonuses, as well as the possibility to develop partnerships for teaching and other professional opportunities.

We’re looking for four designers  (crafters of all kinds are welcome) with great blogs and engaged social media followings who want to share their talents using beautiful buttons, beads, sequins, and other embellishments! Successful applicants should have versatile craft skills, photograph projects well, be able to follow instructions, and be prompt with deadlines.

Responsibilities:

  • Serve a 6 month term (6/1 to 11/30)
  • Create 2 projects with accompanying articles per month for our blog
  • Link on your blog to our blog (design team member blog badge provided)
  • Share your Buttons Galore projects on your social media

Benefits:

  • Receive a monthly product shipment – including product you choose yourself!
  • Participate in our affiliate program with a special commission rate
  • Submit your work for publication with our products and earn cash bonuses through our design team pay-for-publication program
  • Earn by selling us your original projects to use for display at trade shows and events
  • Display your profile and blog link on our blog
  • Plus many more possible opportunities!

Application deadline is Midnight eastern time on April 30th, 2017.

To apply for the team, send the following information via email to nancy@nallystudios.com with subject line “BGM Team Spring 2017”:

Name:
Address:
Email:
Blog Address:
Facebook Account:
Instagram Account:
Twitter Account:
Pinterest Account:
Current Design Teams:
Previous Design Teams:
What Types of Crafts You Do Regularly:
Tell us about yourself:

Notification of new team members will be made on or about May 8th, and the new team will be announced on or about May 12th.

We look forward to working with our new team members!

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Use Trendy Circles for Making an Easy Birthday Card!

Circles are trendy right now – and they are a perfect match for buttons! This five minute card project pairs circles, buttons and a retro style patterned paper to create a look for an easy birthday card that is quirky and fun!

Button Circle Easy Birthday Card

Supplies Needed:

To make this easy birthday card, select a blank card base and use black ink to stamp a sentiment in the lower right hand corner. I chose a birthday sentiment for my card, but this card design is really suitable for a variety of occasions: hello, cheer, thank you, and many others. Simply choose a sentiment suitable for your desired occasion!

Cut a piece of paper to 5 1/2″ by 3 3/8″. Get out your circle punches and punch about a half dozen random holes in it. Adhere it across the card front, just above the sentiment.

Select buttons that fit in each of the circles and glue them down with a clear drying white glue such as PPA Matte. Try to pay attention to color balance when selecting your buttons – don’t choose too many large buttons the same color or use too many buttons close together in one area of the card that are the same color.

Button Circle Easy Birthday Card

When the glue dries, your card is ready to be put in an envelope and delivered! This easy birthday card project would also be great for doing with kids to make teacher thank you cards for the end of the school year, And the color scheme possibilities are as endless as our Button Bonanzas…check them out and get inspired!

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Easy DIY Flower Placemat for Easter & Mother’s Day

Spring means lots of special occasions! This flower placemat design is great for Easter, Mother’s Day, or for making a birthday girl feel extra special – and it’s super quick and easy to make!

Easy DIY Flower Placemat

This flower placemat uses supplies from the popular 28 Lilac Lane “Tropical Twist” kit. You can tell that it’s definitely one of my favorites since many of the supplies are used from it! Although the name of this kit, and its themed charms, are definitely summer themed, this project is a great reminder to look at your kits not just as themes but as color palettes as well.

Easy Floral Placemat color palette

Supplies Needed:

To start making this flower placemat, get out a large needle. Thread it with the baker’s twine from the Tropical Twist kit, and stitch around the outside edge of the placemat. (I recommend doing this is several short lengths to avoid abusing your twine and for efficiency.) To make more than one placemat, use embroidery floss for this step as the kit only contains enough twine for one.

Next, use a flower die to cut flowers out of felt (or hand cut your own). Use scissors to hand cut the leaves.

Easy Floral Placemat close-up

Position your flowers, and select buttons from the Tropical Twist kit to create their centers. Stitch through both the buttons and the flowers with a needle and embroidery floss to attach the flowers to the placemat. Use a needle and thread that matches the felt to stitch the leaves in place under the edges of the flowers as well.

Easy Floral Placemat close-up

Whether the occasion is Easter, Mother’s Day, or something else…this flower placemat will definitely brighten your spring table!

Flower Placemat graphic

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You’ll Love This Button Heart Pillow!

Buttons are a great embellishment for home decor projects – especially pillows! On my button heart pillow project, I used some gray buttons to create the third shape in a trio of hearts.

Button Heart Pillow

Supplies Used for Button Heart Pillow:

  • Buttons Galore “Silver Gray” Button Basics
  • Canvas Fabric – 17″ x 36″
  • Cotton Fabric Scraps – approximately 10″ x 10″ and 6″ x 6″
  • 16″ Pillow Form
  • Die Cut Machine (optional)
  • Therm O Web HeatnBond UltraHold Iron-On Fabric Adhesive (optional)
  • Fabric Marking Pencil
  • Needle & gray thread
  • Sewing machine (optional but preferred)

This button heart pillow project utilizes on of our versatile Button Basics bags of buttons. These bags contain approximately 150 two and four hole buttons between 1/2″ – 7/8″ in size, and come in a variety of colors. The beautiful color used today is Silver Gray, a lovely neutral shade of medium gray.

How to Make a Button Heart Pillow:

To start your button heart pillow, cut a piece of canvas fabric to 17″ by 36″ in size to serve as your pillow cover. This pillow cover is made using the envelope method, so it is removable to wash, clean, or to replace the pillow form.

Next select two fabrics, one for the large heart and one for the small heart. Cut the fabric to the sizes indicated in the supply list. Then, following the package instructions, iron the Therm O Web HeatnBond to the back of the two pieces of fabric. (Skip this step if you are going to hand cut your hearts and then sew them onto your pillow)

To cut out the heart shapes, there are two options. One is to create the hearts on your electronic die cutting machine and cut them out of the fabric that way. (That is what I did.) The other option is to draw them and cut them out by hand.

Place the hearts so the design they create is centered approximately vertically and horizontally on the canvas fabric. Iron them to adhere with the iron on adhesive. (Or pin in place and then sew them on if you are using that method.)

Next, draw or die cut and trace a third heart shape to serve as the outline for the button heart. Using a fabric marking pencil, trace that heart onto the pillow cover. This heart will serve as the lines to follow for placing buttons.

Hand sew buttons along the line of the heart design, keeping them centered on the traced line. Use smaller buttons at the angled parts of the heart, to avoid the buttons being too close together and making the lines indistinct.

After the buttons are completed, fold over and hem the short sides of the fabric so that the raw edge of the fabric is on the side away from the hearts. Lay the fabric out with the design facing up. Measure 15.5″ across the front of the design on the long axis of the fabric, centering the measurement on the design. Put a pin in the fabric on each side of the design where the 15.5″ extends to.

Using the pins as your fold lines, fold the long edges of the pillow in over the design to make a square. They should overlap, forming the opening that will let the pillow form in and out. Pin and then stitch a 3/4″ seam along the raw edges.

Clip the four corners, and turn the pillow cover right side out. Insert a pillow form and you are done!

(If you need more instruction on how to assemble an envelope pillow cover, there are plenty of great tutorials available for searching on Pinterest.)

Button Heart Pillow

This simple design can be adapted to plenty of decor styles and colors! In bright colors, it would be perfect for a teenage girl’s room. Do it in Valentine’s Day colors for a seasonal look. What will you heart doing with a button heart pillow?

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Spring & Easter Project Round-Up

Springtime is a great time for crafting! There’s so many occasions to craft for, and spring flowers are so inspiring. Here’s a sampling of some of our favorite past spring and Easter crafts from the blog to get you inspired!

Spring Crafts Round-Up

Flower Embellished Tote

This mixed media tote by designer Melony Bradley uses dyed cotton strips to make flowers and then finishes them off with buttons! There’s no mistakes, or right or wrong way to create this beautiful spring garden that will earn compliments wherever you take it.

Button Flowers Wall Decor

Pretty little blooms button flower picture by Jen Goode

If you are looking for a way to bring some bright spring flowers inside without bringing sneezy pollen with them, try some buttons! These pretty little blooms by designer Jen Goode are easy to make and oh-so-springy!

Spring Zip Pouch

You can travel in style with your essentials in the button embellished zip tote that I made from bright spring colors using a simple pattern. It also makes for a wonderful gift for mom or a new graduate!

Vintage Garden Card

Spring flowers don’t have to mean bright colors…designer Keri Lee Sereika used gold buttons to create flowers for a beautiful vintage look on this handmade card! Send this card for a touch of more formal cheer on any occasion.

Easter Table Display

Bunny in a Button Jar

Speaking of vintage, do you have vintage (or vintage looking) Easter figurines that you would like to keep little fingers off of? Designer Dana Gustafson’s mason jar displays filled with buttons in the bottom are the perfect way to display them beautifully and safely!

Easter Egg Treat Pouches

Mini felt Easter Egg treat pouches

Designer Jen Goode has a fun way to decorate those special Easter treats – and these felt Easter treat pouches are so easy to make that the kids can help, too. Use them year after year and make a new family tradition!

Whatever spring craft that you choose, don’t forget to stock up on all of your favorite colors of buttons before you start!

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Embellish an Easter Egg Card with 28 Lilac Lane

Embellishing an Easter egg card is a great reason to get out your 28 Lilac Lane embellishments and go crazy with color. The flat back pearls and buttons in our embellishment bottles will have your Easter egg card shining like a jewel!

Easter Egg Card

supplies needed:

One of the great things about having a large selection of 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles on hand is the ability to mix and match them to create colorful projects like this Easter egg card! By combining small amounts from five different bottles, I was able to create a jeweled effect on my Easter egg that allows the egg to stand as the entire design of the card.

How to Make An Embellished Easter Egg Card

Locate a decorative Easter egg design in your die cut machine software. (If your machine doesn’t have this particular design, it will certainly have a similar design that can be embellished in the same manner. Look for a design with lots of straight lines or wide spaces that can be filled with embellishments.)

Cut the Easter egg design out of cardstock scraps, and assemble with glue. Then glue the assembled Easter egg to the front of a coordinating blank card base.

Using 28 Lilac Lane embellishments that coordinate with each area of the Easter egg card design, add rows of embellishments to the card with a liquid adhesive like PPA Matte.

Finish the card with a sentiment sticker in the lower right.

Easter egg card

This is a great project for kids and grown-ups to do together….make the cards and then let the kids do the decorating!

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Embellish a Spring Butterfly Card with 28 Lilac Lane

It’s officially spring, so let’s use some 28 Lilac Lane to create a butterfly card to send some spring greetings with!

Butterfly Card

Supplies needed:

  • 28 Lilac Lane “Love Story” embellishment kit
  • PPA Matte Adhesive
  • card base
  • smooth cream cardstock
  • foam adhesive
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Abandoned Coral, Weathered Wood, & Peeled Paint
  • Graphic 45 “Nature’s Sketchbook” 6×6 paper pad
  • Hero Arts “Many Everyday Messages” stamps
  • Hero Arts “Newsprint Butterfly” stamp

This butterfly card uses the “Love Story” kit by 28 Lilac Lane. With cream ribbon, heart charms, and embellishments in shades of red, pink & white, this kit is as versatile as it is gorgeous! Although at first glance this kit is a Valentine’s Day, wedding, or “I love you” themed kit, projects like this one are a great reminder to look at the kits for the colors of their contents as well as their themes.

28 Lilac Lane Love Story embellishment kitTo start making this butterfly card, cut a piece of green patterned paper to 4.25″ by 5.5″, ink the edges, and adhere it to the card base.

Cut a piece of blue patterned paper to 3.75″ by 5″ and ink the edges. Tie the ribbon ends together, and then secure the ribbon around the back side of the blue patterned paper. Adhere the blue patterned paper panel to the card front.

Butterfly Card close-up

Stamp the butterfly and card sentiment on cream cardstock. Cut out the butterfly. Trim the sentiment into a 5/8″ wide strip, and snip the ends to make a banner.

Adhere the sentiment banner to the top left of the card front, and glue a button on top of it.

Squeeze a strip of glue down onto the body of the butterfly, and then layer seed beads on top of it. Once the glue is dry, use foam adhesive to attach the butterfly to the card front.

Butterfly card

And your butterfly card is all finished, except to choose someone special to send it to!

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Embellish Some Watercolor Spring Flowers with 28 Lilac Lane!

Spring has sprung. Watercolor spring flowers embellished with beautiful touches of 28 Lilac Lane are a perfect home decor project.

Watercolor Spring Flowers Frame

Supplies:

  • 28 Lilac Lane Tropical Twist Kit
  • PPA Matte Adhesive
  • 5×7 watercolor paper
  • Stampendous “Cling Daisy Mix” stamps
  • Tim Holtz “Flower Garden” stamps
  • embossing ink
  • clear embossing powder
  • waterbrushes
  • watercolors

This watercolor spring flowers project uses tangerine colored flat back pearls and sequins from the 28 Lilac Lane “Tropical Twist” embellishment kit. Tropical Twist is a summery blend of yellow, orange and green citrus shades, with some delightful flamingo pink accents! With all of the seed beads, pearls, sequins, buttons, trim and charms, Tropical Twist is sure to have the perfect touch to make your project hot, hot, hot!

28 Lilac Lane Tropical Twist Kit

This project looks complex but is super easy to make thanks to a shortcut: stamps. To create this design, simply use flower stamp sets to stamp your desired design in clear embossing ink on watercolor paper. Then heat emboss the design with clear embossing powder.

Once the design is embossed, you have a virtually foolproof way of making your own watercolor painting! Simply use a fine detail water brush to color in the design with your watercolors, following the embossed lines as a guide. Any color that gets on the embossed lines can be simply wiped away to keep them clean!

After filling in the design of your watercolor spring flowers, switch to a large water brush to fill in the background with some watery color.

watercolor spring flowers

For the finishing touch on your watercolor spring flowers, add some 28 Lilac Lane embellishments to the center of them with a clear drying glue like PPA Matte adhesive. Using flat back pearls or sequins as “tiles” to fill a small area of a design is a great way to get some extra pop on a project. Our kits and embellishment bottles come with plenty of sequins and pearls, so there’s no worry about running out mid-project, either!

This winter has dragged on too long. Get out those watercolors, stamps and embellishments and craft it away with some watercolor spring flowers! (And don’t forget the Tropical Twist, too!)

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Wear a Hemp & Button Bracelet for Spring Break!

It’s spring break time in a lot of places and that means time to head for the beach! Let’s make some fun vacation jewelry just for the beach – a fun hemp & button bracelet!

Hemp Button Bracelet

Supplies:

  • Buttons Galore “Vacation” Button Tote
  • Hemptique “Sea Glass” Hemp Cord Assortment

This hemp & button bracelet uses one of our Buttons Galore Button Totes that is called (appropriately) Vacation.  It’s a fun mix of fuschia, turquoise, light orange, and light green.

Vacation Button Tote

Making this button bracelet is super fast and easy!

To start, choose a large button for the center of your bracelet. Select two coordinating medium sized buttons with four holes for the sides of your bracelet, and set them aside.

Cut two long lengths of hemp. Thread one length of hemp through one of the holes in the large button, and pull it through until the ends are even. Pull one end of the hemp tight, and start tying half knots around that strand with the other strand. Stop at ten knots, or adjust for your desired bracelet length. Repeat this process for the other side of your bracelet.

Place the smaller buttons onto the bracelet by threading each of the threads on each side through two of the holes in a button. Pull the button tight against the knotted section.

Finish your hemp & button bracelet by creating slipknots to create an adjustable and removable bracelet band, or just tie your bracelet on permanently until vacation is done!

How to Make A Hemp & Button Bracelet

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This Easy 3 Step Mixed Media Canvas is Fruity Fun!

Our fabulous 28 Lilac Lane designer May Flaum is at it again, showing us all the beautiful things that can be done with her exciting new 28 Lilac Lane products that were announced at Creativation in January! This time, it’s a mixed media canvas with a profusion of pink flowers that will brighten your day – especially if winter is dragging on a little longer than you’d like!

Fruity Fun Mixed Media Canvas by May Flaum

This surprisingly easy mixed media canvas project can be made in only three easy steps, with just a few supplies, and is easy to customize o a theme or color scheme for your home or occasion.

May’s project uses her fun new 28 Lilac Lane “Fruity Fun” embellishment bottle that features an assortment of shades of (what else?) fruity pink! These brilliant shades bring to mind summer berries, watermelon, a cool glass of punch, or  even flamingoes. It’s great for summer themes, flowers, and oh-so-many things!

28 Lilac Lane Fruity Fun

To see more of this mixed media canvas project – and get the full 3 step instructions – visit May’s blog. Also, don’t miss the challenge on the mixed media challenge blog this month that is based on this project! (Did I mention that there is a giveaway?)

Mixed Media Canvas close-up

Our “Fruity Fun” embellishment bottle is just one of six new 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles that are shipping now from our online store: Fruity Fun, Queen Bee, Fiesta, Gemstone, Stormy Skies, and Farmhouse. Get them all!

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Make an Altered Notebook Travel Journal

Travel journals are hot, and altering notebooks with mixed media is a great way to make them. In a recent journal project, 28 Lilac Lane designer May Flaum showed how her embellishment kits can make mixed media beautiful!

28 Lilac Lane travel journal by May Flaum

For this project, May used one of her brand new 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits that was just unveiled at the Creativation show in January. “Let’s Go” is a beautiful combination of turquoise, brown and butter yellow with a few touches of gold mixed in – plus a gorgeous camera charm!

lets go embellishment kit

To see how to make this travel journal cover, visit May’s blog, or watch May’s video below to see the step by step techniques that May used!

With beads, sequins, pearls, and buttons, 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits are a great match for mixed media techniques. Whether it’s a journal cover, a canvas, a scrapbook page, or another project…you’ll find just what you need in one of our handy embellishment kit boxes!

28 Lilac Lane travel journal by May Flaum

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Make a Wreath Card with Wisteria Hues Mix!

I’m so excited to tell you that the new 28 Lilac Lane products are shipping now – and are available in online shops like Ellen Hutson and Simon Says Stamp, as well as local stores!

Use Your Wings Card by May Flaum using 28 Lilac Lane Bead & Sequin Mixes

Today I’m playing with one of my personal favorites from the new products- the Wisteria Hues Bead & Sequin Mix!

My inspiration for creating this Wisteria Hues mix was my backyard wisteria, but the arrival of Mardi Gras season got me in the mood to choose this mini bottle to use first of the new ones. I love this particular mix and I’m excited to share it – and all of the rest – with 28 Lilac Lane fans.

Despite the name mini, there really isn’t anything “mini” about how much is packed into these bead & sequin bottles! They’re a great value, and so easy to travel with that you’ll want to collect them all!

Wisteria Hues Bead and Sequin Mix

This ‘messy wreath’ is so quick and easy- and so much fun to create! Watch the video below to see the steps of exactly how I made it.

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Make a Button Mosaic Sun for Your Walls!

Today we’re sharing another project from our booth at Creativation. This button mosaic sun that I created brought a little bit of my home in the sunshine state to the show floor in rainy Phoenix!

Button Mosaic Sun

This sun looks yellow, but we call it….mango! It’s made with our “Mango Madness” color blend of buttons. This blend of delightful shades of orange and yellow is perfect for sunshine-y projects of all kinds.

Mango Madness Color Blend

Although they don’t look at first like they are at all the same color palette, I combined the Mango Madness color blend with a 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottle called “Candy Corn“. I only used seed beads. flat back pearls, and sequins from the Candy Corn bottle. Used in small doses with these tiny items, the colors work well together.

candy corn embellishment bottleButton mosaics (or collages) are such a fun way to use buttons, and this one creates a beautiful piece of wall art home decor when you are done!

Button Sun Mosaic Construction

To get the full tutorial on how to make this piece of sunny wall art (or learn how to adapt this technique to make your own design), visit my website Craft Critique.

Sun Button Mosaic

This project can be adapted to a lot of different shapes…how about an apple for teacher? Or a heart or flower for a tween room? The possibilities are endless! What will you make?

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Scrapbook by Embellishing Pre-Designed Paper with 28 Lilac Lane Kits!

There’s many papers available for scrapbooking that are pre-designed to look already partially “done” as a layout. But how do you take those from looking flat to looking fantastic? The secret to fabulous scrapbook layouts is embellishing pre-designed paper with your 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits! And I’m going to show you exactly how to do it with this easy scrapbook layout from my recent trip to Paris.

Paris Scrapbook Layout

Supplies:

I started with a pre-designed background paper from DCWV. It is designed to look like a piece of ledger paper that has florals and several vintage elements layered on top of the left edge to frame it.

Because this paper comes from a paper stack, I was able to create practically the entire layout using pre-coordinated items from the stack. All of the paper items on the layout are cut from sheets in the same stack.

pre-designed paper background

That large brown vintage receipt ephemera was white space that was just begging to be filled! It was the perfect place to put my Eiffel Tower stamp, stamped in dark brown pigment ink to continue the vintage theme.

eiffel tower stamp on paris scrapbook layout background

But of course, a stamp is still flat – and I wanted to add some dimension to this area. So I grabbed my 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits, which are perfect for embellishing pre-designed paper! A few buttons and flat back pearls from the “Love Story” embellishment kit (along with a strip of tissue tape) were the perfect addition to finish off the area where I’d just stamped my Eiffel Tower.

At the very top edge of the page, I dabbed clear glue in the center of a few of the pink flowers and dropped a few pearl sequins on them to add a bit of shine and dimension to the flowers.

embellishing pre-designed paper

On the other side of the layout, I cut and arranged all of the paper elements. I stamped the Paris stamp with Shimmer ink, and used black pen to write my journaling (leaving room to put the charm on).

Once all the paper elements and the photo were in place, I tore and stuck down two pieces of tissue tape along the edges of the large pink block. These pieces served as grounding for my buttons.

I used button shank removers to cut the shank off of the large white filigree button from the Attic Findings kit, and glued it in place at the bottom of the layout. Then I selected a cream colored button from the same kit and adhered it at the top of the layout. Finally, I glued the heart charm from the “Love Story” kit onto the journaling block.

embellishing pre-designed paper

Having a selection of 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits on hand makes it so easy to scrapbook by embellishing pre-designed paper. Select a paper, grab the kit in the coordinating color scheme, and in minutes you can have a beautiful layout!

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Make a Button Heart Chicken Wire Memo Board!

It’s time to share more of our Creativation booth projects! Chicken wire is so trendy right now and, paired with a button collage, it makes a gorgeous memo board!

Button Heart Chicken Wire Memo Board

This bright and fun button collage memo board is great decor for a kid’s room or nursery, a craft studio, or for displaying old family photos at a wedding or baby shower!

Bubblegum Button Bonanza

To make this heart memo board, which is about 17″ tall, it only takes two bags of our “Bubblegum” Button Bonanza buttons! This fun mix includes several shades of pink from pastel to brilliant fuchsia mixed with some white buttons. It’s perfect for everything from little girl projects to spring flowers – and of course, hearts!

The shades of pink in “Bubblegum” make a beautiful button collage on this heart memo board. The shades create a wonderful visually textured look on the frame – and there’s no worry about color matching since the shades are already pre-coordinated!

Button Heart Chicken Wire Memo Board close up

This memo board was created completely from scratch, starting with a piece of 1/4″ birch plywood. But it’s easier than you think to make, with only a few basic tools and techniques. To get the full tutorial, click here!

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Don’t miss our Creativation Booth Projects!

One of our favorite things about attending shows is the chance for our staff and some talented craft designers to show off in our booth the beautiful range of possibility that can be created with Buttons Galore products. So today, for those who weren’t at Creativation, we’re going to give you a peek into our booth at the show to see all of the gorgeous inspiration we shared!

Buttons Galore Creativation 2017 booth

It may have been warm in Arizona, but inside the convention center it was snowing a blizzard in our booth! These snowflakes, created by Buttons Galore staff, show that buttons make gorgeous snowflakes of all sizes from tree ornaments to wall art.

Button Snowflake Wall Art

This American flag wall art piece, also created by Buttons Galore staff, combines our bulk buttons with our 3D decorative star buttons. It’s perfect for holiday decor for occasions like July 4th, or leave it up all year round for a patriotic touch of homespun decor.

button flag wall art

Speaking of special occasions, our decorative button grab bags are a beautiful and affordable option for creating decor for events like showers and weddings! This button cake, created by designer Jen Goode, is perfect for decorating a buffet table.

Button Cake Decorations

Love to entertain? Our decorative 3D buttons will make your tea time, cocktail hour, or coffee break oh so elegant! This tray project, by Buttons Galore staff, is quick and easy, too!

Button Tray

And let’s not forget our furry family members! Our booth went to the cats and dogs with these fun frames to display your favorite picture of your pet cat (by me) or dog (by 28 Lilac Lane designer May Flaum). For the instructions for the cat frame, click here.

Button Pet Picture Frames

If you’d rather hang your pet photo on the wall, try out this dog bone wall art project by Buttons Galore staff!

This button monogram is easy to make and perfect for a nursery or kids room! (Click here for instructions.) Or create an ombre heart wall art piece for someone special to remember you by. (Click here for instructions.)

Button Wall Art

It seems everyone is in love with butterflies this season, and we agree! Our wall art butterfly, made by Buttons Galore staff, is great decor for a kid’s or teen’s room.

Button Butterfly Wall Art

Text as wall art is very hot in home decor, and our staff decided to pay tribute to the greatest sentiment of all: love! These easy to make letters could be made in any colors to coordinate with the decor of a nursery or a shabby chic home decor.

LOVE button wall art

Our buttons are fabulous for working in mixed media, and designer Maura Hibbitts took them to canvas for us! This whimsical sea monster is full of texture and color!

button sea monster wall art

Last but not least, 28 Lilac Lane designer May Flaum shared her take on the 3D paper flower trend in our booth. Accented with a center of buttons, this flower will bring color and pattern to your walls or your party decor!

Flower Wall Art

We hope that you enjoyed this peek at some of our booth projects from Creativation! Thanks to all of you who visited to see them in person!

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28 Lilac Lane fun with May Flaum & Ellen Hutson!

We’re very excited to share today that Ellen Hutson is featuring our 28 Lilac Lane product line by May Flaum this month in their monthly Mix It Up Challenge, pairing their favorite products with their own Essentials by Ellen products!

As part of the challenge, 28 Lilac Lane designer May Flaum has shared two new fabulous projects on her blog that use her gorgeous new 28 Lilac Lane Unicorn Shaker Mix:

28 Lilac Lane Rainbow Unicorn Shaker Mix

May’s quick and fun cards pair watercolors with 28 Lilac Lane embellishments to send love for Valentine’s Day (or any day). The first one uses sequins to add “pop” to an Ellen Hutson flower stamp.

You're So Sweet Card by May Flaum

You’ll really “heart” the fun simplicity of her second card – a hand watercolored heart that is embellished with sequins! It’s a little bit artsy, a little bit whimsical, and a whole lot of fun. It’s easy enough that the kids can do it – but the grown-ups will want to as well!

To see the finished cards, instructions, and supply lists, check out May’s blog for all the details! And don’t miss the chance to enter the challenge on the Ellen Hutson blog – entries close on February 14th.

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Say “hello” with an Embellished Butterfly Card!

Today is “send a card to a friend” day. What better way to celebrate someone special in your life “just because” than with a sparkly embellished butterfly card?

Embellished Butterfly Card

Supplies:

One of my favorite things about creating with the 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles is that they come in an entire rainbow of colors. This means that there is always the perfect bottle for whatever paper collection I’m in love with at the moment. For this new Graphic 45 collection called Nature’s Sketchbook, I reached for “Birds of a Feather”. It’s a perfect match for the blue tones in the papers, and a great way to add pops of colorful sparkle to my metallic butterfly!

Embellished Butterfly card close-up

This metallic butterfly was created with a glue and metallic flake stamping technique from Indigo Blu. It creates an opaque image even on dark paper, perfect for creating visual pop.

The butterfly is gorgeous on its own but it needed some more color to make it coordinate better with the chipboard. Also, it needed more dimension so it wasn’t overwhelmed by the chipboard elements. The blue sequins and seed beads from “Birds of a Feather,” along with the white pearls, provide just the right touch to take the butterfly from simple to gorgeous!

Embellished Butterfly card detail

A few buttons from the bottle finish off the holes on several of the chipboard elements, and the whole thing is tied together beautifully! By mounting the black background on a blue card background, it keeps all of the embellishment contained and coordinated.

Embellished Butterfly Card

Who do you know that would love a blue and gold butterfly greeting? Flutter an embellished butterfly card their way!

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Butterfly Wall Art

Butterfly Wall Art 1Hi! It’s guest designer, Laura Bray. Are you in need of a little spring joy during this long winter? How about creating some cute, button encrusted butterflies to be used in wall art? These would also be really cute on gift wrap, pins, or hair clips too! Here’s how to make them…

Supplies:

Embellishment bottles and kits in the colors of your choice.
• Cardstock paper in colors that match your buttons colors.
• PVC glue

For framed artwork:

• White 8” x 10” frame
• Decorative scrapbook paper
• PVC glue

To create butterflies:

  1. From paper, cut butterfly shapes out. I drew my own, but you can also use a stencil or a die and die cut machine.
  2. Apply a line of glue down the “body” of the butterfly. Glue mini beads into place. Allow to dry completelyButterfly Wall Art 2
  3. Apply a thick layer of glue onto the front of the paper butterfly wings. Glue buttons on to the paper. Shake beads and sequins over the butterfly to fill in any spaces between the buttons.
  4. To create a framed art piece, cut the decorative scrapbook paper to size to fit your frame. Remove the frame’s glass, and glue down the butterflies. Allow them to dry completely before hanging.

Butterfly Framed Art 3

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Boho Button Wall Art

Boho Button Wall Art

Hi! It’s Laura Bray with another fun, button-themed guest blog post! The “Boho” trend is still going strong and feathers are still the rage, so for today’s project, I thought I would show you how to create this unique, button-encrusted feather plaque.

Supplies:

Winter Blues Embellishment Bottle
Rustic Feather by Walnut Hollow
• Blue craft paint
• PVC glue

Instructions:

    1. Paint the Rustic Feather with blue paint and allow to dry completely.Boho Button Wall Art 2
    2. Apply a thick layer of glue down the center stem of the feather and pour mini beads over it, press the beads lightly into the glue and allow to dry completely.
    3. Working in small sections of the feather, cover the area in a thick layer of glue, then put blue buttons, in varying sizes in the area. Work quickly. While the glue is still wet, pour sequins and beads over the spaces between the buttons. Let each section dry before moving to the next.Boho Button Wall Art 3
    4. Once you have covered the feather in buttons, beads, and sequins, go back and glue some additional buttons on top of some areas. This helps to fill in any empty spaces as well as give the piece a bit more depth and texture.
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A Peek at Buttons Galore’s Creativation 2017!

It’s show time! This past weekend, our staff traveled to Phoenix, Arizona to exhibit at the annual trade show put on by the Craft & Hobby Association (which is now called Association for Creative Industries). Thanks to everyone who stopped by to see us at Creativation 2017!

Buttons Galore Creativation Booth

Our booth in aisle 12 was stuffed with colorful sample boards featuring our numerous button lines, such as Button Bonanzas, Button Basics, and of course our 3D buttons!

28 Lilac Lane Creativation 2017

And of course an entire section of the booth was devoted to the beautiful 28 Lilac Lane collections designed by May Flaum.

Button Mason Jars

Plenty of our new products were on display. Our new Button Mason Jars, which we sneak peeked last week, were on display in a rainbow of button color!

Sequin and Bead Mixes

Over on the 28 Lilac Lane wall, we showed how you can organize our cute new Sequin & Bead Mixes in a nailpolish organizer!

28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles

May’s six new embellishment bottles full of bright colors looked fabulous on a shelf in the booth!

28 Lilac Lane Shaker Mixes

The new 28 Lilac Lane shaker mix cubes really show off the shimmering sequins, buttons, and beads inside of them!

Tammy Tutterow demo

Our booth wasn’t the only place that you could see Buttons Galore buttons at Creativation! Designer Tammy Tutterow was doing a make & take event in the Spellbinders booth on Saturday morning that combined her signature collection’s dies with our buttons to make beautiful clips for your planner!

Creativation Spellbinders Demo

Our pastel Button Bonanza buttons looked great with Tammy’s felt flowers!

Thanks to all who visited the booth at Creativation! We really enjoyed spending time with all of you, and look forward to seeing you again soon!

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CHA Sneak Peek: Button Mason Jars

Today we are back with one last CHA sneak peek for the Creativation trade show this weekend. This sneak peek is from our main Buttons Galore line – and what could be a more perfect combination than buttons and mason jars?

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Our brand new Buttons Galore Mason Jars are filled with over 200 assorted buttons in a rainbow of colors that are perfect for your sewing, crafting, and mixed media projects. They come in 15 trendy color assortments, and retail for $5.99. Look for these in stores in mid-February 2017!

Greenery Button Mason Jar by Buttons Galore

Our first color is “Greenery”, one everyone is buzzing about for 2017! This color will add an of-the-moment touch to your sewing, papercrafting, and home decor projects!

Lemon Twist Button Mason Jar by Buttons Galore

Yellow is also a hot color for this year and our beautiful “Lemon Twist” will make you long for sunshine and tall glasses of cool lemonade! Equally at home in fun kids’ projects and trendy fashion, this citrus shade is as versatile as it is cheerful.

Tidewater Button Mason Jar

Dive right into “Tidewater”! These turquoise blue tones will have you longing for a Caribbean beach – and is a great unisex color for a variety of mixed media, scrapbooking, and sewing projects!

Our new Buttons Galore Mason Jars come in fifteen different color assortments, and retail for $5.99:

  • Big Apple
  • Lemon Twist
  • Open Seas
  • Sweet Mango
  • Sour Grapes
  • Greenery
  • Pink Grapefruit
  • Sunrise
  • Bali Blue
  • Tidewater
  • Leafy Green
  • Smokey Greys
  • Antique White
  • Cocoa
  • Periwinkle Garden

Visit us in booth #1227 at the CHA Creativation show in Phoenix this weekend to see the whole collection of new Buttons Galore Mason Jars, as well as beautiful samples using a variety of products from our whole product line!

If you can’t attend the show, please watch our social media (links in sidebar) for posts from the show and links to blog articles with projects featuring our latest products! And watch for all of our new products in your local stores in mid to late February!

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CHA Sneak Peek: 28 Lilac Lane Sequin & Bead Mixes

Today is our fourth and final CHA Creativation Sneak Peek for 28 Lilac Lane. (But stay tuned tomorrow for our final Buttons Galore sneak peek!) They’re cute, they’re colorful…they’re 28 Lilac Lane Sequin & Bead Mixes!

28 Lilac Lane is designed by May Flaum for Buttons Galore & More

The twelve new 28 Lilac Lane Sequin and Bead Mixes retail for just $2.99, and are packaged in 20ml “nailpolish” style bottles. these special blends combine seed beads and round sequins with fun shaped sequins to create beautiful projects!

28 Lilac Lane Citrus Fun Sequin and Bead Mix

Easy to store on a shelf or in a drawer, these pretty bottles contain just the right quantity of sequins and seed beads for cards or mixed media projects!

28 Lilac Lane Citrus Fun sequin bead mix

The refreshing palette of “Citrus Fun” features crisp shades of orange and yellow paired with crystal beads. The highlight, however, is the large yellow sequins that will add a floral sparkle to your shakers or mixed media designs!

28 Lilac Lane Puppy Paws sequin bead mix

Of course, we can’t forget our furry friends! The brown shades and white sequin accents of “Puppy Paws” are definitely man’s   – and woman’s – best friend in the craft room! And for the shaped sequin in this kit, what could be better than a heart to honor our furry family members?

28 Lilac Lane Stars and Stripes sequin bead mix

Americana is an oh-so-trendy for 2017, and of course May has given 28 Lilac Lane its own interpretation of it. “Stars & Stripes” sparkles with a mix of blues and red, accented with gold stars. Use it for patriotic shaker cards or to accent that American farmhouse style project!

Whatever your need, there’s a new 28 Lilac Lane Sequin & Bead Mix for every occasion. Collect them all:

  • Wisteria Hues
  • Citrus Fun
  • Stars & Stripes
  • Puppy Paws
  • Spring Blooms
  • Blues Mix
  • Black Tie
  • Pretty Pinks
  • Winter Whites
  • Aqua Dreams
  • Forest Gems
  • Metallic Mix

Visit us in booth #1227 at the CHA Creativation show in Phoenix this weekend to see the whole collection of new 28 Lilac Lane Sequin & Bead Mixes, as well as beautiful samples using the whole 28 Lilac Lane product line!

If you can’t attend the show, please watch our social media (links in sidebar) and May’s blog for more reveals! And watch for these in your local stores in mid to late February!

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CHA Sneak Peek: 28 Lilac Lane Shaker Mixes

Today we are bringing you yet another 28 Lilac Lane CHA sneak peek – our newly repackaged 28 Lilac Lane Shaker Mixes by designer May Flaum!

28 Lilac Lane is designed by May Flaum for Buttons Galore & More

The 28 Lilac Lane Shaker Mix product line isn’t exactly new – eagle eyes may have noticed that it received a stealthy launch via our web store a few months ago. But now it’s getting the spotlight with brand new packaging – a clear storage cube that makes it easy to see the beautiful sequins, buttons and seed beads inside! These larger mix packages now have a retail price of $5.99.

This blend of embellishments is especially designed to make perfect shakers for all of your cards and other craft projects, but you’ll want to use these gorgeous blends on all your designs!

28 Lilac Lane Rainbow Unicorn Shaker Mix

With white buttons blended with blue, pink and green sequins and a sprinkling of beads, “Rainbow Unicorn” will take you on flights of fancy! This is perfect for princess projects, welcoming baby, or whatever else tickles your fancy!

28 Lilac Lane Rose Garden Shaker Mix

Winter blues got you down? Our “Rose Garden” is in full bloom, with lush pink buttons and embellishments paired with gold sequins. It’s warm, elegant, and oh-so-pretty!

28 Lilac Lane Safari Sunrise Shaker Mix

In shades of orange, yellow, and gold, “Safari Sunrise” will transport you to an African Savannah – or sunset at your favorite beach.  Perfect for birthdays, mixed media projects and travel scrapbooking, these brilliant colors will light up your projects with color!

The first six themes in the Shaker Mix collection are:

  • Sunflower Sky
  • Deck the Halls
  • Safari Sunrise
  • Sea Glass
  • Rose Garden
  • Rainbow Unicorn

Visit us in booth #1227 at the CHA Creativation show in Phoenix this weekend to see the whole collection of new 28 Lilac Lane shaker mixes, as well as beautiful samples using the whole 28 Lilac Lane product line!

If you can’t attend the show, please watch our social media (links in sidebar) and May’s blog for more reveals! And watch for these in your local stores in mid to late February!

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CHA Sneak Peek: 28 Lilac Lane Embellishment Bottles & Sequin Tins

Today we are continuing our week of sneak peeks for the CHA Creativation 2017 show at Buttons Galore with more 28 Lilac Lane previews! Today we’ve got two sneak peeks of new products to share with you from 28 Lilac Lane designer May Flaum.

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Our first sneak peek is for lovers of our immensely popular 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles! May has designed six fabulous new bottles, to join the beautiful palette of 18 that are already available.

28 Lilac Lane Farmhouse embellishment bottle

Do you yearn for the smell of fresh plowed dirt, grandma’s plaid dish towels, and berries picked fresh off the vine growing on the fence at the bottom of the yard? Then our “Farmhouse” embellishment bottle, a mix of Americana reds and blues paired with antique brown and creams, is just what your projects are looking for!

The full list of new 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles that are shipping to stores February 10th are:

  • Fruity Fun
  • Queen Bee
  • Fiesta
  • Gems
  • Stormy Sky
  • Farmhouse

The 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles include a blend of buttons, sequins, seed beads, and pearls, and retail for $5.99.

But wait…there’s more! We’ve also redesigned and added to our 28 Lilac Lane sequin tins!

Our popular sequin tins are still in the same great round tin packaging with a transparent lid. But now (instead of being a single round size) our new sequin tin mixes features a blend of 3mm, 4mm, 6mm and 8mm round sequins along with special shaped sequins. And the best part is the price – our new sequin tins are priced at only $3.49.

28 Lilac Lane Lady Luck sequin tin Are you ready for the wearing o’ the greenery? Lady Luck is! This new 28 Lilac Lane sequin tin blends shades of green sequins with white sequins, along with fun golden stars!

28 Lilac Lane Seaside Holiday sequin tin

Tired of shoveling snow? A “Seaside Holiday” is just what you need! With Caribbean blues and golden sand sequins, accented with large seashell sequins, you can almost hear the waves and feel the sand between your toes!

The new sequin tin mixes debuting at CHA Creativation 2017 and shipping February 10th are:

  • Denim Blues
  • Spring Butterflies
  • Fairy Sparkle
  • Lady Luck
  • Violet Blossom
  • My Valentine
  • Not So Heavy Metal
  • Mixed Berry
  • Redwood Grove
  • Seaside Holiday
  • Grandma’s Roses
  • Party Time

Visit us in booth #1227 at the CHA Creativation show in Phoenix this weekend to see the whole collection of new embellishment bottles and sequin tins, as well as beautiful samples using the whole 28 Lilac Lane product line!

If you can’t attend the show, please watch our social media (links in sidebar) and May’s blog for more reveals! And watch for these in your local stores in mid to late February!

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CHA Sneak Peek: New 28 Lilac Lane Embellishment Kits

Today, we are starting five days of sneak peeks for new product releases for the upcoming CHA Creativation trade show that starts later this week! We’re kicking off these CHA sneak peeks today with some brand new 28 Lilac Lane products from designer May Flaum.

28lilaclanelogo

If you loved the first twelve craft embellishment kits that May designed for CHA Winter 2016, then you’ll love the six new kits that she’s designed for 2017! Here’s some sneak peeks of a bit of what you have to look forward to…

28 Lilac Lane Pirates Life kit

Ahoy matey! This treasure chest of pirate booty will shiver your timbers! Created in blood red and skull & cross bones black, the dastardly plunder of Pirate’s Life will make your lair’s party decor, invitations, and scrapbook layouts overflow with pirate character.

28 Lilac Lane Tea Time kit

Tea and crumpets, anyone? Tea time, a collection of greens and blues paired with lace, a crown and a cameo, will have you pinky up and passing the finger sandwiches! This collection is perfect for card makers, vintage mixed media, and even travel layouts!

28 Lilac Lane Lets Go kit

Click! Snap! Are you the wandering type? “Let’s go” then! It’s collection of turquoise, brown, and buttery yellow, along with touches of gold, will take you from sunrise to sunset and from sea to shining sea.

Above is just a preview! The full list of six new 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kit themes coming for CHA Creativation 2017 are:

  • Pirate’s Life
  • Tea Time
  • Let’s Go
  • Stardust
  • Sew Crafty
  • Victoria

The new 28 Lilac Lane craft embellishment kits retail for $8.99, and include buttons, charms, sequins, pearls, seed beads and trim in a divided plastic box – an all-in-one solution for embellishments that works beautifully for scrapbooking, card making, mixed media, sewing, and a variety of craft projects. The new products will be shipping to stores by February 10th.

Visit us in booth #1227 at the CHA Creativation show in Phoenix this weekend to see the whole collection of new embellishment kits, as well as beautiful samples using the whole 28 Lilac Lane product line!

If you can’t attend the show, please watch our social media (links in sidebar) and May’s blog for more reveals! And watch for these in your local stores in mid to late February!

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Winner: Season’s Givings Blog Hop

It’s time to share who won the Season’s Giving Blog Hop!

seasonsgivingsimage

And the lucky winner is….Cindy H!

Cindy will get to enjoy a prize pack of 28 Lilac Lane embellishments:

Seasons Givings prize

Thanks for reading the Buttons Galore blog and to everyone who entered our giveaway! Make sure to come back later today for sneak peeks of new CHA products!

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Craft a Button Collage Heart to Send Valentine’s Wishes!

I love making button collages on small items – you may remember my button collage apple on my teacher tag awhile back. Collaged die cuts are a fun and simple way to add some dimension and detail to a design. Today, I’m falling in love with a button collage heart for Valentine’s day!

Button Collage Heart Card

Supplies Needed:

  • Buttons Galore Strawberry Cheesecake Color Blends (online store, Amazon)
  • 28 Lilac Lane Pretty Princess embellishment bottle (online store)
  • PPA Matte Adhesive (online store)
  • Simple Stories “Love & Adore” 6×6 paper pad
  • white cardstock
  • white card base
  • Cricut Explore machine
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Picked Raspberry
  • Crate Paper “Heart Day” stamps

I started this card by cutting my 3″ high heart out of plain white cardstock on my Cricut Explore using the software’s basic shape tool. Then, starting in the upper right corner, I gradually spread white liquid adhesive (PPA Matte) over small areas and filled them in with the Strawberry Cheesecake buttons.

Constructing Button Collage Heart

While my glue was drying on my button collage heart, I cut my background paper to the size of the card front and adhered it. Then I stamped the sentiment on a strip of the white cardstock. Once the ink was dry, I snipped the ends to create a banner look for the sentiment strip.

The button collage had white spaces showing through between the buttons after the glue was dry. To fill these in, I dropped spots of glue on them, and pushed seed beads from the Pretty Princess bottle down into them. Some of the white edges also weren’t entirely covered, so I ran beads of glue along those areas and pressed beads into there as well.

Button Collage Heart Card

After all the glue was dry, I simply attached my heart and my sentiment strip to the front of the card. This simple design has a lot of “pop” from the color contrast and the button detail. I can’t wait to share it with someone special!

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5 Easy & Affordable Button Storage Ideas for Crafters

There are as many ways to store buttons as, well, we have buttons! But how do you know what one is right for you? Here’s our five favorite ideas for button storage so that you can always find the ones you need quickly and easily.

Mason Jars

Grandma had the right idea…”Grandma’s button jar” is a great way to store buttons functionally as well as beautifully. Mix them all together, or make a rainbow of jars to choose from for your projects.

5 easy & affordable button storage ideas for crafters

Plastic Zip Bags

They’re affordable, easy to get in a multitude of sizes, and everyone knows how to use them! It’s easy to see what you have inside clear zip bags, and best of all – they are easily portable for crafting on the go!

Hardware Drawers

Hardware drawer units aren’t just great for nuts and bolts – they’re great for small items like buttons in the craft room, too. So go ahead, raid the garage. We won’t tell where that hardware drawer unit went! (photo credit: May Flaum)

5 easy & affordable button storage ideas for crafters

photo credit: May Flaum

Resealable Plastic Containers

Looking for a button storage solution that is lightweight and unbreakable, but still stackable? Resealable plastic food containers might be the answer for storing your buttons. They are available in plenty of sizes, and in either disposable or heavy duty weights, depending on your budget. Try your local dollar store for budget options!

Compartment Boxes

These come in different types and no matter what you call them – jewelry storage, tackle boxes – there’s no argument that small compartmentalized boxes are great for button storage and for storing other small items, too. Easy to tuck in a drawer or a craft tote, these boxes are an easy way to keep your button stash organized.

5 easy & affordable button storage ideas for crafters

What is your favorite button storage method? Please share in the comments to inspire other readers with your ideas!

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Seasons Givings | Thank You to…YOU! [Giveaway]

seasonsgivingsimage

Welcome to the Seasons Givings blog hop at Buttons Galore! Today, we are joining with a group of industry companies and bloggers to start 2017 off by saying a big “thank you” to the people that make us possible – YOU!

To say thank you, we’re giving away a goodie bag of 28 Lilac Lane products that will make your Valentine’s Day and spring scrapbooking and cardmaking simple and a joy! Your treats include one of our BRAND NEW 28 Lilac Lane Shaker Mixes, called Unicorn Rainbox – a mix of buttons, beads and sequins that is perfect for making shaker cards (and lots of other things, too).

Seasons Givings prize

One lucky winner will receive:

How To Enter: All you have to do to have a chance to be the lucky winner is leave a comment on this blog entry before 11:59PM US eastern time on Friday night, January 6th, 2017. Make sure you include your email address in the line reserved for it on the comment form (for your own protection, don’t put it in the text of the comment, where it will be visible to the public – just in the line labeled “email” in the form where only Buttons Galore staff can see it). We will need it to notify you if you are a winner. Winners will be drawn by random drawing from all eligible entries. One entry per person. Sorry, US delivery addresses only.

Thanks for visiting – and now, on with the blog hop!


Don’t forget to follow us Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest!

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Best of our 2016 Button Projects!

2016 is coming to an end, and it’s time to take a look back at the best of our button (and sequin) projects for the year. We hope you enjoy taking a look at the year’s highlights, and find some things you missed – or forgot how much you loved the first time!

Button Monogram

A monogram is just the thing for baby’s room, and buttons add just an extra touch of cute to one. Use traditional pink or blue, or choose a color to coordinate with baby’s nursery for home decor style.

Button Monogram Wall Art for Baby's Room

Button Title by Becki Adams

Guest artist Becki Adams used primary colors to create a giant title out of buttons and sequins on an adorable layout about her children reading. Paired with a bold black and white color scheme, the colors really pop!

Becki Adams Read to Me layout

Buttoned Up Dress Form by Candy Rosenberg

Guest artist Candy Rosenberg used buttons to dress up her signature design icon – a dress form. Using a palette of neutrals along with pale green and peach, Candy created an eye popping “dress” that is at once vintage and modern. This beautiful lady will be at home in your home decor or decorating an art studio!

Button Decorated Dress Form

Sunny Sequin Card

A little sparkly sunshine is always seasonal! This simple sequin collage card using our 28 Lilac Lane sequins will have someone special looking on the bright side of life, and let them know you are thinking of them.

Bright Side Sequin Card

Resin Button Tray

Buttons make a big impact in a big collage. Encase them in resin, and you’ve got a surface that is both practical and pretty. Creating a collage of ivory and pearl buttons gives a gorgeous vintage look to this wooden tray, creating a project that will decorate your party or wedding.

Button Tray

Mixed Media Locket

Our 28 Lilac Lane embellishments are so pretty, you’ll want to wear them – and you can, in this mixed media locket project! Layer charms, buttons and beads to create a one of a kind piece of jewelry. The options are as endless as our 28 Lilac Lane color palette!

DIY Holiday Gift Jewelry close-up

Button Rainbow Card

What is cheerier than a rainbow? Creating this bright button rainbow card to bring some cheer to someone you care about is surprisingly easy. Learn how we did it!

This happy button rainbow card is perfect to bring cheer for any occasion.

Glam Girl Button Frame

With our huge selection of colors, a button collage can be customized to any decor. This project utilized our trendy new Glam Girl Button Bonanza to make a button collage frame that is perfect for a kid’s room – or a grown-up room, too.

Button Frame with Glam Girl Buttons by Buttons Galore

We hope you enjoyed our walk down memory lane of the best of button projects of 2016! We can’t wait to share more beautiful things – and products – with you in 2017!

Best of Button Projects 2016

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Make a Geo Heart Valentine Card for Someone Special!

Are you feeling the love? It’s time to start thinking Valentine’s Day! This geo heart valentine card is trendy, fun, and best of all…oh so easy to make!

Make a golden geo heart Valentine card for someone special!

Supplies:

  • 28 Lilac Lane “Love Story” embellishment kit
  • Simple Stories “Love & Adore” 6×6 paper pad
  • white smooth cardstock
  • white card base
  • Neat & Tangled “Heart of Gold” stamp set
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Black Soot & Embossing
  • Ranger Super Fine Detail Gold Embossing Powder
  • embroidery floss
  • foam adhesive

Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to use our 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kit called “Love Story”. This kit is packed full of beautiful rose and white buttons and seed beads, along with gold and rose pearls and sequins. For those extra-special greetings, there’s even a few charms and some ribbon, too. Love Story will make loads of valentines for the ones you love!

28-lilac-lane-love-story

One of my favorite things to do with my 28 Lilac Lane embellishments is to customize my stamps with them. I love stamps, but it can be difficult to create different looks using the same image repeatedly to get value out of it. Adding buttons, sequins, pearls, or beads over an image can help make it look like an entirely new design!

This clean and simple geo heart valentine card design is very quick and easy to make with only a few basic supplies. It truly is only a ten minute project! Or it can turn into twenty minutes if your cat gets up on your work table and knocks over your entire container of beautiful “Love Story” embellishments so you have to clean them up. (Let’s not talk about how I know that…)

How to make a geo heart valentine card:

To make this geo heart valentine card, I cut my floral paper to the size of the card front. Then I glued it down to the blank white card base. I cut the heart print paper a half inch smaller each direction, and glued it centered on top of the floral paper. To finish preparing the card base, I stamped the sentiment in black ink on the center of the bottom of the card front.

I stamped the geo heart design on white paper with embossing ink, and then heat embossed it with gold embossing powder. I used fine pointed scissors to cut out the heart. Don’t worry if your hand cutting skills aren’t the best! Since this heart doesn’t have super smooth curves, it’s quite easy to hand cut.

To embellish the heart, I glued a few gold sequins at the intersections of lines in the geo heart. Then I chose a nice big rose button for a big pop of color, and then tied it off with matching embroidery floss before gluing it down. Finally, I used foam dot adhesive to attach the heart to the card front.

embellish a geo heart with 28 Lilac Lane

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Make A Christmas Village Gift Box to Enjoy & Give!

It’s a gift box…it’s Christmas decor…it’s a Christmas album! Today, we are closing out our Christmas projects with a Christmas Village Gift Box that is beautiful holiday decor while it hides a few secrets!
Christmas Village Gift Box by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

Supplies:

This project is based on an “explosion box” by DCWV. Take the lid off, and it opens up to hide a small gift inside  and also show a few mini album pages!

All of the sides of the box are covered in fun patterned papers that were applied decoupage style with white glue. Once the glue dried, embellishments were added. The “door”was cut from black cardstock and glued on, along with a button handle. The wreath sticker had sequins added to it before it was attached with foam dot adhesive to give it depth. And on the rear, a sticker announces the house as a gingerbread bakery!

Christmas Village Gift Box by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

The roof top of my Christmas village gift box was left blank when the papers were decoupaged on the rest of the house. The blank white surface gives the appearance of snow, but was pretty boring. A collage of white buttons, interspersed with white glitter glue, gives the roof some fun texture! I used a combination of several of our most popular white and ivory button assortments to create my roof, but any one of them would work fine by itself.

I applied the buttons only to the two large surfaces of the roof, and then dripped the glitter glue like icicles down the sides onto the two small edges. I also dripped the glitter off the rear edge of the house. The great thing about this technique is that there is no “wrong” way to do it, since it is supposed to look messy and random.

Christmas Village Button Roof

This fun little Christmas village gift box with buttons up on the roof top will decorate your holidays long after it is opened! Have a happy holidays, everyone!

Christmas Village Gift Box

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28 Lilac Lane | Easy Home Decor Canvas by May Flaum

Whether you are looking for a last-minute gift idea, or to brighten your home decor for the new year…this mixed media wall art project by 28 Lilac Lane designer May Flaum is just the thing for your walls. It’s an easy home decor canvas that can be completed in just a few minutes, but packs a visual punch!

easy home decor canvas

easy home decor canvas by May Flaum

Only a few basic supplies are needed for creating this project:

The mixed media technique for this easy home decor canvas is messy and random looking – and therefore very forgiving and difficult to screw up! Just smear the shades of paint in one direction across your canvas – and remember to make sure it is nice and thick for a beautiful textured look.

Next, use your palette knife to smear a shape into the paint. Use liquid adhesive to add your embellishments and gold leaf on top of the smeared shape. Finally, spritz with gold mist for an extra touch of shine!

easy home decor canvas

easy home decor canvas by May Flaum

It’s that simple to create beautiful wall art! And don’t forget that May’s mixed media technique on this easy home decor canvas can be adapted very simply to many color schemes and shapes. Try the 28 Lilac Lane Hello Sunshine bottle with shades of yellow and white paint to create a beautiful moon for a nursery wall. Or create a heart in shades of pink using Pretty Princess to add a touch of artsy elegance to a dorm room. The possibilities are as endless as our color palette of 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles!

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Last Minute Modern Christmas Gift Tag – with Buttons!

Think buttons aren’t a match for modern style? Our 28 Lilac Lane “Winter Wonderland” embellishment bottle, paired with washi tape, makes a quick and easy modern Christmas gift tag that will add sparkle and style to your special gift this Christmas!

Modern Christmas Gift Tag

Supplies:

To create the tag base, cut the 6×6 pad in half to create a 3×6 piece. Snip off two corners to create the top of the tag, and then use a hold punch to create the hole.

Lay a strip of the gold washi tape across across the tag about 2/3 of the way down from the top. Cut two more small strips and position them one to each side closer to the top.

Select buttons to create a row across the tag along the bottom of the washi tape. Adhere the buttons using white glue or a hot glue gun.

From the white cardstock, cut a 5/8″ strip. Write the to/from information for your gift on it, and then snip the pieces off of the strip. Adhere them using paper adhesive.

Cut a length of yarn. Loop it through the tag’s hole and tie it off to attach your gift.

This modern Christmas gift tag only takes a few minutes to make, but will definitely brighten up your Christmas wrapping for someone special!

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Decorate a Felt Christmas Tree Ornament with Buttons

Looking for an activity to entertain the kids this Christmas? Our felt Christmas tree ornament project is quick and easy, and perfect for kids of all ages! Better yet, it’s a great (and affordable) activity for doing with large groups for parties and class activities.

Felt Christmas Tree Ornament with buttons

Supplies:

Any felt will work for this project, but I chose to use the heavier Eco-Fi Plus because it stands up better to the weight of the buttons than thinner felts and hangs better as a result.

Constructing these tree ornaments are fast and simple. They are created from two simple shapes cut by hand from felt and/or burlap. Older children can draw and cut their own shapes, and the shapes can be pre-cut for younger children.

Felt Christmas Tree Ornament assembly

Assembling the tree parts (and adhering the buttons) can be done with hot glue or with a clear drying white glue, depending on the age of the kids making the ornaments.  The hot glue will dry faster, if the ornaments need to be moved or hung quickly. Or, to make the project even more educational, practice some sewing skills and sew everything together!

The Merriest Button Bonanza

Choosing different buttons will make each kid’s felt Christmas tree ornament look unique! For a fun country Christmas look, I decorated my felt Christmas tree ornament with buttons from our new Button Bonanza called “The Merriest”.

To complete your ornament, it needs a hanger. I made a loop of twine and attached it to my ornament with hot glue. Ribbon or yarn could also be used.

This easy and fun felt Christmas tree ornament will provide fun for the whole family, and the kids will love creating their own personal design for it! These ornaments would also make beautiful custom gift tags (with the addition of an address label sticker on the back for writing on) for grandparents that can be saved and treasured for years to come.

Felt Christmas Tree Ornament for kids of all ages - easy and fun! Great for family parties or class activity. | www.buttonsgaloreandmore.net

Are you going to button up your Christmas tree this year?

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Get Extra Life from your Stamps with Embellishments!

Stamps are a great investment because they are a tool that can be used over and over again. However, using them over and over again can quickly get boring…so how do you spice things up and put the fun back in your stamps again? 28 Lilac Lane has the answer!

Snowflake Happy Holidays Card

Supplies Needed:

  • 28 Lilac Lane Cotton Candy Embellishment Bottle
  • PPA Matte Adhesive
  • My Mind’s Eye “Sugar Plum” 6″ x 6″ paper pad
  • White cardstock
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Iced Spruce, Victorian Velvet, and Embossing
  • Ranger White Embossing Powder
  • Stamper’s Anonymous by Tim Holtz “Simple Sayings” stamps
  • Stamper’s Anonymous by Tim Holtz “Christmas Blueprint” stamps

One of my favorite ways to make my old stamps look new again is to embellish them! And with the 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles, I have the choice of seed beads, sequins, flat back pearls, and buttons to embellish my stamps.

Cotton Candy Embellishment Bottle

I chose the Cotton Candy bottle because it matched my paper pad. [The 28 Lilac Lane “Cotton Candy” embellishment bottle is available at the our online store, Scrapbook.com, A Cherry On Top, Ellen Hutson, Simon Says Stamp, Create for Less, and others, or check your local retailer].

To create this card, I first made a card base by folding a half sheet of letter sized cardstock. Then I cut a 3.75″ by 5″ piece of the blue plaid paper, and inked the edges in Iced Spruce before adhering it in the center of the card front.

Next I used embossing ink to stamp the snowflake design on the top of the card front, and heat embossed it with white embossing powder. Once the heat embossing was cool, I selected embellishments from the Cotton Candy bottle and adhered them with small dots of clear drying white glue.

Embellishments on stamped image

The sentiment on the bottom of the card front was created by first stamping the label outline in Victorian Velvet on the pale turquoise patterned paper. Then I cut out the label using scissors, close to the edge of the stamped label. I stamped the sentiment in Iced Spruce, and adhered the label to the card front.

get-more-life-from-your-stamps-with

What stamps do have that could be given new life with embellishments?

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It’s a 28 Lilac Lane Christmas Project Round-Up!

What’s sparkly, shiny, and shimmery all over? It’s a 28 Lilac Lane Christmas, of course! Here’s a round-up to all the projects that you need to make your Christmas a 28 Lilac Lane Christmas!

No 28 Lilac Lane Christmas would be complete without a tree! This little wooden Christmas tree bought from a craft store got a touch of alteration – including some 28 Lilac Lane button bling – from designer May Flaum to make it extra special.

Altered Christmas Tree

But why stop at a tree? Deck the halls with buttoned up banners that are fun and easy to make!

Holiday Banners

The gifts that go under the tree need their own sparkle too, and with 28 Lilac Lane, your gifts will look festive and gorgeous! A clean and simple understated look to your gift box is easy when you top it with charms and buttons:

Blue Christmas Gift Box

Or go for a more luxurious look, with a button and jewel encrusted top like this one by 28 Lilac Lane designer May Flaum that is rich and feminine! This is one gift box that won’t be going in the trash after the gift is opened!

button-collage-gift-box

Since not everyone can get our Christmas wishes in person, how about some Christmas cards?

Pink 28 lilac lane Christmas Card

Heart 28 Lilac Lane Christmas Card

To see a video on how to make these two beautiful cards, and get information on a free card making class at Scrapbook.com that uses 28 Lilac Lane, visit May Flaum’s blog!

Or, if bright retro is more your style…try our funky paper pieced trees card:

Retro Merry Christmas Card by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

A button border makes any project a little more special. The 28 Lilac Lane one on this Happy Howl-idays card is spiced up with pearls and sequins for some extra bling!

Dog 28 Lilac Lane Christmas Card

Have you made a 28 Lilac Lane Christmas project? Please share a link in the comments! We’d love to see it!

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Button Up an Ugly Christmas Sweater Card!

Nothing’s more fun at Christmas than an ugly Christmas sweater. So why not send one to a friend in the form of an ugly Christmas sweater card for the holidays?

Ugly Christmas Sweater Card by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

Supplies Needed:

  • Buttons Galore “The Merriest” Button Bonanza
  • PPA Matte Adhesive
  • White cardstock
  • Pinkfresh “Oh Joy” Stamp Set
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Ink
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Twisted Citron
  • Ranger Embossing Powder in Clear Super Fine Detail, Gold, & Red Tinsel
  • Black pen
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Marker in Candied Apple (optional)

This card’s technique is simple – just creating two strips of paper by stamping the sweater knit stamp over and over, alternating the color and embossing it. The Twisted Citron ink is embossed with clear embossing powder, and the red is clear embossing ink that is heat embossed with Red Tinsel powder. The strips need to alternate to create the effect on the front of the card.

Ugly Christmas Sweater Card construction

Doing all that stamping and embossing while changing colors takes a bit of time, but the result is a great effect!

Once strips are made, they can be adhered to a card base. Start by attaching the one on the right side of the front. Position it, glue it down, and then trim off any excess. The front is layered, with the left side overlapping the right panel, so there’s no need to worry about how wide the panel is on the card front.

To emphasize the layered effect and create bulk in it as if it really is a sweater placket, adhere two inch wide strips of paper underneath the right edge of the left panel before attaching it to the card front. This will slightly raise the area under the buttons up, creating depth and shadow that look like a true sweater! For a little extra shadow, run a dark red pen or inkpad along the paper edge where the pieces overlap as well.

Ugly Christmas Sweater Card by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

Now that your sweater has a placket, it needs buttons to fasten it! “The Merriest” Button Bonanza has red and green shades that match the card base. Adding in the the pink and blue shades that are also in the assortment looks a bit random on top of all of that red and green, and is the perfect way to “ugly” up your ugly Christmas sweater card. Glue your buttons down with a clear drying adhesive like PPA Matte Adhesive.

The finishing touch is the “patch” that has the sentiment on it. Just stamp and emboss the sentiment, and then draw stitching lines around it with a pen. Adhere it at a jaunty angle to your sweater’s “front” and you are done!

Who do you know that needs an ugly Christmas sweater card? Send them one today!

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Pretty Pastel Christmas Tree Card with Buttons & Stamps!

Christmas isn’t just green and red anymore…pink and blue are also becoming more part of the palette. Today, I’m going to show you how to create a beautiful pastel Christmas tree card with our versatile new “Coral Reef” Button Bonanza bag!

Pretty Pastel Christmas Tree Card

Supplies Needed: 

This card uses our new “Coral Reef” Button Bonanza to create a fun pastel blue and pink Christmas look that is super trendy and oh-so-pretty! The shades of pale blue, soft rose pink, and white are perfect for a retro pastel Christmas tree card look.

Coral Reef Button Bonanza by Buttons Galore

Making this card is fast and easy, but with the gorgeous patterned papers and the pearly button accents, it looks anything but plain!

To begin your card, cut the pink background for your card base to 4.25″ by 5.5″. Then cut the garland paper to 4″ by 5.25″, and adhere it on top of the pink base. Next, get out a blank card base and adhere the layered background to the front of it.

Stamp the Christmas tree in brown ink on blue text pattern paper, and then add the star in gold at the top. Trim closely to the tree in a rectangle shape. Adhere the tree block on top of the pink striped paper, and trim it to leave a small border around the edges of the tree.

Pastel Button Christmas tree Close-up

Select buttons from the Coral Reef collection, and use PPA Matte Adhesive (or other clear glue) to adhere them to the tree. Once the glue is dry, attach the tree block to the card base, angled in the upper left corner.

Stamp sentiment on green patterned paper, and trim to size. Adhere in lower right corner.
Pretty Pastel Christmas Tree Card

This pastel Christmas tree card design could be used to create seasonal trees all year round – pretty spring blossom colors mixed with bright green, fall colors, or all white for a snow covered winter tree! What season’s tree will you button up?

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Video | DIY Rose Christmas Ornament with 28 Lilac Lane

Pink is hot, hot, hot for Christmas this year! Today we’re sharing a beautiful rose Christmas ornament by 28 Lilac Lane designer May Flaum that will add a brilliant touch of pink and gold to your Christmas tree.

DIY Rose Christmas Ornament by May Flaum using 28 Lilac Lane shaker mixes.

May’s rose Christmas ornament is created with one of her six brand new 28 Lilac Lane shaker mixes that have just been released. This pink and gold shaker mix is called – you guessed it! – Rose Garden. This gorgeous mix will take you from a retro pastel Christmas, into Valentine’s Day, or use it to create beautiful girly embellishments year-round!

And now, May herself will show you how it is done!

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DIY Rose Christmas Ornament by May Flaum:

With the holidays fast approaching I am always looking for hand crafted gift ideas and special homemade touches. These new shaker mixes are great for so many projects including homemade ornaments. In this video tutorial I will walk you through creating a lovely rose garden ornament perfect for my aunt who loves pink & gold at the holidays.

Here’s a closer look at my finished DIY rose Christmas ornament project!

DIY Rose Christmas Ornament by May Flaum using 28 Lilac Lane - make Christmas pink!

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Don’t miss the chance on our Black Friday Sale to get May’s 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles for 15% off! Use code EMB15 through Friday, November 25th to save on all your favorite bottles from the collection. Don’t miss out on the new ones like Savannah Stroll, Winter Wonderland, and Coral Reef!

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DIY Holiday Gift Ideas with Buttons

Nothing says you care at the holidays like a handmade gift! These DIY Holiday Gift Ideas with buttons will help you create a gift that matches everyone on your list.

diy holiday gifts

Mixed Media Locket

DIY Holiday Gift Jewelry close-up

With a few jewelry findings and one of our 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits, you can make a one-of-a-kind locket for a special woman (or girl) in your life. Make it sweet, or make it dramatic…you decide and choose the embellishments!

Button Collage Frame

Button Frame with Glam Girl Buttons by Buttons Galore

A button collage frame is so easy to make the kids can do it…but with the right color choices, it can be perfect for any decor from farmhouse to graphic. This one, made with our Glam Girl Button Bonanza, will fit in a tween room or a country decor. An all white version (like the tray below) could go shabby chic, or try shades of pink for a cute girl’s room accessory!

Button Tray

Button Tray close-up

A simple wood tray becomes a beautiful accessory for decor or entertaining with a button collage and some resin.  For a shabby chic look, choose the Ivory/Pearl Haberdashery buttons, or for a more rustic or beachy feel for poolside entertaining, try the Natural Haberdashery.

Button Charm Bracelet

gold button charm bracelet

How about a little button bling? Pair some of our Gold/Silver Haberdashery buttons with a chain link bracelet and you’ve got a retro Button Charm Bracelet. It’s a great piece to accessorize all of those trendy 70’s looks with!

Mason Jar Sewing Kit

Mason Jar Sewing Kit

Looking for something pretty and practical too? This mason jar sewing kit will make it easy and fun for your college student or newlywed to replace that missing button. And it is decorative while it is waiting to be used!

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Tis the Season to make a Christmas Cat Card!

We’re cat owners at our house, and as anyone who owns a cat knows…it makes Christmas decorating extra, well, interesting. We decorate, the cat un-decorates. So today, my project is a Merry Christmas cat card that celebrates that annual feline-human war of December!

Christmas Cat Card by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

Supplies:

  • Buttons Galore “Tis the Season” Button Bonanza
  • PPA Matte Adhesive
  • watercolor paper
  • Tim Holtz for Stamper’s Anonymous “Crazy Cats” stamps
  • Tim Holtz for Stamper’s Anonymous “Simple Sayings” stamps
  • Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Crayon in Vintage Photo
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Vintage Photo
  • Water brush
  • Black Pen
  • Tim Holtz idea-ology “Yuletide” paper
  • 26 gauge German style wire (antique brass)
  • Cream colored cardstock

This Christmas cat card has a very simple design. It’s featured embellishments are Christmas ornaments made from buttons from the “Tis the Season” Button Bonanza that is brand new for this holiday season. Featuring deep red and green tones that are accented by a light sage green shade, “Tis the Season” is a versatile button mix for almost any holiday craft project.

Tis the Season Button Bonanza by Buttons Galore

Instructions: 

Cut a piece of watercolor paper to 4.5″ by 6.5″. Use Archival ink to stamp the Crazy Cat.

Use a ruler and the black pen to draw the line across the bottom underneath the cat. Don’t draw through the cat’s paws!

Scribble on a scrap piece of watercolor paper with the Distress Crayon. Using your waterbrush, pick up some of the color and use it to watercolor the cat.

Cut a piece of patterned paper to 5″ by 7″ and ink the edges. Adhere the watercolor paper centered on it. Cut a piece of cardstock to 7″ by 10″. Fold in half to make a 5″ by 7″ card, and adhere card front to it.

Cut a strip of patterned paper 1/2″ wide. Stamp the sentiment on it, and trim the ends. Adhere to bottom right of card.

Select three buttons to serve as your “ornaments”. Thread the holes on the buttons with German style wire. Use the tail of the wire to create a loop for the ornament’s “hanger” before snipping off the excess wire.

Use liquid glue like PPA Matte Adhesive to glue the button ornaments in place.

Since it mostly relies on bulk supplies like buttons and tools like stamps to make, this Christmas cat card could easily be made in quantity. Simply substitute cardstock or a variety of patterned paper for the paper used for the matted background and the sentiment strip. and you can make this card over and over with a Button Bonanza and your stamp! And since it is fast and easy to make, your cards will be done in no time!

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Send a Retro Merry Christmas Card Wish!

Tis the season to be jolly! Today I’m here to show you how to combine two of our holiday products that have a turquoise toned blue in their palette to make a fun retro Merry Christmas card!

Retro Merry Christmas Card by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

Supplies Needed:

  • patterned paper
  • washi tape (or patterned paper)
  • red ink
  • Merry Christmas stamp
  • white cardstock
  • clear drying glue (such as PPA Matte Adhesive)

This project pairs seed beads from our beloved 28 Lilac Lane “Let It Snow” embellishment kit with buttons from our new “Cool Winters” Button Basics. With similar tones of blue, these two coordinate together beautifully to add a pop of trendy color to holiday projects of all kinds.

Winter Flurries Button Basics

This card is 5″ by 7″, so to start my retro Merry Christmas card I cut the snowflake background paper to that size.

Next, I cut a 5″ wide strip of white cardstock that was a few inches tall. I stamped “Merry Christmas” on it with red ink, centering the image near the bottom. Then I used scissors to cut the top of the sentiment block into a wavy design.

To create the beaded edge, I started by spreading a bead a white glue along the edge. Then I sprinkled seed beads over the glue until it was covered, and set the sentiment block aside to dry.

Cutting the trees is easy! I simply used three scraps of paper and cut them into various sizes of triangles. The tree “trunks” are made from washi tape (but could also be made from strips of paper). Some of the tree triangles hung over the edge, so I just snipped them off. Once those elements were adhered in place, then I used liquid glue to adhere three buttons as toppers for the trees.

Once the glue holding the seed beads was dry, then I adhered the sentiment block across the bottom.

To finish my card, I used white cardstock to make a blank card and then adhered the finished card front onto it.

Retro Merry Christmas Card by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

I hope this cheery little retro Merry Christmas card greeting will help you brighten the holidays of someone special!

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Decorate a Faux Pallet Christmas Tree!

Welcome to the Handmade Holidays blog hop at Buttons Galore! We’re sharing a faux wood pallet Christmas tree to decorate a desk or tabletop…but this tree is hiding a very useful secret!

Faux Pallet Christmas Tree

This fun little pallet Christmas tree is equally at home in a dorm room, or a farmhouse style decor. But at 17″ wide and more than two feet tall, it’s a challenge to store after all the gifts are opened. Or is it?

Velcro Assembly for Pallet Christmas Tree

By using Industrial Strength Velcro to assemble the pallet Christmas tree instead of glue or nails, I made it able to be completely disassembled! Just pull apart the Velcro and instead of a big awkward tree, you’ve got a small bundle of wood that can be much more easily packed in an ornament box!

Disassembly also allows the flower pot – which is deliberately not seasonally decorated – to be used year round for flowers or other seasonal decorations when it isn’t being used for the tree.

Supplies Needed:

I started by cutting the craft wood into the following lengths: 6″, 9″, 12″, 14″, 16″ and 17″. Then I trimmed the 1″ x 2″ pine board to 26″ in length.

Pallet Christmas Tree Pieces

I used the Americana satin paint (made by DecoArt) in multiple thin coats applied with a foam brush to get a nice smooth finish on the boards.

Painting Pallet Christmas Tree

After the paint was dry, I laid out my boards in the arrangement for the tree. Then I started decorating my tree! I used Button Shank Removers to cut off the stems from the Haberdashery buttons, and filled in around them with buttons from the 28 Lilac Lane bottles and kit. Tiny green sequins from the Yuletide Greetings bottle added nice little sparkly highlights around various areas of the tree, too!

Decorating Pallet Christmas Tree

When it was all glued down, I was left with this! Notice how I hung some of the button “ornaments” off the edges of some of the wood branches to add some interest.

Decorated Pallet Christmas Tree

Attaching the branches to the stem was super easy with the Velcro. First, I cut 1.25″ squares from the Velcro. Then I measured and placed a mark at the center of the back of each “branch”. I peeled one side of the Velcro and adhered it centered vertically on the branch, using the center mark to get it centered left to right.

Then I peeled the second side of the Velcro and pressed the branches into place on the tree’s “trunk”. Once they were in place, I glued a big gold button to the top of the trunk as my tree’s top.

Pallet Christmas Tree with Trunk Attached

Painting the pot is fast and easy! I just dipped a paintbrush in water and then into the white chalk paint. This diluted the paint and when it spread, it created a whitewash effect. In areas that it didn’t spread as much as I would like, I just dipped the brush in water again and used the water to dilute the paint a bit more.

To create a second layer of paint for a mottled effect in the whitewashing, I repeated the technique with the more cream colored chalk paint. This time I just dabbed the paint instead of trying to fully cover the pot, and it created the textured look below.

Whitewashed Clay Pot for Pallet Christmas Tree

The base is part of what makes the pallet Christmas tree collapsible. I trimmed the foam so that it fit nicely into the pot, and then carved a hole down the middle of it for the tree trunk. To make the fit nice and snug, I wrapped the trunk in a strip of felt. This method makes the fit adjustable as wear and tear erodes away the foam base!

For the finishing touch, to hide the foam, I covered it in a layer of moss.

Base of Pallet Christmas Tree

This faux pallet Christmas tree is the perfect decoration for a buffet table, an office, or a kid’s bedroom! There’s so many places to use it…where will you put yours?

Faux Pallet Christmas Tree

Now, it’s time to get hopping to see more holiday decor ideas. But before you go…how about a giveaway? Here’s a peek at the huge assortment of prizes that are up for grabs!

handmade-holidays-hop-prize-image

Use the Widget below for your chance to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to all of our fellow sponsors!

  • Clearsnap
  • Hydrangea Hippo etsy shop
  • Hepp’s Salt Co. (food)
  • The Twinery
  • Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L
  • Stencil1
  • DecoArt, Inc.
  • Walnut Hollow
  • Graphic 45
  • Iron Orchid Designs

Now…click here to visit the next stop on the hop – or click below to see the entire hop list:

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Make a Watercolor Card with new Coral Reef embellishments!

A few weeks ago we introduced you to our six new 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles. Candy Corn, Winter Wonderland, Yuletide Greetings, Savannah Stroll, Through the Woods, and Coral Reef embellishments bottles are currently shipping, just in time for holiday projects and stocking stuffers!

new 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles for fall 2016 from Buttons Galore & More!

Today, I’m here to show you an up close look at a project by 28 Lilac Lane designer May Flaum! This project uses the gorgeous and versatile 28 Lilac Lane Coral Reef embellishment bottle, a blend of coral pink and shades of green that is seasonal year round.

28 Lilac Lane Coral Reef embellishments

The delicate tones of Coral Reef are perfect for using with watercolors. With its natural floral color palette, Coral Reef works beautifully for watercolor floral cards! In the video below, designer May Flaum shows how she paired her 28 Lilac Lane Coral Reef embellishment bottle with a stamp to create a quick and easy floral greeting!

Here’s a closer look at May’s finished card…just a sprinkling of Coral Reef embellishments takes this card from simple to simply fabulous! It’s simple, quick, and easy to do, but makes all the difference in the finished card.

Watercolor Flower Card by May Flaum for 28 Lilac Lane

Check with your Buttons Galore local retailer or visit our online store to get your 28 Lilac Lane Coral Reef embellishments today!

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Make an Adorable Layout with Guest Laura Vegas!

Today Buttons Galore is excited to welcome guest blogger Laura Vegas, who is sharing with us an adorable layout and also a card. These fun projects are made with our Button Basics in Sky Blue, Candy Apple Green, Cotton Candy, and Lemon Yellow.
lauravegas_bg_sheisadorable
Hey everyone, it’s Laura Vegas here. I’m so excited to be here guesting on the Buttons Galore blog, and have created two projects to share with you all today. Buttons are one of my absolute favorite embellishments! I have a massive button collection, and yet I can never pass up adding more colorful buttons to my stash. They just speak to me!
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One of my favorite ways to incorporate buttons onto my projects is to add them to the centers of shapes. I tend to use a lot of flowers, circles, and stars on my layouts, and buttons are the perfect addition to any of those shapes. For this layout, I started by die cutting a floral background piece from white cardstock, using my Silhouette Cameo die cut machine. I love that it had lots and lots of flowers to embellish with my buttons!
lauravegas_bg_sheisadorable_detail2
I wanted to add some subtle interest to some of the flowers on the background piece, and vellum came to mind. I was able to find an individual flower cut file that matched one of the flowers on the background piece. I sized the flower numerous times to match up with the flowers on the background piece, and then cut them all from a sheet of vellum. To add some texture, I ran each vellum flower thru a dotted embossing folder before layering them over the background flowers.
lauravegas_bg_sheisadorable_detail3
Personally, I always thread my buttons when using them on layouts and cards. I don’t like to have any “naked” buttons on my projects ;) My go-to way to adhere my buttons, is to thread my string through the button holes, and then laying the string ends flat against the button, I add a glue dot (or sometimes two if it’s a larger button) right over the string. This holds the ends in place, and I can them simply adhere my button to where it needs to go.
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The exception to this rule, is when I’m working with clear buttons. I don’t want those strings and glue dot to show through the clear button. So for those buttons, I will take the extra time to use a needle and stitch my button directly onto the page.
lauravegas_bg_sheisadorable_detail5
I tend to be a more simpler scrapper, in that I keep my embellishments more on the simpler side. So I am always turning to buttons, as well as basics like brads and enamels. Oftentimes, they are all I need to finish off a project mostly made up of photos, cardstock, and patterned paper.
lauravegas_bg_itsyourbirthdaycard
I wanted to whip up a quick card to share with you as well, using the same idea of adding buttons to the center of flowers. This time I fussy cut some flowers from a sheet of patterned paper to create this easy birthday card.
lauravegas_bg_itsyourbirthdaycard2
A fun, and super simple, way to add texture to paper flowers (whether die cuts or fussy cut from patterned paper), is to crumble them up really good. You can even lightly mist the paper with water to make it easier to work with. Then you simply un-crumble your flower, flattening it out as much or as little as you like. Add a threaded button to the center of each flower, and you’ve got the most adorable little flowers to add to your projects!
I’ve had so much fun creating these projects, and I hope you enjoyed them too! Thanks Buttons Galore for the opportunity to guest design for you and create with your colorful buttons!
laura vegas headshot
Learn more about today’s guest blogger, Laura Vegas: Hi there! I’m Laura Vegas, from Northern California, where I live with my husband Joe, and my two daughters, Alyssa (20) and Sarah (17). I have been scrapbooking for well over 22 years now. I scrapbook mostly about my girls and our family, but like to mix it up now and then by scrapping photos and stories about my daycare kids and family friends as well. I have been fortunate enough to design for some amazing manufacturers in the industry over the last 11 years, and have also had my work published in a variety of publications for the last 10 years. I was honored to be a member of the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Creating Keepsakes Dream Team and the 2013, 2014 and 2015 Scrapbook & Cards Today design team. I just recently left my position as Creative Team Coordinator for Bella Blvd after 5 years, and am currently designing for Kerri Bradford Studio.
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Bling up a Holiday Gift Tag with Buttons and 28 Lilac Lane!

It’s November and that means…the leftover trick or treat candy has been eaten (at least at our house)…and it’s time to jump full on into Christmas trees and snowflakes and all things Christmas! For our readers that like to personalize their gifts, today I’ve got a holiday gift tag that will be remembered long after the holiday is over!

DIY Holiday Gift Tag

Supplies:

The background on this tag was created by inking a craft mat with the four shades of blue Distress Ink, spritzing it with water, and then dragging the tag through it. A heat gun helped to speed the drying process. The nice thing about this technique is that if you don’t like the effect that you get, you can add and remove color by spritzing the tag with water, or adding another layer of color, until you get just the effect that you are happy with.

DIY Holiday Gift Tag close-up

Once the background was thoroughly dry, I stamped the snowflake stamp with clear embossing ink and heat embossed it with white embossing powder. Since the stamp was not as tall as the tag, I made sure that I started the stamp at the bottom of the tag. Using the PPA Matte Adhesive to glue a line of buttons across the area where the snowflakes stop disguised the transition area from snowflakes to plain background.

Next, I stamped the poinsettia stamp in Archival ink on watercolor paper,  and colored it in with watercolors and a waterbrush. Finally, I trimmed it to a size that would work on the tag.

It’s not very visible in the photos, but I used Stickles to create a border around the outside edge of the poinsettia square to add a little extra glint of sparkle to the tag. I also used various colors of seed beads from both of the embellishment kits to create some dimension in some areas and create the flower’s center. (The seed beads in our kits adhere beautifully with the PPA Matte Adhesive, which is what I used here.)

DIY Holiday Gift Tag close-up

The trickiest part of assembling this holiday gift tag is getting the loops of silver string and the poinsettia layered and adhered. I laid down a pool PPA Matte Adhesive in the middle of the tag, and created my string loops by passing the string through the glue area repeatedly. Then I pressed the poinsettia block down on top of it and when it dried, everything was adhered together!

At first glance, it looks like the snowflake charm is looped through the string but if you look closer…it is not. I simply glued it on with the loop laying over the string. This helps everything lay a little more flat and stay adhered better.

The final touch on my holiday gift tag are the two phrase stickers I added in the bottom corner. If you didn’t want to put the to and from information on the reverse side, these strips could have it instead.

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DIY Holiday Gift | Mixed Media Locket with 28 Lilac Lane

Christmas shopping time has arrived…and so has Christmas gift crafting time! A custom piece of jewelry is the perfect DIY holiday gift for a friend or family member…and with 28 Lilac Lane embellishments, a surprisingly easy one!

DIY Holiday Gift Jewelry

Supplies:

This locket is built using a very simple process. Fill the bottom of the locket with a single layer embellishments. Start with the large items (the buttons) and then fill in around them with the small items like the beads and pearls. Vary the color and placement of the items. Select a charm but don’t place it in the locket just yet!

Once you are satisfied with the placement of your bottom layer of embellishments, get out your Ice Resin. Following the directions on the package, use the Ice Resin to fill in a layer of epoxy on top of the layer of embellishments. Stop filling when the layer is just slightly covered. Before the resin dries, press the charm that you saved earlier into the top of the epoxy. It should just be slightly embedded, protruding out the top of the epoxy layer.

DIY Holiday Gift Jewelry close-up

To create the ribbon embellished chain, thread a large needle (or a knitting darning needle) with the ribbon. Then weave it in and out of every other link the chain so that it is threaded into it. Tie the ribbon off to the chain at each end.

The fun thing about these DIY holiday gift lockets is that they can be created for any theme or color scheme, to perfectly match the recipient it is intended for! To see a different interpretation of this project in a pink color scheme, check out our previous mixed media locket article.

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Embellish Your December Album of the Holidays with Buttons!

In only a few weeks, December will be upon us! For many scrapbookers, that means recording our December holiday celebrations in special page-a-day pocket scrapbooks. Our 3D buttons are a fun and simple way to add embellishment to your December album!

December Album Cards

Most of us using pocket scrapbooks for our December album will have at least a few 4×6 cards in our album to highlight important topics or days. This journaling card could hold very large number stickers to put focus on a special date (such as #25) or the kraft colored tag could be used for journaling space!

December Album 4x6 card

Supplies:

To make this card, I cut a 4″ x 6″ piece of patterned paper. Then I stamped “Merry Christmas” on the bottom right and embossed it with clear embossing powder. After I die cut the tag from cardstock, I looped ribbon through the hole, and secured it with a staple. I adhered the tag in place and laid the sticker in place on top of it.

The buttons were the final touch. These buttons are shank buttons, so I had to use button shank removers to give them a flat back. Before gluing them down, I used a pen to draw “strings” from the top of the card to the locations of the baubles that I wanted hanging. Then I glued all three buttons down on top of the drawn strings, and also added the Christmas tree in the bottom left corner.

December Album 3x4 card

Supplies:

I also started this 3×4 card by stamping the sentiment in the upper part of the white box. Then I added the washi strips in the bottom part of the box, trimming them so they fit the decorative shape of the bottom corner. I die cut the small holly leaves and adhered them, adding small red buttons as berries. Finally, I cut the shanks off of two 3D present buttons and glued them down in the bottom right corner using PPA Matte adhesive.

Whether you are using a kit or doing it yourself, we’ve got the perfect buttons for your December album. Visit the Christmas category on our website, or our new section to see our latest releases to find great options for your album!

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Make a Scaredy Cat Halloween Tag with a Beaded Twist Tie!

Halloween is coming fast! But there’s still time to make a few more Halloween projects – like this fun scaredy cat halloween tag! It makes a great decoration on a spooky tree or a fun goody bag attachment.

Scaredy Cat Halloween Tag by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

To make my scaredy cat halloween tag, I started with the middle tag below. This is a set of three tags that I made using Distress Spray Stain. I sprayed the three colors of stain on my craft mat in a triangle arrangement, and pressed the first tag into them. That created the tag on the left below. Then I added some water to the mat using my Distress Sprayer, and swiped a tag across my mat again, which got me the tag in the middle that I used for this project. Finally, I took a third tag and swiped it through the color mix that remained on the mat. By that time, the three colors were mixed together enough on the mat that it produced a more brown color, giving me the tag on the right.

Fall Tag Backgrounds

Decorating this tag started with a lot of stamping! I stamped the cat in black and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. Then I stamped the pumpkin in brown, coloring in the part of the blueprint stamp that I wanted to use and stamping it. To make them look wispy, I used silver ink to stamp the spider webs to fill the top of the tag area.

Once the stamping was done, I stuck down the phrase stickers and the letters to spell “Boo!”

Scaredy Cat Tag close-up by Nancy Nally for www.buttonsgaloreandmore.com

Next I got my PPA Matte Adhesive liquid glue to start adding some beautiful embellishments! Well, first I added a scary one…I cut the shank off of a spider button using button shank removers and glued it onto the spider web on the upper left of the tag. In that spot it looks like the cat is looking at it!

To make the cat’s eyes look really bugged out, I selected two dark colored seed beads from the 28 Lilac Lane “Paws & Pets” embellishment kit and glued them on top of the stamped dots in the cat’s eyes. It makes the cat look even more scared!

28 Lilac Lane candy corn embellishment bottle by Buttons Galore

Finally, I dumped the new 28 Lilac Lane “Candy Corn” embellishment bottle (pictured above) into a craft tray, which is a great way to contain all of the small embellishments while you are looking for just what you need.  With it all spread out I selected several small sequins to glue on to the spider webs, and glued some small seed beads, sequins, and a button onto the bottom of the pumpkin to give it some orange coloring.

Beaded Wire Tie using 28 Lilac Lane embellishments

To really look finished, my tag needed some ribbon through the hole. I selected some gray and some black and strung them through the hole. But instead of tying them off, I made a seed bead “twist tie” to fasten it. I cut a piece of wire several inches long. To start, I looped the wire through and around a pair of beads and twisted it together, clipping one of the ends off. then I began threading seed beads onto the wire in a random pattern until the tie was the length I wanted. To finish the wire off, I once again created a loop with two beads in it and twisted the wire together below that loop. I made sure to cut off the ends very close to the twist and turn them under so no sharp points stick out!

The seed bead twist tie was then wrapped around my ribbon to cinch it tight (similar to a ponytail holder). It brightens up the ribbon and brings something shiny to the top of my scaredy cat halloween tag.

And now my scaredy cat halloween tag was ready to hang on my halloween tree with my other tags! (To see the other tags in the collection, check out the Spooky Halloween Tag and the Fall Pumpkin Tag).

Supplies:

Do you make tags? What occasions do you make them for? Tell us in the comments! 

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Announcing…New 3D Winter Holiday Buttons!

October is flying by, and that can only mean one thing…that chill in the air is going to bring snow soon – and Christmas!

Today we’re excited to be announcing new 3D buttons that are perfect for your winter and Christmas crafting. We’ve got snowmen and snowflakes perfect for all of your project needs.  (And don’t miss the peek at the end of even more new holiday goodness!)

3D Holiday Buttons

Adorable snowmen are a holiday must-have, and we’ve got two versions – a bright one and a more rustic one. No matter what your style…we’ve built the snowman for it!

3D Snowman Buttons

If you are dreaming of snow…snow…snow…in your winter holidays (and your winter craft projects), we’ve got a huge new selection of 3D snowflake buttons!

Our new 3D snowflake buttons come in three different styles that are available in several sizes and shades of blue. Packaged in five different assortments, there’s a perfect one for your needs no matter what your project!

3D Snowflake Buttons

All of these buttons, except for the snowflakes on the far left above, have shank backs for sewing them on to projects. But for crafters who prefer flat backs, the shanks can be easily removed with scissors or a button shank remover. (The set of snowflake buttons that doesn’t have shanks has a flat back and holes that can be used for sewing it onto projects.)

In addition to our snowflakes and snowmen, we’ve also got a great selection of new 3D Christmas designs such as gingerbread men, Christmas trees, stars, adorable holiday icons, and more!

holiday buttons

All of our new holiday 3D buttons are available now on our website – click to see the entire selection!

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Make Easy Embellished Thanksgiving Napkins with Buttons

Editor’s Note: Today we welcome back former design team member Laura Bray as a guest designer to share a project for embellished Thanksgiving napkins that are an easy way to make your holiday table beautiful!

Hi Button Lovers! It’s Laura Bray. Some of you may remember me when I was on the design team for Buttons Galore & More. I still use my BGM buttons on my craft projects and I’m so excited about the 28 Lilac line of buttons – the kits and bottles make it so easy to make a pretty, coordinated craft.

It’s almost Thanksgiving, so I wanted to show you how you can turn a plain, cloth napkin into beautiful, boutique-style table décor for the holidays.

embellished thanksgiving napkins

Supplies:

embellished thanksgiving napkins supplies

Pick a corner to embellish, then begin stitching on buttons of varying sizes and sequins onto the napkin randomly. Not a sewer? You can also use fabric glue!

creating embellished thanksgiving napkins

To clean your napkins, hand wash and try to avoid submersing the embellished corner in water.

embellished thanksgiving napkins

Embellished Thanksgiving Napkins close-up

These look so stunning they will probably become family heirlooms!

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Embellish a Christmas Gift Box with Buttons & More!

October is half over and that means it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in most crafter’s work spaces! Today, we’re going to share a few ideas of how to embellish a Christmas gift box with buttons to make your gifts look extra special.

Christmas Gift Boxes with 28 Lilac Lane embellishments

All of these boxes are created from paper maché boxes that are painted with white acrylic paint. Then the tops of the boxes were splattered with spray ink or paint to add some color, before buttons and other embellishments were added.

The large rectangle Christmas gift box is created with embellishments from the 28 Lilac Lane “Let It Snow” embellishment kit. To create this embellishment collage, I started by laying down a pool of white glue in the middle of the lid. Then I placed the large items first, creating the arrangement of the buttons. I filled in around the buttons with the small embellishments like the sequins and beads, creating a feeling of an explosion of embellishment spreading across the lid. For the final touch, I glued the snowflake charm from the “Let It Snow” kit on top of the button collage.

Blue Christmas Gift Box

Supplies:

For the round box, I used the new “Winter Wonderland” Button Bonanza. I started this one by making the first layer of buttons. Then, once that layer had dried securely in place, I glued a second layer of buttons on top of the center of the first layer.

Christmas Gift Box with 28 Lilac Lane

Supplies:

I used the same technique on the square box, creating a two layer collage of buttons one layer at a time. The key to making the prettiest collage is to vary the size and type of the buttons that you use. Also, it helps to balance the colors. On this box, the center has one of each color, and then there is an outer ring that shows the green shades alternating with red.

Traditional Christmas Gift Box with 28 Lilac Lane

Supplies:

Grab some boxes…grab some glue…this project only takes a few minutes to make beautiful holiday gift packages. And it’s so easy that the kids can help out. What are you waiting for? Button up a few holiday gifts!

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Announcing New 28 Lilac Lane Embellishment Bottles!

I could not be more excited to announce six brand new 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles. I’ve added in new sequin sizes, all new colors, and I am thrilled with how these beautiful mixes turned out. From scrapbooking to mixed media canvas projects to decorations for the holidays – there is a lot to love in these mixes and I hope you enjoy creating with them as much as I do!

new 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles for fall 2016 from Buttons Galore & More!

Candy Corn is inspired by my favorite fall treat, all yummy shades of yellow, orange, and white just perfect for Halloween crafting and so much more. From citrus inspired creations to bright summer scrapbooks this mix will be perfect year-round. The best part? This mix is calorie and guilt free.

 28 Lilac Lane candy corn embellishment bottle by Buttons Galore

Coral Reef is full of rich aqua hues and shades of coral – blending together beautifully for a bright and beautiful mix. Feel like stepping outside the box? Try this embellishment mix for some non-traditional color palette Christmas crafts!

28 Lilac Lane coral reef embellishment bottle

Savannah Stroll is inspired by the flowers and greens in one of my favorite cities. A city so perfect in spring time, I wanted to capture some of my favorite shades and bottle them up to use on all kinds of creative projects. From the soft green beads to the pink buttons I love every part of this lovely mix.

28 Lilac Lane Savannah Stroll embellishment bottle

Through The Woods is as the name implies, a stroll through the woods! My favorite element in this mix is the woodgrain sequins. I can’t get enough of them and I love all of the rich green and brown hues not only for my camping and hiking scrapbook projects, but for all kinds of nature inspired creations!

28 Lilac Lane through the woods embellishment bottle

Winter Wonderland is inspired by bright fluffy fresh snow and all the shades of a white Christmas. While it doesn’t snow here, it seemed like the perfect name for such a mix. Of course if you’re simply needing more white in your embellishment stash or you have a special bride you wish to create something special for this would also be the perfect mix for you.

28 Lilac Lane winter wonderland embellishment bottle

Yuletide Greetings is a season I can’t get enough of! From decking the halls to making things merry, I’m always in for a good traditional holiday mix like this. I am especially excited about all of the shades of green in this mix.

28 Lilac Lane yuletide greetings embellishment bottle

These new 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles are shipping now, so check with your local retailer about availability!

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Decorate with a Simple Glam Girl Button Frame!

We recently announced six new Button Bonanza assortments for fall – great mixes of colors that are seasonal and trendy. Today I’m here to show you a beautiful button frame project with what is probably my absolute favorite of the new mixes: Glam Girl!

Glam Girl Button Bonanza by Buttons Galore

This lovely assortment of pink, turquoise, butter yellow, and dark blue is oh-so-trendy and so versatile for a variety of projects!

This button frame project would make a gorgeous addition to the decor in a teen/tween’s room (and it’s easy enough for them to make themselves). Or it could add a pop of color to a flea market decor in a living room or bedroom!

Glam Girl Button Frame by Nancy Nally for www.buttonsgaloreandmore.net

The steps to completing this project are super simple.

To begin this project, paint the unfinished wood frame with the Pink Dogwood paint. The soft pink color provides a delicate background to fill in between the buttons in the collage, and coordinates beautifully with the shades of the Glam Girl buttons.

How to make a Glam Girl Button Frame by Nancy Nally for www.buttonsgaloreandmore.net

Once the paint is dry, then it is time to start the button collage! My tip for doing this is to work in sections laying down an inch or two long section of the white glue and filling it in with buttons. Once it is dry, then start the next section. This technique prevents a huge mass of buttons that are sitting in still-wet glue from accidentally being shifted as you work your button collage into place.

Button Frame with Glam Girl Buttons by Buttons Galore

The key to a nice balanced button collage is to spread out the larger buttons, and to try to avoid placing the same colors next to each other too much. With only four colors, it’s not possible to avoid it entirely, but I mostly managed to avoid more than two that were connected to each other of the same color.

Creating a button frame collage like this can be a bit time-consuming, but also a relaxing and fun project! And the end result is a button frame that will be enjoyed for years to come!

Supplies:

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Oh Sweet Autumn with 28 Lilac Lane Autumn Afternoon!

I’m dreaming of shorter days and weather cool enough to wear sweaters! This summer has been so hot and rough – I’m ready to be done with it! Oh, and it probably has something to do with fall being my favorite season as well.

Today I’ve got a card to share that features my fall inspired Autumn Afternoon embellishment kit from my 28 Lilac Lane line. Here is a look at the finished card:

sweet-autumn-card-by-may-flaum

The process to make this card is simple!

  1. Place a stencil on white cardstock and use assorted colors of dye ink with a chevron stencil, skipping some parts and going lighter in some areas.
  2. Use embossing ink to stamp the sentiment, and then coat it in black embossing powder and heat set.
  3. Stitch the background to a blank card, and then embellish! I used the stencil design and a general sweep across the card to find places for the leaves and details.

It is really that easy!

sweet-autumn-card-close-up

Now I’m back to dreaming of autumn, cocoa, and ending these triple digit days!

Autumn Afternoon isn’t the only fall-themed 28 Lilac Lane kit…don’t miss out on the 28 Lilac Lane Limited Edition Fall Mix that is only available in the Buttons Galore online store!  Looking for some inspiration of what to do with my fall limited edition mix? Check out these bloggers! Ashli Oliver, Libby Hickson, Maura Hibbitts, and Rebecca Vick all have outstanding posts up. Enjoy!

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Top 6 Halloween Crafts to Make with Buttons!

The calendar is about to turn October, and most of us are in full-speed Halloween crafting mode! In case you are still in need of some Halloween crafts inspiration, here’s a round-up of our favorite Halloween crafts using our favorite crafting embellishment – buttons, of course!

Top Halloween Crafts for Halloween using buttons from Buttons Galore

Our autumn frame is super easy to make with no sewing, and will make a great addition to your home decor or your buffet of candy treats. And it’s a great way to use up those fabric scraps!

Autumn Frame

Whether you are planning a hospitality gift for your party hosts, or dropping some fresh baked pumpkin spice brownies at the neighbor’s, this fall pumpkin tag is a warm and friendly way to say “hello” to someone special!

Fall tag

When it comes time to hand out candy, our spooky button eye bags will be the talk of the neighborhood or your kids’ classroom! They are so simple to make that the kids can help!

Spooky Button Eye Ghost Bags - great for Halloween Treat Bags

Pumpkins are seasonal decor that can go from early fall all the way through to Thanksgiving. This decorative pumpkin will add a beautiful touch to your home or porch all season!

Happy Fall pumpkin

Halloween wouldn’t be complete without some bats! These button bats are more cute than spook, and will look great hanging from the ceiling, staked into a plant, or stuck to a wall.

Halloween Button Bats

If you aren’t quite ready to give up all the color in your world for the browns of fall, we’ve got the perfect card for you! This fall card brings nice bright pink and orange to a cheery “happy fall” sentiment.

Happy Fall card

Looking for buttons for your Halloween projects? Don’t miss our brand new Scary Button Bonanza, Trick or Treat Button Basics, and Fall Festival Button Basics!

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Tis the Season to Embellish Some Christmas Cards!

We’ve got Christmas cards on the brain here at Buttons Galore! Since World Cardmaking Day the first weekend of October is the unofficial launch of the holiday card making season, we’re sharing another card idea today to help your Christmas card planning. Our buttons, sequins, and beads are the perfect easy and affordable embellishment to use for making loads of Christmas cards.

Christmas cards with buttons

Supplies:

Creating this Christmas card is quick and easy with buttons, and pre-coordinated paper and embellishments.

Start by cutting a piece of plaid paper that is 5″ by 3.75″. Ink the edges with the green Fluid Chalk and adhere it in the center of the front of the card base.

Cut a triangle from the gold paper, and adhere it in the upper left corner of the plaid paper block.

Adhere the large chipboard piece in the upper right corner of the card. Adhere the “Tis the Season” tag layered on top of it, using foam adhesive dots for the end not on top of the chipboard.

To create the bottom text strip, cut a 1/2″ strip of cream cardstock. Use the Shimmer ink to stamp the sentiment twice across it, leaving room in the middle for a button. Adhere across the bottom of the card.

Christmas cards with buttons

Using the PPA Matte Adhesive, place small dots of adhesive on the stamped strip and the sentiment tag. Press sequins into them and allow to dry. Also use the Matte Adhesive to adhere the buttons on the corner frame and the chipboard embellishment, and allow to dry.

Tis The Season Button Bonanza by Buttons Galore - Perfect for vintage Christmas Cards!

Tis the Season” Button Bonanza is perfect for vintage color schemes, and if brighter is more your style, don’t miss “The Merriest” Button Bonanza, with bright green, bright red, and pastel pink & blue! We’ve got your Christmas cards buttoned up!

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Use 3D Buttons for a Quick Snowflake Card!

World Cardmaking Day is coming soon, and that means lots of crafters will be starting to think about making Christmas cards! Today’s holiday card idea uses 3D buttons to create dimension on a snowflake card that only takes minutes to make!

Snowflake holiday card

Supplies:

The key elements of this card’s design are very simple – a snowflake background stamp, stamped with acrylic paint, and 3D snowflake buttons. Layered together, these elements create a design this is simple, elegant, and dimensional.

To begin your card, cut a 5.5″ x 4.25″ background for the card from dark blue cardstock. Then cut a 5″ by 3.75″ layer of the light blue cardstock. Paint the snowflake stamp with the acrylic paint dabber, and stamp it onto the light blue cardstock. One dry, adhere the light blue cardstock layer on top of the dark blue layer.

Snowflake card layersFor the sentiment strip, cut a 3/4″ strip of white paper. If you stamp in the middle of that strip and then adhere it before snipping off the ends, it is easy to get your sentiment perfectly centered on the card front. Then you can arrange the red accent buttons around the edges of the sentiment strip and they will also be perfectly spaced!

assembling snowflake card

For the final touches on your card, remove the shanks from the 3D buttons using a button shank remover. Then adhere the the snowflakes with liquid glue in random places on the card front. You can choose to place them to accent a specific stamped snowflake (as I did in the upper right of my card) or randomly in open areas between the stamped designs.

Snowflake Card

This holiday snowflake card is quick and easy to make. If you’d like to produce this card in volume for your holiday card list, these pearl snowflake buttons are also available in bulk via custom order from our customer service department.

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Create an Easy & Fun Button Title with Becki Adams!

Buttons Galore is delighted today to welcome blogger and designer Becki Adams to share her tutorial for a button title using some of her favorite Buttons Galore products! Becki’s impressive resume of design teams includes work with Carta Bella Paper, American Crafts, Bella Blvd, Elle’s Studio, Imaginisce, Pebbles, and many others. To learn more about her, visit her blog.
becki-adams-profile
Hey Buttons Galore friends and fans, I’m Becki. I’m thrilled to be here on the Buttons Galore blog today. I’ve been a crafter for years. And through those years many supplies have come and gone. Buttons, however, have always remained a staple in my stash. I always keep buttons! I am a scrapbooker/memory keeper. I chose to use lots of these buttons and sequins to create a scrapbook layout with a button title.

becki-adams_read-to-me_5

 When I sat down to create with such an awesome array of primary colored buttons and sequins, I wanted them to make a big impact on my layout. I chose to make a button title “read to me” with a huge emphasis on the word “read”.
becki-adams_read-to-me_4I started by cutting my title with an electronic die cut machine. I cut the “read” portion of the title out of white cardstock with large block letters. Using a pencil, I traced the cut portion of the title onto another piece of white cardstock. I used this as a template for adhering the buttons and sequins.

Becki Adams button title

For this portion of the project, I turned on Netflix and started gluing buttons and sequins in place. I started adhering the larger buttons first and then filling in the gaps with smaller buttons and sequins. I would recommend using a strong adhesive for this technique as the cardstock can buckle under the weight of the buttons.

Becki Adams button title

When I had all the buttons and sequins adhered to the background cardstock I used foam pop dots to adhere the die cut “read” on top of the button/sequin layer to create this awesome button title.
becki adams button titleI finished the layout by adding my photo, journaling, and a few more sequins on the top layer.

Read to Me scrapbook layout by Becki Adams featuring a button title for www.buttonsgaloreandmore.net

The buttons and sequins made this layout stand out with TONS of bright colors and textures. I can’t wait to use this button title technique again! Thank you for stopping by the Buttons Galore blog today! I’ll see you again soon!

white cardstock
black and white patterned paper
glue dots
liquid adhesive
dimensional foam adhesive
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Cute Ghost Ornaments to Make in 15 Minutes for Halloween!

Spooky trees are a fun way to decorate for Halloween. To keep it from getting too spooky and scaring my daughter, I’m decorating mine with some cute ghost ornaments that only take 15 minutes to make!

Make cute ghost ornaments for Halloween in only 15 minutes! | Nancy Nally for buttonsgaloreandmore.net

Supplies Needed:

To begin making these, I first had to raid my kitchen for a 10″ dinner plate to use as a circle template! I laid the plate out on the white fabric and drew around it with the fabric marking pencil. Then I cut the circles out, just inside the lines I had marked.

Make cute ghost ornaments for Halloween in only 15 minutes! | Nancy Nally for buttonsgaloreandmore.net

Next, to find the center of the ghost ornament, I folded the circles into quarters. I threaded a needle with white embroidery floss. Then I stitched up through the center of the fabric and back down, leaving a loose loop. I tied the threads together on the reverse side. (The side with the knot became the inside of the ghost.)

To create the pouffy head of the ghost, I balled up some fiberfill to about the size I wanted. Then I gathered the fabric around it, centering the hang loop at the top. I wrapped some embroidery floss around it to tie it off, leaving a small (about a half inch or so) opening so that it isn’t gathered too tight.

The final step was to sew on the buttons for the ghost’s eyes. I threaded my needle with black embroidery floss and used the opening at the center of the fabric gather to pull my needle through when I needed to sew from the underneath side.

Make cute ghost ornaments in 15 minutes! | by Nancy Nally for buttonsgaloreandmore.com

Whether you make just one or a whole tree full, these cute ghost ornaments are a 15 minute treat that will make your Halloween extra festive!

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Make a Spooky Halloween Tag with Trick or Treat Button Basics!

Today we’re taking a walk on the creepy side of Halloween, with a spooky Halloween tag that makes a great attachment for a treat bag or can be a unique holiday greeting by itself!

Spooky Halloween Tag by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

Supplies:

1. Create the background of the Halloween tag by spraying the three colors of Distress Spray Stain in a triangle arrangement on a craft mat and then dragging the tag across the ink. Allow to air dry, or dry with a heat gun.

2. Ink the edges of the paper elements with matching ink to hide the white edges, and glue them in place.

3. Using Archival ink, stamp the creepy cat on top of the background and paper elements.

Tip: If the stamp image is incomplete where the paper layers meet, use the fine point end of the Distress Marker to fill it in!

4. Draw a line for the spider web in the upper right corner using the brush end of the Distress Marker and a ruler.

Spooky Halloween Tag close-up

5. Thread black embroidery floss through the green button and tie off.

6. Use a button shank remover to cut the shank off from the back of a spider button.

7. Glue all of the buttons into place using the PPA Matte Adhesive. (Make sure to center the orange one over the hole in the tag.) Let dry.

8. Thread twine from the back through the button and ending at the back again, to tie off the tag.

9. Enjoy your Halloween tag!

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Make a Wicked Halloween Card with 3D Bat Buttons!

That September chill is in the air, and that means pumpkin spice, apple cider…and Halloween on the horizon! Our 3D buttons make great accessories for your themed cards, and I’m here today to share an idea you can make with bat buttons from our Halloween Value Pack.

Halloween Value Pack by Buttons Galore

Our Halloween Value Pack includes approximately 50 assorted buttons. The buttons range from 1/2″ to 7/8″ in size and include shank and sew-through buttons. Designs include fun options like pumpkins, monsters, spiders, bats, and everything you need for your Halloween-themed projects!

Wicked Halloween card with bat buttons by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

Supplies:

  • Buttons Galore Halloween Value Pack
  • PPA Matte Adhesive
  • Tim Holtz idea-ology “Materialize” 8×8 paper pad
  • Tim Holtz idea-ology “Curiosities” Ephemera
  • Tim Holtz idea-ology Small Talk Occasions stickers
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Pumice Stone)
  • Blank Card Base
  • Embroidery floss (black)

To create the base of the card front, cut a 4.25″ by 5.5″ piece of the black and orange paper. Adhere to the front of the card base. Cut a 3.75″ by 5″ piece of the text paper, and adhere it centered on top.

Select the bingo card and wicked flashcard from the ephemera pack, and adhere them angled in the corners of the card front. Adhere the skeleton ephemera on top of them.

Wicked Halloween card with bat buttons by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

Tie embroidery thread through the large black button from the Halloween Value Pack and glue it on top of the bingo card using PPA Matte Adhesive. Use the PPA Matte Adhesive to also attach the bat buttons from the Halloween Value Pack on top of the “wicked” flashcard.

To finish the card, select some sentiment stickers from the Small Talk sticker set and stick them down in the upper left corner underneath one of the bat buttons.

This quick and easy card is a fun way to say “boo!” to someone for Halloween! Who do you want to send a friendly scare to this year?

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Make a Halloween Card with Fall Festival Button Basics!

This week, we’re introducing you to six new Button Basics assortments! One of the new assortments is a vintage fall palette called Fall Festival, perfect for making fall, Halloween, and Thanksgiving projects.

Fall Festival Button Basics by Buttons Galore

Fall Festival is a mix of brown-tinged tones of green, orange, and yellow, along with coffee shades of brown.

I decided to pair Fall Festival with Graphic 45’s new Halloween in Wonderland collection to make a retro fun Halloween card!

Trick or Treat halloween card by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

Supplies Used:

trick or treat halloween card close-up

I used tiny orange buttons from Fall Festival, to visually “attach” the faux bookplate that is printed on the label from one of the cut out sheets in the Graphic 45 “Halloween in Wonderland” collection.  The buttons highlight it as the sentiment block for my card, and Fall Festival’s color tones coordinate beautifully with the paper collection.

All of my buttons on this card are attached with PPA Matte adhesive, my favorite liquid adhesive for working with buttons and embellishments. It’s just the right consistency – thick enough to hold an embellishment in place, but not so thick that you can’t move it around to get it where you want it. It holds securely, and dries perfectly clear so there’s no need for anxious moments it a little spreads out from underneath your embellishment!

trick or treat halloween card construction

When making a project like a card, I frequently like to start with the most important elements of the design first, and then build around them. That means that I often am starting with elements that will be on top – like this sentiment block – and then working down in my design as I fill in around it. To do this, I lay pieces out without adhering them as I work.

I started by creating my background, and then putting in place the sentiment and the border that I wanted to anchor it. This of course, left me with a lot of open area made up of that super busy tiny checkerboard pattern. It overwhelmed my sentiment so I needed to tone it down.

trick or treat halloween card 2

To fix this, I cut a block of a lighter, larger pattern and inserted it behind the sentiment block. Then I used a piece of decorative chipboard from the “Halloween in Wonderland” collection to fill a bit more of the space and add some color. A purple striped corner frame sticker completed the design.

I did all of that without adhering anything except for the purple sticker! So what do you do when you have everything arranged just how you want – but nothing is adhered? I grab my phone and just snap a picture like the one above. Then I can take the design apart to glue everything down, and use the photo as a guide to get everything back how I wanted it! It’s just another way we can turn the camera that is always in our pocket into a creative tool.

Halloween card with Fall Festival buttons and Graphic 45 papers | by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

 

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Introducing…New Button Basics Collections for Halloween & Christmas!

The new product introductions keep coming! Today we’re introducing 6 new colorways of Button Basics, our button candy bags that are just the right size for making fun projects. The new additions to the Button Basics line-up include two seasonal offerings for fall and Halloween, two blue assortments for winter and Christmas, and two new trend-based color groupings.

Button Basics Family

First, let’s take a closer look at Fall Festival! This beautiful assortment of browns, leaf green, rusty orange, and mellow yellow will have you yearning for a cup a cider and the crunch of leaves under your feet.

Fall Festival Button Basics by Buttons Galore

For Halloween, we think you’re never too old to love to Trick or Treat! Shades of light orange and green combined with pops of bright purple make this the perfect collection for the cutest Halloween projects on your block.

Trick or Treat Button Basics by Buttons Galore

Blue is a hot color for Christmas, and we’re bringing it to you with Cool Winter! This mix adds a sophisticated shade of red to a cool mix of pale blue and white to create an elegant mix that will work for cards, ornaments – and even holiday party wear.

Cool Winter Button Basics by Buttons Galore

Are you “blue” this Christmas? Then Winter Flurries is the collection for you! Not content with just on shade of blue, this collection gives you an entire range of shades from deep midnight to pale ice to choose from so you’ll be able to find exactly the shade you need for your festive Christmas or winter project.

Winter Flurries Button Basics by Buttons Galore

If you are a fan of heathered pastels – especially the colors of the year for 2016 – then you’ll love our new trend mix Bohemian Style. With rose pink, blue, and a pop of sunshine yellow, this trend mix matches well with current home decor, fabric and fashion color trends so you can create up-to-date looks.

Bohemian Style Button Basics by Buttons Galore

And finally, we have Party Time! This bright and happy combination of teal and bright pink with touches of white is perfect for parties, fashion, and everyday papercrafting projects.

Party Time Button Basics by Buttons Galore

Which of the new Button Basics is your favorite? You can get all of these new Buttons Basics on sale for $1 off from now until September 10th. That’s a great deal at $5.99 each! Why choose just one? Get yours now!

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Make A Thank You Card with new 28 Lilac Lane Fall Mix!

This week, we’re introducing a special Limited Edition 28 Lilac Lane “Fall Mix” embellishment kit by May Flaum! This kit is only available from the Buttons Galore online store – and stay tuned to the end to learn how to get a special introductory discount!

28 Lilac Lane Limited Edition Fall Mix

With jewel tones, soft green, brown – and gold! – this color mix by 28 Lilac Lane designer May Flaum is perfect for embellishing gorgeous fall projects that aren’t quite right for the traditional rust and orange tones of fall.

Here’s a peek of a thank you card that May created with the new 28 Lilac Lane Limited Edition Fall Mix, using a stamp from Tammy Tutterow:

Thank you card by May Flaum using 28 Lilac Lane Limited Edition "Fall Mix" from Buttons Galore & MoreFor the full how to tutorial about the card, check out the video below!

And finally, here’s May’s finished thank you card. The stamp is pretty by itself, but embellished with a few sequins, buttons and charms, it is extra special! This beautiful card makes the perfect thank you for any occasion.

Thank you card by May Flaum using 28 Lilac Lane Limited Edition Fall Mix from Buttons Galore & More

The new 28 Lilac Lane “Fall Mix” designed by May Flaum is a limited edition, so make sure to get it while it lasts! Use coupon code “LL400” until 11:59pm eastern time on Friday to get $1.00 off. Better yet, this coupon can be stacked with the Beat the Clock sale going on sitewide now through Saturday. The sooner you order, the more you save!

And don’t forget that orders over $30 get free U.S. shipping! We’ve got the entire collection of 28 Lilac Lane embellishments in stock, as well as six fabulous new Button Bonanza collections (including seasonal blends for Halloween and Christmas) as well as our perennial favorites like our Button Basics, 3D buttons, and Haberdashery collections. Stock up now for Halloween and Christmas projects and save!

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Introducing…Limited Edition 28 Lilac Lane “Fall Jewels” Mix!

Editor’s Note: Today 28 Lilac Lane designer May Flaum is visiting us on the blog to introduce her new Limited Edition 28 Lilac Lane “Fall Jewels” Mix that is available only from our online store while supplies last!  

When I think about fall I think of cooling temperatures and cozy sweaters, bringing in jewel tones and saying goodbye to summer brights. Inspired by these things, I have pulled together this new limited edition mix of embellishments to celebrate my favorite season. For anything from back to school to falling leaves, paired with the autumn afternoon kit or used on its own – this mix is sure to inspire a wealth of crafting ideas. From a beautiful carved button to the berry, green, and blue buttons and plenty of matte gold sequins you won’t want to miss out on this special mix.

One of my favorite things to do is create a card with a simple hand cut or die cut shape, a sentiment sticker or stamp, and plenty of embellishments! Inspired by the large beautiful wood button in this mix, I started from there and worked smaller with my details. Clustering embellishments is one of my favorite things to do, and I always encourage people to start with the biggest and work smaller to fill any gaps or spaces.

Thank You card by May Flaum featuring Limited Edition 28 Lilac Lane Fall Jewels mix

I do so love to decorate frames with buttons and embellishments, but this time I didn’t have a frame quite the right color. What’s a crafter to do? Recolor it! I used alcohol inks, however paints, staz-on ink, or other color mediums could also work well depending on your surface. To keep the focus on the photo and the project from being overwhelmed I worked in one corner instead of covering the entire frame.

Mixed Media Frame by May Flaum featuring Limited Edition 28 Lilac Lane Fall Jewels Mix

Both of these projects would work with any of the 28 Lilac Lane products, and this new mix is beautiful combined with a number of other kits and bottles such as the Attic Findings, Paws & Pets, Autumn Afternoon, Toasted Graham, Birds of a Feather, and more.

Limited Edition 28 Lilac Lane Fall Jewels Mix

SPECIAL OFFER: This limited edition 28 Lilac Lane “Fall Jewels” kit, regular price $6.99, is available through Friday for a special price for $5.99 if you use code “LL400” when you order!

Don’t forget that all orders from our online store over $30 qualify for FREE SHIPPING!

You can find all of these products that May mentioned in her video in the Buttons Galore online store:

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Create A Christmas Ornament Full of Festive Buttons

The days are ticking down to the start of the holiday season! Today, we’re going to kick off the holiday crafting  season with a fun Christmas ornament full of buttons!

Christmas Ornament Full of Buttons

Supplies:

To make this ornament, I started with a clear acrylic Christmas ornament from a local craft store. These sorts of ornaments are widely available during the holidays and have removable tops because they are designed to be filled. The one I chose to work with was round, flat, and about 3/4″ thick.

For my buttons for this project, I had three beautiful new holiday Button Bonanzas to choose from! I chose “The Merriest”, a delightful combination of pastel blue, light pink, lime green, bright red and white. These colors will have beautiful pop against the dark green branches of a Christmas tree!

The Merriest Button Bonanza

Making my button filled Christmas ornament was super simple! I started by filling the ornament with a selection of small buttons from “The Merriest” and replacing the top.

To decorate the top, I first wrapped a small piece of silver ribbon around the neck of the cap and secured it with my hot glue gun. Then I made a bow by looping another length of the ribbon, and secured it with the hot glue as well. Finally, I used hot glue to attach a button to the center of the bow.

This cute Christmas ornament is just a pretty decoration – it also doubles as a fun little gift for a crafter! After it’s done being decorative for the season, the recipient can just remove the top of the ornament to empty it out and enjoy using all these gorgeous button colors year-round.

Who do you know that would love a buttoned up Christmas ornament this year?

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New Product Reveal: Seasonal & Trendy Button Bonanzas

Today we are thrilled to share with you some gorgeous new products for crafting and sewing – six new seasonal and trendy Button Bonanza color mixes!

New Button Bonanzas for Fall & Christmas 2016 from Buttons Galore

Our six new Button Bonanza totes, available today, include two new trend mixes, a Halloween mix, and three new Christmas and winter holiday mixes! Let’s take a closer look!

First up is Coral Reef, full of beautiful heathered blues and pinks that are reminiscent of this year’s colors of the year. Also, there’s a touch of white for some neutral to pair them with.

Coral Reef Button Bonanza by Buttons Galore

Coral Reef is great for baby projects, of course…but also so much more! These on-trend tones are great for stylish fashion projects, coordinating with many of the latest paper crafting collections, and so much more.

Up next is Glam Girl. This collection combines several very hot color trends into one gorgeous color palette that will make your projects look girly and glamorous! Navy, the neutral of the moment, anchors a palette of yellow, aqua, and rose pink to create Glam Girl. Yellow is THE home decor color at the moment.

IMG_7031

This palette of trend forward colors will work well year-round for all sorts of projects. Glam Girl is especially perfect for quilting, papercrafting, and feminine fall fashion projects!

Now, let’s talk holidays! The weather may still be hot, but cooler days are coming soon and with them the fall holidays. We’ve got the perfect new Button Bonanza for all of your Halloween crafting: Scary! It’s a mix of seasonal orange shades, with some black thrown in for extra scare!

Scary Button Bonanza by Buttons Galore

The Scary collection will take you from fall to Halloween to Thanksgiving with a perfect shade of orange for every project. Whether it’s treat bags, table decor, or a scrapbook page of your adorable trick or treater – it’s got to be Scary!

Christmas will also be here before you know it! Our three new Button Bonanzas for Christmas cover a wide range of popular color schemes for winter holidays.

Our Tis the Season Button Bonanza is a classic holiday color scheme – rich reds and deep greens, with a few contrasting lighter green shades to create perfect Christmas greenery!

Tis the Season Button Bonanza by Buttons Galore

This versatile combination is great for making ornaments & cards, wrapping presents, festive sewing projects…Tis the Season!

Blue, red, and white is also a popular winter color scheme and for fans of that palette, we bring you Winter Wonderland! Two different shades of blue – one light and one dark – paired with deep red and topped off with white and brown neutrals make Winter Wonderland perfect for everything from cute Christmas projects to winter snow scrapbooking!

Winter Wonderland Button Bonanza by Buttons Galore

Winter Wonderland is a really versatile addition to your embellishment collection – when the winter is over, use the red, white and blue buttons for patriotic projects!

Finally, we have what may be The Merriest collection of all – a mix of pink, pale blue, lime green, and cranberry with white neutral. This fun combination is a great match for kids’ projects and for many of season’s more whimsical papercrafting collections. It’s a lighthearted alternative to the more traditional shades of green and red.

The Merriest Button Bonanza by Buttons Galore

All of these new Button Bonanza products are available today in the Buttons Galore online store (and for wholesale order as well for our retail clients). We can’t wait to see what you all make with them!

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Use Resin to Create a Beautiful Button Tray

Most of what we do here on the Buttons Galore blog are simple, fast projects. But occasionally, we like to bring you a more complicated project that really shows how amazing – and beautiful – buttons can be. Today we’re sharing one of those projects, a vintage-look button tray that will look perfect in a farmhouse, shabby chic, or vintage french country style decor.

Button Vintage Tray

Supplies:

To start my button tray, I painted the unfinished tray with two coats of chalk paint. I sanded with fine grit sand paper in between coats, and also after the top coat.

The next step is tedious work, but one I actually enjoy because I find it a very zen process. I dumped my various packages of buttons out of the surface of my work table and painstakingly began selecting ones to fill in the bottom of the tray. It’s like putting together a jigsaw puzzle that you don’t have a picture for!

Note that this step is just a “dry fitting” process with no adhesive involved. (Make sure that kids and pets are kept at a safe distance where they can’t disturb your work!) The buttons will be held in place by the epoxy resin.

Button Vintage Tray collage in process

To seal the buttons into the bottom of the tray and provide a flat cover over them, you’ll need an epoxy resin product. I used EnviroTex Lite Pour Over. It comes in two bottles that are poured together into a mixing container and stirred to make the resin, which is then poured over the tray. I used the 16oz package size and used almost all of it to fill my tray to the bottom of the handle cut-outs.

EnviroTex Lite

The trick to getting a perfect surface on your resin is to use a handheld kitchen torch to pop the bubbles that come to the surface of the resin as it hardens in the early stages. (The bubbles are caused by the mixing of the resin.)

Popping Bubbles in button tray epoxy

After that, it just takes some patience to let your resin harden and after about two days you’ll have a beautiful button tray that can be used for serving or display!

Button Tray

In this close-up look, you can see how the resin floats over the buttons and provides a solid glass-like surface in the bottom of the tray. I poured the resin to the bottom edge of the handle cut-outs. A few buttons shifted from the pouring of the resin, and one was even sticking up though the top of the resin. I just used a disposable chopstick to nudge them back into the correct position.

Button Tray close-up

I used a combination of our “White” Button Bonanza“White Wash” Button Basics, and “Ivory/Pearl” Haberdashery Buttons (pictured below) to fill the bottom of my tray. As long as you mix them throughout the project, it doesn’t matter if you mix the different products together to fill your button tray. And don’t feel limited to white in your color palette – this project would look great in a variety of colors, from pastels to holiday brights!

Haberdashery buttons

This button tray project is a bit time consuming but will bring years of beauty to your home! If you’ve made something with epoxy and buttons, we’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Button Tray using Buttons embedded in epoxy resin | by Nancy Nally for www.buttonsgaloreandmore.com

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Celebrate Fall with Painted Leaves on Slate!

School is starting in many parts of the country, and that means that cooler temperatures – and changing leaves – can’t be far behind! Today’s project is a piece of slate wall decor with painted leaves that will bring fall colors inside so you can enjoy them where it is warm!

Painted Leaves on Slate

Supplies:

(For my paint selections, I used Delta Ceramcoat “Ranchero”, Delta Ceramcoat Select “Light Foliage Green”, Folkart “Cardinal Red” and “Daffodil Yellow”, and Martha Stewart Crafts Metallic Acrylic in “Rust”. But the exact shades aren’t as important as getting a light green, a red, an orange, a yellow, and a metallic.)

Cosmetic Sponges

The paint effect looks complex, but the technique is actually really simple. The secret to it is using disposable make-up sponges to apply the paint with a “dabbing” motion, instead of a brush. It’s so simple that even young children can do it!

Leaf Stencil

Taping down the stencil, and using tape to cover all of the nearby open areas that I don’t want to paint, helped to ensure that I got a perfect impression from my stencil.

Painted Leaves in progress

I started with the light green color of paint, using one of the cosmetic sponges. I dabbed one of the end edges of the sponge into the paint, and then dabbed most of the paint off on the palette that I was using. I then used the damp sponge to dab blotches of color onto the stencil. I repeated this process with each color (except the metallic), filling in the whole stencil area.

Then I used the metallic color and dabbed it heavily over the top of the stencil, but not filling in quite completely. I wanted small areas to peek out from underneath. Then I repeated a layer of the light green paint, but not quite as heavily as the metallic.

Sometimes when applying new paint over paint that is still wet your colors might mix and blend a bit. As long as the sponges aren’t too wet, the colors shouldn’t shift too much.

Painted Leaves

The finished effect will look something like this – a mix of metallic and green with hints of other colors like red and yellow peeking through. Just like with leaves in nature, no two painted leaves will come out the same!

Painted Leaves on Slate Tile

The painted leaves are pretty on their own, but the slate doesn’t really look finished without some dimension on it. I wrapped jute string around the bottom of the slate and secured it on the back with hot glue. The string provides “ground” that the leaves are falling to. Then I made a bow by twisting some string and attached it with some hot glue. I attached a button to hide the hot glue making the bow. Buttons are great concealers for glue and seams! Then, finally, in the bottom corner, I attached three more buttons. I like the repetition of the three leaves as three buttons for balance, and it provides a visual anchor for the other end of the string.

Argyle Button Tote

The buttons I used are from our “Argyle” Button Tote. With deep reds and greens, trendy navy, and neutral cream and black, the Argyle mix is a great selection to have in your creative toolbox for the holidays in the last part of the year! What will you use Argyle for?

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Send an Extra Big Thank You Card!

It’s always a good idea to have some thank you cards on hand to share your gratitude with others. This big thank you card featuring 28 Lilac Lane products will make an impact at a full 6″ by 6″ in size!

Big Thank You Card

Supplies Needed:

When I was making this, I knew that I wanted a button to decorate the center of this design but wasn’t sure what until I saw this rosette button in the “A New Leaf” kit while I was creating my card. It’s very ornate, but it matches almost perfectly the mum design! The visual repetition that it creates is perfect. I could also have taken a regular button and tied it on with contrasting thread for some pizzaz.

I also like using sequins that are the same color as the background that I place them on as an embellishment! This technique adds a bit of shine and dimension to the design without the sequins being too garish. On this card, I used the sequins to create a sun kissed circle of highlight around the center of the flower.

To begin making your extra big thank you card, cut a piece of white smooth cardstock that is 6″ x 6″. Center the stencil on the cardstock. Holding firmly, begin to scrub the lighter color of ink (squeezed lemonade) into the design with the ink blending tool. A circular motion blends best.

Work the Squeezed Lemonade into the center half of the design and then switch to the darker color (Mustard Seed) for the outer half of the design. Once all of the design has been inked, switch to a clean blending foam and begin to rub in a circular motion to blend the colors together where they meet.

Once the ink is dry, trim the white cardstock so that it is just slightly larger than the stenciled mum design. Cut a piece of matching patterned paper that is 6″ x 6″ in size. Adhere the stenciled design on top of the patterned paper and attach them both on top of a card base. (The card base can be made by folding a 6″ x 12″ piece of paper in half.)

Stamp the sentiment in the bottom corner of the card. Cut the shank off of the featured button and glue it into the center of the stenciled design with PPA Matte adhesive. This adhesive is great for working with our buttons – it will hold the button in place but will dry clear and invisible if it leaks out around the edges of the button or through the holes in the button!

For the finishing touch on your big thank you card, select a few yellow sequins from the assortment in the 28 Lilac Lane “A New Leaf” embellishment kit, and glue them onto the design around the center of the flower using PPA Matte.

Floral design cards are great for many occasions. Instead of “thank you” consider substituting sentiments for birthdays, housewarming, or other occasions. This easy card will bring a smile to someone’s face!

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Make A Pretty Button Basket for a Teacher Gift!

It’s that time of year to think about a teacher gift! Today’s project will show you how to take an inexpensive basket available at any craft or discount store, and turn it into a beautiful back-to-school teacher gift.

Teacher Gift Basket

Supplies:

The basket that I used was a simple wood woven one that started out as unfinished wood. It cost less than $3 at a local craft store! It was the perfect size to hold a 15 ounce potted plant from the local home center.

woven basket

Start your teacher gift basket project by using a paint brush to apply the wood tint or stain to the basket. Be sure to use the brush to push the stain down into the cracks in the weaving so the basket’s original color won’t show through! Wipe off any excess tint and leave to dry.

While the basket is drying, select from your Button Bonanza bag a grouping of buttons that are approximately the same size and that will fit around the front edge of the basket. (You only want to do the front edge of the basket so that the handle will still be able to be put down.)

Once the basket is dry, use a hot glue gun to adhere the buttons around the top edge of the front of the basket. (Make sure to leave clearance for the handle to go up and down!)

A beautiful bow is the final touch to make your basket special. Tie a bow using some ribbon and snip off the ends at an angle. Use the hot glue gun to adhere the bow to the front of the basket.

Your completed teacher gift basket can be used to deliver a wide variety of gifts to teacher: a small plant, an assortment of snacks or school supplies, or useful goodies like hand sanitizer and wet wipes.

Teacher Gift Basket with Plant

Change up the color scheme a bit (such as by trying red buttons with green ribbon) and this basket will make a great way to deliver a small gift for Christmas or another occasion!

What occasion will you make a button gift basket for?

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Wear Your Buttons with a Beautiful Mixed Media Locket!

Think our 28 Lilac Lane buttons are too beautiful to hide at home in your craft room? We do too! That’s why I made this this beautiful locket that showcases some of my favorite elements from the collection. This mixed media locket is a fun and eclectic piece of button jewelry that will let me show off my love of crafts in a fashionable way.

Mixed Media Locket

Supplies needed:

This mixed media locket is created by encasing 28 Lilac Lane embellishments in Ice Resin, a clear drying epoxy that is available in single use syringe dispensers. It’s a fast and easy project that can easily be completed in an hour or so, except for allowing dry time for the epoxy.

Mixed Media Locket

To make my design, I started by arranging the large colored items – the buttons and the flat back pearl – inside the locket. Once I was happy with how they looked, I gently filled in around them with the seed beads. This part of the process requires patience, as sometimes it means placing the beads one at a time.

Once the bottom layer of embellishments is placed, I selected a charm to place on top and set it aside.

Working with the epoxy was something I’d wanted to do for awhile but I was, I admit, a bit intimidated to try it. It turned out to be very easy – just push the plunger down to get the amount that you want, and stir! Once the epoxy was mixed well, I poured it over the bottom layer of embellishments to cover and hold them in place in the locket. Then I quickly pressed the charm down on top of the epoxy, so that it was just barely embedded and stuck out from the top. (Be very careful to not get your fingers in the epoxy! I suggest dropping the charm in and then using a toothpick or other tool to nudge it into place.)

mixed media locket

Once the resin is dry, you can add a chain to your locket. Then you can wear and enjoy your mixed media locket masterpiece to share your love of crafts – and 28 Lilac Lane – through fashion!

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Make a Fun Giant Clothes Pin Photo Holder

As summer vacation winds down, why not make a craft with the kids that will help them display their favorite summer memories? This giant clothes pin photo holder is fun and easy to make with only a few supplies!

Giant Clothes Pin Photo Holder

Supplies Needed:

To get started, paint your giant clothes pin (mine is about 6″ tall) with water-based acrylic paint or wood tint. I used Plaid Ultra Dye in “Pucker Up”. Using a wood tint or stain is easiest, since it will wipe easily off of the metal parts of the clothes pin. Acrylic paint will also wipe off of the metal while it is still wet, but not quite as easily.

The next step is to decide on the buttons that you would like to use to place across the front of the clothes pin. If you choose buttons with shanks like I did, you’ll need to remove the shanks. I prefer using a Button Shank Remover for safety and because it leaves behind a more flat back on the button.

The next step requires the use of hot glue, so to be safe, make sure you help out younger kids. Place pea sized drops of hot glue on the spots where you want your buttons, and then push the buttons into place on top of them. (If you choose buttons that have holes in the center, beware of hot glue coming back up through the holes!)

And that’s it…now your giant clothes pin photo holder is ready to enjoy with one of your favorite photos! As well as being a great summer kids’ craft, this project would also make a great seasonal project to display memories of past holidays – just used holiday themed buttons!

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Make a Lemonade Button Shaker Card

Shaker cards are a fun and easy way to make fast cards that look way more complex than they are. They pack a big visual punch, but are surprisingly simple to make!

Lemonade Shaker CardSupplies:

This shaker card is based around Jillibean Soup’s matching dies, stamp sets and shaker box inserts that make mason jar shakers. They are a great size for filling with buttons, sequins, and seed beads – the contents of our 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles!

For this card, I used the “Hello, Sunshine” bottle to make it look like this jar shaker was filled with lemonade. The sequins in the mix add a nice extra bit of sparkle to the shaker!

Filling this mason jar with a rainbow assortment of buttons would turn it into grandma’s button jar for a more generic sentiment like “thank you” or a new home welcome card.

Shaker Card with Buttons

Don’t forget that if you are giving this card to a crafter, our 28 Lilac Lane embellishments aren’t just functional – they also make the card a fun little bonus gift! After the party is over, the recipient can recycle the card, open the shaker box, and save the embellishments for using on a project of their own!

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DIY Wedding Chalkboard Table Number

Summer is wedding season for a lot of families, and a DIY wedding is a great way to save money on the cost of getting married. As our DIY Wedding Chalkboard Table Number shows, DIY can also be beautiful – and a great way to personalize your wedding.

DIY Wedding Chalkboard Table Number

Supplies:

This table number is very simple but oh so pretty! Small chalkboard easels like this are available at most craft stores. They make great table numbers, or menu display boards for weddings and showers. And at the end of the night, they can go home with guests as party favors!

DIY Chalkboard Easel

To start the project, paint the bare wood with white chalk paint. Use a small brush along the sides of the chalkboard. If you get some paint on the chalkboard surface, use a damp cloth to wipe it away while it is still wet. If you aren’t able to get it all off and a trace of it remains, don’t worry. It will just look like smudges of chalk when the project is complete.

On Lilac Lane embellishment bottle

Lay the easel flat and spread some of the glue in one of the corners of the chalkboard. Fill in some buttons, varying colors and sizes and leaving small spaces in a couple of places. Fill the small spaces in with small items from the embellishment bottle such as seed beads, sequins, and flat back pearls. Repeat for each corner of the blackboard. Allow to dry.

DIY Wedding Chalkboard Table Number

I chose to work with the “On Lilac Lane” embellishment bottle for this DIY Wedding Chalkboard Table Number, but this project could be adapted to any wedding color theme by selecting another of the embellishment bottles (or even one of our Button Bonanza bags). Our embellishment bottles include popular wedding colors like Mint, Yellow, and Pink.

The last step before using your DIY Wedding Chalkboard Table Number is to use a piece of chalk to prime the board. Place the side of it on the chalkboard and rub all it all to cover the board. Erase the chalk and the board is ready to use!

What other uses can you think of for this decorative chalkboard easel?

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Clean & Simple Baby Boy Card

A handmade card is the perfect finishing touch to a gift for a new baby. With the Buttons Galore 3D “Baby Hugs” collection of buttons by Vicki Schreiner, it’s fast and easy to make cards like this simple baby boy card! The only supplies needed are paper and buttons and a pen.

Supplies for Baby Boy Card

Supplies Needed:

That looks like a long list, but it’s really just a package of buttons, two sheets of cardstock, and some glue. I used a sentiment stamp for adding “it’s a boy” but it could easily be added with just a marker.

Simple Baby Boy Card

Assembling this card is simple – and fast! Just cut a piece of white cardstock sized 8.5″ x 5.5″ and fold it in half to make a card base. Cut a piece of yellow patterned paper that is 4.25″ x 5.5″ and glue it to the front of the card base.

Cut a 3/4″ strip on the leftover white cardstock to make the sentiment strip. Use scissors to snip the ends of it to create a banner. Write or stamp the sentiment on it, and glue it about 2/3 of the way down the front of the card.

Simple Baby Boy Card

For the final step, use scissors or a shank remover to cut the shanks off of the 3D buttons. Glue the buttons down with a white glue like PPA Matte Adhesive or Aleene’s Tacky Glue.

This quick and simple baby card can be make in less than 10 minutes. This simple design can be adapted to many other occasions (like birthdays and weddings) as well with the help of our other 3D button collections such as Sweet Delights or our wedding collection.

Simple Baby Boy Card using 3D buttons by Nancy Nally for ButtonsGaloreAndMore.com - great quick baby shower card or to welcome baby!

 

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5 Great Summer Kids Craft Ideas

July means hitting the beach, blooming gardens – and stir crazy kids bored with all their summer vacation free time! Here’s our top five ideas for kids crafts projects to turn bored kids into busy kids!

Top 5 Summer Crafts with buttons by Buttons Galore

This project is great for even the youngest of kids! This button covered treasure box is an easy to make project using blank paper board boxes available in local craft stores. For the young ones, simple shapes like rectangles and square boxes are available. Older kids may want to try their hand at more challenging shapes like stars, or circles. To keep the kids busy for longer, let them add a coat of acrylic paint as a base before adding on their buttons.

ButtonsFlowerPotandBox

If you are worried about hearing hours of “are we there yet?” from the back seat, Road Trip Bingo may be the answer for you! Let the kids make their tin themselves before the trip, or surprise them in the car. To keep the kids from fighting over whose markers are whose, use a different color for each set (or use 3D buttons to create fun themed sets). Don’t forget to pack a stash of a few extra markers in case of lost ones!

Road Trip Bingo Tin close-up

This project will remind the kids to make the most of the last of their summer vacation by having them get ready for back to school! An upcycled can turned into a pencil holder makes a useful decoration for a homework desk, or a fun kid-made teacher gift. If you don’t have any fabric scraps, use contact paper or gift wrap for this easy project.

upcycled can to pretty pencil holder

Dollar stores are a great place to find an endless supply of simple items just waiting to be made beautiful. These basic photo clips, paired with a package of 3D buttons, can be easily turned into a fun themed display for favorite photos from any occasion with our wide range of shank buttons.

customize a photo holder with theme buttons

Thanks to the rubber band bracelet craze, many kids have a rubber band loom stashed that they’ve gotten bored with. Bring new life to that old crafty friend of theirs by showing them how to use 3D shank buttons to make charm bracelets!  Use themed buttons to make bracelets for special occasions, or use basics like flowers for every day wear! (This project also makes a fun take home activity for a girls birthday party or sleepover!)

Finished Rubber Band Bracelet

These are just a few of our favorite kid crafts for summer! For even more, ideas of great projects to keep kids busy (and learning) with crafts, visit the Kids Crafts section of the blog.

SUMMER CRAFTS

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Make a Flower Pot Pencil Holder for Teacher!

On Tuesday, we shared a tag that is perfect for giving a back-to-school gift to your new favorite teacher. Stumped for an idea for a gift to attach it to? We’ve got the perfect gift idea – an easy to make Back to School Flower Pot Pencil Holder that is a pretty as it is useful!

Back to School Flower Pot Pencil Holder for teacher gift or classroom decor. | Nancy Nally for ButtonsGaloreAndMore.com

Supplies Needed:

This flower pot pencil holder is made from a basic small clay flower pot, available at any home center or craft store, that is painted with chalkboard spray paint. To spray paint items like this, I use a scrap of 1×2 board left over from a project and turn the pot upside down onto the end of it. Then I can take the item outside, hold it extended arm’s length away from me, and rotate it while spraying. This gets me good coverage with minimum mess and clean up, and I can get all the edges. To let it dry, I just prop the stick up against something with the pot still on top of it.

Once the painting is complete (I recommend two light coats) and dry, the rest was super fast and simple! Just grab a hot glue gun and get to work gluing the buttons around the top rim of the pot. Cut the shanks off of the apple buttons, and insert one of them periodically. Make sure to use enough glue that they are attached securely!

Back to School Flower Pot Pencil Holder for teacher gift or classroom decor. | Nancy Nally for ButtonsGaloreAndMore.com

Finally, rub the bottom area with the side of a piece of chalk and then clean it off to “prime” it so that it can be written on. I chose to write the teacher’s name but you could also write instructions like “please return”. That’s one of the best things about using the chalkboard paint for this design – it’s not just classroom themed, it’s also useful!

The flower pot pencil holder will likely have a small drainage hole in the bottom of it. If you are concerned about things falling out through the hole when the pot is moved, cut a small circle of cardboard (such as from a recycled cereal box) and glue it into the bottom of the pot.

School will be here before you know it! Grab your 3D Apple Buttons and Primary Button Bonanza and start crafting your flower pot pencil holder for a beautiful classroom!

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Hit the Books with a Back to School Tag!

With July 4th gone, that means for many of us the summer is officially half over. It’s already time to start thinking about back to school! Our cute back to school tag is perfect for teacher gifts, first day of school lunches, and decorating backpacks!

Back to School tag with button collage | Nancy Nally for ButtonsGaloreAndMore.Net

Making this tag is so quick and simple – the kids can help! Die cut the tag base and hole reinforcer out of patterned paper, and glue them together. Attach tab and alphabet stickers across the bottom of the tag. (Instead of “hello”, you could substitute a name, or the year if you’d like!)

To make the button collage on our back to school tag, use a die cut machine (I used my Cricut Explore) to cut an apple shape out of red cardstock that matches the “Red Hot” buttons. Spread a nice thick layer of the PPA Matte Adhesive all over the fruit of the apple. Begin to fill it in by carefully selecting various sizes of the buttons to fill as much of the space as possible. Push the buttons down into the glue to make them really secure!

Teacher Tag for Back to School | Nancy Nally for buttonsgaloreandmore.net

Once the glue is dry on your apple collage, glue it in place on your tag! For the finishing touch, slip a piece of ribbon through the tag’s hole and secure it with a staple.

To make this back to school tag double-sided, select a double-sided paper (like this one) for your tag base. Or cut a second tag from the die and glue them back-to-back.

Whose back to school are you going to make awesome with an apple button collage tag?

Supplies Needed:

  • Buttons Galore “Red Hot” Button Basics
  • Bella Blvd “Tiny Tots” Alphabet Paper
  • Bella Blvd “Simply Spring” Eggstravaganza (plaid paper)
  • Bella Blvd “Tiny Tots” Treasures & Text stickers
  • Momenta kraft alphabet
  • Red Cardstock
  • Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations “Tag & Bookplates” die
  • Cricut Explore machine & apple cutting file
  • PPA Matte Adhesive
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Button Magnets are Fast & Fun Decor!

When you think of button magnets, you probably think of cute, brightly colored accessories for a classroom or a sewing room. But with the right button selections, button magnets can also be sophisticated accessories for flea market or farmhouse vintage style home decor.

Button Magnets

Supplies needed:

Button magnets are so simple to make! Start by selecting buttons to create a coordinated set. Don’t forget to make sure they are all at least a little bit larger than the magnets that you plan to use! Next, cut the shanks off any that buttons that need it. (The buttons will attach more securely if you get the backs as flat as possible, so it pays to give some attention to detail on this step.) Glue the buttons to a round magnet using adhesive or a hot glue gun, pushing the buttons nice and flat on the magnets. Once the glue is dry, your button magnets are ready to use!

The trick to achieving a sophisticated look with button magnets is in the color and button selection. This “Wedding” Button Bonanza is full of creams and gray tones that are the perfect complement to many currently trendy home decor paint colors. They are subtle, and understated. Combine them with the metals of the Haberdashery set, and you have created an effortless  collection that looks like grandma’s random button bag yet is perfectly coordinated.

Button Magnets

These button magnets will look fabulous on a variety of surfaces – magnetic chalkboard, galvanized metal (see above), white board, even your fridge! They are an affordable way to create DIY wedding decor (hang up reception table assignments with them) or to add some style to a functional office board. What will you use them for?

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Sew a Quick & Easy Needle Book!

Needles are easy to lose, and not the sort of thing you want to find accidentally in your sewing box (or on the sewing room floor). Our pretty and easy to make needle book will keep your needles safely organized and ready to use any time that you need them!

Needle Book cover

Supplies:

This needle book can be make in any size that you would like! Cut 2 pieces of felt the same size for the interior pages, and then cut a piece of fabric that is slightly larger than the felt to make your cover with.

Needle Book interiorStart construction by working on the piece of felt that will make the inside of the cover (mine is pink).

Use pinking shears to cut a small pocket and sew it to the upper left side of the piece (inside the front cover). This will serve as a pocket for needle threaders! To keep them from falling out, cut a flap of felt and stitch it over the top of the pocket.

Needle Threader Pocket

Below the pocket, draw a shape with a fabric pencil. I chose a heart. Use a needle and thread to sew seed beads onto the shape using backstitch.

IMG_6290-2

When the inside of the front cover is done, center the pink felt on the reverse side of the cover fabric. Pin in place, and machine sew using zig zag stitch or by hand.

To create the center page, cut 4 small strips of felt slightly shorter than the width of your pages. (My strips are 1″ high.) Pin them so two strips make a “sandwich” of the page, and one set of stitching will attach both strips. These strips will allow you to put needles on the book’s pages without them going through to the other side.

Needle Book center page

Lay the center page on top of the cover and stitch up the middle to bind your needle book.

For the final touch, finish your needle book’s cover by die cutting a piece of felt to make a flower. Use the flower and buttons from the 28 Lilac Lane “Hello, Cupcake” kit to embellish the cover. Attach them by sewing them through only the fabric layer of the cover so the stitching won’t show through to the inside.

This needle book is a great way to use your scraps, or to make a gift for a sewist or quilter! Putting pockets on all of the pages would allow it to hold packets of machine needles. Sewing in strips of Aida cloth instead of felt to slide the needles into would turn this into a great organizer for cross stitch and embroidery needles!

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Simple Mixed Media Tag with 28 Lilac Lane

Our 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits designed by May Flaum make the perfect finishing touch for projects like this mixed media tag! This tag thinks “outside the box” with our Paws & Pets kit, using its lovely brown tones as the perfect partner for some vintage style Tim Holtz products.

Mixed Media Tag by Nancy Nally featuring 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits

Supplies:

To make this tag, begin by cutting the dapper man out of the patterned paper sheet. Then flip the sheet over and cut the tag base out of the Tim Holtz paper and glue down the hole reinforcer.

Paint and stamping on mixed media tag

Using the Distress Paint dabber, stencil the harlequin design across the middle of the tag. Once dry, glue the dapper man on top of it. Stamp the clock image with Ground Espresso ink, allowing it to bleed off the edge of the tag.

Mixed Media Tag detail

Lay down an area of glue in the bottom right corner of the tag and spread a random assortment of buttons and seed beeds throughout the area. (In addition to the Paws & Pets kit, I used one ivory button from the Vintage Findings kit.)

Mixed Media Tag close-up

Lay down another area of glue in the upper left corner and spread another assortment of seed beads in that area. Loop a short length of the Melissa Frances ribbon through the tag’s hole, and stitch a button through it to keep it in place.

To finish off the mixed media tag, select some phrase stickers from the Small Talk set and place them over the dapper man. I selected phrases that reflected the man’s confidence and effortless sense of personal style.

Our pre-coordinated 28 Lilac Lane kits are the perfect quick & easy embellishment for all your mixed media projects. Don’t forget to look past the name to the color scheme, and “think outside the box” about all the wonderful things that they can do!

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Send an Easy Quilt Thank You Card!

This quick and easy quilt thank you card is perfect to send to your favorite quilter, or create a set to give as a gift!

Quilt Thank You Card

Supplies:

To make this card, first cut a 3″ x 4″ piece of white cardstock. Cut 1″ squares out of two different patterned papers for the quilt squares. Arrange and glue them to cover the white cardstock backing.

Attach the quilted piece on top of the light pink patterned paper and trim to mat it with a small border.

Cut a 4.25″ by 5.5″ sized piece from the dark pink patterned paper. to use as the background of the card front. Attach the quilted piece to the card background, leaving a slightly wider border at the bottom.

Stamp the sentiment across the bottom of the card front. Fold a piece of cardstock to make a card base (or use a pre-made card). Attach the card front to the card base.

Select six small buttons from the “Summertime” Button Bonanza. Tie embroidery floss through the buttons, and adhere with glue.

This card design could easily be adapted to a variety of occasions. Change out the color scheme for blue and yellow, or pink and yellow, and you have a “welcome baby” card. And quilts go great with a fall chill in the air…made in browns and oranges, your quilt could wish someone a “Happy Fall!”

What occasion will you make a quilt card for?

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Make a Rainbow Canvas with 28 Lilac Lane!

Wanting an uplifting, fun, and carefree kind of project this week I pulled out the entire 28 Lilac Lane line, some paste, liquid adhesive, and a 6×6 wood board to make a rainbow!

Rainbow Love Canvas with buttons by May Flaum

Did I really say the entire line? Yes, yes I did! I wanted to create a rainbow of buttons, beads, sequins, and pearls across this canvas and I wanted to have a wide variety. Beginning in the middle with green and working towards the edges, I just love the finished piece! Some charms from various kits as well as a few chipboard letters finished off my project before I used a glossy sealant to complete this piece. Note that I worked in layers, meaning that I built a base layer then went back over it several times to add more pieces and details. This project was such fun to make, and I love that it features at least one thing from every bottle and kit.

Rainbow love canvas close-up

Rainbow Love Canvas close-up

Want to make this with fewer items? Using the Dragon Fire, Pumpkin Spice, Hello Sunshine, Oh Christmas Tree, Winter Blues, and On Lilac Lane bottles would get you a lovely rainbow as well. I hope I’ve inspired you to create a bit of a rainbow with your next craft project, and get those fun buttons on display. For complete details and instruction be sure to watch my video below!

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Inspirational Mixed Media Canvas with 28 Lilac Lane

This time of year sees a lot of people we love embarking on new adventures, headed off soon to new schools, or new jobs. Wouldn’t it be nice to send a piece of ourselves, and a positive message, along with them? This inspirational mixed media canvas using 28 Lilac Lane products will remind them to reach for their dreams!

Inspirational Mixed Media Canvas by Nancy Nally using 28 Lilac Lane

Supplies from Buttons Galore:

Other Supplies:

  • Blank 8″x10″ canvas
  • Plaid Milk Paint (Lexington Blue)
  • Quick Quotes “Farmhouse” Paper Collection
  • Plaid FolkArt Stencil (Single Rose)
  • Plaid FolkArt Sencil Creme (Rainbow)
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Antique Linen, Broken China, Ground Espresso)
  • Stamper’s Anonymous Rubber Stamp “Always Move…”
  • Prima “Say It In Crystals” embellishments
  • Wilton Doilies (4″)
  • Tim Holtz idea-ology Small Talk Stickers
  • Tim Holtz idea-0logy Jute String
  • Embroidery Floss
  • Manila Tag
  • Sizzix Big Shot Machine
  • Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations “Tiny Tabs & Tags” Die

To get started on your inspirational mixed media canvas project, paint the front and edges of the canvas with the blue Milk Paint. Let the paint dry.

Tear the floral “Farmhouse” paper and adhere it to the front of the canvas using the PPA Matte Adhesive. Use a baby wipe or damp paper towel to smooth down the edges of the paper and adhere them firmly. (This will have the effect of also distressing the milk paint finish on the canvas.)

Once the paint and glue is dried well, use the stencil and stencil creme (in orange) to apply a rose design to the lower right hand corner of the canvas, over the paper.

Stenciled Rose on Mixed Media Canvas

In the upper left hand corner, glue down a doilie on top of the patterned paper. When the glue is dry, smudge some Antique Linen Distress Ink on top of the cut outs in the doilie to highlight the design in them. Next, apply the twill ribbon from the “A New Leaf” kit across the top of the canvas.

To make the tag, die cut the tag shape out of a larger manila tag. Ink the edges with Broken China and Ground Espresso Distress Ink, and stamp the sentiment in Ground Espresso. Tie the charm from the “A New Leaf” kit onto the tag with some jute string, and glue some seed beads from the kit to the tag’s corners to finish it off. Glue the tag down.

quote tag on mixed media canvas

Apply some PPA Matte Adhesive in the corners of the canvas and embed some seed beads from the “A New Leaf” embellishment kit in it. Once that is dry, you can begin building the stickers, rhinestone and button elements in the rest of the canvas. Don’t forget to thread your buttons before adhering them so they look finished!

Mixed media canvas embellishments

mixed media canvas embellishments

This inspirational mixed media canvas is fun and simple to make…and will let someone you care about know how much you believe in them. Who will you give it to?

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Make a Quick Card with Buttons & Pocket Cards!

Looking for an easy quick card idea? Look no further than your Project Life cards and your buttons and embellishments from 28 Lilac Lane!

Creating this quick card is simple – and fast. It takes only five minutes! This project uses leftover Project Life cards as a shortcut to creating a beautiful color blocked card. Depending on the style of the kit you are using, the design could be graphic, shabby, or cute in style.

Quick Card with Buttons

Supplies:

The key to this card’s fun design is to think in threes. All of the major design elements are arranged in threes, creating repetition and harmony in the design.

Start by folding a letter sized piece of cardstock in half for the base. Then select 3 project life cards and arrange them layered, as shown in the photo above. Select three sequins that match each of the top two cards, and arrange them in a triangle on the card. (Since my cards were very geometric, I chose to place the sequins centered on design elements.)

For the final touch, choose three buttons that match the cards. I chose three that matched the circles on the top card, to repeat the design element visually and bring that color down closer to the bottom for balance in the design. Tie embroidery floss through the holes of the buttons to make them feel more finished. Adhere in a row.

Variation: If you don’t find a card in your stash that contains an appropriate greeting or sentiment for your occasion, you can substitute a strip of paper with a stamped or handwritten sentiment. Just place it on top of the pocket card in the location where my card says “hooray”.

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Frame a Patriotic Rustic Flag for July 4th!

It’s time to make another addition to our holiday frame project! This time, we’re creating a rustic flag insert for the frame that will be perfect for showing your patriotic pride for the 4th of July or the upcoming Olympics!

(For those new to the series, the holiday frame project is a 8″x10″ frame that I’m creating a series of decorative inserts for to celebrate various holidays and occasions. To see previous installments in the series, click here.)

Rustic Flag Frame

Supplies:

The hardest part of making this rustic flag project is…the math! To start, you are going to need to measure the opening on your frame, and decide how much border you want around your frame. Then use the painter’s tape to mask off the edges right up to the area that you want to paint.

Divide the remaining vertical area by 7 to determine the width of the stripes on the flag. Use painter’s tape to mark off the bottom stripe and fill in the stripe with paint. Remove the tape right away. While the stripe dries, determine how wide you want your blue area for the stars (I suggest about 40% of the width). Then mask it off with vertical strip of tape to protect it while you paint the top two red stripes. Measure down from the top to create your first stripe, lay down a piece of painter’s tape to protect the “white” stripe, and fill in the red stripe with paint. Remove the tape immediately after painting.

Letting each stripe dry before painting the next one, continue measuring and masking with tape before taping, until all 4 red stripes are painted.

Holiday Frame Flag in progress

Once all of the red paint is dry, then you can lay down painter’s tape to paint the blue area.

Holiday Frame Flag in progress

Peel the tape up as soon as you are finished painting, while the paint is still wet. Because of the open weave of the burlap, your paint will appear “patchy”, since in some places it will fill in the weave and in some it won’t. This adds to the rustic feeling of the project!

Painted Rustic Flag on Burlap

The final step is to select 13 small to medium sized white buttons from the Patriotic Mix of Button Basics. Arrange them in a random way in the blue area, and use a hot glue gun to attach them to the flag.

Flag buttons close-up

Now you’re all ready to put your flag in your frame and celebrate the 4th of July or cheer on Team USA for the Olympics this summer!

Rustic Flag frame is great home decor for the 4th of July! Created by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore.

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A Mason Jar Sewing Kit with a Button Twist!

Mason jars are so trendy and so useful. They are perfect for making fun (and affordable) little gifts, like this mason jar sewing kit with a pin cushion top. And this project has another bonus – it’s perfect for using up those fabric scraps you just can’t part with!

Mason Jar Sewing Kit

Supplies:

To begin this mason jar sewing kit project, take the ring off of your mason jar. Select buttons from the Haberdashery collection that are approximately the height of the ring. Using the hot glue gun, attach them around the ring. The trick to getting the spacing even is to start adjusting with several buttons to go – select slightly smaller or larger buttons as needed to fill in the remaining space as evenly as possible, and then space them slightly apart if needed to avoid leaving a large gap at the end.

Button Mason Jar Rim

Once the ring is done, cut out a circle of fabric that is about 4.5″ in diameter (if you are using a regular mouth mason jar). Baste around the edges of it to create a gathering stitch, and leave the thread ends hanging. Ball up a a large wad of fiber fill and compress it so it is smaller than the jar lid.

Place the fiber fill on the top of the jar lid. Place the fabric on top of it – right side up – and then flip the entire thing over. Make sure the fiber fill stays bunched in the center of the jar lid! Pull the stitches to gather the fabric. When it snugs tightly onto the back of the jar lid, tie off the ends.Insert the lid with the fabric & fiber fill attached back into the ring and check its fit on the jar. There should be no fiber fill underneath the edges of the ring to ensure the lid screws on all the way. If it fits properly, use the hot glue gun to put glue under the edges of the fabric to seal it to the back of the lid. If the ring will not seal onto the jar, adjust the fiber fill away from the edges of the lid and try again.

Pin Cushion Mason Jar Lid

The final step is to fill the jar with sewing supplies! A selection of buttons from our Buttons Galore Neutral Button Tote makes a great assortment to have on hand for replacing lost buttons on clothing. Add in a scrap of felt with some needles attached and a spool of thread, and you have an emergency mending kit with a top that will hold pins or needles!

Mason Jar Sewing Kit

This is a great gift for a bride, a student leaving for college, or someone setting up house for the first time. For a more advanced sewist, fill the jar with buttons, pins, or other sewing necessities to create a handmade gift they’ll enjoy using regularly.

 

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Embellish an Artist Trading Card with Buttons

Artist Trading Cards are a fun way to experiment with colors and techniques. They are also a great way to use up random leftovers from other projects, like I did on this Artist Trading Card wth buttons and trim!

For those unfamiliar with the concept, an ATC (Artist Trading Card) is a 2.5″ by 3.5″ piece of art that is intended to be traded with other artists. The rear of an ATC is usually signed by the artist and indicates if the card is part of a series. A wide variety of substrates are used as bases for ATC’s but popular ones include manila, watercolor paper, mat board, and ephemera like old book pages.

Feminine Artist Trading Card with Buttons

Supplies:

This ATC card was created from manila cardstock, cut from a #8 manila tag. I actually stamped the trading card background stamp on the tag first, and then cut out my card base, to make sure that I got perfect placement of the stamp on my card.

Once the base was created, I used a tag stencil with some texture paste to create a flower in the corner of the card on top of the stamped design. Rubbing some Distress Ink on top of the flower gave it a nice pink shade, and I also colored in the image that I wanted to highlight with markers.

Artist Trading Card close up

I used a scrap of crochet trim from the 28 Lilac Lane “Attic Findings” embellishment kit to fill in the area in the upper left of the card. Then I opened up the “On Lilac Lane” bottle and went to town! The pretty lady got some embellishment for her outfit (see how shiny her buttons are?) from some of the small beads and sequins in the bottle. Then I placed buttons and pearls around the card for pops of color. Some of these elements highlight certain design elements like lines in the stamp or the flower. I purposely varied the size and color shade of the embellishments that I chose to create a more random, artsy effect in the design.

The final step was to use the Archival ink pad that I had stamped with to edge the card and give it some extra “pop”.

Our embellishment kits and bottles are perfect for making Artist Trading Cards with buttons, trim, sequins, beads, and pearls. Their great assortment of embellishments will help you create a one of a kind work of art! Try one today!

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Make a Fun Thank You Shaker Card!

Shaker cards are super trendy right now, so next time you want to want to express your gratitude…why not send a thank you shaker card? This quick and easy thank you shaker card uses our “New Leaf” embellishment kit from 28 Lilac Lane to add a touch of sparkle to its shake!

thank you shaker card with 28 Lilac Lane embellishments

 

Supplies:

The base of this thank you card is created from a “thank you” card cutting file from the Cricut Design Space library. I modified the cut file by duplicating the card and using squares to slice sections of it out to create layers in different colors. When I assembled the pieces, I had the base for a colorful shaker card. The scalloped edge is actually on the back edge of the card, so it is still visible when you open the card up to read what is written inside!

Thank You Shaker Card base

The front panel of the shaker box is easy to make. I just grabbed a spare page protector and cut a piece out of it big enough to cover the window. I attached it to the back of the card front using red liner adhesive tape.

Rear of Shaker Card Window

To create the box part of the thank you shaker box, I layered a double layer of foam adhesive tape on top of the area where the red liner adhesive was used. This created a box to put the shaker embellishments into. I filled the box up with sequins, seed beeds, and buttons from the New Leaf kit. Then I peeled the backing from the foam tape and attached a cardstock “lid” to the shaker box.

thank you shaker card close-up

 

If you give this card to a crafter, this card is an extra special treat! The recipient can simply open up the shaker box and empty the contents into a small container or zip bag to use on their own papercrafting, sewing, or mixed media projects.

thank you shaker card

Thank You Shaker Card with 28 Lilac Lane embellishments

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Paint up a Patriotic Simple Pallet Flag!

The summer holidays coming has many of us here in the U.S. wanting to display our more patriotic side. This simple pallet flag will help you show your love of country while bringing some country charm to your home as well!

Easy Pallet Flag project by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

To create this pallet flag, I started by painting the entire pallet white. Then, to create my stripes, I measured the tallest height of the pallet and divided by seven (the number of stripes that I wanted) to get the width of my stripes.

Using painter’s tape to block off the areas that I didn’t want to paint red ensured that I got crisp edges on my stripes. I just measured the width I wanted and laid down a strip of tape at that mark. Then from that edge, I measured again and lay another strip of tape at that mark. That left a small open area between the two strips of tape. To protect my white paint from splatters while painting with the red, I laid down an extra strip of tape on top of the others to fill in that gap. When I was done, I had blue and white stripes like this:

Painting flag stripes on pallet

Once the tape was in place, I painted the areas that weren’t covered in blue tape with red paint. The paint below appears patchy because I peeled up the tape while it was still drying – an important step to keep the edges of your paint crisp. Once dry, the paint is much more even.

Finished flag stripes on pallet

Instead of painting the blue field for the stars I chose to use a paper background. The paper filled in the holes between the planks on the pallet, allowing for even spacing of the stars. It also allowed me to extend the paper above some of the shorter pallet planks, to the height of the taller planks. This gave me more room to work with for the stars. The paper was adhered down with matte finish white glue.

Easy Pallet Flag project by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

Before attaching the stars, their shanks had to first be removed. Placing the stars required a lot of patience. I worked in sections, letting glue dry on each row before moving to the next so that I wouldn’t push previous stars out of position placing the next row. It’s difficult to get the arrangement exactly perfect, but on a rustic pallet flag like this, that is part of the charm!

While I used silver quilted stars for this project, any of our 3/4″ or less sized stars would work (like our Texas Stars, our Gold Stars, or our Silver Star assortment, or the white stars from our Stars & Stripes assortment). If you don’t have the patience to do all 50 stars, try arranging 13 of them in a circle.

Supplies:

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Batter Up for a Baseball Father’s Day Card!

Is the dad in your life a sports fan? This baseball Father’s Day card may be the perfect way to send your love on Father’s Day!

Baseball Father's Day card

This simple Father’s Day card is based on only two main elements: a die cut and some of our fun 3D buttons!

A plain blank card takes on a baseball pinstripe look with the help of a background stamp. The texture of the blank card keeps it from stamping completely perfectly, giving it a vintage distressed look. A strip of patterned paper also helps to create a vintage vibe, which is perfect since baseball is a sport with such a strong sense of history. The die cut is cut from a red cardstock that matches to stitching on the baseball, and which creates a nice contrast to the blue. Once that is done, all that is needed is to attach the buttons. (The bat is attached with some embroidery floss, and the ball is glued.)

This baseball father’s day card could easily be themed for another sport with only a few changes. Simply change out the baseball buttons for other Buttons Galore sports themed ones such as basketball, soccer, or football, and then change the background stripes for stars!

Supplies:

  • Buttons Galore #4065 Baseball 3D buttons
  • Hero Arts Large Canvas Stripes Background stamp
  • Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Faded Jeans
  • Cricut Explore machine & cut file
  • Bazzill cardstock (red)
  • Blank card (blue)
  • Tim Holtz “Crowded Attic” Paper Stash
  • embroidery floss (brown)

 

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Wrap up a Quick & Simple Father’s Day Card!

Father’s Day is almost here, and that means time to make cards for dads, grandpas, and other special men in our lives! This quick and simple Father’s Day card is easy to make, and has a fun orange and turquoise color scheme that will make kids and grown-ups happy!

Fathers Day card

The card design is based on a preprinted journal card cut from a sheet of Simple Stories patterned paper. To keep it from looking plain as the basis of the card, embellish it with pearls that match the TV’s printed dials. The “screen” of the TV is the perfect place to hold the card’s sentiment. Stamp the sentiment on cardstock and then cut it apart to fit onto the screen. Adhere.

Next mat the TV card on orange patterned paper, and then mount it onto the card front. Finally, attach the card front to a blank card to complete the layers.

To wrap the twine, poke a hold in the spine of the card. Using the hole, wrap the twine around the card twice. Finish with the ends on the front. Thread a button onto each end of the twine, and then tie the ends together. To make the buttons lay more flat, glue dots can be attached behind them.

Supplies:

This card is perfect for any of the favorite fathers (or father figures) in your life. Who would you give this quick & simple Father’s Day card to for Father’s Day?

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Dress Up A Button Dress Form

Today Buttons Galore is pleased to be welcoming guest artist Candy Rosenberg to share her beautiful button dress form project.

Vintage craft designer Candy Rosenberg

Going out on the town always requires a fancy dress, and this occasion is no different – 0nly this girl is dolled up with buttons from Buttons Galore! Buttons are so fun and versatile in crafting and I am really excited to show off this project.

Button Decorated Dress Form

My button fetish is no secret to those who know me so I am always looking for ways to use them in unique ways. I’d had this bare “girl” laying around for awhile when I got this invitation to guest post for Buttons Galore. Buttons…dress form…The lightbulb went off and I thought that I could make a dress from buttons for my girl!

Button collage on dress formCovering an item like a dress form with buttons is not much different than covering a canvas or other flat surface. The major difference is that you have to consider three dimensions instead of two when placing a button in your collage. I poured out my bags of buttons and adhered them one at a time, seeing which ones worked best especially around her curves.

Button collage dress form close-up

This button dress form is super easy and such a great project to give as a gift or to use to decorate a studio!
finished button dress form - rear
 Buttons Galore Supplies:

If you like Candy’s mixed media creations like this button dress form, don’t miss her previous guest post for Buttons Galore that featured Artist Trading Cards!

Candy Rosenberg resides in beautiful Southern Oregon and has been crafting since she was a little girl. Known for her vintage steam punk style and beautifully crafted dress forms, she still likes to color outside the lines so to speak. Keep tabs on her latest creations at her blog, A Vintage Girl, or follow her on Facebook,Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and Google+.

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Send a Happy Button Rainbow Card!

I spent the weekend creating new storage for my buttons that has them arranged in rainbow order. After playing with a giant rainbow of buttons for hours, it left me in the mood to create a button rainbow card for my project today!

This happy button rainbow card is perfect to bring cheer for any occasion.

A rainbow like this is just a simple button collage. The trick is to get the curves lined up and space correctly. I made that simple for this project by using a die cut as a basis for the collage. Because I cut the die cut from cardstock that matched my buttons as closely as possible, the cardstock background will “fill in” visually between the buttons.

rainbow

Assembling the button collage is simple. Working one row at a time, I placed a line of glue along the row for each color. Then I selected small buttons to place along the row. It helped if the buttons were somewhat alternated in position from the previous row, since then I could put a slightly larger button into the gap created by the curves. I let each row dry until it was adhered firmly before beginning the next row to make sure that I didn’t accidentally displace the previous row adhering the new one.

button rainbow in progress

Once the rainbow was completed and dry, I adhered it to a blank card after first stamping the sentiment on the card. It was important to do the stamping first since the thickness of the button rainbow could make it difficult to get the stamp in position after it is adhered.

attaching adhesive to clouds

The final step was to adhere the clouds using 3D foam squares. I lined the squares up along the bottom of the clouds so they created a line across the center of the clouds. This edge butted right against the bottom edge of the rainbow when I adhered it. The top of the cloud doesn’t need adhesive because it is supported by the rainbow.

Supplies:

I hope you enjoy my button rainbow card! It’s an easy way to send some cheer to someone you care about!

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5 Ways to Use Buttons for Scrapbooking + NSD Sale!

Happy (Inter)National Scrapbook Day! Buttons are a perfect match for scrapbooking. They are a quick and easy way to add a pop of color and dimension to any layout design!

Five ways to scrapbook with buttons

 

Today, in honor of scrapbooking’s special day, we’re going to share with you our favorite examples of the wide variety of ways that buttons can be used on layouts.

Buttons & Burlap

Buttons and burlap are always a good pair, especially on a scrapbook layout. Keri Lee Sereika paired them with bright red and crisp turquoise for this brilliant summer layout of her son.

Buttons & Burlap Scrapbook Page - Keri Lee Sereika

Brown & Blue

If you like the combination of turquoise and brown, but burlap isn’t your thing…try using brown buttons! Designer May Flaum used her 28 Lilac Lane Paws & Pets kit to make some brown elements pop out of a solid turquoise background to highlight her Scrappy pup!

Scrappy layout by May Flaum using 28 Lilac Lane

Handmade

Natural materials (like the cork letters above) are a great combination with buttons. Ashli Oliver decided to extend the natural and handmade look to the paper on her layout, pairing her 28 Lilac Lane buttons with a rustic handmade paper. The contrast between the smooth, hard buttons and the rough, wild paper is perfect!

Handmade paper and buttons layout by Ashli Oliver

My Girls

We’ve seen lots of button clusters so far, but May Flaum showed us in her My Girls layout how to use buttons scattered as 3D trinkets alongside ephemera as well. She scattered some of her 28 Lilac Lane Attic Findings and Just Peachy buttons – as well as the coordinating sequins and pearls – to prove that a few buttons can pack a design punch as well.

28 Lilac Lane with Crate Paper

Good Morning Sunshine

Guest blogger Karla Yungwirth took the scattering to a new level of delicacy! Her gorgeous pastel layout, with just a touch of one or two buttons dabbed here and there for a spot of color, shows how buttons (and sequins and pearls) can have an impact while still being subtle.

Sunshine scrapbook layout using 28 Lilac Lane embellishment by Karla Yungwirth

But wait, there’s more…a sale! We’ve got 20% off on our entire website to celebrate National Scrapbook Day! So you can save while stocking up on all the buttons and embellishments that you need to put the perfect finishing touches on your scrapbook layouts! Use code NSD20 at checkout and save now!

NSD20 FACEBOOK

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Embellish a T-Shirt for Instant Button Style!

The weather is warming up and soon it will be t-shirt season! Using buttons to embellish a t-shirt is an easy way to add some instant style to an inexpensive, plain piece of clothing without the need for a sewing machine or hours of time.

Embellish a T-shirt Neckline with Buttons

This project can be done on any affordable basic t-shirt. The only supplies needed are buttons and a needle and thread.

To coordinate with this green t-shirt, I selected our Strawberry Cheesecake Color Blend buttons, gentle shades of pink that contrast nicely to the shirt’s green tone. But this project could be made in any color combination, like school colors, which makes it perfect for special events or creating a custom piece to match that hard-to-match clothing!

Sewing buttons on neckline

Beginning at one of the shoulder seams, sew the buttons centered onto the border of the neckline. The spacing of the buttons can be measured if you’d like, but I chose to estimate my placement. The spacing distance will depend on how many buttons you’d like to use. If you want a heavily embellished look, put your buttons close together – or even touching! Spacing the buttons further apart, as I chose to, will give a more delicate look to the embellishment.

For a more interesting design, you can vary the sizes and colors of the buttons like I did. I recommend, however, keeping them small enough on a shirt with a binding like this on the neck to stay within the trim itself.

Button embellished shirt

The finished result is an embellished t-shirt that is affordable and simple to make, and an easy look that will still look “finished” around the neck if you skip wearing jewelry.

Embellish a T-shirt close-up

While you are at our webstore checking out the Strawberry Cheesecake Color Blend buttons, don’t forget to also check out our spring clearance sale section. Some items are as much as 80% off as we are clearing out inventory in preparation for moving our warehouse!

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Craft a Wood Trinket Box with Button Lid

You can never have too many pretty little places to stash mementos and accessories. This little wood trinket box with a multi-colored button lid is a great way to hold your favorite jewelry, souvenirs like ticket stubs, or even office supplies!

Wood trinket box with button lid

This wood trinket box starts with a fun ombre finish created using the brand new Plaid Ultra Dyes. These are somewhat like water soluble brightly colored wood stains, and blend. I layered several colors to get the effect shown here: Raspberry Beret and Hot Flash applied on the bottom, and the top area with several coats of Hot Pink. Then a coat of hot Pink was layered over the entire project. The end result was almost a dip dye effect.

wood trinket box with ombre Ultra Dye

To find a selection of lots of colors for my button collage for on the lid of the trinket box, I decided to pull buttons from two different button assortments. On the left is our Spring button box, with the purple buttons, and on the right is our Vacation button box, with the dark teal and peach colors. Both assortments share in common some pink and light green shades, making them well suited to work together.

Buttons to match wood trinket box

I laid down a thick layer of white glue and then went to work filling in the lid with the buttons. The key (for me anyway) to achieving a random look is to try to not have buttons touch each other that are the same color. It’s also important to make sure that too many buttons of the same size aren’t clustered together in an area.

Buttons glued to wood trinket box lid

After the glue dries clear, that buttons will appear to be floating on the lid of the wood trinket box!

Wood trinket box with button lid

This wood trinket box with a button lid is a fast and easy project for all ages – a great project for a Mother’s Day gift or for summer vacation crafts for the kids! What will you use it for?

Supplies:

 

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Holiday Frame: A Floral Welcome Frame

For those of you following along with the holiday frame project, there may be times when you don’t want a seasonal element in it. Today, I’m here to show you a welcome frame design for your frame for those in-between times of year!

Welcome frame featuring 28 Lilac Lane products by May Flaum from Buttons Galore. Easy photo frame home decor project.

This simple design makes use of beautiful elements from our 28 Lilac Lane “Attic Findings” kit, as well as 3D die cut elements. All of the paper elements are created from a single paper pad for easy coordination of colors and designs.

To create this welcome frame project, the background paper was cut to 8″ x 10″ to fit the frame opening. Then the crochet trim from the Attic Findings kit was cut to create the border and glued in place. The word “welcome” was die cut (sized to just slightly more than 5″) and the edges were inked to provide a drop shadow before adhering it as well.

Welcome frame featuring 28 Lilac Lane products by May Flaum from Buttons Galore. Easy photo frame home decor project.

The three flowers were sized to about 2.25″ in diameter, and then cut from different papers. (The stamens on two of the flowers were cut from another flower design that wasn’t used on the frame.) The edges of the pink flowers were inked, and then the flowers were assembled.

The finishing touch on the flowers were the embellishments from the Attic Findings kit. Each flower got its own touch of contrasting color. The buttons were threaded with embroidery floss and tied off before adhering to give them a finished look.

Supplies:

This welcome frame is a beautiful way to fill your holiday frame in between holidays! In case you’ve missed them, don’t forget to check out the previous installments in the holiday frame series. What holiday would you like to see added to the series next?

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28 Lilac Lane Blog Hop: Spring Flowers

Welcome to the 28 Lilac Lane blog hop on the Buttons Galore blog! Let’s make some spring flowers! Make sure that you stay until the end today for the giveaway!

28lilaclanelogo

Spring has us all thinking of flowers! But in some areas they aren’t blooming yet, or we may not be able to have them in the house due to allergies.

The solution is simple…fabric and buttons! 28 Lilac Lane spring flowers

This project starts with fabric and interfacing. Iron heavy-duty iron-on interfacing to the back side of a small fabric scrap. Then, wrong sides together, iron another fabric scrap to the back side of it. This will create a double-sided piece of fabric, with the interfacing in the middle to stiffen the fabric.

Run the fabric through your die cutting machine to make flowers. Repeat with several different fabric scraps. If you don’t have scraps that will work for this project, visit your local quilt or sewing store and check out their fat quarter inventory for suitable fabric. Small prints work best for this project.

Fabric Flowers

Select a large button to coordinate with each of your spring flowers. With a piercer or large needle, poke holes through the flower where the button’s holes are.

Cut a length of the German Style wire about twice the desired stem length and fold it in half. Poke one end through each of the button’s holes and the flower and pull to snug the loop down on top of the button. Begin twisting the wire together under the flower. Continue until you reach the desired stem length and clip off the wire ends.

28 Lilac Lane flowers

Arrange your spring flowers in a vase, and for the finishing touch wrap baker’s twine around the neck and tie a pretty bow!

Supplies:

Don’t miss the other stops on the blog hop:

How to enter the Giveaway

To celebrate this blog hop, Buttons Galore is giving away a fabulous 28 Lilac Lane prize! One lucky winner is going to win two 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits, an embellishment bottle, and a sequin tin  – and the best part is that it is winner’s choice!

To enter, comment below and tell us which of the 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits is YOUR favorite! This giveaway is open until Midnight pacific time on Sunday, April 24th. One entry per person, and only U.S. mailing addresses are eligible to win.

Thanks for visiting the blog hop and good luck! If this is your first visit to the blog, please make sure to subscribe to the blog and follow our Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest!

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Easy Gold Button Charm Bracelet

This gold button charm bracelet project is easy to make with only a few supplies, and makes a perfect gift for the special stylish woman in your life!

Gold Button Charm Bracelet Supplies

Supplies:

I also recommend having on hand a pair of jewelry pliers (long nose or bent nose) to open and close the jump rings to complete this project more easily.

Once the supplies are assembled, select a random assortment of stem buttons from the button bag. You’ll need enough to put one button on each link of the bracelet chain.

gold button charm bracelet

Use the jump rings to attach the stem buttons to the bracelet chain. Attach one button per link in the chain, keeping all of the buttons on the same side of the links.

Vary the size and design of the buttons that you use as you go to get a good random appearance. If you look closely above, you can see that I put larger buttons in the center of the bracelet, and smaller ones at the ends, to create a taper effect and make the bracelet more comfortable to wear.

gold button charm bracelet

That’s all there is to it! This fun gold button charm bracelet gift is so easy to make, but the results are stylish!

For a different look, try making this button charm bracelet project with our Fancy Silver Haberdashery buttons, and a silver bracelet and silver jump rings.

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Good Morning Sunshine Layout with 28 Lilac Lane

Today, the Buttons Galore blog is pleased to welcome Karla Yungwirth as guest blogger to share this beautiful scrapbook layout with us.

Sunshine scrapbook layout using 28 Lilac Lane embellishment by Karla Yungwirth
I am so excited to share a layout with you today that I’ve created with the new collection from 28 Lilac Lane by May Flaum! I am so in love with these amazing embellishments – the kits are full of beautiful sequins and lovely buttons, along with an amazing assortment of goodies that just make you need to create something gorgeous with them!
Title with 28 Lilac Lane embellishmentsI wanted to create a light, spring-like look to my page, so I started off by using some of the white and yellow beads over my Sunshine title sticker, gluing them on with matte medium liquid adhesive. They give such a cool effect over the sticker!
Scrapbook layout embellishment close-up
 I layered my photo and some coordinating papers over a diagonal paper arrangement, which I stitched on using my sewing machine. The pretty buttons, beads, sequins and pearls created lovely clusters on each side of my photo. The pink and white bakers twine, included in the Tropical Twist Embellishment kit, was perfect to tie through a pink button and my Love tag. I even added some of the lovely lace, which you can find in the Attic Findings kit, on the bottom of the tag along with the golden sun charm from the Tropical Twist kit!
Scrapbook layout embellishmentI scattered sequins around my page and near my title and stitched paper strips at the top of my page, along with another pretty pearl. It’s amazing how the embellishments in these kits can really make a layout pop! I had so much fun creating this layout, and I have so many more ideas that I can use these pretty embellishments kits on! Wishing you a happy, crafty and creative day!

Supplies used:

 

Karla YungwirthAbout Karla: I’m Karla Yungwirth, a Canadian mom to 3 beautiful girls, a wife of an amazing man, a scrapbooker, a card maker, a lover of gorgeous paper, a boo-boo kisser, a master Lego builder, a baker of lopsided birthday cakes. I have been crafting for as long as I can remember. My grandmothers taught me to sew, knit and crochet, and my mom was always repurposing to create something wonderful and magical – before recycling was even cool! I love being creative – it’s what makes my soul sing and my heart happy. You can find me on my blog at http://creative-love-affair.blogspot.ca//, on Facebook, and on Instagram.

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Top 7 Button Projects for Spring – and a Giveaway!

Top Spring Button Projects

Old man winter has been really reluctant in some parts of the country (including at the Buttons Galore warehouse) to pack it up and head back to the arctic where he belongs! So today we thought we’d share on the blog a round-up of some of our favorite spring projects to remind everyone that spring is coming after all!

Spring Button Wreath

Spring Button wreath with flowers

This fun project will brighten up any decor and bring the cheer of spring inside – even if Mother Nature isn’t cooperating outside. And the only tool required is a glue gun!

Springtime Flutterbug Medley Wall Plaque

Spring Flutterbug Medley Wall Plaque

This gorgeous frame project could be used to house a favorite picture, or a favorite seasonal quote. It’s perfect for nursery decor, or a craft room!

Welcome Spring Sign

Welcome Spring hanging sign

This sign says it all for those who are ready to be done with winter…”welcome spring”. This light and airy look can be made in a variety of spring colors, or the text could be changed out with a child’s name for nursery decor too!

Upcycled Spring Floral Bouquet

Upcycled Spring Floral Bouquet

When there is no flowers outside yet, just make your own! This spring project brings the spring cheer and is environmental too, as it upcycles a tin can for the beautiful container the holds the handmade flowers.

Homemade Button Garden Markers

HomemadeGarden Markers, Pea Marker

Spring time means gardeners everywhere are dreaming of abundant summer garden harvests, and planting pots of seeds to get a head start on the growing season. These adorable garden markers will help you remember what that little green sprout in that pot is – peas? corn? beans? – before it makes its way out to be planted in the garden.

Spring Butterfly and Flower Card

Spring Butterfly and Flower Card

If spring has you feeling in the mind to spread some good cheer, some button embellished flowers and butterflies may be just the way to do it! This quick and easy card will put a smile on someone’s face for sure!

Button & Burlap Jar

Button flowerpot Candle hostess gift

Although it is shown on a candle jar, this spring floral mason jar project could be used for a variety of uses – even storing your buttons in your craft room! With a few color changes (such as natural burlap) it could work with any decor, too. Your creativity is the limit!

And now for the giveaway!

File Apr 11, 5 07 42 PM

One lucky blog reader is going to win a spring button prize package of a random assortment of our Buttons Galore Spring Fling 3D buttons (a sampling of the collection is shown above) that is worth $20 retail! That will make plenty of great spring projects for the lucky winner!

How To Enter The Giveaway: Leave a comment below telling us which one of the spring projects that we shared here you liked the best! A random winner will be chosen from all comments left before midnight U.S. pacific time on Sunday, April 17th. One entry per person. Giveaway open to U.S. residents only.

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Quick & Easy Sweet Cupcake Canvas

This cupcake is sweet, easy…and calorie free! Perfect for celebrating a special occasion like a birthday or for decorating a kitchen, our cupcake canvas can be customized to suit any color scheme very simply. All that is needed to customize the design is to change the fabric colors, and the options are endless!

Button Cupcake Canvas. Great home decor for celebrating a special occasion or for kitchen decor.

To start your design, iron Heat-n-Bond to the reverse of your purple and turquoise fabric following package instructions. Cut cupcake wrapper and lettering on your Cricut Explore machine following instructions in this blog post.

Cut the top of the cupcake out of cardstock to be used as a template.

Iron the fabric pieces in position following instructions on the Heat-n-Bond package. Trace around the cupcake topper template lightly with a disappearing fabric pen or pencil to create an outline of where to place the buttons for the frosting.

Wrap the background fabric around the canvas and attach to the back of the canvas using a staple gun. To create an extra neat edge, turn the raw edge of the fabric under before stapling.

Using a glue gun, adhere the buttons to create the frosting and the stripes on the cupcake wrapper.

button cupcake canvas close up

To finish your canvas, cut the stems off of a few 3D Sweet Delights buttons and use the glue gun to fasten them in place scattered around on your letters. Don’t forget to put the cherry on top of the cupcake!

Now you can enjoy your cupcake canvas, or treat someone special with it! (But don’t be surprised if you start feeling hungry….)

Supplies:

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Make A Watercolor Floral Mother’s Day Card

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and what better way to tell Mom how much you appreciate her all year through than with a handmade card?

Handmade Floral Mothers Day CardThis fun and easy watercolor floral Mother’s Day card will show mom just how much you care!

Start by stamping the flowers on watercolor paper with permanent ink. Paint with watercolors. Remove the lid from the ink spray and use it to drop ink splatters onto the watercolor paper. Finish the flowers by adding button centers to them.

Cut and fold the cardstock to make a card base. Cut a piece of patterned paper to cover the front. Attach the flower elements on it.

Cut a patterned paper strip. Stamp “with mom” at one end of it, and adhere it across the card front. Use the die cutting machine to cut out the word “mom”, and attach it over the strip. Finish it with a button covering the “o”.

Supplies:

  • Ranger Watercolor Paper
  • Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
  • Tim Holtz for Stamper’s Anonymous “Flower Garden” stamps
  • Tim Holtz for Stamper’s Anonymous “Simple Sayings” stamps
  • Ranger Dylusions Ink Spray in Melted Chocolate
  • Sakura Koi Pocket Field Sketch Box Watercolors
  • Tim Holtz “Wallflower” Paper Stash
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Ground Espresso
  • Cricut Explore machine and cut file
  • Cardstock sheets in brown and white
  • Buttons Galore Button Bonanza in Black
  • Buttons Galore “Pet Store” Button Basics
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Buzzing into Spring with a 28 Lilac Lane Card

Hello there!

Ashli Oliver here with you today to share a super easy mixed media card with big impact!

After swiping on white acrylic paint and drizzling liquid glue on top, I simply stuck lots of little goodies in. The key to making this work is sticking your buttons, sequins, and pearls into your painty goodness while everything is still wet!

Mixed Media Spring Bee Card by Ashli Oliver for Buttons Galore

Don’t be afraid to get paint on your embellishments… that is half the fun, after all!

Mixed Media spring card with 3D bee button and 28 Lilac Lane embellishments

I used a three dimensional Bee Button, goodies from the Antique Tin set, and plenty of the amazing 28 Lilac Lane Collection!

TIP: Did you know that many buttons can be cut in half? That’s right! Using my Tim Holtz scissors, I cut one of the gold Antique Buttons right in half so that I could add it to the edge of my card and tuck the other piece behind my bee!

What a great way to stretch the stash too!

Oh, and of course… I also used those same scissors to cut the backs off of any buttons so I could adhere them to my card.

Once my embellishments were set in, I simply let the paint dry overnight. Then, I added in some watercolor and mist droplets. A piece of patterned paper layered behind the card front finishes this card off!

Mixed Media spring card by Ashli Oliver for Buttons Galore

Super fun and a great card for spring! In fact, I think this will serve as a Mother’s Day card around here as my mother loves bees!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies Used:

Ashli OliverAshli Oliver (aka soapHOUSEmama) lives with her husband and four girls, age 10 and under, in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. Ashli is a recovering graphic designer and when she is not busy homeschooling her kiddos, you can find her drinking copious amounts of coffee while playing with paint and pretty paper in her studio. Not only does Ashli love documenting her family’s memories, but she finds great joy in the creative process… which, in her case, usually involves lots of messy, painty fun!

You can find Ashli, and her work, at her Website,  YouTubeInstagram, and Classes.

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Button Monogram with 28 Lilac Lane

Button Monogram with 28 Lilac Lane

Simply gluing buttons to a wooden monogram is a fantastic project for so many reasons: It’s fun to do, it is easy and makes a great family craft, and it will look fantastic displayed in your home! Today I am sharing a video showing how I created the letter M for my studio with the “On Lilac Lane” bottle. Not to be biased – but this is my favorite bottle and color so it was the perfect choice for this project. From holiday or seasonal décor to bedroom décor creating not just button monograms but shapes of all kinds decorated with buttons and embellishments is a lot of fun.

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Make a Spring Zip Pouch for Mom!

Regular readers of the site may remember this delightful zip pouch that I made last fall during the Handmade Holidays blog hop. It is from a pattern called Everyday Zips by Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree & Company, available online or at local quilt stores.

Zippered Notions Bag

Making the pouch was so simple and fun that I decided to make another one for the trade show booths in January…this time in a spring color scheme, and with a few modifications. Because you can never have too many zip pouches, right?

Spring Zip Pouch

Supplies:

For this version, I created a totally different look. Instead of vintage style neutrals, the new design used batik print quilt fabric in spring colors. The light green fabric was used for both the exterior body and for the lining. The bright pink contrast panel and the green prairie points create an impression of leaves surrounding flowers.

Instead of just a few button accents, the spring zip pouch has a whole collage of buttons decorating its front panel!

Spring Zip Pouch close up

As well as adding buttons, I also took something away from the front of the pouch. You might have already noticed that the zipper pocket isn’t on the front of the new design of the pouch. Removing it simplified the sewing of the pouch and made room for the large decorative button collage.

Spring Zip Pouch close up 2

Making the change to remove the zipper from the panel was easy. I measured what each of the three pattern pieces for this panel would be in height after the seam allowances were removed. Then I added those three numbers together, added the seam allowance to the top and bottom of it.  That gave me the new height I needed to cut my panel to. (The width is provided by the pieces for above and below the zipper.) Using those dimensions, I created the new pattern piece. The piece I ended up cutting was 3″ by 9.5″. I then simply skipped the steps in the pattern dealing with installing the pocket zipper and the pocket lining.

Zip pouches make great gifts for Mother’s Day, birthdays, and teacher appreciation! What occasion do you have coming up that a fun zip pouch gift would be perfect for?

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28 Lilac Lane Pet Pendant with Ice Resin

pendant with ice resin

I am new to the world of resin, but I’m really excited to test out possibilities and combine it with my new 28 Lilac Lane kits! Creating a dimensional piece for my daughter to wear in honor of our dogs seemed like a really fun place to start, and I hope that you enjoy this video tutorial. There are so many fun ways to utilize the Paws & Pets kit, and all of the kits in this line!

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Clean & Simple Baby Card with a Button Monogram

Today we are continuing with the theme that we started on Monday of using button monograms for babies! Only this time, the button monogram is the central piece on a clean & simple baby card.

If elegant and simple is more your style than the typical baby cutesy, this card may be just what you are looking for. The pastel color palette and the use of the buttons add delicate touches of a baby theme, but the overall design is understated, simple, and more mature.

Button Monogram Baby Card

Supplies:

  • Buttons Galore Lt Blue/Light Pink/White Color Blend buttons
  • Simple Stories “So Fancy” patterned paper
  • White textured cardstock
  • Pink textured cardstock
  • Cricut Explore Machine and cutting files
  • Arial Black font
  • Tsukineko Memento Ink in Angel Pink
  • Hero Arts Clearly Kelly “Kelly’s Outline Alphabet” stamps

Directions:

Cut and fold a card from the white cardstock. Adhere pink patterned paper to the front.

Using the die cutting machine, cut a large circle from the white cardstock. Adhere to the top front of card.

Cut a strip of white cardstock wide enough for the alphabet stamps to fit on. Stamp name on it, trim ends, and adhere to bottom of card front. (If necessary, use two strips placed one on top of the other for longer names.)

Using Arial Black font, cut the monogram from the pink cardstock. Cover the monogram in buttons, using white clear-drying glue. Adhere the monogram to the middle of the white circle.

With the monogram and baby’s name, this clean & simple baby card would be great for a baby announcement, shower invitation, or mom’s thank you cards!

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Button Monogram Wall Art

A new baby, whether it is yours or someone else’s, is always a great reason to make something! And what could be cuter than button monogram wall art?

This fun project uses two key components – a wood monogram letter like the kind available at most craft stores, and two tins of our beautiful Sea Glass buttons. I really love these buttons – their beautiful blue/green translucence really makes me want to go down to the shore and hunt for glass!

Button Monogram wall art supplies

Supplies:

Lay down areas of glue in sections, and fill the letter in with buttons. Don’t be afraid to lay down a nice thick layer of glue so the glue will come up the button holes when the buttons are pressed down into it. When the glue is dry, this creates “prongs” that grab onto the buttons and help hold them in place more securely.
Button Monogram Wall Art construction

The areas between the buttons don’t need to be even or really tiny. While it looks uneven viewed very close up, unless a gap is extremely large it won’t look awkward when viewed from a reasonable viewing distance.

Button Monogram Wall Art close up

For the finishing touch (and to add the baby theme to the button monogram), tie a nice large bow out of the white ribbon. Attach it on top of the buttons on the button monogram using hot glue. Cut the stem off of a Ducky button, and hot glue that on top of the bow.

Button Monogram Wall Art embellishment

This button monogram project can be made in any color, and would make a great gift or baby shower decor. Hang it on a nursery wall, a bedroom door, or prop it up on a dresser top!

Button Monogram Wall Art

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ATC Cards with Button Flowers

Today Buttons Galore is pleased to be welcoming guest artist Candy Rosenberg.

Vintage craft designer Candy Rosenberg

Artist Trading Cards (ATCS) are miniature artworks about the same size as modern trading cards or baseball cards at 2.5 x 3.5 inches. They were popularized in 1996 from the mail art movement and have their origins in Switzerland. They are produced in various media, including dry media (pencils, pens, markers), wet media (watercolor, acrylic paints), paper media (collage, die cuts, found objects) or even metals, fibers and now buttons!
I love clear acrylic and mix it with an Artist Trading Card and buttons…and I am in heaven.
ATC cards with fun button flowers by Candy Rosenberg on acrylic ATC cards
 I used Prima stencils andStazOn ink to create the background right on the acrylic of each card using two different colors.
Stinking on Acrylic ATC card base
I then added the Black & White assortment from the Buttons Galore Haberdashery collection on one and the Natural assortment on the other to create button flowers using Beacon 3 in 1, a great adhesive for attaching buttons to acrylic. Note that most paper-only adhesives will not hold to the acrylic.
Beacon 3 in 1 adhesive for acrylic and buttons
A little snippet of pearl string and a leaf and you have beautiful button flowers!
Close-up of black and white button flower ATC on a fun acrylic base.
Close-up of wood button flower ATC with acrylic base.
Candy Rosenberg resides in beautiful Southern Oregon and has been crafting since she was a little girl. Known for her vintage steam punk style and beautifully crafted dress forms, she still likes to color outside the lines so to speak. Keep tabs on her latest creations at her blog, A Vintage Girl, or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and Google+.
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A 28 Lilac Lane Card with Watercolor!

I could not be more excited that 28 Lilac Lane is now shipping to stores! I can’t wait to see what everyone creates – there is a whole world of crafty possibilities awaiting inside each and every kit. One of my favorite ways to play with the line is to accent a single stamped and colored image on a card, tag, or small canvas décor piece.

28 Lilac Lane card with watercolor

Today I have a video tutorial for a 28 Lilac Lane card featuring some lilac coloring and one of my favorite 28 Lilac Lane kits, French Quarter. My tip for keeping your embellishments in a tight cluster is to begin with the largest elements, and work smaller. This lets me fill in the gaps and create clusters almost effortlessly! Thanks to the variety of sizes in the kits from bigger buttons down to tiny seed beads, I’ve always got something that works!

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this 28 Lilac Lane card video tutorial and that I’ve inspired you to do a bit of coloring as well as some fun embellishing. Happy Crafting!

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Send a Sweet Greeting with a Donut Card!

Sometimes you just want to send a card to say “hi” to someone special. This adorable donut card is a sweet way to do the job!

The new 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits are now shipping, and they are perfect for cardmakers: buttons, sequins, trim and charms. They also contain seed beads, something unfamiliar to some cardmakers. In addition to making great shaker boxes, seed beads can be combined with glue to make great shiny embellishments. On this donut card, they give the appearance of sprinkles (or nuts).

donut card

Supplies:

Instructions

Cut pink striped paper to fit card front. Adhere. Cut 1″ strip of yellow stripe and attach along fold of card.

Cut a strip of water color paper that is 1 7/8″ wide and the same height as the card front.

Using Archival ink, stamp three donuts on the watercolor paper.

Paint the donuts with the watercolors.

Donut Card gluing

Spread a thin layer of white glue (I use Artquest PPA Matte) on the donut frosting. Scatter yellow seed beads from the Tropical Twist kit in the glue. Add a second layer of glue on top of the beads (above).

donut card close-up

When dry, the glue will largely disappear. Any remnants that remain visible (as around some of the beads in the photo above) will just look like donut glaze!

Adhere the donut strip over the seam between the two patterned papers on the card front.

Stamp the sentiment in the lower right corner of the donut card front.

The new 28 Lilac Lane products are now shipping to stores! Look for them in a store near you! 

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Quick & Easy DIY Wedding Invitation

Are you hearing bells in your future – wedding bells, that is? If you are having a DIY wedding, our 3D wedding buttons can help you create a DIY wedding invitation and other beautiful items for your special day!

DIY Wedding Invitation

Supplies:

Making this invitation is easy!

Cut and fold the smooth cardstock to make a 5″ x 7″ sized card base.

Use a word processing program to create the invitation text. Print the text onto inkjet printable vellum.

Cut the patterned paper to size. Using your sewing machine, stitch the vellum onto the patterned paper.

Adhere the patterned paper & vellum combination to the card front. Adhere the buttons on top of the vellum.

Buttons Galore’s 3D buttons are available for bulk purchase. If you require a specific item in bulk to create large quantities of an item like this DIY wedding invitation, please contact our customer service department through our website for assistance.

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Put Spring On Your Walls With A Button Wreath

Do the dark days of February have you longing for spring? My spring button wreath project will put a little touch of spring green and flowers inside on your walls – no matter what the weather outside!

Green buttons

To create this project, you’ll need the following supplies:

Begin by wrapping the foam wreath in the burlap ribbon. The ribbon I chose is thin – more like fabric than canvas – which makes for smoother wrapping of the wreath and a better surface to serve as the base for the buttons. Secure the ribbon ends with floral greening pins. It may take several rolls of ribbon to complete the entire wreath.

Button wreath construction

The next step is to use hot glue to start adhering buttons on the wreath. Working in small sections, lay down hot glue and then arrange buttons in it. I highly recommend using a protector (like the hot glue gun finger  protectors make by Plaid) when you are pushing the buttons down to avoid burning yourself. Handle hot glue guns with care – even so-called low temperature hot glue will burn!

Button wreath with flowers

Once the buttons are all in place, trim the stems off of three spring floral blooms. Use hot glue to adhere them onto the wreath.

Button wreath close-up

Cut the stems off of the Spring Fling buttons, and using hot glue, adhere them scattered around the wreath. Don’t forget to add a bee on one of the flowers!

Button wreath with flowers

Hang your wreath on the wall with a wire, a wreath hanger, or with a ribbon and nail – and then sit back and enjoy the spring!

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Button Flowers Make a Cute Thank You Card!

Thank you cards are one of the most commonly used cards that we reach for, so we can never have too many on hand for when we need them! This fun and simple project combines Sakura watercolors with our bright “Fiesta” Button Bonanza bag to create a bouquet of button flowers for you to send to someone special.

Cute thank you card with button flowers

Supplies:

Our Buttons Galore “Fiesta” Button Bonanza bag is full of bright colors that are perfect for making little flowers! To start your card, pick three buttons in different colors and sizes for making your button flowers. Then set the bag aside.

Buttons Galore Fiesta Button Bonanza

Next, cut a 4.25″ x 5.5″ piece of the yellow striped paper. Adhere to front of card blank.

Cut a 3.75″ x 5″ piece of Ocean Breeze cardstock.

Using watercolors & a water brush, paint green grass and three flower stems on the cardstock. Vary the heights of the stems, but make sure to leave enough room between the tallest one and the top for adding the buttons and the sentiment!

Stamp the sentiment across the top of the card.

To make the flowers, sew the buttons on to the ends of the stems with embroidery floss. Tie the knot in the front and snip ends so they will fray a bit to make a center for the flower.

Adhere the blue cardstock on top of the yellow striped paper.

Your card is done! Now it’s time to write a message of thanks inside and deliver a bit of sunshine and gratitude to someone special!

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Love Your Pet in Our Pet Button Frame!

Saturday is National Love Your Pet Day, and what better crafty way to celebrate your pet than by creating a pet button frame to display your favorite photo of them?

Pet Frame with Buttons Galore buttons

Supplies:

This frame could easily become a dog themed frame just by changing the cork word to “woof” and using some of the dog buttons from our Pets & Pals collection.

To begin, paint the frame with the FolkArt chalk paint in Java. You may want to use some sandpaper first to prepare the frame’s surface for the paint. Don’t forget to paint the edges of the frame that will be visible!

Plaid frame painted with Java chalk paint

After the chalk paint is dry, buff the painted surface with the Plaid FolkArt Home Decor Wax to finish it.

While you wait for the paint and wax to dry, mix the microbeads to create a variegated mix that is half brown and half black. Make sure to thoroughly mix the beads together to get a random distribution of color.

Brown and Black Microbead Mix

Next it is time to apply the buttons! Working one small section at a time, spread a thick coat of clear-drying white glue on the front of the frame. Position a mix of buttons to fill in the frame. After you are certain that the buttons are in their final position for that section – and before the glue has dried – sprinkle some of the microbead mix on top of any gaps between the buttons.

Close-up of button collage gluing

The benefit of using the white glue (versus say a hot glue gun) is that its invisibility and dry time gives room for adjustment as you build each section of the collage. You can nudge a button or move it completely if necessary to make your “puzzle without a correct answer” fit together in a way that satisfies you. You aren’t committed until the glue dries, which takes quite awhile.

Button Frame

I recommend letting one section dry before beginning another. While the dry time on the glue method allows for error, it also creates error – making it easy to accidentally nudge an entire section out of place while trying to wedge a button into a tight spot. Working with only a small wet section at a time minimizes the damage that sort of incident can do.

Pet Button Frame titleThe title is a simple addition to the frame – it’s the materials that make it look fancy!

Cut the cork sheet on a Cricut Explore machine, and then ink the edges with Distress ink to create a nice shadow on it. Because the surface of the buttons is really uneven, you’ll need to adhere the cork with a glue gun even though the cork is self-adhesive.

Once the cork title is on, cut the shanks off of the buttons and use the hot glue gun to adhere them in place as well.

And that is it – your beautiful pet frame is complete! Now you can find the perfect photo memory to enjoy of your furry family member!

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DIY Wedding Frame with Button Heart

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, and that means love, romance…and proposals! So, for everyone who woke up this morning with a wedding in their future (or their family’s future), we’ve got a fun and easy project for you  – a DIY wedding frame!

This wedding frame is multi-purpose – it can serve as a wedding or shower decoration, and then transition to home decor as a treasured memory after the big day is over.

Project PlanningThe first step in this project is to select a color scheme. This project is built around a fabric background, which can really be any color. I’ve chosen a beautiful aqua, but the wedding’s theme color or a color from the bride’s home decor might both be excellent choices.

The gold iron-on material matches both the frame and a fleck that is in the fabric. Our Haberdashery button pack is variegated between cream and white, so no matter what color of wedding dress the bride chooses, the collage will work.

Wedding Frame construction

Use a fabric pencil to sketch out the area for the heart.

Measure the remaining area and create the text and other elements on your die cut machine. Cut from glitter iron-on material, and iron on to fabric following manufacturer’s instructions.

For the fabric to stand up to holding the collage of buttons in the frame, it needs to be stiffened. I used Krylon Spray Adhesive to laminate the fabric to a sheet of white chipboard as a backing.

Using white glue (I used PPA Matte by ArtQuest), adhere white buttons from the Button Basics and Haberdashery packages. Continue until the entire heart is filled. I ensured that the largest ones were spread around in a balanced fashion by laying them down first and then building around them.

Finish by removing the stem from a heart button, and gluing the heart on top of the glitter flourish.

Remove the glass from the frame, and place the cardboard sheet in place!

And now your beautiful memory of a special day is ready to enjoy!

DIY Wedding Frame with button heart

Supplies:

Congratulations to all the newly engaged couples out there, and we look forward to seeing you make our DIY wedding frame!

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A Sunny Sequin Card with 28 Lilac Lane

As a northerner transplanted to the south, I remember all too well the dark days of February in the cold part of the country. This time of year it seemed that winter would never end! So today, I’m here to bring a blast of sunshine to February, with some help from the new sequin tins from 28 Lilac Lane.

This mixed-media inspired sequin card is very simple to make. By simply changing up the sentiment stickers, it can be perfect for providing cheer on a variety of occasions.

Bright Side Card

Supplies:

  • Blank Card
  • Cardstock (yellow, orange, blue)
  • Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Cardstock
  • 28 Lilac Lane by Buttons Galore Yellow and Orange sequin tin
  • Tim Holtz idea-ology Small Talk stickers
  • Cricut Explore machine
  • Cricut Design Space cutting file
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Carved Pumpkin)
  • Ranger Dylusions Spray Ink (Vibrant Turquoise, London Blue)
  • Ranger Dylusions Mica Spray (Vibrant Turquoise)
  • Sewing Machine

Instructions:

  1. Spray the two spray inks randomly on a sheet of the watercolor cardstock. Spritz with water and blot to blend. Repeat until satisfied with color blend. (Check out this video for tips.)
  2. Trim a half inch off of each direction of the cardstock. Stitch cardstock down to the front of the blank card.
  3. Spray the card front with Mica Spray.
  4. Cut the sun element from yellow and orange cardstock on the die cutting machine.
  5. Ink the edges of the sun element with the Carved Pumpkin ink.
  6. Spread white glue on the center of the die cut, and place sequins. Let dry.
  7. Assemble two parts of sun die cut together. Adhere die cut to front of card.
  8. Adhere phrase stickers to card.

Bright Side Sequin Card

The sequins will shine on their own in this sequin card, of course, but the Mica Spray enhances the card’s overall shine and brings out the sequins’ shine. And the orange ink will make the darker toned sequins in the yellow sequin blend really pop!

The 28 Lilac Lane sequin tins will be shipping soon – don’t miss out on the entire collection of all six color blends!

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Make a Photo Frame with a “Tropical Twist”

When it comes to decorating plain frames, buttons rule! The only thing that makes it better? Having sequins, pearls, beads, and charms to decorate with as well! Dreaming of warm temperatures and swaying palm trees I’m creating with the Tropical Twist kit today. The bright colors and playful details make it a fun choice for a project like this, though this project will work with any of my kits!

Supplies:

  • Wood or metal photo frame
  • liquid adhesive (I recommend PPA by US Art Quest)
  • 28 Lilac Lane Tropical Twist embellishment kit
  • Optional: Glossy sealant such as Glossy Accents; glitter glue, or glitter

28 Lilac Lane Tropical Twist frame by May Flaum

What would you put in a beautiful 28 Lilac Lane frame?

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Create a Decor Birdhouse with 28 Lilac Lane

One of my favorite DIY décor projects is to take a simple little wooden birdhouse and add buttons, sequins, and more to it. Today I’ve got a tutorial featuring one of my new jars and a kit that coordinates nicely with it. I loved having multiple colors of buttons, pearls, sequins, and beads to choose from as I created this project.

Supplies:

  • small wood birdhouse
  • white paint
  • liquid adhesive (PPA is what I recommend) and double sided tape/adhesive sheet
  • 28 Lilac Lane by Buttons Galore Attic Findings embellishment kit
  • 28 Lilac Lane by Buttons Galore Birds of a Feather embellishment jar
  • Optional: stamp, ink, glossy liquid sealant, and glitter glue

Here’s a look at the finished projectt!

Birdhouse using 28 Lilac Lane by Buttons Galore

What will you make with 28 Lilac Lane?

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Make an Ombre Heart with Buttons!

Now that the CHA Mega Show is over, we can start sharing with you a closer look at the projects that were designed for our booth, like this ombre heart!

I designed this ombre heart wall art by combining several of our button assortments that contain great shades of pink that work together to make the ombre shift.

Ombre Heart wall art made with Buttons Galore buttons

This project is surprisingly easy. The biggest challenge is the first step working with the buttons, which is simple but can be tedious. This is a great project to do with kids, to help teach color distinction!

Step 1: Paint the wood heart base with chalk or acrylic paint.

Step 2: Sort the pink buttons into five gradual color shades.

Step 3: Measure the heart from top to bottom. Divide that amount by six to get the width of each color band in the ombre heart. Mark off the divide between each color.

Ombre Heart construction

Step 4: Begin to apply the buttons. Apply a thick coat of glue in the first color band, and begin filling with the color for that band.

Ombre Heart construction

Step 5: While the first color dries, turn the heart around and work from the other end. Repeat until you meet in the middle and finish the final color.

Ombre Heart buttons finished

Step 6: Allow the glue to dry.

Step 7: Use hot glue to attach a loop of ribbon to the rear side on the top of the ombre heart to allow for hanging.

Supplies:

Also…don’t miss our winter sale! We’ve got great deals now through January 31st on Christmas, Winter, and Valentine’s Day themed buttons!

Winter-2

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Behind the Scenes at CHA Mega Show 2016

If you follow our Instagram, you know that the whole Buttons Galore team spent a good deal of the last ten days in Anaheim, California at the annual Craft & Hobby Association trade show. It’s one of the year’s premier events to display craft products to retail buyers to make wholesale purchases for their stores, and also a great opportunity for people from all parts of the crafts industry to meet and share.

Anaheim Convention CenterThe event took place at the Anaheim Convention Center and the show floor was open for four days.

Our booth, of course was wall-to-wall buttons – about 40 feet of them in all! In the picture below, that’s me (Buttons Galore social media manager Nancy Nally) standing in front of the rainbow wall of Color Blends, Button Basics, and Button Bonanzas. There’s so many choices, and they are great for my favorite types of craft projects that use a lot of buttons!

Nancy with Button Basics

And of course we had walls of our 3D specialty button designs on display as well! This is just one small part of the huge wall to choose from.

Specialty Button DisplayMixed in with the buttons, we had lots of fun button project ideas as well. Many of these will be shared on the blog and on our social media in more detail in the coming weeks, so make sure you subscribe to the blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest so you don’t miss any of them!

Tic Tac Toe Tote

One of the projects on display may have looked slightly familiar to our blog readers….back in November I created this rag quilted patch tote in soft pastels for the Handmade Holidays blog hop. For this version, I went with bold fabric from a Lola charm pack by Quilting Treasures, and used a black Button Bonanza bag to create a Tic Tac Toe game on it. Circles win!

Booth papercrafting projects

At the entrance to the booth, visitors were greeted by our papercrafting project feature wall. Buttons are perfect for cards, tags, and layouts!

We also took part in the show’s “Open Market”. At this immensely popular event – a first for the CHA Mega Show –  attendees had the chance to purchase cash & carry product from us at discounted prices. We offered a selection of 3D specialty buttons, Button Bonanza and Button Basics bags to excited customers.

CHA Open MarketButtons Galore co-owners Dan & Lisa Hagenman were quite camera-shy in the booth but with some stealth skills I managed to get them on camera for our readers during the frenzy at the Open Market. That’s the lovely Lisa in the foreground, and her husband Dan at the other end of the table, helping customers find what they were looking for in the product selection.

Of course the biggest excitement in the booth was the launch of the 28 Lilac Lane line by designer May Flaum.

May Flaum 28 Lilac Lane

May created a huge display wall full of samples for the booth (you’ll see many of them on her blog and ours in the coming weeks) and a beautiful demo table where she spent hours showing visitors what they can do with 28 Lilac Lane embellishments.

28 Lilac Lane display wall 28 Lilac Lane demo table

Of course, there had to be sample boards to show off the gorgeous color palette of the new kits and bottles! For the embellishment kits, embroidery hoop collages showed the entire contents of each kit. The hoops were even finished off with the ribbon or trim from the kit!

Love Story hoop For the bottles, a color board shows the entire rainbow selection of all the kits’ schemes in one place:

28 Lilac Lane bottle colors

28 Lilac Lane bottles

We’re so appreciative of how many people stopped by the booth to visit us and see May demo her 28 Lilac Lane collection! It was such fun hosting you all and sharing the new products!

May Flaum demo 28 Lilac Lane

May Flaum demo 28 Lilac Lane

Here’s a peek at some of the friends that dropped by to talk all things buttons in the booth at CHA!

Scrappycampysisters stopped by and got a video tour of the booth from May personally:

Scrappycampysisters

And I finally got to meet Erica of Clique Kits when she dropped by!

Erica Clique Kits

And last but not least…who can forget the Periscope of a Periscope that created an internet black hole with Cathy Zielske and Sandy Allnock? (And then we Instagrammed it too, for good measure!)

Cathy Zielske periscope

CHA was so much fun we’re taking the show on the road again in less than two weeks! European retailers will have a chance to catch Dan and the fabulous Buttons Galore buttons – including 28 Lilac Lane – at Creativeworld in Frankfurt at the end of the month. We’ll be located in Hall 4.2 Booth G50, across from the Creative Impulse awards display. Please do stop by and visit if you are at the show!

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CHA Sneak Peek: Full Reveal of 28 Lilac Lane by May Flaum

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for – the CHA Sneak Peek with the full reveal of the new Buttons Galore line by signature designer May Flaum called 28 Lilac Lane that we’ll be showing in Anaheim at the CHA Mega Show 2016. We’re so excited to share this with all of you!

28lilac

There’s actually three parts to the 28 Lilac Lane collection being shown at the CHA Mega Show 2016!

Let’s start with the biggest element…embellishment kits! Each item in these themed kits has been painstakingly hand selected by May to be perfect for creating beautiful designs for paper crafters, mixed media, collage, fabric crafts, and a wide variety of creative projects.

French Quarter embellishment kit by 28 Lilac Lane from Buttons Galore

The kit pictured above is called “French Quarter”. The initial release of 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits will include twelve themes:

  • Adventure At Sea
  • Attic Findings
  • Autumn Afternoon
  • French Quarter
  • Hello, Cupcake
  • Holly Jolly
  • Let it Snow
  • Love Story
  • New Leaf
  • Party On
  • Paws & Pets
  • Tropical Twist

The kits include buttons, shimmering pearl accents, seed beads, trim, sequins, and charms. Some kits also include felt shapes and/or novelty buttons. The embellishment kits will have an MSRP of $8.99.

Below (clockwise from top left): French Quarter, New Leaf, Love Story, Adventure At Sea

28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits from Buttons Galore

Below (clockwise from top left): Hello Cupcake, Party On, Paws & Pets, Attic Findings.

28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits from Buttons Galore

Below (clockwise from top left): Tropical Twist, Autumn Afternoon, Holly Jolly, Let It Snow.

28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits from Buttons Galore

We couldn’t stop with all of that fabulousness though! You can never have too many basics like buttons, pearls, beads and sequins – versatile and useful embellishments for crafters of all kinds. So, May created a collection of additional decorative embellishment jars in color mixes especially designed to coordinate with and extend the embellishment kits!

28 Lilac Lane embellishment jars from Buttons Galore

These jars include 3 oz of buttons, 50 Pearl Accents, 10 grams of seed beads, and 10 grams of sequins, and have an MSRP of only $4.99.

The decorative embellishment jars come in twelve color themes:

  • Birds of a Feather
  • Cotton Candy
  • Dragon Fire
  • Hello, Sunshine
  • Just Peachy
  • Minty Fresh
  • Oh Christmas Tree
  • On Lilac Lane
  • Pretty Princess
  • Pumpkin Spice
  • Toasted Graham
  • Winter Blues

Below (left to right): Cotton Candy, Hello Sunshine, Dragon Fire

28 Lilac Lane Embellishment Jars from Buttons Galore

Below (left to right): Pumpkin Spice, Toasted Graham, Winter Blues

28 Lilac Lane embellishment jars from Buttons Galore

Below (left to right): Minty Fresh, Birds of a Feather, Just Peachy

28 Lilac Lane embellishment jars from Buttons Galore

Below (left to right): Oh Christmas Tree, On Lilac Lane, Pretty Princess

28 Lilac Lane embellishment jars from Buttons Galore

Now that is a lot of embellishment goodness to play with. But before we go…there’s one more thing. How about some sequin tins?

The final piece of the 28 Lilac Lane collection for the CHA Mega Show is a group of tins containing sequin mixes for those projects that need an extra bit of sparkle! These color mixes coordinate with the jars and kits above, so you can mix and match to create the perfect look for any project.

Below (clockwise from top left): Reds, Yellow, Pastels, Neutrals, Bold & Bright, Blues

28 Lilac Lane sequin tins from Buttons Galore

The tins contain 40 grams of sequins, and will MSRP for $2.99.

All of these fantastic 28 Lilac Lane items will ship to stores from Buttons Galore in February 2016!

Stop by our booth (#1809) at the CHA Mega Show 2016 to see the products anytime during show hours. May Flaum will be doing demos with the 28 Lilac Lane products on Sat/Sun/Mon from 10-11:30am and 4-5pm.

28 Lilac Lane custom CHA button mix

A few lucky attendees of May’s demos are going to take home a CHA exclusive 28 Lilac Lane button mix…don’t miss your chance to be front and center for her demos in booth #1809!

Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook to get live updates from the show, including booth project photos and a peek at May’s demos!

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Video Sneak Peek of 28 Lilac Lane

Dying to know more about the new 28 Lilac Lane collection that is coming from designer May Flaum at the CHA Mega Show next month? Well, she’s here via video to tell you some more about it!

We hope that you enjoyed a peek behind the scenes at May’s studio and the new line! Keep your eyes open soon for the full reveal of the collection!

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Announcing…28 Lilac Lane by May Flaum

Today we are excited to share with the craft world that the Buttons Galore family is expanding! Well-known designer and instructor May Flaum is partnering with Buttons Galore to design a signature line of products, which will launch at the CHA Mega Show in January 2016.

may flaum headshot

May runs a popular blog and education website called Craft with May, and has worked as a designer with many major craft industry brands. She’s authored two books, Scrapbook Workshop: The Best Techniques From Your Favorite Craft Bloggers and Paper + Pixels, and appeared on several seasons of the PBS television series Scrapbook Soup. Prior to the launch of her own site, May was known to many crafters as a successful instructor at Big Picture Classes, where she taught more than 25 classes.

It’s fitting, May says, that her first product line is centered around buttons.

Crafting is all about the details for me. From a light splatter of color to a trio of little pearls, a seemingly random scatter of sequins to a cluster of buttons I love adding my own touches to my projects. As a kid, my favorite spot to hunt for treasures was a set of drawers at my grandma’s house. She had everything from vintage costume jewelry pieces to tiny figurines to buttons. Here in my studio, my own set of creative treasure drawers dominate my work desk and it is always my favorite part of the creative process when I get to dig in and search for the perfect finishing touches to whatever I’m making. Scrapbook layouts to mixed media canvases, décor project to playing with the kids I love using the bits & pieces that I’ve collected over the years.

The one item that dominates my collection is buttons. Small or big, fancy or simple, I adore the versatility and universal usability of buttons. When Buttons Galore approached me about working on a line with them, I thought about my creative process and style, and how the details are my favorite part! Thinking about all of my favorite embellishments, and beginning this collection for them has been a true labor of love. I am inspired by all of the colors and happenings in my own world, and I’m excited to bring this collection to you in 2016.

The new May Flaum signature collection for Buttons Galore will be sold under the brand name of 28 Lilac Lane. The 28 Lilac Lane release at the CHA Mega Show in 2016 will include embellishment kits as well as custom button mixes specially created by May.

“Buttons Galore & More has been my main supplier of buttons for over a decade, and I am really excited to be working with them on 28 Lilac Lane,” May says. “Their button quality and variety is unmatched, and they have been wonderful to collaborate with in bringing 28 Lilac Lane to life.”

28lilac

 

Buttons Galore is excited to have found in May the perfect collaborator for its longtime goal of creating an embellishment line, says company president Daniel Hagenman.

“May is an incredibly talented designer who is very passionate  about her work. Working with May has enabled us to bring to market a product line that has  been in the planning stages for several years. It has been our goal, at Buttons Galore to develop a line of embellishments that complement our vast array of buttons. May has provided the knowledge and insight to make this goal a reality. Her attention to detail and knack for selecting pieces and colors that work perfectly together make these embellishment kits special.”

In the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing more details about the products here on our blog and on our social media. Wondering what they’ll be like? Here’s a hint from May: “I am so excited to dig into these buttons, pearls, charms, and more and get creative. From card making to mixed media, sewing projects to scrapbooks – this is a line of embellishments that will allow you to create in your own way, and in your own style. The finishing touches that bring that special something to your projects.”

For our readers who will be attending the CHA Mega Show, don’t miss your chance to see the products (and May) in person in booth #1809. May will be in the booth demonstrating and answering questions about the new product line during the hours below.

  • Saturday: 10am-11:30am and 4pm-5pm.
  • Sunday: 10am-11:30am and 4pm-5pm.
  • Monday: 10am-11:30am and 4pm-5pm.

For an appointment outside of those hours, please contact Nancy Nally at Nancy [at] nallystudios.com.

Thanks for joining us for the “See You At CHA” blog hop!

seeyouchablogbadge

Make sure to visit the other participants in the hop today, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway below to win a $500 Visa gift card!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

87

Christmas Photo Frame Project

Remember that Autumn photo frame I shared awhile back? Well, it’s past time to decorate it for Christmas! This rotating seasonal decorative frame is so easy to to decorate to bring a seasonal spark to your home decor.

Christmas seasonal photo frame

Supplies:

Instructions:

Cut an 8″x 10″ piece of the background fabric. Iron Heat n’ Bond to it to stabilize it.

Use die cut machine to cut tree and phrase out of glitter iron-on. Iron in place on on background.

IMG_2626

Carefully remove shanks from snowflake buttons using scissors or a button shank remover. Adhere on Christmas tree in random pattern using hot glue gun.

For an brighter look than the gold and white theme, try making ornaments out of bright red buttons!

red button ornaments

Trim off any excess interfacing around the edge of the fabric.

Insert the sheet into the frame, and enjoy your Christmas photo frame!

Christmas photo frame

I’ll be back in January with a seasonal Valentine’s addition for your frame! In the meantime, we’ll have plenty of exciting things going on here on the blog as the Craft & Hobby Association in early January gets closer…starting with a big announcement tomorrow (Monday) here on the blog! Don’t miss it!

CHA News promo

1

Button Topped Gift Box

When it comes to gift giving, I love to put handmade touches on the wrapping when giving store bought items and one of my favorite ways to do this is with a decorated box. I’m known for making these gift boxes and in fact, the perfect item to decorate the top with is buttons!  Today I’ll share with you just how easy this can be.

Button Box

Supplies:

Step by step:

1.       Remove the lid from the box and paint the sides, or cover in patterned paper. For this box I covered the bottom in patterned paper, and painted the top edge with gold acrylic paint.

2.       Place a good amount of liquid adhesive onto the lid top, keeping it away from the edges. If some spills over, simply wipe away or brush back onto the top.Gluing Buttons

3.       Begin by placing a few large buttons, then fill in areas. For a box like this I like to start at the middle and work out. Layer on a second layer of buttons if desired.Gluing Buttons and Microbeads

4.       Once you are happy with your buttons, sprinkle something tiny like the seed beads that I have used on this box. This fills in any gaps and adds a great layer of texture and fun added dimension as well.

5.       Allow the lid to fully dry before placing a gift inside the box, closing, and gifting!DSC_6843

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Buttoned Up Christmas Tree Ornament

If you’re wondering what to do with all of the metal christmas tree ornaments and décor shapes showing up in the local craft store the answer is simple: button them up! I had so much fun with this Christmas tree ornament project – and it really is simple and fun to do. In fact, my kids (8 and 10 years old) have made these kinds of projects themselves as well! Of course my favorite buttons these days are the color blends – and this is a perfect project to showcase them.

Christmas Tree Color Blends

Supplies:

Steps:

Step 1: Cover the outside with washi tape.

Tip: Seal the edges with matte finish liquid adhesive so that it doesn’t come loose.

Step 2: Put a thick coat of liquid adhesive inside the shape. If there are unsealed edges be careful to either keep the adhesive away from the edge.

Buttons Glued to Tree OrnamentStep 3: Fill the shape with buttons! I used wood buttons for my trunk, and the beautiful green buttons all over the tree area.

Step 4: Layer a few small buttons if there are bigger gaps showing, just add a bit of liquid adhesive to the back of them when you set them on.

Christmas Tree close-upStep 5: Finish by sprinkling a bit of glitter if desired – this adds sparkle and will fill in any small crack areas.

Christmas Tree Ornament by May Flaum for Buttons Galore

2

Thankful Card

Utilizing basic supplies and everyday items in my crafting, and finding usefulness in even the simplest things is something I enjoy tremendously. With a few beautiful caramel buttons, some ink, and a little creativity I quickly came up with a fun card design that is perfect for any season.

thankful card by May Flaum

Supplies:

  • Buttons Galore Caramel Button Basics (also available at AC Moore stores)
  • green cardstock
  • watercolor paper
  • green watercolor or paint
  • black ink
  • brown ink
  • brown pen
  • gold paint pen or dimensional paint

How-to:

Thankful card by May Flaum step 1

Step 1: Take a circle object such as a cookie cutter or cup and tap with black ink. “stamp” onto your paper several times, creating a wreath shape. Repeat with brown ink.

Tip: Roll the cookie cutter or disposable cup around instead of stamping flat. This will give you more control of your lines.

Thankful Card by May Flaum step 2Step 2: Use scissors to cut out leaf shapes and color with green watercolor or ink. Place these in three spots along your wreath, and add small caramel buttons as well. At this time you should also cut out a ½” high strip of cardstock for your sentiment, and notch the ends to fit.

Tip: instead of handwriting you could use a computer font or alphabet stamps.

Thankful card by May Flaum for Buttons Galore

Step 3: Add the finishing touches to your card. Ink the edges of the sentiment banner, add some gold paint or ink to highlight the circle shape and around your buttons, and add any other details you would like.

Tip: Want even more: Use a pen to add flourishes and dots, as I did here with a brown pen.

9

Handmade Holidays | Beautiful Tote Bag

Welcome to the Handmade Holidays on Buttons Galore! We’re joining in by sharing ideas for handmade Christmas gifts using – of course – buttons!

HANDMADE HOLIDAYS hop - HORIZONTAL

Today’s gift is both practical and pretty! You can never have enough tote bags, and today our gift is a nice sized one that is made gorgeous using an easy rag quilting method.

Rag Quilted Tote

Supplies:

  • 15″ x 15″ tote bag
  • 18 – 5″ charm squares
  •  Buttons Galore Button Bonanza in Bubblegum & Ocean Blue

This bag is quilted using convenient 5″ charm squares. I originally cut these to use on another project but when I switched fabrics for that project, these charm squares went unused. It took 18 of them to quilt this tote: 9 for the front of the squares, and 9 for the backside of them (to help create the bulk in the visible seams).

Charm Pack

Laying out the pattern is the first challenge. I inserted a piece of cardboard in the tote to help make it nice and flat while I worked on the layout.

Tote in progress

Once your layout is arranged, the next step is to prepare the edges that won’t be quilted of the squares.

On the backing squares, each edge that won’t be part of a rag quilted seam should be trimmed by 5/8″.

On the front (visible in the finished product) squares, press under a 1/2″ seam on each edge that won’t be part of a rag quilted seam. Miter corners where pressed edges meet for best results.

Stack the backing squares on the front squares, folding the pressed edges over the backing squares. Make sure that the raw edges for the rag quilted seams are aligned. Pin together.

Rag Quilted Tote SquareAssemble the 9 blocks into a square by using rag quilted seams. (For easy instructions on assembling rag quilt blocks, see this wonderful article by Deby at So Sew Easy.)

Once the squares are all attached together, the block must be attached to the bag by sewing around the outside edge. This seam must be sewn one block at a time, without passing over the rag quilted seams. So it requires a lot of stopping and starting of your machine. Careful pinning is the key to success in this step.

Rag Quilting ToteThe final step is to adhere buttons in each square. This project is a great way to use all of those really large buttons in your Button Bonanza bags! The buttons aren’t just decorative – they also serve a purpose as well, by helping to anchor the squares to the bag.

Tote close-upAnd that is it! Your tote is ready to hit the street – or be wrapped for under the tree! The rag quilted seams will soften and fray as they are used and washed into an even more beautiful fuzzy fringe.

Rag Quilted Button ToteNow, did I mention there are fabulous prizes?

Handmade-Holidays-2015-Prize-Pack-1600-wide

We are having a giveaway of over $600 in craft supplies to help you make this holiday handmade! Enter to win using the widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Many thanks to all of the sponsors of the hop and giveaway!

 

HANDMADE HOLIDAYS SPONSORSThanks for stopping by, and make sure to use the widget below to visit the other hop participants!

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Thanks for joining us for the three days of the Handmade Holidays blog hop! Make sure you don’t miss day one and day two of the hop, too!

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Handmade Holidays | Button Embellished Scarf

Welcome to Day 2 of the Handmade Holidays blog hop on Buttons Galore! HANDMADE HOLIDAYS hop - HORIZONTAL Today, we’re buttoning up a fashionable accessory that will keep someone you love warm and stylish this winter! This project started with an inexpensive store bought scarf, but some embroidery and buttons turned it into a one of a kind keepsake that is practical too! Hand stitched scarf Supplies:

The fun thing about Button Bonanzas is that they are, like your grandmother’s button jar, full of an assortment of random sizes and styles of buttons. I love finding little treasures in them that have sparkles and other special designs. This scarf highlights several”fancy” buttons that I found in my Pastel Button Bonanza bag and turns them into feature elements on the scarf. Scarf close-up The design is fairly simple – the flowers are backstitched and the buttons are stitched in the middle of them. But how did I get my flowers the right size and shape? That’s where my secret weapon – my Cricut Explore – came in. Cricut Design Space First, I created the three flowers in Cricut Design Space, using files from the Cricut library. Then I used one of my Cricut pens to draw them onto some tracing paper. Once the flowers were sketched out onto the tracing paper, I cut them apart. One at a time, I attached them to the scarf with pins. Then I backstitched on the lines, through both the scarf and the paper. scarf construction Once the stitching is done, the paper needs to be (carefully) removed. I used a combination of delicate tearing and a craft knife to tear the paper away from both sides of the stitching. The stitching holes serve as a sort of perforation that aid in the tearing away of the paper, but some effort is still required.

The final step is to use a few quick stitches through the holes to attach the buttons. And then you are ready to wear – or wrap! sweater with scarf

I recommend hand washing for this completed project, no matter what the recommendation is for caring for the scarf that is used for the base.

And now…it wouldn’t be a blog hop without fabulous prizes! Handmade-Holidays-2015-Prize-Pack-1600-wide We are having a giveaway of over $600 in craft supplies to help you make this holiday handmade! Enter to win using the widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Many thanks to all of the sponsors of the hop and giveaway! HANDMADE HOLIDAYS SPONSORSThanks for stopping by, and make sure to use the widget below to visit the other hop participants! horizontal-line

And don’t miss our contribution to day one of the hop….a practical and pretty zip pouch for the sewer or traveler in your life!

19

Handmade Holidays | Zip Pouch

Welcome to the Handmade Holidays on Buttons Galore! For the next 3 days, we’ll be joining in by sharing ideas for handmade Christmas gifts using – of course – buttons!

HANDMADE HOLIDAYS hop - HORIZONTALOur handmade gift project today is a handy little zippered notions bag that is perfect for the sewing enthusiast or frequent traveler in your life! It’s made from a pattern called Everyday Zips by Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree & Company that is available online or at a local quilt store (which is where I got mine).

Zippered Notions Bag

Supplies:

One of the most underestimated tasks in the success of a sewing project may be the selection of fabric. Just choose colors you like, right? Not exactly. Color, pattern, and other choices can make the difference between a project you are happy with and one that just isn’t satisfying.

Notions tote under construction

On this project, the pattern called for the body of the bag to be a neutral colored lightweight canvas. But I had found this neutral background vintage sewing themed quilt fabric that I was in love with at my local quilt store. This project seemed like a great excuse to use it! Plus, since this is a “notions tote”, the fabric would reinforce the theme.

I also chose a light color for the interior (not seen here) – an ivory tone on tone chevron design.

For the contrast panel, I chose the black rulers to pull the black out of the background and reinforce the sewing notions theme. That left me the prairie points to decide on. Red, white and black is a classic vintage color scheme, and so it seemed the natural answer here.

But as you can see above during construction, the red is incredibly stark against all that neutral. To me, it made the design look off balance. That’s where the buttons come in! By putting a row of red buttons above the zipper, it balances out the red prairie points and mutes their visual aggressiveness somewhat. And, as a bonus, the buttons add to the sewing theme!

Sometimes color choices make practical sense too. The pattern called for the strap to be the same color as the prairie points but I thought that would be too bold. The best alternative was to use the black ruler fabric, as it is the least likely of the fabrics that I was using to show dirt from while I was handling it.

Even the zipper color choices can make a night and day difference. I really could have used black or natural for either of the zippers. I could have positioned them so the zipper contrasted with the surrounding background, or so that the zipper blended with the background. But I’m well aware that sewing zippers isn’t my most proficient sewing skill. By choosing zipper colors that blend with the fabric around the zipper, I provided a bit of camouflage for any wonky sewing of the zippers. Choosing a contrasting color for the zippers would have the opposite effect: highlighting any errors on the zipper.

One thing that I made sure to avoid on a project like this that had tons of straight seams? Fabric that had stripes or other straight lines in the pattern (such as dots arranged in neat lines) was a no-no. Straight lines in the fabric would only highlight any errors in getting my pieces cut square or sewn straight. The ruler fabric does have straight lines but they are somewhat rough and not continuous so the pattern was workable.

Since the project is mostly just straight seams, sewing the zippers are the most challenging parts of making this tote. While I admit that zippers aren’t my best talent, I do have one secret weapon:

Zipper Foot

This is the zipper foot on my sewing machine. While it is possible to sew zippers without them, the zipper foot makes it infinitely easier. Having the right tools is often half the battle in producing a quality result. If you are going to sew a zipper, I highly recommend that you invest a few dollars in a zipper foot for your machine. You won’t regret it!

Now, to the blog hop…

Did I mention there are fabulous prizes?

Handmade-Holidays-2015-Prize-Pack-1600-wide

We are having a giveaway of over $600 in craft supplies to help you make this holiday handmade! Enter to win using the widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Many thanks to all of the sponsors of the hop and giveaway!

 

HANDMADE HOLIDAYS SPONSORSThanks for stopping by, and make sure to use the widget below to visit the other hop participants!

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46

Felt and Fabric Thanksgiving Card

When it comes to Thanksgiving I don’t do a lot of home decorating, but I do enjoy creating cards for a few special people. This card is a lot of fun to make with fabric scraps, though using patterned paper would work just as well. The harvest Button Bonanza bag is perfect for all your fall crafting needs and just screams Thanksgiving to me.

Thanksgiving card

Supplies Needed: Felt, fabric with iron-on backing, word stickers, thread (hand or machine stitch), liquid adhesive, and harvest Button Bonanza bag

Steps:

Felt Heart

  1. Stitch a scrap of fabric, white trim, and felt heart onto a piece of white cardstockSewing Felt Heart
  2. Cut out hearts from a fabric scrap that have adhesive backing and iron them onto the card. Ironing fabric hearts
  3. Ink around edges of white cardstock if desired
  4. The final and fun part – adhere down buttons as desired and add word strips as well.

Beyond Thanksgiving, this simple card would be great for any holiday or occasion – and is a lot of fun to make! Don’t forget that you can create this design with either fabric or patterned paper.

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New Buttons Galore Products for Fall Quilt Market 2015!

It’s time for the Fall Quilt Market trade show, and that means new products from Buttons Galore!

This fall, we’re debuting products that fit perfectly with one of the hottest trends in the craft world: pet-themed projects. Buttons Galore is going to the dogs – and cats – with our new “Pets & Pals” collection!

Buttons Galore pet buttons

These buttons come in a variety of assortments and individual design packs.

Buttons Galore pet buttons

With shank backs, these fun 3D buttons are perfect for sewing projects or craft projects!

Buttons Galore pet buttonsThese new products can be seen now on our website, or if you are at Quilt Market in Houston this weekend you can stop by our booth #562 to check them out in person!

1

Stampendous and Buttons Galore are Blog Hopping!

Welcome to the Stampendous and Buttons Galore blog hop!

stampendous blog hop

Our contribution today is a fun card with some great Stampendous stamps, Cling Daisy Mix, and their matching dies. They pair perfectly with buttons!

stampedous flower card

Supplies:

This card is super simple to create!

First, splatter some of the gold spray ink on one corner of the blank card.

Stamp the flower on watercolor cardstock. Stamp the leaves on green cardstock. Use the matching dies to cut out all of the stamped pieces. Using scissors, cut a stem for the flower from the remaining green cardstock. Ink the edges of the stem.

Scribble some Gelato on a scrap of watercolor cardstock. Use the water brush to transfer it to the stamped flower and color it in, shading as you go.

Stamp the sentiment phrase on orange paper. Use scissors to trim around it, extending the piece on the end of the sentiment. Ink the edge of the completed piece.

Adhere all paper pieces to background. Thread buttons with embroidery floss and tie. Adhere to card with adhesive dots.

If you’d like to see more ideas on how to use Buttons Galore and Stampendous together, be sure to visit the blog hop at Stampendous!

19

Wire Heart Embellished Christmas Gift Tag

Christmas is coming faster than it seems – there’s only 73 more days left! It’s time to start thinking about crafty holiday projects like cards, gift wrap, and home decor if you don’t want to be scrambling at the last minute.

This Christmas gift tag will make a festive addition to any package or bag. With plenty of room on the back to write a message and the recipient’s name, it’s practical as well as pretty. The wire heart is finished off and brightened up by a button, which also serves as a convenient anchoring point for the embellishment.

Embellished Christmas Gift Tag by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore & More

Supplies:

  • Buttons Galore Button Basics in Red Hot (available at AC Moore)
  • Beadalon 20 Gauge German Style Wire
  • Authentique Paper “Tidings” collection (paper & stickers)
  • Sewing Machine
  • Jewelry Pliers
  • Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations Tag & Bookplates Die
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Tea Dye & Bundled Sage
  • Aleene’s No-Sew Fabric Glue
  • Hot Glue Gun
  • Embroidery Floss & Needle
  • Sequins
  • Brown Ribbon
  • Crochet Lace Trim

To begin the tag, use your die cutting machine to cut tags and hole reinforcer from the two different papers.

Trim the top off of the brown patterned tag to turn it into a rectangular panel. Stitch the edges of the panel with your sewing machine.

Ink all edges. Glue down the hole reinforcer and the stitched panel.

Glue crochet trim to bottom of tag. Thread small buttons and glue on top of trim.

Christmas Gift Tag with wire heart

Create the wire heart using wire and jewelry pliers. (Grab wire with tip of pliers and twist to create loops.) Anchor wires together at “v” of heart by threading them through holes of a 4 hole button.

Use hot glue gun to adhere the wire heart to the tag, using the button as the anchor point.

Adhere word and letter stickers on tag. Glue sequins randomly around the wire heart.

Thread ribbon through the tag.

The kraft, plaid, and buttons give this Christmas gift tag a cozy Christmas look. Pair it with a generic red or kraft bag or gift wrap to dress up a basic package!

14

Celebrate Fall with a Festive Holiday Frame!

Welcome to our new Holiday Frame series! This is the first in a series where I will be creating interchangeable inserts for a photo frame to provide year round seasonal decoration for any room in your home!

This 8″ x 10″ frame can stay out all year round, and the interchangeable inserts can be easily filed away when the seasons change until it is time to use them again.

Our first design, with the word “Autumn” and pumpkins, can take you through the fall season and both the Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays.

Autumn Frame

Supplies:

  • Burlap Sheet
  • Cotton Quilt Fabric (green and orange)
  • Heat-n-Bond Ultra
  • Glitter Iron-on
  • Cricut Explore machine
  • Chipboard Sheet
  • Button Bonanza in Natural
  • Kraft thread or twine
  • 8″ x 10″ frame

Instructions:

  1. Trim burlap sheet to 8″ x 10″ size to fit frame.
  2. Adhere Heat-n-Bond Ultra to reverse side of fabric by ironing. Cut out pumpkins with Cricut Explore machine.
  3. Cut strip of green fabric for the bottom of frame. Snip ends of it to look like grass.
  4. Autumn Frame close upCut the word “Autumn” from glitter iron-on material.
  5. Iron all of the cut pieces onto the background.
  6. Stitch buttons onto the pumpkins.
  7. Remove glass from photo frame. Insert the completed burlap sheet, backed with a sheet of chipboard to replace the thickness of the glass.
  8. Display and enjoy!

The buttons provide dimension to the design, as well as providing some brown that ties the design to the frame.

Come back in mid-November for the next installment in the series – for Christmas!

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Celebrate Fall with a Mixed Media Canvas!

Fall is here, and it’s time to change out the summer decor for something more autumnal. May Flaum is joining us today with the perfect mixed media canvas to change the season on your walls in style. – editor

The beauty of this project is that it can be any color, subject, or size. Even better? It will allow you to use whatever color of buttons you happen to have a lot of! In this example I am working with the Ivory button bonanza bag, however I more often use a mix of buttons (often colors I don’t like or get too many of!). Everything is coated with gesso – so you can truly work with any colors you have!

Fall Canvas by May Flaum for Buttons Galore

Supplies:

Step 1: Apply a generous amount of liquid adhesive in the area you wish to place your buttons. Add more as needed.

fall canvas step1

Step 2: Add buttons, beginning with larger ones and working smaller.

fall canvas step 2

Note: From this step forward, you will need to let the project dry completely between every step.

Step 3: Using a dimensional liquid product such as gel medium or a white or pearl dimensional paint pen, write your word.

fall canvas step3

Step 4: Apply a good amount of gesso over the entire surface and work in so that everything is fully covered.

fall canvas step4

Step 5: Mist colors of your choice across canvas. Allow to dry and repeat this process until satisfied. If you’d like them to “run” then tilt canvas up on one side while wet.

Note: Depending on the brand(s) used and properties of your spray ink/colors results may vary. Don’t be afraid to repeat step 5 many times! If you don’t have sprays/mists, feel free to use any color media you have on hand such as watercolor or acrylic paint as a substitution!

fall canvas step5

Step 6: Apply liquid adhesive in spots and gaps where you can add more buttons. Then add buttons in colors that compliment your design, as well as leaves or other elements that you’d like to feature.

fall canvas step6a

fall canvas step6cStep 7: Go over your word with gold dimensional paint or a pen to help it stand out, and spray a bit more color in a bold or dark color if desired.

fall canvas step7

Step 8: Use a permanent ink pad and ink the edges of your canvas. If desired, repeat this with multiple colors. For this canvas I used a dark green and a black.

fall canvas step8

Step 9: Use a script or other design stamp and permanent ink, and stamp randomly around the canvas. This works best with an unmounted rubber stamp, and adds a lot of depth to the project.

fall canvas step9a

fall canvas step9b

Step 10: Finish project by adding any finishing touches such as dots of gold paint, pearls, beads, rhinestones, and more.

fall canvas step10

What I love most about this project is that you can customize it so many ways, and for any size or theme you like. It’s a great way to use leftover buttons and other supplies you may have sitting around. I hope you give it a try!

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Have a Happy Fall with a Button Card!

Even thought it’s still hitting temperatures close to 90 degrees at blog central here in Florida, Labor Day passing means fall will rapidly be settling in at Buttons Galore headquarters in New Jersey. And fall means a chance to pull out some colors and designs that many of us haven’t used all summer!

How about the Buttons Basics in Caramel and Outlandish Orange?

Caramel and Outlandish Orange by Buttons Galore

Add a nice holdover from summer – some deep pink from the “Summertime” Button Bonanza – and you’ve got a great mix of fall leaf colors!

Fall leaf button mix

Fall brings many occasions that call for dashing off a quick note to someone. Let’s make them pretty – and festive!

Happy Fall card by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

Look for Outlandish Orange, Caramel, and the Summertime mix at AC Moore!

Supplies:

  • Pink & Main stamps: Directional Borders, Tab Alpha
  • Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Brushed Corduroy, Spiced Marmalade & Worn Lipstick
  • 8.5″ x 11″ Cream Colored Smooth Cardstock
  • Embroidery floss and needle
  • Adhesive dots
  • Buttons Galore Button Basics in Caramel & Outlandish Orange
  • Buttons Galore Button Bonanza in Summertime

Instructions:

1. Cut paper in half longwise and fold to make a card base.

2. Starting near the fold, use the stamp set to stamp the arrow border once from each side, leaving a gap in the middle to place a button. Work your way down the card, changing colors as you get closer to the bottom.

3. Use the alphabet stamps to create the phrase “Happy Fall,” aligned with the right edge.

4. Thread buttons and tie them using embroidery floss and needle.

5.  Attach buttons in border gaps with adhesive dots.

This versatile button card design could work for any season or holiday, simply by changing up the color scheme and the sentiment that is stamped. Try the bright primary colors in our Primary Button Bonanza (also available at AC Moore) for a birthday card, or red, white, and blue for a patriotic theme!

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Make a Headband with Buttons & Ribbon

So, what can you do with some button basics and a pretty piece of ribbon?

buttons and ribbonAdd a plain satin headband to the mix and you can make a headband that is fabulously perfect just for the young style diva in your life!

Button Headband headshot

Making this headband is easy! Here’s what you need:

  • Satin Headband
  • Satin Ribbon
  • Buttons Galore Button Basics in Blush (available at AC Moore)
  • Embroidery Floss & Needle
  • Aleene’s Fabric Fusion glue
  • Hot Glue Gun

Headband close-upInstructions:

1. Glue ribbon to satin headband, turning under raw ends to finish them before gluing. If your ribbon is very thin or sheer, attach using dots of glue in locations that will have buttons over them, so the glue won’t show.

2. Thread buttons with floss and tie off to finish them.

3. Hot glue buttons to headband on top of ribbon.

That’s all it takes to get a beautiful custom accessory!

headband display

This headband is easy to make for any occasion or season – just switch up the color scheme and you have an instant accessory for Christmas, Halloween, or even school spirit! What occasion will you make a headband for?

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Quick & Easy Button Pillow Box

It’s easy to whip up a pillow box on my die cut machine to hold a small gift, but keeping it closed is not so easy. Adhesive will do the job – permanently, leaving the box difficult to open and not reusable. But a little bit of ribbon and a few buttons will provide a solution: a pretty string tie! This box is perfectly sized for presenting a gift card, a difficult item to wrap creatively.

Button Pillow Box

To make this box you need:

  • Buttons Galore Bubblegum Button Bonanza (also available at AC Moore)
  • Kraft cardstock
  • Small doily
  • Cricut Explore machine & digital cutting file
  • 7/8″ wide gold ribbon
  • Needle & Thread
  • Jute Twine
  • Double-sided adhesive tape

Instructions:

1. Cut out and assemble your pillow box. Adhere doily on top of box.

2. Cut ribbon slightly longer than needed to wrap around long dimension of pillow box. Turn under ends.

Gift Package Supplies3. Sew buttons loosely onto ends of ribbon.

4. Tie piece of jute string around the thread holding one of the buttons, between the button and the ribbon.

5. Wrap the ribbon around the pillow. Fasten the ribbon band by wrapping the string in a figure 8 around both buttons (similar to fastening a string clasp envelope).

Pillow Box with Button BandThis gift wrap could be great for any holiday or occasion. Changing the colors of the ribbon band and buttons could make it seasonal for any holiday, or match the decor of any event (such as a wedding).

What gift do you plan to tie up with a button-fastened ribbon band?

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Send Some Halloween Love with Buttons

Even though summer is in full swing, Halloween is sneaking up on us (boo!). Today’s project will show you how to use some Halloween products without having to wait for Halloween – and how to kick it up a notch with buttons!

Halloween love card

You won’t have to wait until Halloween to give someone this card! With it’s message of love, it can be delivered anytime during the Halloween season.

The buttons are a critical element in this design. They add a pop of color that breaks up the dark purple, but more importantly they add dimension to a design that would otherwise be entirely flat.

Supplies:

  • Patterned Paper (all patterned paper from Graphic 45’s “Rare Oddities” collection – 6×6 & 8×8 pads)
  • Cricut Explore machine & Cutting Files
  • Inkpads in black, purple, green and brown
  • Adhesive dots
  • Black thread & needle
  • cream cardstock
  • Buttons Galore “Vacation” button pack

1. Cut a 3.5″ by 8″ piece of background paper for the card base. Ink edges. (While this is a non-standard card size, it will fill in a standard business sized envelope.)

2. Use die cut machine to cut out vine and flowers. Ink edges of all pieces.

3. Cut sentiment block from patterned paper. Ink edges and mat on patterned paper.

4. Adhere all pieces to background.

button flower centers

5. Sew thread through buttons and tie off. Adhere buttons on the center of the flowers.

6. Cut an 8″ x 7″ piece of cream cardstock to use as cardbase and fold. Adhere card front to base.

Who would you like to send a bewitching message of Halloween love to this season?

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An Easy All Occasion Gift Bag with Washi & Buttons!

Pre-designed gift bags can easily run $5 or more, and it’s not always convenient to run out and buy one at the last minute. What to do? Craft up a solution, of course. Keeping a stash of blank bags in your craft supplies means that with a few minutes of creativity, you always have the perfect gift bag on hand!

all occasion gift bag

To make this gift bag, all you need is:

  • a blank gift bag
  • assorted washi tape rolls
  • Vacation button assortment (HB107)
  • embroidery floss & needle
  • 7/8″ sheer ribbon
  • hot glue gun
  • die cut machine
  • white vinyl & transfer tape

Making this bag is super easy:

1. Start by tearing off some strips of washi tape and attaching them to the bag as stripes, varying the colors.

2. Using embroidery floss, sew thread through buttons and tie it off.

3. Attach the buttons to the top few rows of washi tape in random positions, using a hot glue gun.

washi tape and buttons4. Using a die cut machine, cut out the words “for you” from vinyl. Use transfer tape to attach it over the bottom layers of washi tape. (I used the Cricut Explore machine for this project.)

vinyl sentiment on gift bag

5. Tie a bow from sheer ribbon around one side of the handle.

And there you have it…five steps to a fabulous all-occasion gift bag! While my bag is a generic theme, this bag design could be customized for any holiday by selecting washi tape and buttons that are themed and colored appropriately (such as red and green for Christmas).

What occasions do you use gift bags for?

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Back to School Photo Frame by Lorrie McCullers

Today we’re joined by designer Lorrie McCullers, who is sharing a back to school project that is both a countdown calendar and school picture frame! 

It’s back to school time! And what better way to keep track of time until the big day than with a countdown frame?

back to school frame I used three sets of buttons for this project: the School Value Pack, the Primary Grab Bag, and the Primary Tiny Round Buttons. I also used a pre-colored acrylic frame so there was no need to paint!

buttons galore buttons

Supplies needed:

Buttons Galore School Value Pack
Buttons Galore Primary Grab Bag
Buttons Galore Primary Tiny Round Buttons
Deflecto acrylic 5”x7” frame
Aleene’s Liquid Fusion glue
button shank remover
dry erase pen
computer and printer (optional)

Directions:

  • Choose your larger buttons first. That way, you can fill in the empty spaces with smaller buttons.

  • Some of the buttons in the School Value Pack and the Primary Grab Bag have shanks on the back. To have your buttons lay flat to the frame, remove the shanks with a button shank remover.

  • Apply Aleene’s Liquid Fusion to the back of each button. Don’t apply too much or the glue will ooze out the sides of your buttons! Let dry for about 24 hours.

  • Print (or handwrite) a countdown for the first day of school, such as “____ days until school begins” or “School starts in ____ days!”

  • Keep track of the days with a dry erase marker. Acrylic frames are so great because you can just write on and wipe off!

school-picture-frame

After school starts, you can then use your project as a frame for that first day of school picture of your kiddo! Since the dry erase marker comes right off, you can use this frame year after year. This is a great project for kids to help with as well as a fun gift idea for a favorite teacher!

Lorrie McCullers is a paper crafts designer who blogs at Forty11 Designs. She is a Craft & Hobby Association Designer Member and currently designs for Etch All and Deflecto Crafts. To see more of her work, visit her blog

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Upcycled Tin Can Storage Containers

Lisa Fulmer visited us this week to share a project! We hope your enjoy her immensely creative interpretation of storage using the Farmhouse Button Bonanza! 

With the right type of can opener that leaves no sharp edges, you can turn any tin can into an adorable storage container!

upcycled tin cans lisa fulmer

I used the Buttons Galore Farmhouse Button Bonanza in creams, blues and greens, along with some adorable scrapbook papers, to embellish these tin cans that used to hold mandarin oranges. A trio of these little tin can storage containers would be perfect for your desk or craft table.

Supplies:

upcycled tin can suppliesDirections:

  1. Trim a long strip of scrapbook paper to fit the height and circumference of the can. Wrap it around the can and secure with glue.
  2. Cut a circle from the paper to fit inside the top of the can lid and glue in place. Punch a small hole through the center of the lid with a hammer and nail (place on top of a piece of cork or wood).
  3. Glue a narrow contrasting strip of paper around the center of the can, if desired.
  4. Glue an assortment of buttons around the can. Try nesting smaller buttons on to larger buttons for color contrast.wiring button knobs
  5. To make a knob for the lid, thread a folded length of wire down through one large button and two small buttons and twist the wire to secure. Poke the wires down through the hole in the lid and spread each wire to one side, flat against the underside of the lid. Secure with a small piece of duct tape.
  6. Lining the inside of the can or lid with more paper is optional. Keep your storage containers in a dry area to prevent rusting over time.

upcycled tin can storage lisa fulmerWhat would you like to store in these containers? They’d be perfect for storing buttons!

Lisa Fulmer is an artist, crafter, teacher, writer, on-air talent, as well as a marketing consultant. She’s also the author of two books – Craft Your Stash and Stylish Craft Foam Projects – and has worked with brands such as Spellbinders Paper Arts, Ranger Ink, DecoArt, SmoothFoam and Plaid. She’s currently a columnist and blogger for Bella Arts Quarterly magazine. To learn more about her work, visit her website

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It’s Time for a Back to School Photo Frame!

Today we are joined by blogger/designer/instructor/author May Flaum, from www.craftwithmay.com, who is sharing a back to school project with us. – editor

When I have supplies not being used, I try to envision a purpose and make it useful. In this case I had a small 5×7 chalkboard that has been sitting around way too long. Since I don’t see myself using it as intended, I decided to convert it into a photo frame for this school picture.

May Flaum button frame

This is one of my favorite ways to use buttons, and it’s a super quick and easy project too! It will work on any flat wood frame, and I love how it turned out. The less you think about perfect button placement, and the more you just fill the space and enjoy – the better it will turn out!

I worked with the beautiful Vintage Vogue buttons and I really liked how quick and easy they made this project.

Buttons Galore Vintage Vogue buttons

Supplies Needed:

How-to:

1. Paint frame with white paint if desired

2. Apply a liberal amount of liquid adhesive around the wood frame.

May Flaum button frame step 3 3. Start with large buttons, place at random in a few places. Then fill in spaces with medium and small buttons.

May Flaum button frame step 4 4. Add more adhesive as needed, place buttons until all spaces are full. If there are any awkward gaps, layer a button on top! Once satisfied, set aside and let it dry fully before adding a photo.

May Flaum button frame close up

To learn more about May Flaum, see more of her projects or take one of her online classes, visit www.craftwithmay.com

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Make Rubber Band Charm Bracelets with Buttons!

Buttons can bring new life to all sorts of crafts – and a rubber band loom is no exception! This project uses pink flower buttons with a shank from the Bazooples collection as charms on a rubber band charm bracelet.

Rubber Band Charm Bracelet suppliesPictured above is the entire supply list for the rubber band charm bracelets that I’m showing you today:

Bazooples Pink FlowersThese beautiful Bazooples flowers aren’t the only buttons that can be used as charms for this project. Try it with the Fun in the Sun collection for a rainy day project for the kids during a beach vacation, with the Happy Halloween collection for festive wear, or with Sweet Delights as a birthday party make-it-take-it.

Buttons on LoomUsing the buttons with your loom is easy – just thread the buttons onto the rubber bands and then weave your loom as usual. For this bracelet, I placed 2 empty rubber bands as spacers between each rubber band with a button to ensure that the buttons weren’t overlapping when the bracelet was complete.

Rubber Band Threaded ButtonA properly threaded button will have a loop of rubber band on each side  of the button shank. Just pull those loops and place them over the loom as usual.

Finished Rubber Band Bracelet

The finished bracelet will have the buttons sitting up on top of it, with the shanks down in the weaving.

 Finished Rubber Band Bracelet

Has the bloom worn off of summer vacation, and bored kids are asking you what to do? Visit our 3D button selection, dig out that rubber band loom, and set them to work creating rubber band charm bracelets with buttons!

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Make a Thank You Card with Tutti Fruity Buttons!

When I got my hands on this gorgeous Tutti Fruity Button Bonanza pack, it just called out for some card making. The beautiful yellow, orange, pink and mint green palette is so summer-y and happy!

Tutti Fruity Button Bonanza

Probably the most frequent card I reach for out of my card stash is a thank you card. Paired with some burlap and a few other supplies, some orange buttons from the assortment give me a thank you card that is perfect for just about any occasion: baby, wedding, or everyday. It’s bright, a bit rustic, and very on trend with the burlap!

Thank You CardSupplies:

  • Tutti Fruity Button Bonanza
  • Burlap Sheet
  • Flower Die
  • Patterned Paper
  • Cardstock Scraps
  • Card Base
  • Brown Baker’s Twine
  • Brown Thread
  • Sentiment Stamp (sample is from Pink & Main)
  • Brown Ink Pad
  • Green Pen

A button makes a great cheat to perfectly finish off a wrap of baker’s twine – no more messy bows that just aren’t quite right, or knots that look messy! And a button is always a great substitute for the center piece of a flower.

The tiny square button on the sentiment block actually serves two purposes. It completes a visual triangle of orange highlights that lead the eye across the card, and it also “anchors” the text block to the background visually.

What kind of card are you inspired to make by Tutti Fruity Button Bonanza?

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Button up a Patriotic Picnic for July 4th!

The Fourth of July is right around the corner, and for many of us that will mean taking our food outdoors for a party!

A $1 bucket can be a practical and festive way to hold your party’s utensils, with the addition of some jute ribbon – and of course, buttons!
Patriotic Button Utensil Bucket

Patriotic Utensil Bucket rear

Buttons used in this project came from the Buttons Galore Patriotic Value Pack.

Constructing this project is easy:

1. Cut a length of ribbon that will fit around your bucket. Sew patriotic themed buttons from the Patriotic Value Pack along the middle 3/4 of it. Use adhesive dots to adhere the ribbon around the bucket.

2. Cut another length of ribbon, and tie into a bow. Sew star buttons to the end of the bow’s streamers.

This concept could be adapted for plenty of holidays just by changing button theme pack. Need a utensil holder for that holiday buffet? Try the Christmas Button Grab Bag instead. Or make it a holder for Halloween candy with the Scary button assortment. The options are as limitless as our button selection!

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Ladybug Button Card

Yay for Fifteen MINUTE Friday!  The weeks just go by so quickly.  Katie from A Sweet Berry’s Blog created this adorable springtime Ladybug Button Card.  She is one of my best friends and super creative and fun.

ladybug card

It looks like creating this masterpiece was a lot of fun!

ladybugs

If you want more information about how she created this card, you can hop over to her blog here and find out.

The ladybug buttons are super cute to use while paper crafting and also adorable when sewn on to projects.  You can buy there HERE or by clicking on the photo below.

4247-2T

 

Happy Springtime and Happy Crafting,

Laura

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DIY Paper Clip & Button Bookmarks

Secret Garden Bookmarks

It’s almost time for summer reading. These quick and easy Paper Clip and Button Bookmarks are a great kids project. With our selection of unique buttons, you can make bookmarks to match your child’s interests. Does your child love the book, The Secret Garden? How about creating a collection of garden themed bookmarks? A gift of the book and the garden bookmarks would also make a darling gift!

These would also be great teacher’s gifts. Give your favorite teacher a stack of books, some beach-themed bookmarks the kids made, and they will  be ready to hit the beach and rest up after a long school year!

Seaside Bookmarks

Flip Flop Bookmark Close-Up

Sea Bookmarks with Shell

The possibilities for these are endless! Here’s how to create your own Paper Clip and Button Bookmarks:

Supplies:

Instructions:

Slide the button onto the paper clip. Place a small drop of glue to hold the button in place. You can make dozens of these in only minutes!

Summer Reading Bookmarks

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Mother’s Day Card

This adorable card was made by Laura Neiman from Housewife Hellraiser using simple and fun paper crafting techniques.  It is the perfect card that can be made quickly which makes this a great project for Fifteen MINUTE Friday!

Mom_Card_Sizzix_BGM

She used papers and a card/envelope combination from Darice and buttons from the Laura Kelly BRIGHTS collection along with adhesives from iLovetoCreate.

You can find out the details on her blog HERE.

IMG_3224

There are so many great ways to create handmade cards with buttons.  Browse the blog and you will be totally inspired!

Cheers,

Laura

 

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Button Up a Teacher Gift in a Flash

Earlier this week I shared this project on my blog for Craft Lightning.  It shows you how to button up a teacher gift in a flash which makes it perfect for Fifteen MINUTE Friday!  Score!!!

I used the buttons from the Laura Kelly BRIGHTS collection.  You can get them HERE!

Jar_Wire_Buttons

Just think of all the things you could put in a jar that a teacher would love.  Here are my top ten ideas!

  1. Candy or Gum
  2. Desk Supplies
  3. Gift Cards
  4. Markers
  5. Lotions and Body Spray
  6. Sprinkles for Cookies
  7. Homemade Drink Mix
  8. Colored Pencils
  9. Sharpies
  10. BUTTONS!!!

Isn’t is adorable with all the other fun jars?

CraftLightning_RecycledTeacherJars

Teacher appreciation is coming up soon.  Are you ready?  I think you should recycle some jars and add a few buttons to create some handmade awesomeness for those who care for your kids all day every day!

Cheers,

Laura

 

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DIY Gift Wrapping with Buttons

Here is a fantastic way to create custom  DIY gift wrapping in fifteen minutes (or less) using buttons, fabric markers and glue.  Check it out!  Yay, it’s Fifteen MINUTE Friday!!!

Tulip_Fabric_Markers_Gift_2

 

A tip for buttons and fabric if you are not up for sewing…super tacky adhesives work best!  I love the Fast Grab Tacky from Aleene’s because it holds the buttons right away and keeps them in place until totally dried.  You can see in the next picture that the buttons are in place and the glue is still wet.  I love that!

Tulip_Fabric_Markers

 

You can get more ideas and the full tutorial over on my blog HERE.

 

 

 

 

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A Noteworthy St. Patrick’s Day Card

Sending cards for the little holidays is not only fun but also very special.  I mean come on, who doesn’t LOVE to get a note in the mailbox these days.  This hand made card is not only adorbale but sure to spread luck and friendship for St. Patrick’s Day.  Three cheers for Fifteen MINUTE Friday!

Label Card

You will need the following:

Supplies

Cut a fold over card to fit your envelope.  This one is 8.5 x 4.25 to fit in an A2 sized envelope.  Cut your other decorative papers to add color to your card front.  Stitch your buttons to a piece of pre-cut card stock to form a shamrock.  Knot it in the back.

Stitch

Adhere your pieces to the front of the card with Aleene’s Always Ready.  Add a sticker message if you would like.  You can also write your message with a marker or a pen.

Message

I hand-stamped the back of my card too with my self-inking stamp from Expressionery.Com.  I think this makes it a little more special.

Stamp

And now you are ready to write a for real, noteworthy, hand written letter to a friend!

SHamrock Button Card Final

Happy Creating,

Laura

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Button Up a Decorative Pinwheel

Pinwheels are so much fun for adding pizzazz and energy to decorating for parties and events.  Here are the directions to make them using just a few simple materials.  You will need the following:

  • Decorative Paper Squares (6 inches)
  • Scissors
  • Brads
  • Paper Straws
  • Aleene’s Always Ready Fast Grab Tacky Glue
  • Laura Kelly BUTTONS for Buttons Galore and More

Pinwheel_Supplies

The first step is to cut from the four corners in towards the centers, stopping to leave a one inch square center that is uncut.  Then using your brad fold the first point of each corner in poking a hole through them as you go then through the center and securing with the brad in the back.

PinwheelOne_Two

Add your straw to the back and buttons to the front with the tacky glue.  The Fast Grab is great because is holds them right away.  Then allow time to dry before using them.

PinwheelThree_Four

They are so bright and cheery and simply fun.

Pinwheel_Single

Cheers,

Laura

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Don’t Get Pinched! Guest Blogger DIY Shamrock Accessory

We are excited to have a guest blogger sharing this fun project.  Kadie from the fabulous blog 7 Alive is here to share her creativity.  Kadie is a DIY junkie like many of us as well as a fantastic crochet designer and mother to five kiddos.

Kadie

This easy project only takes minutes to create, and only a little longer to dry. You can easily create a fun shamrock for your kiddos or yourself to wear on St.Patrick’s Day.

Button Clover WT

You only need a few materials to create your own button shamrock.  These buttons are from the Bright Mix by Laura Kelly.  They are Forest Green and Candy Apple Green.

Button Clover Materials

 

To make your button shamrock ~

  1. Freehand or stencil a shamrock shape onto green craft felt.  We love the felt best from Kunin Group.
  2. Outline shamrock in fabric paint.
  3. Use craft glue to add buttons stacked large to small on top of shamrock.
  4. Make small bow out of ribbon using craft glue. Glue bow to steam of shamrock. (set aside till all glue dries)
  5. Optional ~ add a pin or hair clip to back of shamrock to make it easy to wear.

This is perfect for boys or girls and will insure no one in your family will get pinched on St. Patrick’s Day. :)

You can find more inspiration on Kadie’s blog HERE or by clicking on the picture below!

7 Alove

If you would like to enter to win a craft stash of products (and a gift card to Starbucks), go for it.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Creating St. Patrick’s Day Fun!

 

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Mini Shamrock Garland

This little garland is super festive and so easy to create.  The mini shamrock garland can be used to decorate in lots of fantastic ways and is perfect for a fifteen MINUTE Friday project.

Button Shamrock Garland

You will need scissors, green decorative paper, Candy Apple Green Buttons, Ribbon or Ric Rac and Aleene’s Always Ready Fast Grab Glue.

Creating Wreath Garland

  1. Cut your shamrocks out free hand so they are all a little different.  You can make a little pattern if that makes you more comfortable.
  2. Glue them from the backs to your ribbon using the Fast Grab and let dry.
  3. Flip over and add buttons with the Fast Grab.

Wreath with Garland

Ta Da!  It looks so fun on this wreath on the front door.

Wreath Front Door

Cheers,

Laura

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Valentines Day Pillow Decor with i Love to Create

How cute is this pillow that I made with my Laura Kelly buttons and a few things from i Love to Create?  I think is creates adorable decor for to celebrate the holiday of love.

Pillow

I used Aleene’s Quick Dry Fabric Fusion to adhere the rick-rack around the edges.  Then I used Tulip dimensional paint (red) to spell out love and add the buttons.  I LOVE that it works as a paint and as an adhesive too!

Supplies

There are so many ways to create with buttons and products from i Love to Create.  Here are a bunch.

iLTC Valentines Mystery Box Collage Labeled

You can click around and check them all out.

You can also enter to win this awesome contest.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cheers and Happy Decorating,

Laura

1

Sweetheart Message Board

Sweetheart Memo Board

Here’s a sweet little Valentine’s Day project for you! A Sweetheart Message Board, created with dry erase paper and buttons. Leave a new, loving message to your sweetheart every day!

Supplies:

      • Wood, heart-shaped plaque
      • Paint
      • Buttons
      • Dry erase paper
      • Felt flowers
      • Craft glue

Instructions:

    1. Paint the wood plaque. Allow to dry completely.
    2. Once the paint is dry, trace the heart shape onto a piece of dry erase paper and glue it onto the front of the plaque.
    3. Embellish the plaque with felt flowers with button centers.
    4. Hang the plaque with a ribbon and leave messages of love for your sweetheart.
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Jar Decor with Buttons and Ribbon

Fifteen minute Friday is all about creating projects that are quick, simple and fun.  This week’s project is using recycled jars (that tall one is from honey) and adding ribbon and buttons to create decor.

Winter Decor Jars

I simply tied the ribbons from Offray around the jars and bowed one while knotting the other.  I secured the ribbon and  added the buttons with Aleene’s Quick Dry Fabric Fusion because it works great and dries so fast.

Offray_Aleenes_Buttons

These two jars are a perfect addition to this amazing pillow that Laura Neiman created this week using these colors.  Find out more about that over on her awesome blog HERE.

Bird Pillow

The buttons are all from my collection with Buttons Galore.  The red buttons are Radiant Red and the blue in the bird is Robins Egg Blue.  You can buy them all on the website of course!

Buttons and Ribbon on Jars

Happy Creating!

Cheers,

Laura

 

 

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Whip up a Valentines Day Pillow

I made these pillow and they literally took less than fifteen minutes each.  The buttons stitched on to the hearts really make them adorable and special.

Valentines_Day_Pillow_Sizzix

The radical red buttons are one of my favorite colors in my line of buttons with Buttons Galore.

LK116-2T

I love the way that they come in so many sizes and shapes within each pack.

c68cb45792c177f4b04e915613de45b7

 

Ta Da!

ButtonsGalore_Sizzix_Heart_Pillow

To find out how I made this, hop over to my blog and check it out.  You can do that here!

Happy Friday,

Laura

 

 

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Button Up Some Christmas Ornaments with Laura from Pet Scribbles!

Christmas Ornaments with Buttons

Laura here from Pet Scribbles, sharing an easy way to dress up those wood cutouts you see at all the craft stores:

Use some fabulous buttons! (Of course, right?)

I made this large 25 in honor of December the 25th, and I’ll show you just how easy it is to make your own!

It all starts with wood cutouts of your choice. I picked up these, which were already painted white:

Christmas Ornaments with Buttons

I painted the edges of each number with red glitter paint, and set them to dry on some recycled jar lids overnight.

Christmas Ornaments with Buttons

The next morning was the super-fun part: playing with the gorgeous buttons in the Laura Kelly Traditional Christmas Mix from Buttons Galore & More!

Christmas Ornaments with Buttons

Check out these beauties up close!

Christmas Ornaments with Buttons

To make easy work of attaching many buttons to wood (and to each other), I use Aleene’s Fast Grab Tacky Glue.

Christmas Ornaments with Buttons

After applying the glue to the back of each button, just set in place and hold it there for a few seconds to set.

I began with some of the largest buttons first, then filled in with smaller buttons down to the tiniest (and totally adorable) sizes. And in some cases, I layered buttons on top of each other, for more texture and interest.

Christmas Ornaments with Buttons

Once finished, I added some red tulle around the number 5 as a scarf, keeping with the cozy idea of Christmas Day.

Christmas Ornaments with Buttons

These wood cutouts are great to have on your Christmas tree, on a wreath, or maybe as shelf sitters.

Christmas Ornaments with Buttons

I think what makes these ornaments look so fun is the different styles, colors, shapes, sizes and textures of the buttons in the Laura Kelly Traditional Mix. There are buttons that are shiny, metallic, pearl, flat (no sheen), square, round, solid, and I could go on describing them for days. I even found buttons that had some glitter-like dazzle on them!

Supplies used:
Wood numbers
Red glitter paint
Aleene’s Fast Grab Tacky Glue
Laura Kelly Traditional Christmas Mix buttons

Thanks so much to Buttons Galore & More for inviting me to guest post here today!

Stop by my blog Pet Scribbles to see more button crafts and holiday inspiration!

~Laura

1

Advent Calendar with BUTTONS – Fifteen MINUTE Friday

How adorable is this advent calendar? It was created in a matter of minutes using buttons from my Holiday Collection!

Button Advent Calendar

For the free printable and the tutorial, visit the full post on my blog here.  To order the buttons, click on the image below!

LK152-2T

There are lots of great ideas, activities, crafts and ways to celebrate the holiday season with kids. Here are lots of great ones for you to try out by fabulous bloggers!

And you can enter a contest too to win buttons and a crafty stash along with a $50 VISA card! That rocks! a Rafflecopter giveaway
Cheers,
Laura

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Winter Hat Ornament

I love this little paper crafted winter hat ornament.  It would be great to use for decorating a tree or adding to a gift as a card or a tag.

Winter Hat Ornament 1

I created it using one of the new dies that will launch in January 2015 with Ellison Education and Sizzix as part of the calendar set.  Aren’t the little buttons from my Laura Kelly buttons line super cute on the ball of the hat?

Winter Hat Ornament 3

There are lots of great projects being shared using this hat today and I would love for you to hop around and see them all.

You can enter to win this fabulous prize too!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Paper Crafting with Buttons,

Laura

5

Fifteen MINUTE Friday – Scrap Ribbon Trees

Check out these adorable Christmas tree ornaments made from scraps of green ribbon and Laura Kelly buttons in Radical Red and Passionate Pinks (and one yellow)!

Ribbon Scrap Tree

So cute, so easy and so much fun!  The Aleene’s Quick Dry formula in the Always Ready bottle (available at Joanne’s) makes crafting things like this easy peasy.  I am in love with the stuff!

Here are the simple directions:

  1. Tie green ribbon scraps around a stick from a tree.
  2. Trim the ribbon to shape a tree.
  3. Add buttons and a hanger with Aleene’s Quick Dry Adhesive.
  4. Ta Da!

This is a great craft for kids. Here are lots of other DIY ideas for celebrating the season with kids too!

And you can enter to win a fabulous contest too!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Creating for the Holidays,

Laura

1

Halloween Popcorn Box Pumpkin 2014

A whole year has gone by!  Wow.  It seems like yesterday when I was making this spider for the 2013 Halloween Popcorn Box Blog Hop!

IMG_3228

Well, it’s here again and I am loving this little box that I created as a pumpkin filled with….BUTTONS!

Pumpkin BGM

There are LOTS Of great creative inspiring projects this year!

And you can enter to win a fabulous prize too! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Buttons Make Everything Funner,

Laura

1

Little Pink Ribbon Pins

October is the month that we as women remind each other that we love, care and honor ourselves.   The sisterhood of women strengthens this month as we stand together to bring awareness to breast cancer and what it means in our lives.  I don’t think there is a life untouched by breast cancer.  This little ribbon is a crafty project that you can make and wear to participate in not only the awareness aspect but also the celebration of the sisterhood of women.  I glued it together with Aleene’s Max Tacky Adhesive.  I used pink buttons of course.  I attached it to a pillow for the Hands-on-Heart pillow drive.

Pillow

Here are a few other crafty breast cancer awareness projects that you might like.  This button ribbon was created with buttons and glue!

Button Pink Ribbon

This tie dyed pillowcase fits perfectly in the tote bag that was created with the pink ribbon stamp from ClearSnap by Jen Goode.  You can see lots of great things that were made with her stamp on 100 Directions.

BCA_DyedPillow

 

Pink buttons can make a difference I think!  What do you think?

Cheers,

Laura

0

Little Pumpkin Button Cards for Fifteen MINUTE Friday

Halloween is absolutely one of my FAVORITE holidays and to celebrate I pulled together the creative minds of some of my talented blogging friends to bring you over 110 fabulous Halloween ideas! From costumes to parties, crafts and home decor, recipes and free printables, we have so many fun ideas to share! I guarantee you’ll find a project (or 10!) that you would love to incorporate into your Halloween festivities. All week (Monday through Saturday) myself and my blogging friends will be sharing our fun creations with all of you. Each day will include approximately 20 Halloween projects and you can “hop” from one blog to another to check them all out.

It’s Friday and day 5 of our Halloween Bash blog hop! Glad you could join us on this fabulous Friday for more Halloween ideas from me and my talented blogging friends!

These are so super cute and easy peasy to create!

Pumpkin Card

You will need just a few things…paper, Outrageous Orange buttons and Aleene’s Tacky Glue.

Supplies

Cut out your decorative paper and attach it to your card with Aleene’s then add a BIG orange button for a pumpkin.  I added a little brown button for a stem and green ribbon for the vine.

TA DA!  So adorable and simple and fun!

But the fun ideas don’t stop here! Continue checking out the creative Halloween projects my blogging friends have created for our blog hop by clicking on each of the links below, for the Halloween projects you’d like to see in more detail and it’ll take you right to that post with additional information and photos on how to create it. Have fun and pin away!

Over 110 fun & fabulous Halloween projects & ideas! #halloweenprojects #halloween #diyhalloweenideas

1. Happy Halloween Treat Bucket
2. Beware of the Bam-BOO
3. Halloween Beeswax Candles
4. Caramel Apple Cupcakes
5. Halloween Treat Bag Tags – Free Printable
6. Halloween Cookie Pops ~ Nutter Butter Bats & Mummies
7. Halloween Photo Booth Props
8. Halloween Candle Jars
9. Ghost Candles
10. Dollar Store Spider Halloween Wreath
11. Healthy Halloween Class Treat
12. Little Pumpkin Button Cards
13. Pumpkin Playdough Mats
14. Craft for Kids: Finger Puppet Monsters
15. Creepy Halloween Jar Labels
16. Halloween Party Favor and Printable
17. Kids Halloween Lanterns
18. Candy Box Head Skeletons
19. Sweet & Salty Halloween Treat

Follow our Fabulous Halloween Ideas Pinterest board for even more inspiration!

Follow Design Dazzle’s board Fabulous Halloween Ideas on Pinterest.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for another 20 awesome Halloween ideas!

Thanks to all 110+ fabulous bloggers participating! We’d love for you to visit their blogs and see what else they’re up to!

100 Directions || 365daysofcrafts || a girl and a glue gun || A Prudent Life || Addicted 2 DIY || Albion Gould || Ashlee Marie || Atta Girl Says || Bakerette || BD Design || BellaGrey Designs || Black and White Obsession || Bloom Designs Online || Blue i Style || Bombshell Bling || bumblebreeblog || C.R.A.F.T. || Celebration Lane || Clean and Scentsible || Clearsnap || Confetti Sunshine || Crafts by Courtney || Creations by Kara || Creative Juice || Cutesy Crafts || Design Dazzle || Dress It Up Crafts || Echoes of Laughter || Everyday Party Magazine || Eye Candy Creative Studio || Fairfield World || Fearlessly Creative Mammas || Five Heart Home || Fizzy Party || Free Time Frolics || Frenchie || FrugElegance || Glued To My Crafts || GreatStitch || Happiness is Homemade || Here Comes the Sun || Home Maid Simple || Honeybear Lane || hoopla palooza || Hydrangea Hippo || I Dig Pinterest || ICE Resin || inkhappi || Insitefull Living || It’s Sew Lorine || Jaco’lyn Murphy || Jen A. Street || Just My Little Mess || Just Us Four || Katarina’s Paperie || Kiki and Company || Laura Kelly’s INKlings || Let’s Eat Grandpa || Let’s Go Junking || Liz on Call || Love The Day || Made by a Princess || Made From Pinterest || Made to be a Momma || Major Hoff Takes A Wife || Make Life Lovely || My Craftily Ever After || My Daylights Blog || My Insanity || Nature’s Knockout || Not Just A Mommy || One Creative Mommy || Organize & Decorate Everything || Our Thrifty Ideas || Paleo Priests || Persia Lou || Pink Cake Plate || PinkWhen || Play. Party. Pin. || Practical Parenting || Reclaim Yourself Retreat || See Vanessa Craft || She’s Crafty || Simple Sojourns || Simply Designing || Soiree Event Design || Sowdering About || Splendid Design || Stuffed Suitcase || Super Simple with Terri O || Suzys Sitcom || Sweet and Simple Magazine || Swish Printables || Sypsie Designs || That’s What Che Said || The Benson Street || The Cards We Drew || The Gunny Sack || The Happy Scraps || The Life of Jennifer Dawn || The Scrap Shoppe || The Things I Love Most || Tikkido || Two Thirty~Five Designs || Wait ‘Til Your Father Gets Home || Walnut Hollow Blog

Happy Crafting,

Laura

Over 110 fabulous Halloween Ideas shared by bloggers. #halloweenideas #halloween

 

3

Dia De Los Muertos Party Favors

I am so excited to share these Dia De Los Muertos party favors with purpose.  My friend, Kathy aka Crafty Chica, designs fabulous Day of the Dead themed products for iLoveToCreate and I used them to make these in less than FIFTEEN minutes.  Yes, it is Fifteen MINUTE Friday again and this project is fabulously fun!

Day of the Dead Bools

You will need  Day of the Dead papers, mini composition books, Collage Pauge, Aleene’s Tacky Glue and Laura Kelly Bright BUTTONS!

Supplies

Cover your mini composition books with paper layers using the Collage Pauge and let it dry.

Collage Pauge

Add buttons with Aleene’s Tacky Glue to embellish and make your designs POP.

Aleenes

This is an awesome craft project to do at a Dia De Los Muertos party with grown ups or kids.  It is fun and quick and the result are amazing (and useable!)

Happy Creating,

Laura

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Recycled Cereal Box Button Initials

Okay, so this is really cute don’t you think?  It was wayyyyy easy to make and creates awesome decor initials with recycled cereal boxes.  Yipp, it’s Fifteen MINUTE Friday!

BGM Letter L Buttons 2

Cut your favorite letter out of the cereal box.

Fruit Loops L

Cover it in Aleene’s Max Tacky Glue.  This works best because it is thick so it won’t run and won’t get your cardboard soggy AND it is strong.  Cover the letter with buttons.  I used the Laura Kelly BRIGHTS collection.

Glueing Buttons

Add layers if you would like.  I added some Embellishment Buttons to make my L for Laura super fun.  I used the Retro Embellishment Set!

Glueing Buttons

Let it dry completely then find a great place to display it.

BGM Letter L Buttons 2

Happy Quick Crafting with Buttons,

Laura

0

Button Stack Keychain

I am always losing my keys so they need to be on a chunky key ring!  This button stack key ring is bright, fun and so easy to make.  YAY, it’s Fifteen MINUTE Friday!!!

Button Stack Keyring Final

You will need buttons, wire, a big bead (optional) and a key ring.  I used buttons from the Laura Kelly BRIGHTS mix because they are my favorite colors!

ButtonsLK

 

Here’s what to do…

  • Thread your buttons through one hole on the wire.
  • Add the bead and a button at the base then thread back through the other way to the top.
  •  Twist the wire into a loop and then twist it around in a coil until secure.
  • Add it to the key ring!  I added a little piece of ribbon to mine too.

TaDa!

Button Stack Keyring Twist

Have a great weekend,

Laura

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Leapin Lizards Toy Bucket with Laura Kelly Pet Shop Dies from Sizzix

Boys will be boys and that means the little ones will probably collect “stuff”.  This pail has been transformed to an adorable “catch all” with a leapin lizards theme to match the cutest of little boy personalities.

Lizard Bucket Buttons Galore

It is easy to make.  I used the lizard from my newest collection of Sizzix dies – the Pet Shop collection.  I cut eight lizards out of fun decorative papers in greens and oranges.

Ellison Pet Shop

Then I used Collage Pauge from iLoveToCreate to adhere them to the pail.

Collage Pauge

I added a complete coat of the Collage Pauge over the whole bucket to add strength to the paper.

Lizard Pet Shop Collage Pauge

To finish it off, I added a wire twisted with buttons in Outrageous Orange and Candy Apple Green from my Laura Kelly collection and tied some ribbons on it.  I added it to the pail handle with a few twists.

Buttons Galore Wire Trip

And now to fill it up with all of these goodies.

Boy Stuff

Ta Da!

Lizard Bucket Collage Pauge

Check out other projects with the Pet Shop collection!

Enter to win this awesome prize pack!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Creating,

Laura

0

Button Up a Scarecrow Decoration This Fall

Check out this awesome project for the changing of the seasons!  Creating crafty decorations with kids is so super fun and this is a great one for just that!  This is especially awesome because it can be done in 15 minutes and left to dry which makes it perfect for a school or party activity.

CP_Sept

You will need popsicle sticks, glue, yarn, felt, buttons and google eyes (or whatever fun crafty things you have around the house).

Glue your sticks together to create a scarecrow head and let them dry.

CP_Sept2

Then add your decorations with glue and let dry before you use it as a decoration.

CP_Sept3

That’s all!  HAPPY Fall Y’all!

 

Laura

0

Button Up and Dye a Flower Towel

Cute right?   You can buttons up this flower towel to dye for at your house to.  The towel is super cute and really easy to make.  It takes about 15 minutes of creating, but allow for a break in between dyeing and rinsing that is much longer, as in 6-8 hours.

DIY Flower Towel

First, dye a white 100% cotton hand towel with Tulip One Step Tie Dye like so.  I put a glass jar down over the area that I wanted to stay clean for the pink dye to create the flower when I did the green and blue.

Dyeing Towel

Then I added the pink.

Pink Dye

Follow the process to set the dye and rinse the towel then stitch on the buttons and stitch a stem with buttons from my Laura Kelly collection and embroidery floss from Coats and Clark.

Supplies

Ta Da!

Dyed Flower Towel

It matches the bathroom decor I created for Z.  Check out the shower curtain on my blog.

Tie Dye Bath

It used the same process and has buttons on it too.  It just takes MUCH longer!  I painted the canvases to match and that project is on my blog too, with buttons of course!  Check out the flower canvas tutorial here!

Happy Creating,

Laura

1

Cute as a BUTTON – Snacks for the Fireworks

It’s Fifteen MINUTE Friday and the 4th of July.  Here is a really quick and cute way to pack up some snacks for the fireworks show.  This little packaging idea would be great in a variety of colors for lots of occasions, goody bags and school treats too.

Button Snack

Put you snacks in bags that you can tie closed with ribbon or raffia then add the buttons with Aleene’s Turbo Tacky Glue.  The super cute label is from Expressionery.Com and was designed by me so totally matches the colors of the buttons that come in the Laura Kelly Patriotic Mix.

Buttons RWB

Happy Celebrating!

Laura

1

Personalized Family Magnets

Holly here from Ribbons & Glue sharing with you a lil’ sneak  of Laura Kelly‘s  Me and My Peeps, Personalized Family Magnets made from Expressionery  Stationary and Buttons Galore buttons.

Peep Mom BGM

Personalized Family Magnets

 

Head over to my  Blog to see the full tutorial on how I made these Personalized Family Magnets and enter into the Rafflecopter for a chance to win a $200 Expressionery Gift Set.  

                                                                      Stay connected with Expressionary.com

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0

Drink Charm Gift Idea for Father’s Day

Today I am exited to share this awesome drink charm gift idea from Laura Bray.  These adorable and simple drink charms are a fabulous idea for Father’s Day for those of you who want to create something magnificent in a short amount of time.

Best-Dad-Drink-Charm-1024x680

To get the tutorial and learn more about the amazing Laura Bray, visit her blog post here.

Happy Father’s Day Weekend,

Laura

0

Felt and Button Coaster Fun with Aleene’s Adhesives

This project is super easy and fast and creates coaster fun with felt and buttons.

Button Felt Coaster

Cut your felt squares to 5 inches by 5 inches.  You will need two squares per coaster.  I used the high quality Kunin Felt to get a thick classy feel.  Put a layer of Aleene’s Tacky Glue around the edge of one square then line it with your favorite buttons from the BRIGHTS collection by me, Laura Kelly, for Buttons Galore.

Tacky Glue

Spray the other square with a heavy layer of Aleene’s Fabric Fusion and put the two pieces of felt together.

Fabric Fusion

Let it dry completely and it is ready for use.  Create a bunch of these in different colors and you will be all ready for a cocktail party!

Buttons and Aleenes Coaster

Happy Creating,

Laura

1

Fathers Day with Buttons and Glue

Create dear old DADDY an adorable card or even gift wrap to celebrate his special day. This Father’s Day, get out your buttons and glue and make him a card he will want to keep forever.

BGM Fathers Day Card

To make this, you will need a few things:

Download the free printable of the ‘Me and My Peeps’ Daddy or draw your own then color it to match your daddy’s skin tone and hair color.

Dad Color

Use Aleene’s Tacky Glue to add buttons to the daddy shirt.  The cut it out and add it to a card.

Dad Card Buttons Aleenes

Write a message inside and you are all done!

Dad Card Buttons

For another great  buttons and glue Daddy Card, visit my blog!

DAD Wrap Buttons

Happy Glueing and Celebrating Daddies, Step Daddies, Grand Daddies and Special Men,

Laura

 

 

 

1

Patriotic Pail for USA Fun

Here is a festive, fun and simple to make PATRIOTIC PICNIC PAIL, great for holding snacks, silverware, candles, etc. and totally useable for Memorial Day, 4th of July and Veterans’ Day too!

PatrioticTinPail

I gathered the products and materials I would need first.  You can get my patriotic mix of buttons from Buttons Galore and save yourself from having to buy all of the colors individually.

LK_PatrioticButtonMix

I painted the tin pail with blue paint, applying three coats to get it bright and covered completely.  Then I added polka dots with white, applying two coats.  To complete the painting, I added polka dots inside the white ones with red, again applying two coats.  I also painted inside of the bucket.

Paint

When the paint was totally dry, I used decopauge to add a few “I Love the USA” additions.  I printed them out on the computer and cut them first.  My favorite choice here is Matte Collage Pauge from I Love to Create.

Collage Pauge

To decorate the handle, I added buttons from my Patriotic Mix from Buttons Galore by threading them onto red wire and twisting in onto the handle as I went from one end to the other.  I added a few ribbons tied in knots.

Button Handle

Then I added my favorite red, white and blue packaged snack to complete the project and turn it into a great hostess gift!

Happy Celebrating the USA and Creating with BUTTONS,

Laura

 

0

Button Up Some Doll Sized Fun

Girls love to make things for their dolls.  Some of these girls are little as in young.  Some of these girls are bigger as in not so young.  The magic of doll play never grows old.  There are lots of things that can be made for doll using Laura Kelly’s collection of bright colored buttons.

Buttons Projects

If you are interested in making any of these projects, I encourage you to give them a try.

Happy Creating,

Laura

0

Button Up Some Springtime Ornaments

How beautiful are these ornaments for springtime?

DSCN4077

To create them you simply need a foam ball in the size you would like, buttons and ball-end pins.  The longer pins can go through multiple buttons which is something to keep in mind when choosing materials.  Attach the buttons to the ball by pushing the pins through the button holes into the ball.  Cover the ball entirely then attach a ribbon for a hanger either with the pins or your favorite adhesive.

They are fun to put together for decorating.

DSCN4071

They look great outdoors for a breath of fresh brightness.

DSCN4068

Happy Springtime,

Laura

1

DIY Mothers’s Day Flower Picks

Here is a quick and fun way to embellish a bouquet of flowers for Mother’s Day with DIY picks.  You can download the free printable of the ‘Me and My Peeps’ mom and color her to look like a mom that you love then embellish her to create this fun arrangement.

Flower Picks

If you want to download the doodles, click here or on the photo below.

Mom Peep Printable

Have fun embellishing with lots of buttons.  I used the ones from my BRIGHT collection.  Isn’t she cute hiding in the flowers?

Flower Pick Mom

For more fun ways to use the printable, hop over and visit my blog here.

Have a great weekend,

Laura

0

You are the Bee’s Knees!

It it that busy springtime season of gift giving again…Teacher Appreciation, Mothers Day, Graduation!!!  Here is a cute bee that you can make out of buttons to decorate any gift and and let someone know that you think they are the bee’s knees!

Button Bee

To make the bee, you will need to use hot glue to hold all of the pieces together.  I added ribbon for wings and wire for antennas.  Super cute, really easy and lots of fun!

Button Bee 2

I chose my Sunshine Yellow and Black Beauty buttons from the Laura Kelly mix offered as a Bright Mix of Colors.  You can buy them individually bagged by colors too.

ButtonsLK

Happy Gift Giving,

Laura

0

Quick and Easy Button Earrings

Need to make a set of super quick earrings? It doesn’t get any faster or easier than these.
Button Earrings copy
Supplies:

  • Earring Findings-You can get these at your local craft store in the jewelry section.
  • Buttons-The possibilities are endless here! Buttons Galore and More has a huge selection of buttons, so you can make a different pair of earrings to match every outfit and occasion.
  • Glue

Instructions:

  1. Glue your button onto the earring finding.
  2. Allow to dry for 24 hours before wearing.

This project is easy enough for children to do it. It would be a fun party activity for your little girl’s next party. Teachers-this would make a nice Mother’s Day craft project too!

Added bonus: Go to my blog, Laura Bray Designs to download some free, printable Mother’s Day cards that you can put your button earrings on!

 

1

Felt Flower Clips

These cute little felt flower clips are great to create and make for Teacher Appreciation and Mothers Day gifts.  They are easy and fun!

Felt Flower Clips BGM

You only need  BUTTONS (I used my Laura Kelly Brights Mix) giant paper clips (could use little ones too of course), felt (I used Kunin Group) and Aleene’s Max Tacky Glue.  Cut out your felt flower layers then glue them together.  Add a few buttons and wa-lah, you have super cute clips that can be used to hold paper together.

Steps

They make great bookmarks too and would be fun packaged with a journal or a cookbook or a gift card to a book store.  I love this one packaged with a writing journal to give to a teacher.

Journal

What other ways can you think of to use these giant clips.   I wonder how they would work to hold bags of chips closed.

Happy Creating,

Laura

 

 

1

“Cute as a Button” Ring Kit Party

Pinable Button Party Badge

It’s party time! BGM Creations and Suzann Sladcik Wilson just launched a new line of Button Ring Kits. I love the Kids Ring Kit and decided to design a craft party for my daughter around making button rings. The kits are super economical at $10 a kit (each kit makes 10 rings). You can have a lot of kids over without breaking the bank-especially since the finished rings can also be the party favors.
Ring Party
It’s pretty simple to get inspired when you pick a button theme for a party. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Crafting can be messy, so I created workstations for each child. I cut up some craft paper into placemats, doodled on it, and then glued some buttons down. I opened up the ring kit packaging and made the kits match my party by adding silk flowers (with buttons glued in the center) and ribbon to the kits. I transferred glue into smaller size tubes, which makes it easier for little hands to squeeze. Of course, the glue tubes also got a makeover by adding scrapbook paper, ribbon and buttons to them.
Kit Decor

You really don’t need to plan much to do at the party except make rings, because the girls love all the combinations they can create. Just make sure you have enough kits on hand for each girl to make more than one ring!
Ring Assembly

We had cupcakes for a snack (because crafting makes a girl hungry!) I just bought cupcakes at the bakery and then dressed them up for the party. You can create super cute cupcake picks with a lollipop stick, buttons and ribbons.
Cupcake Topper copy

Or just decorate a cupcake wrapper with some buttons. Or do both (more is more around here). We also glued some buttons onto some plastic silverware to add even more button goodness to our party.
Cupcakes & Silverware copy

This party is so simple! I didn’t even wait until my daughter’s birthday to throw it. We just invited a few girls over to have some crafting fun. All the projects here only took me about an hour to get ready, but it looked like I spent days getting ready. The best part? Seeing how happy my daughter was making button rings!
Rings II

For more crafty lifestyle tips come and visit me on my blog at www.laurabraydesigns.com.
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Up-Cycled Frap Bottle Bunny

Don’t throw away those Starbucks frap bottles.  They are perfect to up-cycle into adorable Easter candy creations.  I filled this one up with mini marshmallows and created a bunny treat bottle that is quite adorable and super quick and easy to complete.

FrapBunny_BGM

I cut white felt ears with pink centers and used Aleene’s Turbo Tacky Glue to attach them to the lid of the bottle.  I added buttons for eyes and the nose (Black Beauty from my Laura Kelly collection) with wire under the nose for whiskers.  I used a Sharpie marker to draw on the mouth.

Bunny Supplies

To create a tail, I made a pom pom from white yarn and used the glue to stick it to the back.  So cute.

Bunny Pom Pom Tail

I made a super cute chick too.  To see how I did it, check out the post over on my blog here.

Lemonhead Frap Chick

Happy Fifteen MINUTE Friday,

Laura

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Doodle Button Easter Eggs – Fifteen MINUTE Friday

These little  Doodle Button Easter Egg are quick and fun to create.  You can use them to decorate cards, place cards, wreaths and so many other fun holiday things.  You will only need a few materials…Laura Kelly Buttons, Paper, Embroidery Floss and Aleene’s Tacky Tape Runner Adhesive.

SharpieDoodleEgg

The first step is to doodle your eggs and cut them out, mount them on decorative paper and then cut again.

EggSharpieDoodles

Next, tie embroidery floss through buttons to create little color stacks.

DoodleEggButtons

Add the color stacks to your eggs with a strong adhesive.  I used hot glue.

DoodleEggHotGlue

Then add them to card to create a fun way to send a holiday message!  Ta Da.  That is it.  You can do this in fifteen minutes and create some Easter fun.

Happy Creating,

Laura

 

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Stitch a Button Flower Garden

At CHA in January, I got a roll of this awesome mixed media artist cloth and decided it was time to use it.  For today’s post, I stitched up a button flower garden in a matter of minutes!

Framed Stiched Button Flowers

I had a 5 x 7 black frame so I decided to stitch on a cut 4 x 6 piece of the cloth so that I would have room to mat it with felt.

Supplies

I used my Laura Kelly buttons from the mixed collection to create the flowers and embroidery floss in two shades of green to make the stems and leaves as well as to attach the button stack flowers.

Stitching

I cut a 5 x7 piece of beautiful blue felt from Kunin Felt and used it as the mat.  I stitched the artist cloth right to it with black floss.

Felt

Ta Da!  I think it is fun and so easy.  This would be a great activity for kids to make a gift for Mother’s Day!

Cheers,

Laura

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Upcyled Denim Pocket Purse

Buttons Galore was invited to join the Rainbow Blog Hop 2014 (aka RainbowHop14) with the color indigo.  To become a piece of the colorful rainbow party, I took an old pocked from a pair of kid jeans and turned it into a mini purse, Welcome to the party!

RainbowHop_Button

Here are the supplies I started with.

Supplies

I cut the pocket out first.

Pocket

Then I stitched on some buttons in the colors from my Laura Kelly collection that worked best (Robin Egg Blue and

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It is perfect to hold important things in a bigger bag (ie:  gym bag, backpack, pocketbook, etc.)!

Check out the projects in all of the colors of the rainbow.  Lots of them use buttons!

And you can enter to win a prize too!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy St. Patrick’s Day and Rainbows of Creative Love,

Laura

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DIY Craft a Rainbow

This is a really fun activity for kids, for kids of all ages that is.   You can use this project as a guideline to create using a variety of bright materials but I, of course, love BUTTONS!  You can find all of the colors of the rainbow in buttons in my Laura Kelly collection for Buttons Galore!

RainbowWindow

To create a rainbow of colorful fun, use a piece of waxed paper and create the arcs with Aleene’s Tacky Glue.

GlueRainbow

Then add objects in the colors of the rainbow to create the beauty.  Buttons works GREAT but so do other embellishments and random things from around the house.

GlueRainbowColor

Ta Da!  Once it is totally dry, cut it out and hang it up.  It works great on a glass window or door.

GlueRainbowFinal

Happy Being Bright and Cheerful,

Laura

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Lucky Shamrock Decor

It is coming soon, St. Patrick’s Day that is.  Here is a super speedy decoration that you can make to celebrate the day using green pipe cleaners and Laura Kelly Forest Green Buttons!

PipeCleanerBoquet

You will also need an adhesive to attach the buttons to the shamrocks.  I used hot glue because I LOVE it.

Supplies

Simply, twist the pipe cleaners into shamrocks and then attach the buttons.  You can make lots of them as a bouquet or do them individually to wrap around silverware, make hair decorations or use as a part of a larger project.  Here is a picture tutorial that might be helpful.

PipeCleanerShamrock

Happy Speedy Creating Some St. Patrick’s Day Fun,

Laura

 

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Lucky Felt and Button Four Leaf Clover

This quick craft creates a mini masterpiece that can be used to tie around a gift or use as a tie around a napkin for a table decoration.  It’s a quick, fun festive way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day around your home.

material needed for the felt four leaf clover:

  • Green Felt in 2 Shades (Kunin makes the best!)
  •  Green Buttons
  • Needle/Green Thread (or embroidery floss)
  •  Ribbon

Directions for Lucky Felt and button four leaf clover. 

 1.  Cut a four leaf clover from the felt about 2 inches in diameter.  I used pinking shears.

Felt Clover

2. Cut another four leaf clover from the other shade just a tad larger.

3.  Sew green buttons through the smaller felt shamrocks tying knots in the tops between each one.

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4.  Sew the ribbon through both layers of felt hiding the stitches behind a button or two.  Use a length or ribbon that will go around your gift or rolled napkin.

FeltButtonClover

Ta Da…a mighty green little decoration that is bound to bring someone a little luck!  As tiny bit of Irish information- when making a toast, the Irish say “Slainte”.   Slainte is a well wish litterally translated – to your health.

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Altered Tea Box

Warm up someone specials day with this Altered Tea Box.

It’s something that many of you out there may see everyday, a simple tea box filled with that glorious beverage that soothes as you drink it. Why not take this simple drinkable pleasure and make it into a pretty and inexpensive gift to brighten someone’s day.

Altered Tea Box

I covered this Altered Tea Box with patterned papers and embellishments by JilliBean Soup, Cold Avocado Soup Collection.

The beautiful gold button is from the Vintage Gold Button pack by Buttons Galore & More.

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Covering the Altered Tea Box was fairly simple, just use a ruler to measure all dimensions and cut accordingly.

Altered Tea Box Project Recipe:

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An Altered Tea Box would make a brilliant gift for so many occasions. Get Well, Just to Brighten Your Day, Missing You, Mother’s/Father’s Day, House Warming, or a Hostess Gift.

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Thank you so very much for stopping by and checking out my Altered Tea Box, check out some more great gift ideas while you’re here.

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Valentine Gift Wrap Ideas

Here is a quick and fun way to create a Valentines day candy bar wrapper and button it up with love! You can download the free Printable to use or use decorative papers to cover your candy bars then embellish them with Radical Red, Wild White,  Sweet Blush and new Passionate Pink buttons from my Laura Kelly collection.

Valentine Gift Wrap Ideas with FREE Printable

If you want to use the free downloadable printable, you can grab it on my blog here.  There are several fun borders and cut outs that you can chop up and use with the buttons.

MAMPS_PrintablePictureCutUp

Here are a few other ideas of things you can wrap up with paper and buttons to create Valentines.

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Supplies for Valentine Valentine Gift Wrap Ideas:

 

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Button Ladybug Valentine

Holly here from Ribbons & Glue sharing with you a 3D Button Ladybug Valentine that is sure to make the “Love Bug” come out of you.

Button Ladybug Valentine

I’ve has this wood ladybug for a while now and always thought it would look really cute with Buttons Galore black  Haberdashery Buttons on it.  I finally busted her out of hiding and did just that.

How to make a Button Ladybug Valentine:

Wood Ladybug dyed with RIt Dye

I dyed the Ladybug Cherry Red using Rit Dye.

DecoArt painted Ladybug

Then, painted the body of the ladybug with  DecoArt Glamour Dust paint

Ladybug with black buttons

and adhered black Haberdashery Buttons from Buttons Galore.

button ladybug

I hot glued the pretty lil’ Lady on a wood block to make it into a 3D Valentine and added a few embellishments from the Pebbles Inc Yours Truly collection.

Supplies Used to make a Button Ladybug Valentine:

For more Valentine’s Day inspiration check out my blog Ribbons & Glue.

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DIY Pillow Cover

Create a boutique style DIY pillow cover with fabric dye and buttons. A premade canvas pillow cover is one of the best ways to customize your home décor. Today, I’ll show you how to make a unique pillow cover that will be sure to brighten up your living room. Best of all, there’s NO sewing involved!

DIY Pillow Cover

Supplies for DIY Pillow Cover:

Instructions:

  1. Follow the instructions on the back of the Rit Dye bottle to mix dye. Use a foam dauber to create polka dots all over the canvas pillow cover. Spray a light coat of dye fixative over the pillow cover and heat seat to dry.
  2. Using fabric glue, attach buttons and trim to the pillow cover.

See? I told you that was easy! To get more DIY home décor ideas, visit me on my blog at www.laurabraydesigns.com.Logo copy

 

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“Hello” Scrapbook Layout

This adorable photo was the inspiration for this “Hello” Scrapbook Layout.

When I sit down to craft, I let the subject be my inspiration. Who wouldn’t want to showcase this handsome little fellow on a Scrapbook Layout. Once I have chosen a photo, then I choose the papers and embellishments accordingly. Some find it a little harder to embellish a little boy or more masculine page, buttons are where I ALWAYS turn. They add texture and dimension without being feminine or too distracting.

Hello Scrapbook Layout

The patterned papers and embellishments are from JilliBean Soup were the perfect match for the photo on this project. The blue buttons from the Nautical button value pack and the bling from Want2Scrap finished it up nicely.

Hello Scrapbook Layout Close Up

Scrapbook Layout Project Recipe:

Hello Scrapbook Layout

Thank you so much for stopping by to check out my “Hello” Scrapbook Layout. Take a peek at some more of our crafty inspiration while you’re here!

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Button Flowers For Valentines Day

Sometimes the simple little cute things make the best gifts.  Here is a way to use buttons to create flowers that are fabulous for Valentines Day and only take a few minutes.

 

#fifteenminutefriday

To make the flowers, you will need buttons (Radical Red and Heart Shaped Ones are my faves for this) and green floral wire.  I used floral wire with a green fabric-like coating.  The first step is to lay out your flowers ahead of time, layering 2-3 buttons in stacks.

ButtonSteps

Feed the floral wire up from the bottom of the stack then back down through the other holes in the buttons then bend the wire to create stems/leaves.

ButtonsSteps2

Once your flowers are complete, there are lots of ways you can use them for Valentines Day.  Here is a fun way.  Twist the wire around a bag of kisses and add a little Valentine message.

Kisses

If you want to see the ways that I used the other flowers made from buttons, you can visit my blog and get some more fabulous ideas.  Click here to hop over there.

Happy Creating Button Valentines Day Flowers,

Laura

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A Valentines Day Frog To Love

Here is a super quick and easy pattern and project for a Valentines Day frog to love.

Valentines Day Frog

You will need a few supplies and can follow these directions or make up your own to suit your style.  The pattern is simple and friendly.  This is what I recommend:

Materials

Here is how I made it:

Use the patternto cut out the body and eyes from green felt.  The body should be cut on the fold of the felt and the eyes are only 1 piece.  Pin the eyes to the top inside of the frog body as shown.  Stitch the frog body closed with green embroidery floss, leaving and opening to stuff if with filling.  Then finish sewing closed.  Use the pattern to cut out the white part of the eyes from Phoomph and white felt then adhere them to the frog prince and glue on the buttons.  Using black embroidery floss, stitch a mouth.  Cut a heart from red felt to make his kissy lips.  Cut out four legs and attach them with either tacky glue or stitching.

Steps

Whoever said you had to kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince clearly did not know that you could just make one.

Happy Stitching, Glueing and Buttoning Up Some Valentines Day Fun,

Laura

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Mason Jar Valentines

Give the gift of handmade Valentines this year with these super simple mason jar Valentines.  The perfect way to bottle up your heart and give it to someone you love.  Grab a few supplies and your buttons from Buttons Galore and More to get started.

Fun mason jar valentines to make for someone you love!

Mason Jar Valentines Supplies:

Fun mason jar valentines to make for someone you love!

Paint both sides of the mason jar chipboard embellishment with the white paint.  It will take 2 – 3 light coats of paint to completely cover the embellishment.

Fun mason jar valentines to make for someone you love!

Allow your mason jar to dry completely.  Then wrap the top with baker’s twine.  Tie and leave your ends loose as shown below for now.

Fun mason jar valentines to make for someone you love!

Play with your buttons until you get a heart like shape.  Hot glue the first layer of buttons to your mason jar.

Fun mason jar valentines to make for someone you love!

Add a second layer of buttons with hot glue.  Write a sentiment on your tag and punch a hole.  Tie your tag to the mason jar.  Tie the baker’s twine in a bow and trim any excess.  Apply a rhinestone to the center of the bow again using hot glue.

Fun mason jar valentines to make for someone you love!

Slip your mason jar Valentines inside an envelope for delivery to that special someone.  Who will you give your heart to this Valentine’s Day?

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Knit Headband with Wood Buttons

I have a secret to tell you. I can’t knit. Three people have tried to teach me and have failed. It’s the one craft I can’t seem to master. But I haven’t let that stop me. I can knit like a pro on a loom. You would be surprised by what you can make, looms aren’t just for hats and scarves. You just have to be more creative. I recently knit a headband on the loom. With wood buttons. Because there isn’t anything better than a nice knit and wood buttons. There is just something so organic about the combination of wood and wool. It’s winter. It’s cozy.

Knit Headband

If you are interested in knitting on a loom, just go to YouTube and search loom knitting and you’ll get tons of tutorials. Here’s a general idea of how I made mine. Did I mention I’m not a knitter? Don’t expect to see anything that resembles a knitting pattern below. This is a seat-of-my-pants tutorial. If you don’t knit, I’m sure you’ll appreciate it.

Headband Supplies

Supplies for Knit Headband with Wood Buttons

Directions:

  • Take a piece of yarn and wrap it around your head, where you want the headband to sit. Cut it to size. This is the easiest way to measure the length of the headband. Alternately, you can use a measuring tape, but I liked having the piece of yarn. I kept it with me while I was knitting and would just hold it up against the piece to check on the length every now and then. (I told you this wasn’t going to be technical, right?)
  • Then decide how wide you want your headband. Mine is 4.5″ and is quite wide. I wear it more like a hat. Use a 2-3″ measurement if you want to wear it more like a headband.
  • Take your long loom and measure out how many pegs you need to work on in order to get your desired width. Then start knitting.
  • Pay attention to the length, holding your measured yarn up to your length. Once you have reached your desired length, cast off.
  • Whip stitch the ends of the headband together.
  • Sew the wood buttons on to the headband.

Here’s a helpful tip. If you are like me, you might think that using the round, hat loom would work for this project, but it won’t. Casting off leaves you with a wonky side edge. Trust me when I tell you to the scarf loom is best for this project.

If you are even more resistant than I am to knitting, you can also sneak off to the store, buy a knit headband and stitch a few wood buttons on to it. That counts as handmade too. At least in my world it does!

Knit Headband II

Want to see other projects I’ve knitted with my loom (and yes some have wood buttons)? Visit my Pinterest Board.

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Winter Button Layout

A Winter Button Layout to get your crafty juices flowing for 2014.

Now that the hustle and bustle of the holiday season has gone for another year, it might be time to get a start on scrapbooking your holiday photos. My photo was the inspiration for this layout. Taken during our 2013 Christmas break while visiting family in PEI. A winter wonderland this time of year, begging for lots of cozy, bundled up photos to be taken. That is what inspired this Winter Button Layout.

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I used a variety of sizes of white and blue buttons that coordinated with this winter collection of papers by SEI.

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I created a look of strung buttons for my border on the Winter Button Layout. I attached a piece of embroidery floss the full length of the layout. Then added the separate pieces all the way down. Each piece is a little different consisting of buttons, flowers, chipboard snowflakes and clear plastic snowflakes. I tied floss through some of the buttons.

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The title is created using Thickers stickers and a coordinating die cut from SEI. The buttons become the perfect accent for the title of this Winter Button Layout.

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For the largest snowflake, I layered 2 buttons on top of the chipboard snowflake. Tied together with white embroidery floss from Plaid.

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Thank you so much for stopping by to check out my Winter Button Layout. I hope that your 2014 is a crafty one!

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Buttons and Doodles For Valentines Day

It’s a new year, 2014!   That means we are that much closer to Valentines Day which I love, as in love.  Here are a few quick and easy ways to doodle up some button Valentine art that can be used on gift cards, Valentines or gift bags (or anything else you might dream up).

BGM_DoodleBags

To create these masterpieces, you will need a marker ( I used a Sharpie of course) to do your doodling and Glue Dots to stick your buttons to your creations.  The button colors that I used are all from my Laura Kelly collection, out of the assorted color mix.  I did the doodling first (suggested are included here) and then attached the buttons and added tulle and twine and other ways make them each unique.

SuppliesIdeas

My favorite of these three is the one with the flowers, so much so that I created a variation of it for my blog too.  I love the Viewtainer filled with candy for Valentines Day a lot too.  After the candy is gobbled up, the container is the perfect storage place for BUTTONS!

DoodleValentineStrip

Which one do you like best?  Do you want to create some of these fun doodle and button Valentines?

PrizeViewtainerValentine

If so, then this prize might just be perfect for you.  Enter to win a bright red Viewtainer filled with these goodies.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Creating Love,

Laura

PS: To follow me on Facebook, click here.

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Stitch Up an Adorable 2014 Banner

I dyed these adorable little pennant pieces from Canvas Corp with Rit Dye…with intentions of making a holiday banner. Little did I know that they would end up being for the holiday of New Year’s when I dyed them Cherry Red.  I am so glad I “forgot” to complete that project because they were perfect for this week’s blog post showing you how to stitch up an adorable banner to bring in 2014.

Banner2014BGM

I sorted from my Laura Kelly collection of assorted buttons and found 6 large ones in different colors from the red.

BannerMaterials

Then I matched up double colors of embroidery floss from Coats and Clark to do the stitching for each of the 6 pennant pieces.  I set it all out to make sure it was going to be “just right” and balanced.

BannerColorPlanning

To stitch on the numbers and add the buttons (stitched through the front and tied in knots), I used two colors, doubled up.

DoubleFLoss

Then I set it all out to decide where it should be hung.  I love my Westcott brand scissors almost enough to hang them too.

Stitched

I decided that the perfect place was on my craft shelves.  I think it looks great there and love the way the little pieces all hang with the mini clothespins (also from Canvas Corp).  And now…to create new projects with all of the Laura Kelly bright, bold and amazing colors of buttons for 2014!  It is going to be great!

Happy New Year,

Laura

 

 

 

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BeBunni Blue Birthday Card

Hello. Allie here with a BeBunni Blue Birthday card. Some of Button Galore’s shaped buttons are just perfect for card making, and the colored ones make perfect accents too.


Bebunni Blue Birthday buttons and flowers
Bebunni Blue Birthday

Bebunni Blue Birthday front

Buttons Galore Supplies Used for Blue Birthday Card

The cute package shaped button comes from our Wedding Collection. The shiny silver buttons are from this Black and Silver set.

Additional Supplies

Patterned Paper, Cardstock, Stamps (BeBunni – Crafter’s Companion), Spectrum Noir Markers, Glitter, Adhesive

Thanks for dropping by today. See more of my cards and projects here at Buttons Galore.
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Button Christmas Card

Holly here from Ribbons & Glue sharing a Button Christmas Card with you today to show you how easy it is to embellish your Christmas cards this year with Buttons Galore buttons.

Mistletoe Card

To make this Button Christmas Card,  I used a Pebbles in My Pocket Mistletoe cut file, Pearl Buttons for berries and gorgeous May Arts Ribbons.

button card2

It really is easy to a add dimension on to your cards with simple buttons.

Supplies Used to Make Button Christmas Card:

  • Buttons Galore Pearl Buttons
  • Kraft Paper
  • Pebbles From Me to You
  • May Arts Stitched Ribbon
  • May Arts Ribbon Pom Poms
  • Mistletoe Stamp
  • White Gel Pen
  • Memento Ink

For more Christmas Inspiration, check out  my blog Ribbons & Glue.

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Candy Cane Ornaments

While I was wrapping gifts for Christmas this year, I found my candy canes looking like hearts on the work table. I used hot glue and I am excited to share this super quick and easy (and totally adorable) ornament idea. I might add that they look super cute on gifts wrapped in butcher paper (or grocery sacks turned inside out if you are recycling).

ButtonHeartCandyCanes

Supplies You’ll Need for Candy Cane Ornaments

You will need 2 candy canes, twine, buttons in Radical Red and Candy Apple Green and hot glue for each one you plan to create.  You’ll need some adhesive too!

I used my Ad-tech low temp gun with low temp glue sticks.

To get started, glue your candy canes together in the shape of a heart.  Then add a few buttons.  Tie on some twine and you are done!

Steps

Hang it in the tree as an ornament.

HeartCandyCanes

…or add it to a gift!

HeartGift

I created lots of wrapped gifts with buttons and twine and would love for you to hop over to my blog to check them out.  You can get there here.  I will share my favorite one with you but you will have to hope over to see the others.

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Happy Christmas Crafting,

Laura

 

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Simple Christmas Cards with Buttons

Do you need some Quick and Simple Christmas Cards to finish your Holiday To Do List? Well as luck has it, I am sharing some Quick and Simple Christmas Cards with Buttons.
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These first few Simple Christmas Cards were created with a very simple concept. My thumbprint using brown ink. I then added some simple doodles to create them into cute little reindeer. Once I added a single button for the nose, it was complete.

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The images on these Simple Christmas Cards could also easily be Christmas Tags for someone special.

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If you thought the little reindeer was cute, how about this sweet little bear? I added a plain cream button for his little bear belly. My sentiments are handwritten. “Wishing You a Beary Merry Christmas”

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Project Materials for Simple Christmas Cards with Buttons:

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This final card of my Simple Cards started with a doodle of a car. I just added buttons for tires, and one of the tree shaped buttons from the Noel Button Mix on the top.

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Thank you so very much for stopping by, and all the best in your Holiday crafting!

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Simple Button and Clay Snowman

What is more festive than this little Button and Clay Snowman?

I have loved working with Sculpey Clay these past couple of weeks. Being in the midst of this busy holiday season, I have found sitting back and creating with Sculpey clay to be ever so relaxing. A great way to wind down at night. This little Button and Clay Snowman is my most recent creation.


Sculpey and Button Snowman, clay snowman

This little Button and Clay Snowman is pretty easy to recreate. Just a few rolled clay balls, and a cute little hat. The smaller details of the Button and Clay snowman are also not hard to recreate. I added the buttons after baking the clay. I found hot glue works best, and then this Button and Clay Snowman is sweet and complete.

Project Recipe:

  • Harvest Button Mix
  • Sculpey Clay
  • Sculpey Essential Tool Kit
  • Sculpey Project Mat
  • Beacon Hot Glue

 

Snowman, clay snowman

Thank you for stopping by to check out my Button and Clay Snowman. I hope you’ve been inspired to create something for the holidays with Buttons & Clay as well.

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Teacher’s Gifts: Button Ornament Kit

It’s that time of year again. Time to scramble for gift ideas to give your children’s teachers, not to mention your hairdresser. Here’s a super quick and easy idea, give them a button ornament kit!

Teacher's Gifts; Button Ornament Kit

Button ornaments are super easy to make. Here’s how:

Supplies

Instructions

  1. Using a long needle, thread a piece of ribbon through the center of the foam ball. Knot one end and loop the other.
  2. Place buttons onto foam ball using stick pins. The pins go through the button holes.
  3. Make sure you layer the buttons a bit to avoid blank spots on the ornaments.

But we aren’t here for the ornaments, because who has the time this late in the game? What we need is to make is KITS to make the ornaments! Which is even easier!

Teacher's Gifts; Button Ornament Kit

Supplies

Instructions:

  1. Pour the buttons into the jar
  2. Pop the foam ball into the top. You can use Glue Dots to hold it in place.
  3. Thread a decorative button through the ribbon and wrap the ribbon around the jar.
  4. Include instructions for making the ornament on a gift tag. Here’s one you can print out.

Teacher's Gifts; Button Ornament Kit

I didn’t include the pins in my kits, but you can always use a bigger jar and slip a box in.

See? Easy. Put the kids to work, assembly line style and you can whip a bunch of these out in no time flat.

Come and visit me on my blog for craft tutorials, musings on motherhood, and recipes!

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Button Up a Holiday Wreath

This little holiday wreath is simple to button up and make in a small amount of time.  It is a great way to decorate for the holiday season in the reds and greens but you could do this for any holiday!

Wreath

You will need a Sytrofoam ring and burlap to cover it.  Simply put the burlap down with the ring on top then cut to be able to fold pieces over and cover the ring.  Use hot glue to cover cover the Styrofoam surface, leaving it a little raveled and hand-made looking.

wreath

Then use hot glue to add buttons and decorate.  I used the buttons from my Laura Kelly Mix.

LK152-1

I tied embroidery floss through them first so they would look stitched.

Wreath2

Then I added an owl that I made with Scupley clay and a hand-sew tag with a mini from Canvas Corp.

Owl

If you think he is cute, there are LOTS of great Sculpey clay and button ornaments that were share a few weeks ago for you to go check out here.

SculpeyButtonCollage

Happy Christmastime,

Laura

Our Laura Kelly Buttons Selection is growing. Which collection is your favorite?

To help you with your holiday crafts, here is a list of our current specials:

Visit our “SPECIAL BUYS” section for savings:

  • 20% OFF Christmas Button Theme Packs*  Expires 12-20-13 Code: CBTP1213
  • 20% OFF Holiday Fun 3D Buttons*  Expires 12-20-13 Code: 20HFUN
  • *Please note that offers may not be combined. Free Shipping to the U.S. on orders over $30.
1

DIY: Felt Ornaments with Snowman Buttons

I love to make ornaments for my daughter, nieces, and nephew. When I was a girl, my grandfather made all the children in the family wood ornaments and I treasure them more than words can say. My grandfather has passed away so I’ve taken over the ornament making duties.  Instead of wood, I make felt ornaments.They are different every year, but you can be sure they usually include buttons and embroidery! The Snowman Medley buttons by Vicki Schreiner were a great inspiration for this year’s ornaments. This project is great to work on while you are watching your favorite holiday movie, just cut out the pieces and stitch while you sip cocoa and put your feet up for a minute.

Snowman Oranment Close-up

Supplies for felt ornaments

  • Felt in 2-3 holiday colors & white
  • Snowman Medley Buttons (Great news! These are on sale! Click here to get the coupon!)
  • Embroidery Floss
  • Basic sewing supplies
  • Craft Glue
  • Ribbon cut to a 4″ length

Instructions for felt ornaments

1. Cut two, 2 1/2″ circles from felt.  They can be the same color or different.  One circle will be the large background of your felt ornament and one will be the back.

2. Cut one, 2″circle from a coordinating felt color.

3. Cut one, 1″ circle from white felt.  This will be the snowman’s body.

4.  Place the 2 1/2″ circle on your work surface.

Snowman Stack 1

5.  Lay the 2″ circle in the middle of the larger circle.  Tack it down with a drop of glue.

Snowman Stack 2

6.  Place the snowman body onto the 2″ circle and tack it down with glue.  Make sure you place the snowman body towards the bottom of the felt to allow for room for the snowman button.

Snowman Stack 3

7.  Using scissors, clip the shank off the back of the snowman button and glue it down.

8.  Now it’s time to stitch!  First stitch the 2″ circle onto the 2 1/2″ circle.  I used a simple running stitch to do this.

9. Stitch the snowman body down.  I used a running stitch to attach the body to the ornament, then added some arms with a straight stitch and coal button French knots.  Play with the position of the arms on the snowman as this gives the little guy some personality.  Is he throwing his arms up in delight?  Keeping them by his side?  Pointing the way to the North Pole?

9.  Once everything is stitched into place on the front, it’s time to stitch the back felt circle to the front. You want to do this last as the back piece will cover all your stitching on the front piece.  First, fold your ribbon piece in half and tuck it behind your stitched, front circle, at the top.  Then place the back circle of felt on.  Pin it all in place and do a blanket or running stitch to hold it all together.

Snowman Ornaments

I hope you enjoy making holiday ornaments this year.  Maybe you will even start a tradition of a yearly handmade ornament at your house!

 

Wishing you the Happiest of Holidays!  To get lots of more crafty holiday ideas and recipes, please come and visit me on my blog at Laura Bray Designs.

Logo copy

 

hd-coupons-2

Remember, you can enjoy 50% off the buttons used in our project today. Visit our Coupons page for details! Special offer ends January 14, 2014.

Happy New Year!!!

 

 

1

CHRISTMAS DIY: Colorful Buttons for Doll Stockings

Here is a fun Christmas DIY for dolls that you AND the kids can create!

Anna at Doll-It-Up creates adorable Christmas Decorations using Laura Kelly’s Mixed Brights Button Collection.

buttons, Laura Kelly, DIY Crafts, Christmas DIY

 

christmas craft, holiday buttons, doll diy, Christmas DIY

Read the rest of Anna’s post here.

Shop Buttons Galore and More now. Here are our current specials!

Visit our “SPECIAL BUYS” section for savings:

http://www.buttonsgaloreandmore.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1926

20% OFF Christmas Button Theme Packs*

Expires 12-20-13

Code: CBTP1213

20% OFF Holiday Fun 3D Buttons*

Expires 12-20-13

Code: 20HFUN

*Please note that offers may not be combined. Free Shipping to the US on orders over $30.

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DIY Doll Accessories with DOLL DIARIES

The wonderful folks at Doll Diaries love BUTTONS for making DIY Doll Accessories! Laura Kelly Buttons are the perfect craft staple for creating fun crafts for and with your dolls! From jewelry and clothing to accessories and decorations, the sizes and colors make creating easy.

DIY Christmas Tree Garland with Buttons Galore

Decorating for Christmas with the dolls has never been more festive with this DIY Christmas Tree Garland.

Doll Diaries, Laura Kelly Buttons, Christmas DIY

Doll Crafts – Button Jewelry for Dolls

Use Buttons Galore and More’s wonderful Snowflakes Value Pack or Olde Fashion Lights to make jewelry for your dolls and YOU.

#Snowflakes, DIY Button Jewelry, winter buttons

#christmas buttons, DIY Jewelry

 

 

Doll Diaries, Laura Kelly Buttons

Wishing You a Cherry Christmas

Holiday Bazooples make perfect accents!

#christmas, holiday buttons, bazooples

Santa & Friends

#christmas, buttons, bazooples

Here Comes Santa

#christmas, holiday buttons, bazooples

Reindeer Games

Doll Diaries, Rit Dye, Buttons Galore

Camp Doll Diaries: Make Button Yo-Yos

Two buttons and string? How many things can you create. #1 … Yo-Yos!

Doll Diaries, Laura Kelly Buttons

Doll Sized Bake Sale with Button Cookies

With a little creativity, buttons can become lots of wonderful things, including cookies!

Doll Diaries, Laura Kelly Buttons

Doll Sized Napkin Rings

Why should the kids’ table or the dolls’ table look any less festive.  Learn how to make these adorable napkin rings. Make some for your table too!

Doll Diaries, Laura Kelly Buttons

 Special thanks to the ladies at Doll Diaries for sharing their creativity with us.

Our Laura Kelly Buttons Selection is growing. Which collection is your favorite?

 

To help you with your holiday crafts, here is a list of our current specials:

Visit our “SPECIAL BUYS” section for savings:

20% off EVERYTHING*

Expires: 12/9/13     Code: HBH20

20% OFF Christmas Button Theme Packs*

Expires 12-20-13     Code: CBTP1213

20% OFF Holiday Fun 3D Buttons*

Expires 12-20-13     Code: 20HFUN

*Please note that offers may not be combined.

Free Shipping to the U.S. on orders over $30.

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Button Jewelry – Perfect Gifts

Need some fun craft ideas for handmade jewelry? Button Jewelry – Perfect Gifts!

We’ve gathered up some of our favorite fast and easy pieces.

quick button earrings

Quick Button Earrings

make easy accessories straight from the button jar

Make Easy Accessories Straight from the Button Jar

Zinnia Style Brooch

Zinnia Style Button Brooch

Upcycle Jewelry with Buttons and Hardware

Upcycle Jewelry with Buttons and Hardware

Antique Button Earrings in a Flash

Antique Button Earrings in a FLASH

Get all your buttons for your button jewelry at Buttons Galore and More. We have a large variety of buttons for sewing and crafting, as well as adhesives, trims and tools.

To help you with your holiday crafts, here is a list of our current specials:

Visit our “SPECIAL BUYS” section for savings:

20% off EVERYTHING*

Expires: 12/9/13     Code: HBH20

 

20% OFF Christmas Button Theme Packs*

Expires 12-20-13     Code: CBTP1213

 

20% OFF Holiday Fun 3D Buttons*

Expires 12-20-13     Code: 20HFUN

 

*Please note that offers may not be combined.

Free Shipping to the U.S. on orders over $30.

0

Painted Holiday Rock With Purpose

How adorable is this rock? It is not any ordinary rock. It is a special holiday hand-painted and button embellished rock that we use to hold the door open.  It is a rock with a message and a purpose.

Rock

I hand painted the tree on the big heavy rock with Americana paints by Deco-Art.  I love these paints because they are thick enough that when I paint on a rough surface with a slant they don’t run.

RockPainting

When it was dry, I used Glue Dots to add the buttons (Radical Red from my Laura Kelly collection with Buttons Galore).  Then I used a Sharpie marker and added a message to the back.

RockFinal

I think these rocks would be adorable in all sizes and shapes as door holders and spreaders of Christmas spirit.  I plan to paint a bunch of little ones with messages to hand out over the next few weeks at the Starbucks drive through and the bank and to people I meet while out on my daily adventures.  Here are some of the messages I plan to use:

  • Spread Cheer
  • Joy to the World
  • Follow the Star
  • Christmas is Love

Here is the rock hard at work, holding the door to my bedroom open so our puppy won’t play with it and close herself out.

RockDoorHolder

I can’t wait to make more.  This little quick project was really fun.

Happy Creating Holiday Magic!

Love,

Laura

 

 

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Homemade Christmas Gifts

Welcome to our Homemade Christmas Gifts Holiday Blog Hop.

Holiday Blog Hop

Handmade Christmas gifts with buttons

We have some great holiday ideas using Buttons Galore and More Buttons and May Arts Ribbon. Hop with us to see homemade Christmas gifts such as, ornaments, decorating ideas and more!

If you are here for the regularly scheduled project from Laura Kelly, do not fear her project is still featured here.

From Laura:
How adorable is this rock? It is not any ordinary rock. It is a special holiday hand-painted and button embellished rock that we use to hold the door open.  It is a rock with a message and a purpose.

RockPainting homemade Christmas gifts RockFinal

I hand painted the tree on the big heavy rock with Americana paints by Deco-Art.  I love these paints because they are thick enough that when I paint on a rough surface with a slant they don’t run.  When it was dry, I used Glue Dots to add the buttons (Radical Red from my Laura Kelly collection with Buttons Galore).  Then I used a Sharpie marker and added a message to the back.

These rocks would be adorable in all sizes and shapes as door holders and spreaders of Christmas spirit.  I plan to paint a bunch of little ones with messages to hand out over the next few weeks at the Starbucks drive through and the bank and to people I meet while out on my daily adventures.  These are the messages I plan to use: Spread Cheer, Joy to the World, Follow the Star, Christmas is Love.

To help you make homemade Christmas gifts we have a discount code –  HBH20 20% off entire order. This discount can not be combined with other offers. Retail customers only. The code can be used Dec. 6-9 2013 and if you spend $30 or more you get free shipping in the US.

Now on to the Homemade Christmas Gifts Holiday Blog hop.

Holiday Hop Prize Package Photo

Visit our Designers’ blogs listed below and leave them some love for a chance to win the wonderful craft prize package pictured above.  Who knows there might be more than one prize so make sure you visit everyone.

Special thanks to May Arts for providing the Button Bevy with a wonderful assortment of ribbons

DON’T FORGET OUR SALE:

Save 20% off at Buttons Galore this weekend.
*enter the code “HBH20” – offers may not be combined*
Sale starts Friday and ends Monday.

11

Candy Cane Button Tree

My candy cane button tree is the perfect addition to your holiday decor.  Grab a styrofoam cone and get started on this fun tree today.  It may look complicated but I will show you how to lay out your colors to get those perfect candy cane stripes every time.

candy cane button tree-005

Candy Cane Button Tree Supplies:

  • Red and white buttons
  • 3 7/8″ Styrofoam cone
  • May Arts mini pom pom fringe in red and white
  • May Arts shear red ribbon (not shown below)
  • Hot glue

candy cane button tree-001

Candy Cane Button Tree Instructions:

1.  Wrap your red and white mini pompom fringe around the cone.  Hold in place with sewing pins for now.  Adjust until you like the spacing and location of your candy cane stripes.  Hot glue your fringe into place and remove the pins.

candy cane button tree-002

2.  You don’t want the white cone showing through your red buttons so add the red shear ribbon just in the “red” stripes of your candy cane.  Again hold in place with pins for now.

candy cane button tree-003

3.  Because the ribbon is shear, there is no need to hot glue it down before you add your buttons.  The hot glue will seep through the ribbon with the buttons on top.  So start adding various size buttons with hot glue filling the red and white stripes all the way up the cone.  Remove the pins in the shear ribbon as you go up the red stripe.

candy cane button tree-004

4.  Once you reach the top, add a mini bow from some additional red shear ribbon.  Again attach with hot glue.

candy cane button tree-006

5.  Use a hair dryer to remove any glue strings.  You are ready to display your candy cane button tree for the holidays.  This is a super fun way to celebrate the holidays in your home.

candy cane button tree-007

I love candy canes and of course candy cane button trees.  How about you?  Will you be making a button tree this holiday season?

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Rustic Christmas Ornaments with Glitter Buttons

Holly here from Ribbons & Glue sharing with you how to make Rustic Christmas Ornaments with Glitter Buttons for your tree this year by using Hemp Cord and Pearl Buttons from Buttons Galore.

juteornamentsBGM

I love the feel of cozy, rustic Christmas Decor.  You can find pine cones, tree branches, birdhouses and various things wrapped up in hemp cord along with lots of glitter around my house during the Holidays.

How to make Rustic Christmas Ornaments:

how to wrap a Styrofoam ball

  • Adhere a ribbon loop to Styrofoam Ball using hot glue
  • Hot glue one end of hemp cord on to ball.
  • Start wrapping cord tightly around ball.
  • Wrap cord around ball in various directions until the foam is no longer showing
  • When foam ball covered, tuck and hot glue end of  cord into ball.
  • Hot glue ribbon bow on to ribbon loop.

ribbontwineornament

To add a little sparkle to my rustic  Christmas Ornaments, I made glitter buttons.

How to make Glitter Buttons:

glitterbuttons

 

glitterbuttonribbon

So pretty!  The glitter just adds a little sparkle to your cozy, rustic Christmas decor.

Supplies used to make Rustic Christmas Ornaments with Glitter Buttons:

 

For more Christmas Inspiration head over to my blog Ribbons & Glue.

 

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2

Give Inspiration Kits for Christmas Gifts

Inspiration Kit Gifts

This Christmas, why not give your artsy crafty friends and family Inspiration kits? These adorable Christmas Inspiration Kit Gifts are embellished with buttons. They are fun to make and will surely delight every creative person on your list.

Materials and Tools for Inspiration Kit Gifts

Sizzix die cut and matboard

To create your Inspiration Kit Gifts, die cut one Bag Caddy from the matboard. Assemble it according to manufacturer’s instructions using the red line tape.

paint box redPaint the box, inside and out Tuscan Red. Measure the front and sides of the box and cut patterned paper using the paper trimmer. Use the foam brush and decoupage medium to apply the paper to the box.

decoupage boxDry brush snow white on front of box. Paint the bird shape Antique White. Paint the teardrop for wing and bird beak Lamp Black.

boxes painted and covered

ink clothespinUsing the brown chalk ink, ink the clothes pin. Print out holiday sentiments using plain computer paper and a printer.

decoupage sentiment

Cut the sentiments out with the scissors. Use the decoupage medium to apply them to the clothes pin. Glue button on one end of clothes pin with the Gem-Tac. If desired, glue a flat backed acrylic stone to the center of the button.

decorated clothespins

Laura Kelly buttonsGlue the bird shape, wing and flower center to the box.

bird on boxStamp sentiment over white swatch of paint on box front.

Here is the super fun part… die cut flowers, tags, etc. to fill your Christmas Inspiration Gift Kits. Die cut the cardstock and the wool felt.

Completed bird boxI also included some hand dyed stamped ribbon in my Inspiration Gift Kits.

stamped ribbonGlue some buttons to the front of the box.

Completed bird box 3

These Inspiration Kit Gifts are great gifts for teachers, hostesses, neighbors, gift exchanges, etc. Make several at once so they will be on hand if an unexpected guest drops by. Instead of art supplies, fill the boxes with homemade edible goodies.

Thanks for letting me share my Inspiration Kits with you.

Live Life Creatively,

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Adorable Little Ornament – Fifteen MINUTE Friday

Welcome to the Black Friday Cyber Sale, and to the Linky Party organized by our designer Laura Kelly using  Sculpey Polymer Clay products and her line of our buttons to create “Adorable Little Ornaments”.

For today’s project, I am sharing as a part of a linky party featuring adorable little ornaments made from clay and buttons.  Lots of designers and bloggers were sent Sculpey products and Laura Kelly’s buttons to create these adorable little ornaments.

SculpeyButtonCollage

How to make the button ornament

I used Sculpey clay in red and white to form a stocking, molding with my fingers.  When I was done stuck then end of an 8 inch long piece of wire into the top in two places to create holes that I would later need.  While the stocking was baking (following the directions in the packaging) I twisted the wire up and added a few Radical Red and Apple Green buttons along with my signature ribbon (black with white polka dots).

When the stocking was out of the oven and cooled, I added the wire using a tad bit of super glue on each end into the holes.  Wah-lah…an adorable little ornament.

ButtonsGaloreStocking

There are lots of ornaments being shared in the party.  Check them out.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

…and enter to win some clay and buttons of your own!

Happy Creating,

DD_SignatureHoliday

And now for the sale…

BLACK FRIDAY SALE, on Nov. 29th 2013 …    HERE’S HOW IT WORKS

Choose from our entire line at www.buttonsgaloreandmore.com Place your order during the following times using these  codes:

8am – 10am EST – 50% OFF – Code 50OFF

10am – 12pm EST – 40% OFF – Code 40OFF

12pm – 4 pm EST – 25% OFF – Code 25OFF

*PLUS FREE SHIPPING TO THE USA-ORDERS OVER $30*

3

Black Friday Cyber Sale

button sale

BLACK FRIDAY SALE, on Nov. 29th 2013 …

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS

Choose your products from our entire line at

 

Place your order during the following times using these

codes:

8am – 10am EST – 50% OFF – Code 50OFF

10am – 12pm EST – 40% OFF – Code 40OFF

12pm – 4 pm EST – 25% OFF – Code 25OFF

PLUS FREE SHIPPING TO THE USA-ORDERS OVER $30

0

Buttons Clay Scrapbook page idea

Buttons Clay Paper?

Who says you can’t use Buttons and Clay on a scrapbook layout?  I was up for the challenge and decided to create this holiday themed layout that features buttons and clay as embellishments.

I have LOVED creating with Sculpey clay the last few weeks, and creating this Buttons and Clay embellishment for this layout was fun and easy. My embellishments were created by hand and the use of my Sculpey Essential Tool Kit.


IMG_7885

 

I created the “F” and the holly leaves and baked the Sculpey clay as per the instructions. I added the buttons once cooled with some Mini Glue Dots. I did the same with the holly and scrolls. The buttons were all from a nice red mix from Buttons Galore.

scrapbook page ideas with buttons

Button Clay Paper Project Recipe:

sweet, simple embellishments using buttons and clay. DIY embellishments with red buttons.

Thanks for stopping by to check out this Buttons and Clay Layout and I hope you have a Happy Crafty Holiday Season!

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Buttoned Up Gift Box

Create a Buttoned Up Gift Box with paper, ribbon and buttons. A gift is much more special when presented in a handmade Gift Box.
Buttoned Up Gift Bag

 

Supplies for Buttoned Up Gift Box:

  • Buttons – Teal Ice
  • Cardstock – Discount Cardstock
  • Template – Lori Whitlock
  • Ribbon – American Crafts
  • Snowflakes – Silhouette
  • Glitz Gel – Close To My Heart
  • Twine – Doodlebug Design

Instructions for gift box:

  1. Cut pieces and assemble box.
  2. Accent box with Glitz Gel.
  3. Cut several snowflakes and fold in half. Use three snowflakes for each embellishment and adhere the halves together to create dimension. Accent with Glitz Gel.
  4. Create a small bow and attach button with twine. Adhere to box.
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Winter Card Boy

This is a fun Winter Card for a Boy.

Little girls are easy to make cards for, as anything goes – pink, flowers, sparkles … but boys are a little more picky. Spray and an inky grunge stamp add to the details that make this card perfect for a boy.

Winter Card for a Boy

 

Decorative papers with gears, camouflage and other gender neutral shapes also help make this card for boys.

 

Supplies for Winter Card Boy

  • Buttons Galore – Cookies & Cream
  • Cardstock
  • Ink
  • Spray
  • Twine
  • Punch
  • Mitton Die Cuts

Directions

  1. Spritz cardstock.
  2. Stamp splotches in a complementary ink.
  3. Ink edges of cardstock.
  4. Punch pennants and adhere to mat.
  5. Wrap twine and tie button.
  6. Cut mittens, apply ink and add to card.
  7. Attach mat to orange card base.
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Button Up A Clay Wreath

This week’s project is extra special because it was created by a KID.  It is also a speedy fun craft for the holidays that is a project for the awesome blog party known as Craft Lightning!

Zoe used Pluffy Clay by the makers of Sculpey to create the wreath.  She rolled up little balls of clay then put them together and pressed down to get the to attach.

Zoe_Wreath

 

She used the red in the package to create the bow then we baked it for a few minutes to get it to harden.

wreathbeforebaking

When it came out of the oven, we used hot glue to add a few Laura Kelly Radically Red buttons and wah-lah…an adorable wreath ornament.

WreathFinal

Happy Crafting for The Holidays,

Laura

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Snowman handmade gift packaging -Anna Wight

handmade, rubber stamped
Handmade gift packaging created with with love from you.  Let your friends and family know how much you care by creating unique packaging.  Our guest designer Anna Wight was inspired to create a charming, little bit country, holiday gift tag.snowflake, snowman button

Materials to make handmade gift packaging:

  • Buttons: Snowflake Charm and Red Haberdashery 
  • Stamp: High Hopes Rubber Stamps
  • Ink: Memento Black, Ranger Distress Antique Linen
  • Paper: Neenah, Paper Accents
  • Other: ShinHan Touch Twin markers, Creative Impressions felt leaves, Studio G glitter glue, Spellbinders Circle Dies, PTI tag die, The Ribbon Boutique red gingham ribbon, Creative Impressions natural twine, FloraCraft Spray Glitter, string
Snowman snowflake card
Anna Wight

A little bit about Anna-

I was born and raised in northeastern Washington where my family still lives. Growing up I had a love for horses, nature, and anything artsy … especially coloring! I can remember being a very young girl lying on the living room floor at my Grandma’s house (that horrible bumpy brown carpet numbing my elbows) coloring with my Mom. We were always doing something crafty as a family. We’d make Christmas ornaments, plastic sun catchers, paint-by-number masterpieces, design and build birdhouses, etc. It didn’t matter what we did, as long as it was crafty! After high school I completed a Bachelors degree in Art at an Oregon university. I now live in Texas with my fiance on a small farm, and a whole lotta animals.We hope you enjoyed the handmade gift packaging created by Anna.  Please stop by the website and check out the new buttons.
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30 Christmas craft ideas with Buttons

30  Christmas craft ideas Round Up

Christmas craft ideas with buttons

Christmas craft ideas for kids, girls, boys, uncle Ed, aunt Martha and more.  Click the pictures below to find out how to make the projects and the material list.  Buttons Galore and More has novelty buttons with Christmas themes and solid color buttons in mixed colors.

Country Chic Cottage: Button Santa Ornament

Allie Gower: Holiday Bird Cage

Allie Gower: Christmas Tea

Allie Gower: Christmas Craft

Laura Kelly Designs: Holiday Gift Fun

Laura Kelly Designs: Christmas Aprons and Organization

Laura Kelly Designs: Festive Felt and Button Ornaments

Mel Bradley: Scrap Savvy Bird Ornament Tutorial

Mel Bradley: Painted Canvas Ornaments

Country Chic Cottage: Button Wreath Ornament

Country Chic Cottage: Button Ornaments with Kids

Country Chic Cottage: Bottle Cap Reindeer

Laura Bray Designs: Holiday Cards and Tags

Scrappy Chick Designs: Quick and Easy Holiday Cards

Laura Bray Designs: Holiday Headbands

Laura Kelly Designs: DIY Magic Reindeer Food

Plus 14 more Christmas Craft ideas

Country Chic Christmas Wreath

Styrofoam and buttons Christmas Money Tree

Christmas Home Decor

Vintage style Christmas Decorations

Needle Felt Wall Art

Aqua Christmas Wreath

Styrofoam Christmas Ornament

St. Nick Ornament

Table Top Tree Ornaments

Christmas Puppets

Christmas Tree Wall Art

Wine Glass Charms

Red Wall Art

Kids Christmas Ornaments

I hope you enjoyed looking at the wide variety of Christmas crafts with buttons.  Stop by the store if you would like to purchase the button, ribbon and glue supplies used in these projects.  We have daily deals and weekly coupons.  Stop by often as there are new items on the way.

christmas craft ideas 2013

 

 

 

 

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Simple Thanksgiving Centerpiece

A simple  Thanksgiving Centerpiece  – I made up in about 15 minutes using  Buttons Galore Carved Wood Buttons and supplies I already had stashed.  It seriously does pay off to hoard craft supplies.

This centerpiece happens to coordinate nicely with my Thanksgiving Dessert Table Decor that was featured on the  Buttons Galore Blog recently too.

 

BGMturkeycenterpiece

 

If I need to make up some quick and simple centerpieces, I always turn to making rosettes or finding something fun that can be stuck on a stick.

 

BGMturkeycenterpiece2

 

For this simple Thanksgiving Centerpiece, I added pines cones to a dollar store vase,  made a 3″ rosette, added a BGM Carved Wood Button to the center then used my Silhouette to cut out a  Turkey cut file.

If you don’t have access to die cutting machine,  you could easily add more Fall rosettes in various sizes to your centerpiece along with Fall leaves or any other festive decor you like.

 

BGMturkeycentepiece3

 

Everything just looks better on a stick right, right?  Plus, Buttons Galore Carved Wood Buttons ties the Fall decor  together  nicely.

 

Supplies Used to Make a Simple Thanksgiving Centerpiece:

For more Fall inspiration head over to my blog Ribbons & Glue.

newsignature

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1

Thanksgiving Place Cards

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  Not only is the ultimate holiday for foodies, but it’s also a time to gather with loved ones and enjoy each other’s company without the distraction of gift giving.  I host 12-14 people at my house every year.  I love preparing the meal, but I also love coming up with a great table setting.  The easiest way to set a table is to come up with a theme and then build on it.  This year, I’m thinking Feathers and Buttons just might be my theme for 2013.  Here are two Thanksgiving place card ideas for your table.

Nature Specimen Place Card

Feathers and Buttons Place Card

This place card idea reminds me of childhood trips to the Natural History Museum.  I loved to peer into the glass cases and see the natural collections.  These simple place cards bring back those special memories of learning about nature.

Supplies:

Instructions:

  1. Glue buttons and natural items onto the tag.
  2. Using a gold leaf pen, write your guest’s name onto the tag.

Stamped Feather Place Card

Stamped Feather and Button Placecard

Supplies:

Instructions:

  1. Stamp an image of feather onto cardstock.
  2. Run twine through buttons holes and tie the ends.
  3. Glue the button onto the paper feather.
  4. Write guest’s name on feather.
  5. Lay on top of place setting.

Thanks for joining me today.  If you would like to get a free printable, Thanksgiving planner, come and visit me on my blog, Laura Bray Designs.

Business Card Logo in Black copy

 

 

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Paper crafted Decou-Page and Button Ornament

Button Ornament for Craft lighting by Laura Kelly

Button ornaments are great for kids to make.  Here is a beautiful and easy to make paper crafted ornament using Decou-Page and buttons.  The final ornament works great for decorating a tree, using for a gift tag or even for a place card.

Christmas ornament

You will need scrapbook paper scraps, chipboard or cardboard, Decou-Page, wire ,buttons (I used Candy Apple Green and Radical Red), a brush, scissors, a hole punch and ribbon.

Supplies

  1. Cut out a cardboard rectangle.
  2. Brush a thick later of Decou-Page on it and place your scrapbook papers on it then apply another layer over the top.

GiftSteps

The next steps are as follows:

  1. Punch two holes in the top.
  2. Add a wire twisted with buttons through the holes.
  3. Add a ribbon with hot glue or whatever adhesive you like best.
  4. Add a charm if you like.

GiftSteps2

Ta Da!  You have a beautiful ornament.
Happy Holiday Creating,

Laura

 

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Moustache Card

Me with a stash button mustacheMoustache for men birthday card and fun photo prop

Today’s Fifteen MINUTE Friday, Moustache for men birthday card and fun photo prop is extra special.    Woo Hoo!!!  I created a project that can be completed in 15 minutes (or less) that can be used in many way.  I think you will love this one.  I do!

In honor of Movember, I thought I would whip-up a really quick moustache card.  Moustaches are still all the rage and I don’t see the trend ending anytime soon.

Movember Moustache Card with buttons

It’s super easy to make this cute card!

Supplies:

Instructions:

1. Print out a moustache shape onto cardstock.

Step One Print out a mustache

2. Glue buttons onto the shape.

Glue buttons on mustache

3. Create a “Happy Birthday” sentiment with your printer or stamps.

Moustache Card

Another option is to cut out your buttoned moustache, glue it to the end of a wooden dowel and support a ‘stache.  Totally up to you though!

Come and visit me on my blog at Laura Bray Designs .  You will find tons of fun craft projects and some delicious recipes too!

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Thanksgiving Dessert Table Decor

Holly here from Ribbons & Glue sharing a simple  Thanksgiving Dessert Table Decor using  Tiny Buttons from Buttons Galore that’ll add some glitz and sophistication to your Holiday table this year.

button thanks banner

Thanksgiving Dessert Table Decor

When I think of Holiday gatherings, the first thing  I think of is food and of course the yummy, rich desserts are the most important part.  Show off those yummy desserts you’ve slaved over by creating this simple dessert table decor.

Supplies used to make Thanksgiving Dessert Table Decor:

BGMproducts

How to make Thanksgiving Dessert Table Decor:

 

decoartpaint

  • Paint chipboard banner with DecoArt  Metallics Paint.  Let Dry.

BGMtinybuttons

 

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  • String banner with raffia and add your favorite dessert.

 

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 For more Fall inspired crafts, visit my blog  www.ribbonsandglue.com

 

 

2

Autumn Button Border Layout

This Autumn Button Border Layout shows so vibrantly exactly why I love the season….the stunning colors! I knew from the start of this creation that I wanted the embellishment focal point to be the Autumn Button Border.

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Here is what you will need to create this Autumn Button Border layout.

Project Recipe:

  • DoodleBug Designs- Happy Harvest Collection

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I wanted a true mixture of all of the rich colors of this paper collection, when creating this Autumn Button Border. I think the combination of the buttons and the coordinating embellishments from the paper collection were a perfect match.

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Thank you so much for stopping by. If you would like to check out more of my button and paper crafting creations, please check out my blog Scrappy Chick Designs.

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Fall Button Serving Tray

My fall button serving tray is one of my favorite buttons projects I have ever made.  Plus it is easy to make which is a win win right?  Grab your buttons and a thrift store tray to get started making your own version.  Don’t need a serving tray for fall?  Maybe use this same idea with a button ornament in the center for Christmas?  Or a heart in the center for Valentine’s Day?  I can think of all sorts of different tray designs for all seasons of the year.

Fall Button Serving Tray -- an idea to spruce up a plain thrift store serving tray for all of your fall parties.

I started with a tray from the thrift store for 99 cents and a bottle of Americana gloss enamels in Antique Gold.

Fall Button Serving Tray -- an idea to spruce up a plain thrift store serving tray for all of your fall parties.

I painted my entire tray with 2 coats of the paint then grabbed some fall themed buttons from Buttons Galore and More.

Fall Button Serving Tray -- an idea to spruce up a plain thrift store serving tray for all of your fall parties.

I laid the buttons out on my tray until I was happy with the arrangement.  I then used my 3 in 1 Beacon adhesive to glue them directly to the tray.

Fall Button Serving Tray -- an idea to spruce up a plain thrift store serving tray for all of your fall parties.

Once the glue was completely dry, I mixed a two coat epoxy to make my tray nice and smooth.  Don’t be afraid of epoxy!  Just mix and pour according to the package directions.  I spent quite a bit of time using a flame to pop bubbles that come up from the epoxy itself and the buttons.  Yes my finished project still has a few bubbles but overall it looks amazing.  The buttons seem to create more bubbles than is normal with an epoxy project.

Fall Button Serving Tray -- an idea to spruce up a plain thrift store serving tray for all of your fall parties.

Allow your epoxy to dry for a nice long time before you touch it (don’t be tempted to touch!!).  You will be left with a glossy flat serving tray with buttons in it!  Now some of my buttons stick up just slightly out of the epoxy (there is a slight hump in the epoxy).  This can easily be fixed with a second epoxy pour however the bumps do not really bother me for my needs so I am leaving them.  You could also be extra careful when choosing buttons for your design and choose only the flattest buttons to include.

Fall Button Serving Tray -- an idea to spruce up a plain thrift store serving tray for all of your fall parties.

Just so you can see my entire button fall scene here is a picture of the entire tray.

Fall Button Serving Tray -- an idea to spruce up a plain thrift store serving tray for all of your fall parties.

It is so darn cute I could eat it up.  Speaking of eat it up, use your fall tray to serve snacks to the kids or for a wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving and fall themed parties.  Want more buttons on your Thanksgiving table?  Be sure to check out my rustic burlap napkin rings as well.

Fall Button Serving Tray -- an idea to spruce up a plain thrift store serving tray for all of your fall parties.

Will you be adding buttons to a tray anytime soon?  Don’t let that epoxy pour scare ya!  My fall button serving tray will make an appearance at our Thanksgiving meal and many snacks in the meantime.

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thankful Cards

Wishing you a day stuffed with reasons to be Thankful … with this set of Thankful Cards.  Create clean and simple Thank you cards with a stamped sentiment, two colors of card stock and the lovely leaf buttons from the Autumn Value pack. Adhere everything together with Mini Glued dots and you have a wonderful set of thankful cards to use this holiday season.

thanksgiving paper crafts, thankful cards, cards with buttons, a jillian vance design

Supplies for Thankful Cards:

autumn buttons

Autumn Value Pack

  • Buttons – Autumn Collection
  • Adhesive –  Mini Glue Dots
  • Ink – Rich Cocoa – Tsukineko
  • Cardstock – DiscountCardstock.com
  • Stamp – Jillian Vance Design

 

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Button Up Ornaments to “Dye” For

Creating Christmas ornaments that are handmade and created with a personal touch have never been easier.  With the pre-cut shapes that are available in all of the craft stores and buttons, here are ornaments you can make quickly that are to dye for – as in dye with Rit Dye that is.

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It is so incredible simple that you can make them in fifteen minutes or less.  To do it, paint the wood with dye directly from the bottle.  If you want it darker, heat it up first.  It dries pretty quickly but if you are in a hurry, you can stick it in the microwave for 30 seconds to speed it up.

MittenPaint

Then you add your buttons and embellishments to make it into something special.  I used an Laura Kelly Candy Apple Green button on this ornament.  Before I added it with hot glue, I went over the snowflake with a white paint pen a little bit.

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Here are some that were created with a group of fabulous attendees at a crafting event last week.  I had a blast leading the workshop and am amazed at how awesome their ornaments turned out.

Ornaments

Happy Getting Ready For the Holidays,

Laura

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Button Pumpkin Stacking Boxes

These Button Pumpkin Stacking Boxes could be the perfect addition to your Autumn and Thanksgiving home decor. This post will give you a step by step tutorial on how to create something like these Button Pumpkin Stacking Boxes for your home.

Autumn Fall Stacking Button Boxes

 

 

Project Recipe:

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I started creating my Button Pumpkin Stacking Boxes by painting all the boxes and their lids with Spiced Pumpkin paint. I used a foam brush and it only took one coat of paint.

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Once I had my boxes painted I then inked all the edges to give more of a distressed look.

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My next step was to cut patterned paper to fit on 4 sides of each of the boxes. I chose Echo Parks Fall Reflections Collection.

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On the top and smallest of the Button Pumpkin Stacking Boxes I created a pumpkin stem by stacking brown buttons. I also added orange buttons around the lid of the smallest and the largest of the Button Pumpkin Stacking Boxes.

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Then all there was left to do, was add a few more simple embellishments.

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My Button Pumpkin Stacking Boxes are now ready to warm up my home’s decor for the holidays.

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If you would like to check out more of my button and paper crafting creations, check out my blog Scrappy Chick Designs by clicking HERE. Thank you so much for stopping by.

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Nature Mobile

My family hikes or goes for a bike ride every weekend and, inevitably, we always return home with a leaf, feather, or pine cone.  The natural bits and bobs were piling up on the table, so I decided to create a nature mobile.  I love how we can now display our finds in a piece of artwork and nothing is glued down, so we can change it out whenever we want.

Nature Mobile Close-Up

Supplies:

  • Buttons from the Autumn Grab Bag
  • Twine
  • Twig
  • Doily
  • Leaves, acorn caps, feathers, anything you find outside that inspires you!
  • Torn pieces of muslin fabric dyed with Rit Dye in Tan

Nature Mobile

Instructions:

  1. Cut a piece of twine to about 16 inches in length.  Tie each end of the twine to the ends of your twig. Put aside.
  2. Cut pieces of twine to the length you like.  I love to cut mine and varying lengths to give the piece interest.
  3. Begin by threading buttons onto your twine.  I found that wrapping a piece of tape around the end of the twine makes it easier to push through the button holes.  Once the button is threaded onto the twine, move it along the twine to where you want it to hang.  Make a knot below the button to hold it in place.
  4. Tie feathers and leaves onto the twine.
  5. Tie torn pieces of dyed muslin onto twine.
  6. Once you are happy with the placement of your materials, tie one end of the twine to the twig.
  7. Repeat the process with at least two more lengths of twine.
  8. Once all the twine is attached to the twig, drape a doily over the twig.
  9. Hang on a wall, a tree outside, or even your ceiling.

Thanks for stopping by today.  Find out how to make another nature display on my blog, Laura Bray Designs.

Business Card Logo in Black copy

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Movember Mustache Craft for guys

mustache notebook craft idea movember

Movember is here again,  and it is a great  time to make crafts for guys.  Former Designer for Buttons Galore and More designer friend Jen Goode of  http://www.100directions.com designed a mustache stamp wheel from Clearsnap so you can get your mustache creativity going all over the place. AND, she has  asked a group of designers to create whatever they’d like to make, showcasing this fun craft tool and her stamp.  One of my favorite things to do with the rollagraph is to make my own pattern paper.  I used a piece of kraft card stock to make the cover or this journal.  My son is in 5th grade and they have to keep a reading journal.  I thought this would be perfect for him.  Man was I right.  He took it to school last week and I have a request for 4 more.

Materials to make Movember mustache craft:

 

Movember mustache craft idea supplies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I used the Sharpie markers to make my own name plate, The thin Glue dots to adhere the buttons, and the name plate.  The rollagraph to create the pattern paper for the cover and scissors to trim the edges.  You can use a craft knife too.

Mustache craft with name plate

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Thanks a Bunch Card

Tis the season to say Thanks a Bunch … so glad you’re here today.

handmade card, fall thank you card, thanks a bunch card

Supplies for Thanks a Bunch Card:

autumn buttons

Autumn Value Pack

Create simple and elegant cards with card stock and button embellishments.  Buttons Galore and more carries novelty buttons in almost any theme imaginable.  Many buttons are available in both small variety packs and in large bulk packaging.  Adhesives are also carried in the store.

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Thanksgiving Cards To Gobble Gobble About

Here are two really simple to make Thanksgiving card ideas using buttons from my collection with Buttons Galore.  They are so much fun that you might want to gobble gobble about them after you create your own!  I used pre-cut note cards and envelopes from my local craft store.  They come in all kinds of colors.  I also used trims that I had on hand and glue dots along with a downloadable doodle design sheet.

PieCard

To make them you can draw your own pie and turkey background or you can download the template for free on my website in another Thanksgiving post that shares ideas of ways to use buttons to create some Thanksgiving fun.  You can click here to get to my blog post to get the downloadable printable or on the picture below.

ThanksgivingDoodles

Either way, when you have you backgrounds drawn or printed, color them in and cut them out.  The next step is to use Glue Dots to add a border of some sort using whatever trim or ribbon you have on hand.  You could also use washi tape.  Then Add your cutouts either directly or mounted on colored card stock and add buttons to create the 3-D effect.  The colors I used are Outrageous Orange, Radically Red, Black Beauty, and Bold Brown.

 

Steps

If you want to add words to your cards you can, or you can leave them with your crafty design to speak for itself.  If you are hand delivering, add a heart and a button to the back of the envelope.  I am in love with the turkey doodle card.  Gobble Gobble.

GobbleGobbleCard

Happy Preparing For Thanksgiving,

Laura

 

 

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Acorn Place Cards

Wishing you a day stuffed with reasons to be Thankful … with this set of Thankful Cards.

Acorn Place Markers, Fall Paper Crafts

Supplies for Acorn Place Cards:

autumn buttons

Autumn Value Pack

  • Buttons – Autumn Collection
  • Adhesive –  Mini Glue Dots
  • Ink – Peanut Brittle – Tsukineko
  • Cardstock – DiscountCardstock.com
  • Ribbon – May Arts
  • Stamps – A Jillian Vance Design
  • Tag Die – Lifestyle Crafts, Acorn – Silhouette – Allie Gower “Acorn Set”

 

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Paris Wall Art

STYROFOAM™ and Buttons – Paris Wall Art.

Paris Wall Art

I could never get tired of Paris. Let’s make some Paris Wall Art!  I was surprised at how easily this came together.

Paris Wall Art Supplies:

  • Buttons – Sweet Delights
  • Adhesive – Beacon’s 3-in-1Mini Glue Dots, Fabri Tac
  • Heart Shape – Styrofoam Crafts
  • Ribbon, Charm and Bling – Want2Scrap
  • Paris Die – My Favorite Things
  • Patterned Paper – Bo Bunny
  • Cardstock – DiscountCardstock.com
  • Flowers – Wild Orchid
  • Other – Dymo Labeler and Label Tape, Jump Rings, White Versacraft Ink, Red Copic Marker

Instructions:

  1. Trace heart and cut out of patterned paper. Adhere with Beacon’s 3-in-1.
  2. Line outer edges with rose ribbon using Fabri Tac.
  3. Create Dymo Label. Pink edges and adhere to heart.
  4. Die cut Eiffel Tower and distress with White Versacraft Ink. Adhere with Mini Glue Dots.
  5. Embellish with rhinestones, flowers and additional ribbons.
  6. Accent charm with Copic Marker. Add charm to black bow using jump rings.

Thanks for joining me today.

See more of my creations at My Card Party.

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Mini Autumn Gift Bags

I am getting ready for a DIY Autumn Craft Night at my studio and I have these super cute little Halloween trinket tokens, lucky pumpkins!  I wanted to wrap them up in a festive way for favors and this is what I came up with…mini autumn gift bags.  I really like them because the buttons can be part of the favor as they can be reused on projects that my guests make when they get back to their studios and homes.

AutumnGiftBags

To create them, I used the Autumn Potpourri collection, a hole puncher and little bit of wire.  I punched a hole in the mini treat bag (from Canvas Corp) then pushed the button through the hole.  On the other side, I slid a short piece of wire through the button and twisted it.  This is so easy and created such a fun little collection of favor bags.

AutumnGiftBags_Steps

This same method could be used to attach the autumn (or any) buttons through fabric and ribbon too.  I have some really fun Christmas ones that I am going to try next with some gift wrap ribbon.  Yes, I will share when I do it.

Happy Autumn,

Laura

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Dyed Button Necklace

Last month I dyed some buttons using Rit Dye, and I had some left over so I’ve made this Dyed Button Necklace.

fall buttons, fall leaves, button jewelry

 Supplies for Dyed Button Necklace

I used one large Coconut button and embellished it. I love that these buttons have an earthy, natural feel, and come in their own little tin with a clear top. This tin is great for storage, and great for using later for creating more fun!

coconut shell, natural buttons

Rustic Coconut Shell

Additional Supplies:

Rit Dye (Aquamarine), Imagine® Crafts/Tsukineko VersaMark ink and Gold Embossing Powder, and StāzOn™ Inks (in Olive, Forest Green, Rusty Brown, and Pumpkin for coloring charm – applied with Fantastix™ Applicators), 3-in-1 Glue, charm

Also: Jump ring, chain, pliers, heat tool (for melting embossing powder)

Instructions:

See Rit Dye for their Wood & Wicker Dyeing instructions. I had prepared dye in mason jars, and simply reheated it and added it to the button.

Make sure your button is dry before you try embossing. Sponge on ink and dip in embossing powder. Carefully heat set to melt. I did different areas separately, and used some tongs to hold the button.

I colored a charm with StāzOn™ Inks using Fantastix™ applicators  and added a jump ring and chain, then adhered the charm to the button with 3-in-1 Glue.

I love the colors and how they all came together. Doesn’t fall have a beautiful assortment of colors to choose from? Fall is my favorite, no wait – I love snow, oh but spring flowers … Every season is lovely.

Thanks for joining me today for another project featuring button jewelry. Are you wearing your buttons? I’d love to see!

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Beautiful Button Butterfly

This Beautiful Button Butterfly is the perfect accent on this sweet and whimsical scrapbook layout.

When I create a scrapbook layout I always try and keep the photo as the main focus of the page. This stays true when I choose embellishments. The buttons that I chose for the Button Butterfly were shades of colors already in the layout. That way they do not stand out or take away from the photos that I was showcasing. The Button Butterfly is then a true accent.

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The buttons that I used for the Button Butterfly layout all came from a Spring Mix by Buttons Galore & More.

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Beautiful Button Butterfly Materials:

The punches that I used are all by EK Success:

  • 2″ Scallop Circle
  • 1.5″ Scallop Circle
  • Oval
  • Scallop Oval
  • 1″ Circle
  • 2″ Heart

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Thank you so much for stopping by and a hope a sweet little Button Butterfly makes it to a layout of yours very soon.

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Hello Button Birdie

Who wouldn’t love to receive a sweet little Button Birdie note card in the mail like this one? In this post you will learn just how simple it is to create this little Button Birdie.

One of the best things about this card is, that you probably have everything you need to create the Button Birdie in your paper crafting stash. So gather some patterned scraps of your choice and some coordinating cardstock and don’t forget your button collection.

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From your bag, can, jar or jug of buttons you will need one very large button and one very small button. The large will act as the Button Birdie’s body and the very small button will be the Button Birdie’s eye.

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This is the simple backdrop I create for the Button Birdie. A neutral background and a nice little hillside for him to sit.

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I then hand cut the Button Birdie accents from patterned paper. You will need a beak, a tail and a wing. I also added a sweet little cloud and the sun using a 1″ circle punch. I used a black fine tipped pen to add the Button Birdie’s legs and to accent the sun.

Products Used:

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Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope that a sweet little Button Birdie will make it’s way to a loved one of yours some day soon.

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Grandchildren Welcome Sign

Whenever  I visit family, I  like to give them a handmade gift.  This year,  I made the Grandparents (my in-laws) a  Grandchildren Welcome sign embellished with Buttons Galore Haberdashery buttons.

 

Grandchildren Welcome sign

 

I cut, sanded, painted, stained and distressed a wood board.  Yes, I did it all myself.   You can view my previous BGM tutorial on how I created the look of my wood board here.

I then used my Silhouette and a cut file from Kolette Hall to cut out the black vinyl lettering.

Grandchildren Welcome sign

 

To give the Grandchildren Welcome sign a little something extra, I hot glued Haberdashery buttons along the side of the sign, added a big black grosgrain ribbon bow and another Haberdashery button in the middle.

 

 

Grandchildren Welcome sign

Supplies used to make Grandchildren Welcome Sign:

 

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2

Spooky Halloween Card

I like Halloween, but I’m not super into the really frightful stuff, I’m more into delightful – so this is about as creepy as I get with this Spooky Halloween Card!

I’ve stamped my batty background and the Happy Halloween sentiment using Happy {OWL}oween Stamps from A Jillian Vance Design. I inked my stamp with a Tombow Marker in sort of an Olive Green, which went well with the Kraft Cardstock. I colored each bat with a few shades of Copic Gray Markers – T1, T4 and W3.

I cut my Ghost and lightly sponged Toffee Crunch Memento ink around the edges, leaving the parts that overlap plain.

The focal word on my Spooky Halloween Card was created using Lavanderia Script from from LOST TYPE. I have a tutorial on my blog if you have a Silhouette and haven’t made fun focal words like this. “Make Pretty Words on the Silhouette” – it’s easier than you think! Once the word was cut out, I lightly inked it with Cloud White VersaMagic Ink.

To bring a little attention to the gorgeous Tangerine Button, I tied some waxed linen thread through it. This thread is thick but not super bulky, and it holds its shape perfectly!

halloween card, card making, fall crafts

Tangerine Tango Buttons are perfect for Halloween. You get about 125 buttons in a reusable Pillow Box, and it’s such a fun assortment. They stay down well with Ultra Thin Glue Dots, also available from Buttons Galore & More.

tangerine button, waxed linen, card making

I save a lot of money using Craft Glue to adhere all my paper. I find for the detailed titles, that painting the adhesive with a foam brush or a foam applicator works really well. It dries clear, without leaving a shiny finish, just in case I get a little sloppy.

Supplies for Spooky Halloween Card

  • ButtonTangerine Tango Assortment – Buttons Galore and More
  • Cardstock – DiscountCardstock.com
  • Stamps – A Jillian Vance Design
  • Ink – Tombow Markers; Cloud White VersaMagic Ink, Toffee Crunch Memento (Imagine Crafts)
  • Spooky – created using the Lavanderia Script font ( for a tutorial on creating your own cuttable words – please see my tutorial “Make Pretty Words on the Silhouette
  • Ghost – Silhouette Online Store
  • OtherSilhouette Cameo, Silhouette Designer Software, Waxed Linen – Beadniks

 

 

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Friendy Paint Chip Frankenstein

Now this Friendly Frankenstein made from a paint chip is so adorable and so simple. This little guy would be fun for a party decoration, a door decoration or to stick in an envelope and mail to a pal.

PaintChipFrank

You will only need a few things to make this green dude!

1.  Buttons (Outrageous Orange and Black Beauty)

2.  Paint Chips (Green and Brown)

3.  Glue Dots

4.  Sharpie Marker

5.  Magnet

6.  2 Metal Bobbins

Use Glue Dots to add Outrageous Orange buttons across the top of the paint chip to create a hairline. Then cut two little strips from another color of paint chip to stick out of the sides of his head and add the bobbins. Draw a stitched wound and a creepy smile on the paint chip with Sharpie then add Black Beauty buttons to make it pop. If you want it to be magnetic, flip it over and add buttons to the backside, putting them strategically on the parts that are the heaviest.

PaintChipFrankSteps

He is so fun and so simple.  You could also make a ghost from a white paint chip using just Black Beauty buttons and the Sharpie marker.

PaintChipGhost

On my blog today, I am sharing the tutorial to make Frank some Jack-O friends.  Hop over and check it out, if you dare!

PaintChipJack

Happy Creating Fall Magic,

Laura

 

 

 

1

Button Charm

I’m creating a Button Charm today using a button as a frame for some seasonal artwork.

No, this is not hard. You can do this so easily.

halloween, halloween jewelry, button jewelry, spiderweb necklace

As you can see, I’ve just used a single large button for my piece today.

I punched out some art work from a sheet of Halloween images from Bottle Cap Inc. and adhered it to the center of a large button. I used Tacky Glue to attach a spider and web charm to the top of the button.

I love the way that the button acts as a frame for the image, the color really has a fun splash of Autumn color.

Great Buttons for your  Seasonal Button Necklace:

brown buttons

Cappucino Grab Bag

Additional supplies:

Besides that big button and a focus image , you will want a charm. I purchase my charms at local bead shops, they have such fun, unique stuff. In addition, you’ll need some chain, jump rings, and pliers.

 

You will also need a good craft glue, I chose Tacky Glue. Let this set up overnight, at least 24 hours, before you wear it … this will make sure your charm stays put!

To finish off the piece, I added a little bit of bling from Want2Scrap, because I just like a little sparkle in … well, just about everything.

 

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Decorative Photo Tray

This Decorative Photo Tray has had a bit of a transformation from it’s original state.

I started with a plain pine serving tray from Walnut Hollow. I knew from the time I got the serving tray, that I was not going to be using it to serve anything. I wanted to decorate it more like a shadow box frame to showcase a very special photo.

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I started by painting the pine serving tray with a white acrylic paint. I chose not to seal mine, but if you think your tray may get a little wear and tear, then perhaps a coat of matte finish Modge Podge would do the trick.

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I used a regular metal clip that I picked up at my local stationary store to actually hold the photo within my Decorative Photo Tray.

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All of the patterned papers and coordinating embellishments are from the Teresa Collins, Memorabilia Collection.In order to adhere the papers to the wood, you will want to make sure that you use an adhesive that will withstand some wear and tear. I used Mini Glue Dots to attach all of those black and grey buttons to the Decorative Photo Tray.

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Thank you so much for stopping by and I I would love to see you crete some spectacular photo displays like this Decorative Photo Tray.

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Spooky Button Eye Treat Bags


Lots Trick-or-Treaters will visit our house during Halloween and I like to give special treats to a few of my kids friends that come by.   Something special and fun like these Spooky Button Eye Treat Bags.

Kids could easily make these spooky treat bags for there friends too.

 

BGM ghost bags

How to make Spooky Button Eye Treat Bags

 

BGM ghost tutorial

  • Use DecoArt  paint and a dry brush technique to paint  the front of your bag.

BGM ghost tutorial 2

  • Adhere Haberdashery Buttons using Mini Glue Dots.
  • Adhere Googly Eyes to center of black button.
  • Use a Sharpie to make a funny face.
  • Fill with yummy treats
  • Fold top of bag over, adhere a piece of  Halloween Washi tape to keep bag closed.

 

BGMghostbags2

 

Supplies Used to make Spooky Button Eye Treat Bags:

 

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Halloween Napkin Rings

Halloween Nakin RingsLooking to create some fun for this Halloween for your spooky table decor? These Halloween Napkin Rings using Novelty and various flat backed buttons from Buttons Galore and More are as much fun to make as they are to enjoy. With details such as paint, burlap and stamped sentiments, you will love the detail of these Halloween Napkin Rings.

Materials and Supplies

Buttons Galore and More Halloween Novelty Buttons

Laura Kelly Hand Dyed Buttons in colors of your choice

Various unfinished wood shapes of your choice

DecoArt Americana Acrylics in Lamp Black, Pumpkin, Olive Green, Grape Juice and Snow White

Scraps of burlap

Tiny alphabet stamps and ink

Beacon Adhesives Premium Tacky Glue

Buttons Galore and More Shank Remover

Paint brushes, sewing machine and thread, scissors

 

Layout designs on napkin ringsTo create your own Halloween Napkin Rings, use the Button Shank Remover to remove the shank from the novelty buttons so that the novelty button lays flat on the wood. Lay out the design, layering the wood shapes and arranging the buttons on the shapes to decide on your design.

Laura Kelly Hand Dyed ButtonsFor my Halloween Napkin Rings, I used Laura Kelly hand dyed buttons in Smoke and Outrageous Orange.

Label shapesSince you will be working with so many shapes and colors, it is helpful to label your shapes with the first initial so you will know what color to paint it.

melony 041 (1024x701) - CopyPaint your shapes front and back, using two coats.

Stamped shape (768x1024)Layer your shapes and glue them together. Dry brush white paint on the bottom of the top shape. Use the alphabet stamps and ink to stamp the shapes. Glue the novelty button to the center of the shape.

buttons on shapeI also added some 9mm acrylic rhinestones to some of the buttons.

Burlap strips for Halloween Napkin RingsCut some burlap into strips and use the sewing machine, thread and a zig zag stitch to sew the edges of the strips to prevent fraying.

glue strips to back of shapes (1024x611) - Copy

Glue the shapes to the center of each burlap strip and let dry.

sew buttons on burlap (1024x768)Sew buttons onto the burlap strips. I used orange, purple, green and black from the Laura Kelly Hand Dyed Buttons collection.

Laura Kelly hand dyed buttons 2 (1024x733)

Once you sew on the buttons, use the center button to sew closed the burlap strip, creating a napkin ring.

Sew on buttons 2 (769x1024) - CopyCreate a set of these Halloween Napkin Rings to adorn a scary table setting using buttons!

Halloween Napkin RingsLive Life Creatively,

 

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Fall Thank You Card

I have had a lot of fun playing with my Silhouette, and I came up with this fun design for a Fall Thank You Card.

Fall Thank You Card #buttonsgalore #silhouette

 

 

Fall is a wonderful time of the year to remember to say thank you.  I’m surprised at the number of people I know that enjoy making cards, but don’t send them to anyone. I challenge you to send a thank you card to someone this week. It feels good to be appreciated. Thank a mail man, a coach, the girl that bags your groceries, someone at church, anyone!

Don’t let me forget to thank you, for stopping by, and for being a part of my journey.

thank you words

“Hem your blessings with thankfulness, so they don’t unravel.”

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Supplies to create Fall Thank You Card

rustic coconut shell buttons, buttons galore and more

Rustic Coconut Shell Buttons

One large Rustic Coconut Shell Button
Baby Bling – Want2Scrap
Patterned Paper – Doodlebug Design; Cardstock – DiscountCardstock.com
Twine – My Mind’s Eye
Adhesive – Tacky Glue, Ultra Thin Glue Dot

Other – Silhouette Cameo, Design Studio Software, Font – PtSans

If you would like the file to cut your own card, please contact me through the contact form on my blog at My Card Party. Sorry, but this file is ONLY for the Silhouette.

Thanks again for joining me today,

Allie

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Pumpkin Pillow Wrap

finished pillow wrap 1Its October! Time to think about refreshing your indoor decor with all things fall, spicy and harvest. One of the easiest ways to have found to give my decor a facelift is with pillows. Still easier pillow wraps! This easy to make pumpkin pillow wrap will have whet your appetite for making pillow wraps for every season. With an all seasons color like green, you can make pillow wraps for Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. Here is my Autumnal version. Creating the pillow cover from scratch requires basic sewing experience but you can use a purchased pillow already covered and add your Pumpkin Pillow Wrap to it.

Materials and Supplies

Square Pillow form in a size of your choice

Two green fabric squares that match your pillow form size plus 1/2″ seam allowance on all sides

Enough white felt to wrap around the pillow form snugly

Laura Kelly Hand dyed buttons from Buttons Galore and More in Outrageous Orange and Bold Brown

DMC Color Infusions Memory Thread in Light Green

Self adhesive Velcro Strips in White

Hand sewing needle and thread in white and light green

Brown embroidery thread (6-ply), embroidery needle

Scalloped edged scissors, rotary cutter and self-healing mat, scissors, sewing machine and thread, fabric marking pen

Cutting out the felt for the pillow wrapillow wrap (1024x768) - CopyFirst, cut out the felt using the rotary cutter and mat. Trim the edges with the scalloped edged scissors. This will give your felt nice clean ornate edges that don’t have to be sewn.

Draw a circle on the pillow wrap Use the fabric marker to trace a circle in the size of your choice. Remember that you will be sewing the hand dyed buttons to fill the entire circle so plan accordingly. Thread your needle and start the sewing the buttons on to create the pumpkin by pulling the thread from the back to the front. Just like you would sew on a button.

Continue sewing pillow wrapContinue to fill in the traced circle, using the traced lines at a guide to make your pumpkin. Use the smaller buttons in the package to fill in the smaller gaps.

completed circle of buttons (1024x768) - CopyFinally, a complete circle of hand dyed buttons on your pillow wrap that we will now add details to resemble a pumpkin!

Add a button stem (768x1024) - CopyUse some brown buttons (2 or 3) depending on the size of your pumpkin to create a stem.

DMC color infusionsTo create vines, I used Color Infusions Memory Thread by DMC in a light green. This can either can glued down or couched down with coordinating thread and a hand sewing needle. I find the couching down method to yield a neater and less messy result.

Embroidery stitches

Thread your embroidery needle with three strands of the 6-ply brown embroidery thread. Use the fabric marker to write a sentiment onto the Pumpkin Pillow Wrap just under the pumpkin and back-stitch the sentiment.

iron fabric for pillow coverIron your squares of fabric for the pillow cover front and back. Place the right sides together and machine stitch the left, top and right sides together using a 1″ seam allowance. Leave the bottom of the pillow open for turning and stuffing with the pillow form. Steam the seams open with the iron set on a steam setting and turn right sides out. Iron again and insert the pillow form into the bottom.

insert pillow formSew the bottom of the pillow closed using a whip stitch, the hand sewing needle and thread.

whip stitch 1

whip stitch 2Add a strip of Velcro to the back of your Pumpkin Pillow Wrap as a quick and easy enclosure. I opted for the self adhesive version the sew on version will work as well.

Velcro Now you have a Pumpkin Pillow Wrap that will not only be adorable for the Fall season, but it can be switched out seasonally very easily. Thanks for letting me share. Happy sewing!

Live Life Creatively,

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DIY T-Shirt Pumpkin Decor

Last week we made autumn scarves out of t-shirts (that we stole from Daddy’s drawer) using Rit Dye and we had a bunch of leftover scraps.  Not being able to bear throwing away such beautifully dyed fabric, I decided to stitch up a DIY pumpkin and see how it would turn out for Halloween decor.  It took less than 15 minutes and I think it is quite adorable and will make for some fun decorating.

Easy To Make T-Shirt Pumpkin

pumpkinlove

I matched up the fabric and drew on the top the shape of a little pumpkin.  Then I cut the shapes out at the same time so they would match up for stitching.  I stitched around the outside and stuffed the guts with a grocery bag.  I love to use recycled items when I am crafting.  I stitched on a two button stem (using Laura Kelly Bold Brown buttons) which I think really puts the mini decor into the “cute as a button” category.  Now I want to make about 5 more because they look like they are growing on the vines when I put them outdoors.

TshirtPumpkin

I also really like the way it looks outside on the fairy wall in the back yard.  Maybe I will spray it with the stuff I use to waterproof my boots and leave it out to see how long it makes it in the weather.  I think that a bunch of them around the fairy wall would be really fun and magical over the next few weeks.

TShirtPumpkinWall

I used the white scraps from the t-shirts too to make…a ghost of course.  I am sharing that project on my blog today.

ButtonGhost

Happy Fifteen MINUTE Crafting,

Laura

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Seasonal Button Necklace

There is nothing simpler than stringing buttons, so why not make a Seasonal Button Necklace?

This is is a simple statement piece, and one you can change out year round.

button jewelry, button charms, fall necklace, seasonal button necklace

 Some people hear craft, or DIY, and cringe. Pretty pieces do not have to be complicated, or expensive. This month I’m making several pieces that are very inexpensive, and assembled with just some basic pliers and or glue.

Grab a friend, get some buttons, and let’s make some fun things to wear. At the end of the season, repurpose them! Easy peasy.

I’m using some really fun assortments that just say pumpkins and spice and everything nice!

Great Buttons for your  Seasonal Button Necklace:

black buttons

Black Beauty

brown buttons

Cappucino Grab Bag

Orange Buttons

Sunrise Assortment

Additional supplies:

You’ll need some chain, jump rings, and pliers.

 

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Buttons and Brads Layout

It’s hard to pinpoint where my inspiration for this sweet and pretty Buttons and Brads layout started. It could have been the sweet smile from my niece in the photo. It could have been the bubbles and Rit Dyes background that I created. It could have been how well the patterned papers and the Buttons and Brads coordinated together. Either way this Buttons and Brads layout is just too cute!

In this post I will give you some tips and tricks on how to create one for yourself.

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I started with a plain piece of white cardstock. I actually had 4 sheets of white cardstock out on my back deck. I added liquid dyes by Rit to regular bubbles. It’s trial and error to find the perfect mixture. Too little and the color won’t be dark enough. Too much and the bubbles will no longer form correctly.

Then I just blew bubbles and tried my best to have them land on the white cardstock I had spread out. When they land and burst, they created a really great splatter design.

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I had chosen dye colors to match the patterns I wanted to use. The patterns were chosen for how well they coordinated with the photo that I wanted to use.

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Here is what I used to create the Buttons and Brads layout:

  • Simple Stories Patterned Papers
  • 1″, 1&3/4″, and 3″ Circle Punch by EK Success
  • Rit Liquid Dyes and bubbles
  • Silver Brads
  • Amy Tangerine Teal Letter Stickers
  • Pearl Embellishments

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I simply added the pearls, Buttons and Brads around the large circles.

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Thank you for stopping by and I hope you’ve been inspired to get out some Buttons and Brads and get crafty.
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BRAND NEW 3D HALLOWEEN BUTTONS

 

This button line is HOT!!!. Add a special touch to your Halloween cards, crafts, decorations or clothing by simply embellishing with these unique 3D Halloween buttons. Best of all, you can save 20% for a very limited time. EnterCode 20HAL. Offer ends October 11, 2013.

 www.buttonsgaloreandmore.com

 

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Button and Felt Halloween Wreath

Halloween Wreath

I’m not into the traditional, spooky look of typical Halloween décor.  I like cute and cute means buttons and felt.  I created this Halloween wreath with that in mind.  I love how the black and white reminds me striped witch’s stockings!

Supplies

  • 10″ Styrofoam wreath
  • Black and white felt, cut into 8″ x 2″ strips
  • Orange felt
  • Black buttons
  • Glue
  • Flower shaped die and die cutting machine.  (optional)

Instructions to make a button and felt Halloween wreath

  1. Wrap the black and white strips of felt around the wreath, alternating between the black and white felt. Glue into place.
  2. Die cut flower & leave shapes from white, black, and orange felt.  If you don’t have a die cut machine, simply cut the shapes by hand.
  3. Glue the flowers and leaves onto the wreath.

Halloween Wreath Close-Up

4. Glue buttons into center of flowers.  Tip: If you want the flower centers to have little extra pop, slide white-topped pins into the button holes.  So cute!

Thanks for crafting a cute Halloween with me today!  For my holiday inspiration, visit my blog at Laura Bray Designs

Business Card Logo in Black copy.

 

 

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Missing You Card

Summer is full of friends and fun, and I already miss mine, so I made a clean and simple Missing You Card. I can’t believe that Fall is here, and I’m missing Summer well … like crazy!

Missing You Card

 

Supplies for Missing You Card:

Instructions:

  1. Cut a 4.25 x 11″ piece from Colonial White Cardstock and fold from top to bottom. Round bottom corners with Corner Rounder
  2. Stamp desired sentiment using Coffee House ink.
  3. Cut Leaning Sunflowers pieces in appropriate colors and assemble using Premium Craft Glue. Adhere to card base.
  4. Add buttons to the centers of each sunflower using Glue Dots.

 

 

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Button Pumpkins Fall Craft

My button pumpkins are the perfect fall craft.   They are quick and easy to make plus make a fun little addition to any of your fall decor.  Grab some buttons and lets make some pumpkins.

Button Pumpkins -- make your own DIY craft pumpkins from just buttons and glue.  Learn how to with this tutorial.

Button Pumpkins Supplies

  • buttons (orange is required but green is optional)
  • green twine (if you don’t have green buttons)
  • hot glue

Yes that is it!

Button Pumpkins -- make your own DIY craft pumpkins from just buttons and glue.  Learn how to with this tutorial.

Button Pumpkins Instructions

Sort your orange buttons and find some that are various sizes.  When stacked they should be sphere shaped.  Hot glue the buttons together.

Button Pumpkins -- make your own DIY craft pumpkins from just buttons and glue.  Learn how to with this tutorial.

If you have some green buttons, find two mini sized ones that are the same size.  Hot glue those on top.

Button Pumpkins -- make your own DIY craft pumpkins from just buttons and glue.  Learn how to with this tutorial.

No green buttons?  Hot glue a couple of orange buttons on top that are mini size.

Button Pumpkins -- make your own DIY craft pumpkins from just buttons and glue.  Learn how to with this tutorial.

Then use hot glue and the green twine to wrap those two buttons for a stem.

Button Pumpkins -- make your own DIY craft pumpkins from just buttons and glue.  Learn how to with this tutorial.

You can have an entire field full of these mini button pumpkins in no time at all.  Use them in your fall decor or to give out as party favors.  This is also a great craft to do with older kids (be careful with the hot glue!).  Who doesn’t want some little button pumpkins?

Button Pumpkins -- make your own DIY craft pumpkins from just buttons and glue.  Learn how to with this tutorial.

 

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Halloween Jewelry – Spider Pendant

Use buttons to accent this fun Spider Pendant.

Along came a spider …

Let’s jazz up your Halloween Jewelry!

spider necklace, button jewelry, halloween jewelry, spider pendant

I’m using buttons from a few collections today. This idea could easily work for any occasion with a quick change of charms and button selections. Buttons Galore has buttons for just about EVERY occasion, from bats to baseballs, and everything in between.

This month, we’re all about Halloween and Fall.

Great Buttons for your  Spider Pendant:

black buttons

Black Beauty

brown buttons

Cappucino Grab Bag

Orange Buttons

Sunrise Assortment

Additional supplies:

You’ll need some chain, jump rings, and pliers.

 

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Button Bats

Bats are definitely not cute in my opinion but Button Bats are!  Especially when there made “spooky cute” using Buttons Galore Haberdashery Buttons.

button bats

 

These bats are simple to make and can be a fun addition to any Halloween decor.

 

how to make button bats

How to make button bats:

  1. Cut Bat using a template or cut file.
  2. Thread black and white twine through Haberdashery buttons.
  3. Adhere various buttons to center of bat using Ultra Thin Glue Dots.
  4.  Add faux stitching around bat using white gel pen.

 

BGMbats3

Supplies Used to Make Button Bats:

 

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A BOOtiful Halloween Banner

Do you have an upcoming Halloween Party that could use a BOOtiful Halloween Banner?

Or maybe you would just like to add some flair to your home for all those cute little Trick or Treaters. A Halloween Banner is easy to make and can make all the difference in your holiday decor. This BOOtiful Halloween Banner is created using paper crafting supplies that you probably already have.

I generally start with a solid base for my banners. This BOOtiful Halloween Banner has a chipboard base that is covered in white cardstock.

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Here is what I used to create this BOOtiful Halloween Banner:

 

When I create anything that may have some wear and tear. I make sure that I use the proper adhesives. For projects like this BOOtiful Halloween Banner, there is nothing better than Glue Dots to keep everything exactly where you want it.


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Thank you for stopping by and I hope your Halloween is filled with fun, candy and maybe even a BOOtiful Halloween Banner.

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Spooky Spider Popcorn Trick-Or-Treat Box

EEEK!  It’s a great big SPOOKY Spider.  No wait, it’s just a popcorn box in disguise.  This Halloween treat box is a creation that I made for the Halloween Movie Popcorn Box Party Hop.

PCB_ButtonsGalore

There are more than 30 popcorn boxes in this blog hop party that have been transformed into creations for Halloween.  Lots of them use buttons from Buttons Galore as each of the designers was provided with a little package of Halloween colored ones from Laura Kelly’s collection.

Materials used for Spooky Spider:

PopcornBlogHop_Badge

Directions for the Spooky Spider:

I painted this one with Plaid’s Folk Art paint (Multi Surface Licorice) and then embellished with wires for legs and Laura Kelly’s Black Beauty buttons for feet and eyes.  To get the wire into the sides, I poked holes with a sharp screw in hook.  To fill it up and make it yummy, I added a mixture of popcorn that I shook up in chocolate and black sugar.  I also added in some chocolate covered cherry Jelly Bellies to make it a little more fun.

PCB_SpiderSteps

Check out the many other fabulous projects.  Lots of them were done by our awesome Buttons Galore design team members and others by creative designers, artists, and bloggers.

Happy Popping Around,

Laura

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Button Pumpkin

How about a Button Pumpkin for your door? This will be fun to do with the kids.

I used Hot Glue, but the kids could easily use a Craft Glue or Glue Dots.

Button Pumpkin

Supplies for Making Button Pumpkin:

Instructions:

  1. Cut paper pieces for pumpkin. Lightly trace center of pumpkin as a guideline. 
  2. Place buttons on bottom half – the outer edges, and glue into place. Add small buttons on top of other buttons for added interest and to hide some of the paper.
  3. Create the center panel. Adhere buttons. Attach to pumpkin using dimensional foam tape – you may need a few layers.
  4. Add stem and leaf. Draw “veins” on leaf and shade to add interest.

Project Note:

If you do use hot glue and you have a lot of strands of glue and messy areas, just hit them with a hair dryer or heat embossing tool – they’ll melt away – easy peasy. If you do not have an electronic cutter, print one offline onto cardstock or trace, or be brave and draw one by hand.

Enjoy. Happy Fall Y’all!

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Monster Mash Halloween Card

Paper crafting can be fun and easy with novelty buttons.  A few pieces of paper and a sentiment to convey your message, ribbon, a touch of buttons and VIOLA!  A quick, cute and simple card you made yourselfHalloween button card

Material for Monster Mash Halloween Card:

Stay tuned for the next card in this series.  It is equally as cute and just as simple as this one to make.  Check out the website for sales on the buttons.

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wooden pumpkin crafts – DIY a Photo Frame

PumpkinFrameF

Wooden pumpkin crafts are great for autumnal home decor.  I created a whole patch of pumpkins for display in my home.  I am in love with the pumpkin frame and the way it stands out in the patch.  I guess it is partially due to the adorable photograph I placed in the frame .  It is my oldest son and the photo is from 14 years ago, but I really do think the frame is adorable too.

WoodenPumpkins

Materials for Wooden Pumpkin crafts:

  •  The frame is from the dollar section in your local craft store.
  •  Rit Dye in two colors (Tangerine and Apple Green) liquid or powder
  •  Burlap trim, fabric scrap and rosette
  • AdTech Hot glue gun and glue sticks
  • Covered working area, rubber gloves and sand paper

 

FrameTrims

Directions to make the Wooden Pumpkin Crafts:

  1. Sand any rough surfaces.  Dust off any excess.  Dip dye the wooden frame in Rit Tangerine dye.  Allow the frame to dry completely on a covered surface.
  2. Dip dye the  trims in Apple Green Rit dye.  Allow trim to dry completely.   Use  the  hot glue to attach the trim around the frame to create a band.  Attach the fabric scrap strips as the leaves and tendrils on the top of the frame.
  3. Using the hot glue gun, create a stack of brown buttons to resemble a stem.

 

DyeingMaterials

I created a button stack for a stem with my Laura Kelly Bold Brown buttons and love the way the stem turned out.

Stem created with buttons dyed buttons for fall craft wooden pumpkin crafts

To find out more about making a whole patch of wooden pumpkin crafts, visit my blog post today.

Happy Decorating for Halloween,

Laura

 

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Flower Button Pendant

Quick and Simple Flower Button Pendant

Some buttons are just too cute to pass up. Enjoy your favorites by wearing them. Simply make a Flower Button Pendant … or whatever shape your favorite button is!

flower button pendant

Some of the Bulk Buttons have a really fun assortment, and I found this pretty flower shaped button and thought it would make such a cute pendant.

I looped wire through the button holes and then wrapped to create a loop at the top. I adhered a rhinestone using Beacon’s 3-in-1 Adhesive.

These would be so fun to make with girls, and inexpensive, too!

Supplies for Flower Button Pendant

 

Thanks for joining me today.

See more of my creations at My Card Party.

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Walnut Hollow Wall Art

Walnut Hollow Wall Art

Allie here today making some Walnut Hollow Wall Art. This is really not hard, so colorful, and a lot of fun.

Walnut Hollow Wall Art

Supplies for my Walnut Hollow Wall Art:

  • Sweet Blush Buttons
  • Garden Bug Buttons
  • Board – Walnut Hollow
  • Bulk Bling – Want2Scrap
  • Fucschia Dye – Rit Dye
  • Crossword Puzzle Paper, Stickers and Vintage Cards – October Afternoon
  • Flowers – some are handmade using Spellbinders, additional flowers from Wild Orchid
  • Adhesives – Glue Dots, Adtech Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks, Plaid (Mod Podge)
  • Dies – Spellbinders, My Favorite Things, and Heartfelt Creations, Silhouette
  • Other – decorative napkin, coffee filters (for handmade flowers)

Instructions

  1. Decoupage a napkin onto the board and seal with Mod Podge.
  2. Cut main mat (Silhouette), flourish (Heartfelt Creations – Belle Rose Collection), tabs (My Favorite Things) and flowers (Spellbinders).
  3. Assemble large flower and add Sweet Blush Button center and Garden Bug accent. Assemble smaller flower (this flower was dyed with Rit Dye in Fuschia) and add Silver/Clear Bulk Bling Rhinestone.
  4. Add vintage cards and other paper embellishments. (Note – I doodled along the edges of some of these pieces.)
  5. Decorate edges with Bling.
  6. Add a sentiment using stickers. I chose a line from an Emily Dickinson poem. Note, stickers don’t stick well to the mod podge surface, so you may want to reinforce with adhesive.

Note – I lined the back of board with matching paper so that the crossword pattern would show through where the bird cutout is.

Thanks for joining me today.

See more of my creations at My Card Party.

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Rustic Pallet Wall Art

Completed project (873x1024)The Autumnal Equinox officially starts September 22nd, 2013. It’s time to start thinking of all of the decorative projects you will be making to usher in this transitional season. How about making some Rustic Pallet Wall Art?

Materials for Rustic Pallet Wall Art

Walnut Hollow’s 14″ x 12″ Rustic Pallet

DecoArt Americana Acrylics in Espresso and Buttermilk

Fabric Scraps, wool felt scraps

Buttons Galore and More Laura Kelly Hand Dyed Buttons

Rub on sentiment

Wax candle, sanding block, sewing machine and thread, hand sewing needle and thread, tacky glue

Taking notice of the recycled wood pallet craze, Walnut Hollow recently introduced their new line of rustic pallets. I have to honestly say that I am super excited about all the cool possibilities for this line. Walnut Hollow came up all kinds of fun ideas for this line. These products can be ordered directly from Walnut Hollow’s website. By the end of December, you will be able to purchase them in Joann’s Fabrics and Crafts and in AC Moore in January.

24" x 12" Pallet

24″ x 12″ Pallet

 

Rustic Arrow Pallet

Rustic Arrow Pallet

 

Paneled Wood Clock

Paneled Wood Clock

 

These are just a few examples of the yummy surfaces offered in this product line. For this Rustic Pallet Wall Art project, I used the 14″ x 11″ rustic pallet.

pallet painted brown (768x1024)

First I used DecoArt’s Americana Acrylics in Espresso to paint the front this brown shade. I waxed the surface once the pallet was dry in random areas and painted the surface Buttermilk.

painted and waxed pallet (818x1024)

Once I painted the entire surface of the pallet, I sanded the surface to reveal the distressed finish. Areas where the wax was applied will rub away easily resulting in a chippy looking finish. This technique also works well with Vaseline but the effect is a little more dramatic.

Fabric Scrap circles and buttons

One of my favorite things to do with my leftover fabric and felt scraps is to create different sized circles and fuse the fabric circles to the wool felt circles. I use my sewing machine to play with the various stitches by sewing around the edge of the fabric to hold it in place on the felt. A button, sewn  in the center makes the look complete. These are some of my favorite. I love the Laura Kelly Hand Dyed Buttons from Buttons Galore and More!

Arrange circles (976x1024) (2)

Use tacky glue to adhere the circles to the rustic pallet. Arrange an outer circle first, leaving a gap at the bottom so you can paint on a simple tree truck with the espresso brown paint.

Rub on sentiments (768x1024)

I finished the rustic pallet wall art with a couple of rub on sentiments to celebrate Autumn. This is wall art that you can display from the end of September into Thanksgiving before the holiday decorations go up! If you are not a huge fan of inside seasonal décor, use colors to coordinate with your home décor and a general sentiment instead. Then you can display it all year long!

Completed project (873x1024)Happy Autumn (soon),

Live Life Creatively,

Melony

 

 

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Sweet Rubber Band Bracelets

Rubber band bracelets are all the rage with kids these days.  Some crafters use a special loom to create the bracelets, but you can also use your fingers and  some super cute novelty buttons to create a closure for your bracelet. This is definitely a kid-approved project as my daughter was wildly impressed that she could now make rubber band bracelets that stood out from the crowd.

Make a Sweet RUbber Band Bracelet with Buttons Galore & Laura Bray

Supplies for Rubber Band Bracelets:

  • Bands in colors of your choice.  You can buy packs of the bands at your local craft store, or just use hair bands.
  • Novelty buttons.  For my sweet set, I used the Sweet Delights collection.

Rubber Band Bracelet

Instructions:

1.  With your fingers, squeeze one of the bands in half and thread it through the shank of your button.

 

2. Squeeze another band in half and weave it through the loops of the band that you pushed through your button.

Make a Sweet RUbber Band Bracelet with Buttons Galore & Laura Bray

3. Continue weaving your bands together until you get the length you want.  Don’t forget the bands stretch!

4. When you get to the end of your band, take the two last two loops and wrap it over the button.

Step 3

Thanks for crafting with me today!  For more crafts, lifestyle tips, and button projects, visit me on my blog at Laura Bray Designs.

 

Visit Laura Bray Designs at www.laurabraydesigns.com

 

 

 

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Fall Bear Card

I have had such fun looking at Fall papers and designs, and fell in love with this Fall Bear and decided to paper piece with buttons to make a Fall Bear Card.

Fall Bear Card

 

 

Supplies for making Fall Bear card:

 Instructions:

  1. Prepare a card base – 4.25×5.5 from Green Cardstock.
  2. Create a panel with patterned paper from Doodlebug Design. Wrap Bo Bunny dotted ribbon around this panel and attach panel to card base.
  3. Cut and prepare pieces. Assemble and adhere to card.
  4. Add Apple from “Off to School” assortment, “Micro Buttons” for the Eyes and tie some twine through the  “Heart of Color” button for the Bow.

 

2

Peeps Halloween Countdown

Kids LOVE to know when they’re getting there, when their birthday is, how many days til their favorite holiday. Let them help you make a Peeps Halloween Countdown!

Me and My Peeps Halloween Countdown

 

Supplies for Peeps Halloween Countdown:

Instructions:

  1. Paint wood plank with orange paint. Let dry.
  2. Create a frame using Washi Tape. Miter the edges for a clean, neat look.
  3. Apply Peeps sticker and use a Sharpie Marker to doodle your title.
  4. Glue clip to board. Decorate tags with ribbon and buttons. Use a Sharpie to doodle the number of days on your tags to mark down the days til Halloween.
  5. Add ribbon to Blank Craft Shape and decorate with Laura Kelly Buttons.
2

Halloween Wreath for ScrapFest 2013

Allie Gower shows you how easy it is to Create a Halloween Wreath using the Halloween Button Assortment, an Archiver’s Exclusive.

ScrapFest – Halloween Wreath

Buttons Galore is heading to Archivers Mall of America for ScrapFest 2013.

Join us for fun make and takes each day of ScrapFest.

 Create a Halloween Wreath using Halloween Buttons.

 

 Supplies for ScrapFest – Halloween Wreath

Directions for Creating Halloween Wreath

  1. Paint wreath and allow to dry.
  2. Glue on ribbon and assorted buttons.
  3. Add accents with white ink.
  4. Gently apply heat to ribbon to make it “melt” for a brief period of time using a Heat Embossing Tool.

Please note that many of these supplies used to make the ScrapFest projects are readily available in your local Archivers, and many of them are available in the Archiver’s Annex Online.

Projects will be on display in the Archiver’s at the Mall of America.

See more of Allie’s work at her blog, My Card Party.

2

ScrapFest – Welcome Baby Girl Purse Card

Allie Gower has created a Welcome Baby Girl Purse Card using the It’s a Girl Button Assortment, an Archiver’s Exclusive.

ScrapFest – Welcome Baby Girl Purse Card

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Buttons Galore is heading to Archivers Mall of America for ScrapFest 2013.

Join us for fun make and takes each day of ScrapFest.

Use It's a Girl Buttons to create a Welcome Baby Girl Purse Card.

Supplies for  Welcome Baby Girl Purse Card

  • It’s a Girl Buttons, Archiver’s Exclusive
  • Fl0wer – K & Company
  • Cardstock – Bazzill
  • Patterned Paper – Doodlebug Design
  • Lori Whitlock’s Purse Card – Silhouette Online Store
  • Adhesive – Scott Craft Glue, Glue Dots

Instructions

  1. Die cut card parts from cardstock and Doodlebug Design Paper (Sugar & Spice) and assemble using Scott Craft Glue.
  2. Add K & Company Flower.
  3. Adhere It’s a Girl Buttons with Glue Dots.

Please note that all of these supplies used to make the ScrapFest projects are readily available in your local Archivers, and many of them are available in the Archiver’s Annex Online. Projects will be on display in the Archiver’s at the Mall of America.

See more of Allie’s work at her blog, My Card Party.

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ScrapFest Samples – Boy Button Magnets

Allie Gower has created quick and easy Boy Button Magnets using the Boy Button Assortment, an Archiver’s Exclusive.

ScrapFest – Boy Button Magnets

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Buttons Galore is heading to Archivers Mall of America for ScrapFest 2013.

Join us for fun make and takes each day of ScrapFest.

Create Boy Button Magnets using the Buttons Galore and More BOYS assortment, an Archiver's Exclusive!

Supplies for Boy Button Magnets

  • Boy Buttons, an Archiver Exclusive
  • Magnets (local craft and hobby supply)
  • AdTech Hot Glue

Instructions

This couldn’t be easier, simply cut the shanks off the backs of the buttons and glue to a magnet. Kids will love these on the fridge, or use on a metal tin for playing games, or even on chore charts.

(magnets shown on a Maya Road Jumbo Bottle Cap)

Please note that all of these supplies used to make the ScrapFest projects are readily available in your local Archivers, and many of them are available in the Archiver’s Annex Online. Projects will be on display in the Archiver’s at the Mall of America.

See more of Allie’s work at her blog, My Card Party.

1

ScrapFest Samples – Creating a fun Birthday Card

Allie Gower has created a fun and happy Birthday Card using the Birthday Button Assortment, an Archiver’s Exclusive.

ScrapFest – Birthday Card Sample

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Buttons Galore is heading to Archivers Mall of America for ScrapFest 2013.

Join us for fun make and takes each day of ScrapFest.

Create a Birthday Card using the Birthday Button Assortment.

 Supplies for ScrapFest – Birthday Card

  • Birthday Assortment – an Archiver’s Exclusive
  • Cardstock – Bazzill
  • Embossing Folder – Cuttlebug
  • Embroidery Thread – We R Memory Keepers
  • Sketch SentimentsHippo – Silhouette Online Store
  • Tim Holtz Tumbled Glass Distress ink
  • Inkessentials Blending Foam Tool
  • Adhesive – iCraft Adhesive Tape, Scotch Dimensional Foam Adhesive, Scotch Craft Glue, Glue Dots

Directions for Creating Card

  1. Create a card base, 4.25×5.5.
  2. Cut a mat 4×5.25″ from light blue cardstock. Emboss using Cuttlebug Folder. Ink lightly using Tim Holtz Tumbled Glass Distress ink and an Inkessentials Blending Foam Tool. Adhere to card.
  3. Create Happy Birthday using Lori Whitlock 3D Sketch Sentiments. Simple replace your blade with a Blue Silhouette Pen. Adhere to card. Cut pennant and nested pennant. Ink nested pennant with Tim Holtz Tumbled Glass Distress ink. Adhere nested pennant to card with iCraft Adhesive Tape. Attach sentiment pennant with Scotch Dimensional Foam Tape.
  4. Cut Hippo. Assemble using Scotch Craft Glue and adhere to card.
  5. Create a slip knot using embroidery thread and attach to each of the balloons. Gather together with additional thread and tie a bow. To adhere to card, place a Glue Dot behind each balloon and the bow.

(Project Note – if you are using Glitter Pens, allow time for Sentiment to dry, as some smearing may occur if the ink is not dry.)

Please note that many of these supplies used to make the ScrapFest projects are readily available in your local Archivers, and many of them are available in the Archiver’s Annex Online.

Projects will be on display in the Archiver’s at the Mall of America.

See more of Allie’s work at her blog, My Card Party.

2

ScrapFest – Jumbo Baseball Bottle Cap

Allie Gower has created a fun Jumbo Baseball Bottle Cap using the Baseball Button Assortment, an Archiver’s Exclusive.

ScrapFest – Jumbo Baseball Bottle Cap

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Buttons Galore is heading to Archivers Mall of America for ScrapFest 2013.

Join us for fun make and takes each day of ScrapFest.

Create a fun Baseball themed embellishment with Baseball Buttons.

 Supplies for Jumbo Baseball Bottle Cap:

  • Baseball Buttons, an Archiver’s Exclusive
  • Bottle Cap – Maya Road
  • Baseball, Number and Killebrew created using the Silhouette Design Software
  • Adhesive – Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive, Glue Dots

Instructions

  1. Die cut pieces. Assemble using Craft Glue. Adhere baseball to bottle cap and add number and “Killebrew” on top. Let adhesive set up.
  2. Add baseball and bat buttons using Hot Glue or Glue Dots.

Project note – Add a pin back so you can wear this, or add a magnet to the back and honor your favorite player on the fridge!

Please note that all of these supplies used to make the ScrapFest projects are readily available in your local Archivers, and many of them are available in the Archiver’s Annex Online. Projects will be on display in the Archiver’s at the Mall of America.

See more of Allie’s work at her blog, My Card Party.

2

ScrapFest – Boy Candy Bar Congratulations

Allie Gower has created a Boy Candy Bar Congratulations using the It’s a Boy Button Assortment, an Archiver’s Exclusive.

ScrapFest – Boy Candy Bar Congratulations Sample

Buttons Galore is heading to Archivers Mall of America for ScrapFest 2013.

Join us for fun make and takes each day of ScrapFest.

Candy Bar Wrapper, Paper Crafts, Baby Boy Congratulations

Supplies for Boy Candy Bar Congratulations

  • It’s a Boy Buttons, Archivers Exclusive
  • Paper – Doodlebug Design
  • 3 Sketch Sentiments – Pens, Lori Whitlock Sketch Font and Banners
  • Copic Markers
  • Adhesive – AdTech Hot Glue and Thermoweb iCraft Tape, Dimensional Foam Tape
  • Other – candy bar (candy bar used was a Heath Bar)

Instructions

  1. Cut patterned paper to fit around candy bar. Wrap candy bar in chosen Doodlebug Design patterned paper. Adhere with iCraft Tape.
  2. Die cut pennants and assemble, placing top layer on nested pennant with dimensional foam tape.
  3. Hot glue It’s a Boy Buttons.

Project Note – 3 Sketch Sentiments was edited to read CONGRATS. Bottom pennant was hand colored to match using Copic Markers.

Please note that all of these supplies used to make the ScrapFest projects are readily available in your local Archivers, and many of them are available in the Archiver’s Annex Online. Projects will be on display in the Archiver’s at the Mall of America.

See more of Allie’s work at her blog, My Card Party.

0

ScrapFest Samples – Create a Disney Style Embellishment

Allie Gower has created a fun and happy Disney Style Embellishment using the Vacation Button Assortment, an Archiver’s Exclusive.

ScrapFest – Disney Style Embellishment Sample

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Buttons Galore is heading to Archivers Mall of America for ScrapFest 2013.

Join us for fun make and takes each day of ScrapFest.

Create a Disney Style Embellishment for your Scrapbook page with Vacation Buttons.

Supplies for ScrapFest – Disney Style Embellishment

  • Vacation Assortment – Archiver’s Exclusive
  • Cardstock  – Archiver’s
  • Wish Ticket – Silhouette Online Store – adapted to include a mat and mouse ears
  • Adhesive – Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive

Directions for Creating Card

  1. Modify Wish Ticket and cut all appropriate pieces. Assemble.
  2. Add Vacation Assortment buttons.

Please note that all of these supplies used to make the ScrapFest projects are readily available in your local Archivers, and many of them are available in the Archiver’s Annex Online. Projects will be on display in the Archiver’s at the Mall of America.

See more of Allie’s work at her blog, My Card Party.

0

Button pumpkin onesie – Baby’s First Halloween

Pumpkin Onesie

Babies are so adorable when they are dressed to celebrate the holidays.  This pumpkin onesie creation for Halloween is super cute as well as quick and easy.

ButtonPumpkinOnesie

Directions to make the pumpkin onesie:

All you need is a onesie, embroidery floss and a large Outrageous Orange button .  If you want to put your pumpkin on a green onesie and you can’t find one, you can dye one.  That is what I did first.  I used Rit Dye’s Apple Green and tie dyed it in a mason jar.

 Button Pumpkin Onesie

It is best to embroider the stem and vines first and then add your button.  My favorite floss is embroidery floss by Coats and Clark!  I think the little pumpkin is just simply so adorable. So make your little pumpkin a onesie today.

ButtonPumpkin

Happy Pumpkins, Buttons and Stitching,

Laura

Pumpkin Onesie Bottom

 

 

0

Gift Packaging Idea

Completed Box 1 (1024x768)

 Are you looking for a creative gift packaging idea? A fantastic gift packaging idea can be very important because the recipient often judges the inside of the gift packaging but what he/she sees on the outside!

I love buttons. I love to create with them and I love to give a little of my excess stash away as gifts. I have used mason jars, baby food jars and other containers to give a gift of buttons. Searching for yet other ways for gift packaging ideas, I ran across this cute sliding drawer box from Sizzix. Used with their Little Sizzles Matboard, the die creates a sturdy little box to present a gift of buttons.

Materials for gift packaging idea:

Sizzix Sliding Candy Jar Gift Box

Sizzix BigShot Die Cutting Machine

Sizzix Little Sizzles Matboard

Sizzix Bigz Die Tattered Florals

Susiebee Studios Patterned Papers

DecoArt Americana Acrylics in Tuscan Red and Boysenberry Pink

Beacon Adhesives Fast Finish Decoupage and Premium Tacky Glue

Buttons Galore and More Assorted Buttons

Sizzix products (768x1024)

To create this gift packaging idea, I used my Sizzix BigShot die cut machine to cut the box pieces from the matboard. There are visual instructions included with the die but the box was very easy to construct.

die cut peices and instructions (1024x768)

The matboard is great because it accepts paint very well. I painted this box using DecoArt’s Americana Acrylics in Tuscan Red.

DecoArt Tuscan Red (1024x768)

cut papers susiebee studios (768x1024)

I also cut patterned papers from SusieBee Studios to fit the sides and top of the box.

decoupage box (1024x734)

Patterned papers can be decoupaged using Fast Finish decoupage from Beacon Adhesives. I used a foam brush for this step. I chose to paint a blank craft shape from Buttons Galore and More in DecoArt’s Boysenberry Pink.

stamp blank craft shape (1024x768)After I painted my blank craft shape, I sanded it to lightly distress and stamped buttons with Clearsnap’s Colorbox pigment ink.

felt flower die cut with button (1024x768)I topped off my die cut button box with a die cut felt flower with a button sewn in the center.

button feet (1024x768)Create these little cute button feet for your box by stacking buttons together starting with the largest on the bottom and working towards the top with the smaller buttons. Getting the button feet to be even can be tricky but well worth the effort!

completed box 3 (1024x768)Glue the button feet to the bottom corners of the box. Super cute gift packaging idea! Especially when filled with buttons.

completed box 4 (1024x768)

Hope this inspires you to create your own creative gift packaging version of this die cut button box.

Live Life Creatively,

Signature

 

 

0

Dog Treat Jar

Your dog is an important part of your family so why not make a Dog Treat Jar?  If you’re a dog lover,  you’re gonna love the Buttons Galore  Dog Gone It buttons.

Dog Treat Jar

Ya know anything looks great in displayed in a Mason Jar.  Even plain ole’ Milk Bones.

dogbuttons1

To embellish the jar lid, I adhered a piece of patterned paper on the lid then used Ultra Thin Glue Dots to adhere  various Buttons Galore Dog Gone It buttons.

buttonstartups1

Buttons Galore makel  Blank Craft Shapes that are perfect to use if you want to customize a tag.

1. Choose a Blank Shape

2. Ink with color

3. Set the ink with a heat gun. 

dogbonejartagbgm

Taa Daa-There you have it, a cute Dog Treat Jar tag!

 

dogbonejarlidbgm

My dog has no interest in eating plain Milk Bones.  She’s only interested in the  gravy covered Milk Bones like the  in the jar.  When I was done taking the photos of this project, I came back in the room a few hours later and noticed my dog bone props were missing off the table.    Hmmm…I wonder who might of snatched them??

Supplies Used for Dog Treat Jar:

 

newsignature

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1

Canvas Favor Bags

Completed bag 3 (768x1024)

Its time to look forward to cooler days and falling leaves and all the rest of the great things that Autumn ushers in. As a transitional season, Autumn is one of my favorite seasons and it always inspires me to create something new. I love the rustic feel of Fall projects. Its so easy to use canvas, hemp, jute, wood and other natural materials to make something that looks and feels like Fall. That’s why I decided to try my hand at creating these canvas favor bags.

Completed bag detail (768x1024)Inspired, I sat down with my fabric, wool felt scraps and buttons recently and decided to make a bunch of sewn fabric circles recently. Not really knowing what I was going to do with them, I have since used them to make wall art, pillows and now these little Autumn inspired canvas favor bags.

Materials used for Canvas Favor Bags:

1/8 yard of natural cotton canvas

Wool felt and fabric scraps

Inkjet cotton fabric

Burlap Scraps

Buttons Galore and More Laura Kelly Hand Dyed buttons

14″ hemp

Sizzix BigShot die cutting machine and Bigz Leaves Die

Rotary cutter and self healing cutting mat, scissors, sewing machine and thread, hand sewing needle and thread, heavy duty hole punch

Cut canvas (1024x775)

To make a canvas favor bag, cut two canvas rectangles that measure about 6″ x 8.” Pin small scraps of burlap rectangles to the center of one of the canvas rectangles.

pinned burlap

Use your sewing machine and thread to zig-zag stitch the burlap to the one of the canvas rectangles.

machine stitch burlap (768x1024)

stitched burlap (1024x768)

Add elements such as die cut leaves to your canvas favor bags. Fuse webbing to the back of a fabric scrap and die cut a leaf shape.

die cutting leaves (768x1024)

die cut fabric leaves (768x1024)

Peel away the paper backing and fuse the leaf shape to the canvas.

peel away paper backing (768x1024)

Machine stitch the leaf shape and inkjet fabric sentiments printed from your computer with a straight stitch.

inkjet sentiments (768x1024)

stitch appliques (768x1024)

Now the real fun begins! Use hand dyed buttons from Buttons Galore and More to embellish your canvas favor bag. I used Laura Kelly’s hand dyed buttons and one of my previously created fabric circles to embellish these canvas favor bags. Sew them on with a hand sewing needle and thread.

Buttons Galore and More (768x1024)Place the canvas rectangles right sides together and machine stitch using a 1/2″ seam allowance. Leave the top of the canvas favor bag open and start sewing about 1 1/2″ down so you have material to create a top fold.

sew right sides together (768x1024)

Use an iron on steam to steam the seams open.

steam seams open (768x1024)

Turn the bag right sides out and fold the top down to create a cuff.

turn right sides out (768x1024)

form cuff at top (1024x768)I created a simple handle by punching holes through the fabric layers using a heavy duty hole punch and inserting a piece of hemp through the holes.

make handles (1024x768)Fill your canvas favor bags with candy or other small treats. Surprise a neighbor by hanging on their front door for a nice Autumn surprise!

Live Life Creatively,

Signature

 

 

0

Retro Cherry Shoe Clips

Sometimes I feel like September is really new year.  Back to school time calls for getting organized and cleaning out closets.  As I was purging my closet, I found a pair of cute, polka dot shoes.

Shoes Before

On their own they are pretty cute but, being the crafter I am, I couldn’t leave well enough alone so I was off to the studio to create some jewelry for my shoes.

Shoe Clips Beauty

You can buy shoe clips blanks at most craft stores. Buy a dozen.  I promise you are going to be addicted to the craft once you find out how easy it is to do.

As for buttons, Buttons Galore & More’s large supply of novelty buttons means the possibilities are endless.  Turn your favorite pair of shoes or pumps into cute retro shoes with cherries, decorate your child’s shoes with back to school buttons, or get a jump-start on the holidays and make some Christmas themed shoe clips.  By simply adding shoe clips, you can turn one pair of shoes into endless looks.

Supplies for shoe clips

Instructions for shoe clips

1. Glue a novelty button onto a plain button.  Set aside to dry.

Glue novelty buttons onto shoe clip

2. Once buttons are securely glued together, attach your button creation to the shoe clip blank.  Make sure the button is glued onto the clip so that when you clip it onto your shoe, the design is oriented in the way you want it.

Glue button onto shoe clip

TIP: Once you have glued the button onto the shoe clip blank, set it upside down onto a clean surface to dry.  This will keep the buttons from sliding off the shoe clip while drying.

3.  Once the clip is dry, attach it to your shoes and skip down the street.

Shoe Clip Close-Up

To get more button craft tutorials, recipes, and lifestyle tips, visit my blog at www.laurabraydesigns.com.

Visit Laura Bray Designs at http://laurabraydesigns.com

0

Pumpkin Spice Latte Card

I wanted a cute Pumpkin Spice Latte Card to go with a batch of syrup I was making for a friend. I’ve included links to the recipes for a Latte that tastes just like Starbuck’s, and a recipe on making the syrup yourself.

pumpkin spice latte

Here’s a close up on the details.

Pumpkin Spice Latte details

Recipe to Make the Latte. Recipe to Make the Syrup.

Supplies for Pumpkin Spice Latte Card

  • Buttons – Latte Mix, of course!
  • Cardstock – Close To My Heart
  • Inks – Peanut Brittle Memento and Copic Markers (for shading on cup, pumpkins and foliage)
  • Twine – the Twinery
  • Stamp and matching Charming Circle Die – A Jillian Vance Design
  • Adhesive – Mini Glue Dots
  • Other – Pumpkins and Coffee Cup are svgs from the Silhouette Online Store – both files were modified to create the card using Silhouette Designer Software

 

 

 

Thanks for dropping by. Happy Fall, Y’all. See more of my projects at My Card Party.

1

Button Embellished Socks

I love the mixed color collection of Laura Kelly buttons and keep finding fun ways to use them.

ButtonsLK

When socks get work and need a little bit of fancying up, here is a great way to make them fun again.  The first step is to wash them and get them bright and white again.  I recommend Rit’s Laundry Whitener and Brightener.  If they are too far gone, you can dye them a fun new color.  When they are clean and dry, sew on miscellaneous buttons to decorate them.  I used embroidery floss to get a secure stitch.

Awesome way to up cycle worn out apparel.

Awesome way to up cycle worn out apparel.

It would be fun to do them in school colors  (or football team colors) or to match a favorite outfit.  I think I might try them on a pair of knee socks next.

Happy Buttons,

Laura

0

Reversible Button Bracelet

A quick and simple Reversible Button Bracelet.

Reversible Button Bracelet Reversible Button Bracelet

Thread twine down then up in the lower row, and up then down in the top row. The lower button will overlap, but when you get to the end, it all lines up just right.

Be sure to get each set of buttons pretty snug before moving on so that your bracelet lays nicely. Leave room at the ends to tie off. I like to put small knots at each end so the buttons can’t move anywhere, then just tie a little bow to keep it on my wrist.

Another note: when measuring your wrist, remember that larger buttons need more room to go around your wrist. I found it best to check sizing as I went along, rather than the actual length of the bracelet. The average woman’s wrist is 7.5″ and while my wrist is actually a bit smaller, my bracelet is 8 inches and fits snugly.

Supplies for Reversible Bracelet

Thanks for joining me today.

See more of my creations at My Card Party.

2

Quilting Arts Bookmarks

Bookmarks up close (1024x768)

Quilting Arts Bookmarks – A recent post on Facebook asked “do you give teacher appreciation gifts for teachers at the beginning of the new school year?” While completing a quilted inspired pillow recently, it occurred to me that I could use the scraps to create a fun bookmark that any teacher would love and appreciate.

Quilted Arts Pillow 1 (2)

I am seriously loving the Dresden applique look that I am seeing on so many inspirational blogs and Pinterest.  Some inexpensive fabrics sold by the fat quarter caught my eye at Walmart the other day and I knew they would be perfect for this Dresden pillow project. I cut lots of Dresden shapes using a pattern and had several leftover.

Leftover Dresden shapes

How to make Quilting Arts Bookmarks:

So, what to do with these fused pieces of shaped fabric? Quilting Arts Bookmarks, that is what.  How about creating a row of houses on a burlap bookmark? (I had this out already too since I created the pillow back and front from burlap).

Cut house shapes from fabric

Trace a rectangular shape onto burlap using a cardstock rectangle pattern (mine were approximately 2 1/2″ x 9.” Leave some room on both the short and long edges for fraying. I used a permanent black marker to trace my shapes. You can also use a rotary cutter and self healing mat in lieu of the cardstock pattern if you wish.

Traced burlap (1024x746)

Cut the shapes out and zig zag stitch the edges approximately 1/4″ from edge to leave some room for fraying. once you fray the edges, the stitches will stop further fraying.

Sewn burlap edges

Now you can use your iron and pressing surface to fuse the house shapes to the burlap. Peel off the paper backing and fuse in place.

8.20.13 053 (1024x768)

Now its time to back to the sewing machine and free motion stitch the house details. Often, you will notice that artists who free motion stitch intricate details such as text, intricate shapes (think animals, arm-chairs,etc) will use a free motion foot. But I have discovered that you can stitch simple free motion shapes with your regular sewing foot. After you have stitched your details, its time to sew on your inkjet fabric sentiment.

Inkjet fabric quote

You can purchase specialty inkjet fabric that is paper backed so it’s easy to use with most inkjet printers. I love this sentiment because its so basic, but I also found another great one that would be perfect for educators. “If you can read this, thank a teacher.” How true!!

Buttons Galore and More (1024x768)

Last but certainly not least and once again the perfect finishing touch, add buttons from a variety of the wide selection from Buttons Galore and More with a hand sewing needle and thread.

Sew on Buttons (1024x768)

Make the Quilting Arts Bookmarks in multiples using your fabric scraps, burlap and buttons to thank those  teachers for all the hard work they do!

Live Life Creatively,

Melony

0

DIY Button Clock

A DIY button clock is fun and can make a pretty addition to any room in your home.  I am going to show you a super simple way to make this cute clock yourself.  Trust me you can make this clock at home in the colors of your choice easily.

A great DIY button clock that anyone can make easily.  Get the full instructions and make your own clock today.

 DIY Button Clock Supplies:

A great DIY button clock that anyone can make easily.  Get the full instructions and make your own clock today.

DIY Button Clock Instructions:

1.  Paint your wood clock base from inside the kit.  I did a base coat of white on the entire surface and allowed to dry.  Then follow with your stencil and blue (or color of your choice).  Paint your numbers that come with the kit in this step as well.  Allow all of your components to dry completely before continuing.

A great DIY button clock that anyone can make easily.  Get the full instructions and make your own clock today.

2.  The rim of this particular clock kit is just perfect for laying in buttons.  Layout your buttons and numbers until you are happy with the results.  Pick up each button and hot glue to the surface.  Once complete, use tacky glue to put your numbers into place.  Allow the glue to dry completely.

A great DIY button clock that anyone can make easily.  Get the full instructions and make your own clock today.

3.  Add in your clock movements from the kit and your clock is ready to hang.  Please note that you may have to adjust the hands so they don’t hit your numbers (since they stick up).
A great DIY button clock that anyone can make easily.  Get the full instructions and make your own clock today.
A simple DIY button clock that anyone can make.  The kit from Walnut Hollow makes this one a breeze to complete.  Grab your buttons and get started today!


A great DIY button clock that anyone can make easily.  Get the full instructions and make your own clock today.

8

Follow Your Heart

If you are lost, you must quiet your mind, and follow your heart.


Follow Your Heart

 

Follow Your Heart

This card style is called a Stretch Card. I added a decorative band, because I plan on placing a gift card inside and I want it to stay hidden until the right time.

I used Lori Whitlock’s Reflections Papers from Echo Park, and some Kraft Paper from Close To My Heart.

Supplies for Follow Your Heart Card:

  • buttons: Nautical Value Pack 
  • paper: Lori Whitlock’s Reflections (Echo Park), Kraft (Close To My Heart)
  • stamps – Unity
  • ink – Versamark Gold Dazzle, Rhubarb Stalk Memento and Tuxedo Black Memento (Tsukineko), clear embossing powder
  • embellishments: ribbon (Bo Bunny), bling (Want2Scrap), twine (My Mind’s Eye), corrugated tag (Close To My Heart)
  • adhesive: Scor-Tape, Adtech Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks, Dimensional Foam Tape, Glue Dots
  • other: Heat Embossing Tool, Corner Rounder, Silhouette Cameo, Scissors (Westcott)

Instructions:

  1. Cut basic card pieces and layered pieces and assemble. Lori Whitlock has a great video here: http://youtu.be/KaDIpjGL4zk
  2. Create a sleeve – 1.5×10″ and secure at the back of the card.
  3. Stamp heart on Kraft paper with Versamark Gold Dazzle Ink and sprinkle with clear embossing powder – heat to melt. Dab Rhubarb Stalk Memento Ink on heart and cut out. Add a rhinestone to the center with a Glue Dot.
  4. Stamp sentiment with Tuxedo Black Memento. Round Corners.
  5. Tie ribbon to Corrugated Tag. Tie twine through a button. Hot glue Nautical Buttons to the tag. Adhere tag to band with Dimensional Foam Tape.
  6. Add heart and sentiment to band with Scor-Tape.
  7. Slide band onto card.

 

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Designer Wrist Cuff with Duck Tape and Buttons

This trendy wrist cuff is so simple to make and takes very little time.  It is a great DIY project for girls of all ages and would be perfect for a party activity or a gift.  I got the idea from Marisa Pawelko’s book, Crazy-Cool Duck Tape Projects then modified it to add…BUTTONS!

DuckTapeButtonBraceletF

You will need Duck Tape, Buttons, Cardboard, Velcro and Ad-Tech Hot Glue.  That is it!

Materials

Cut a circle out of cardboard the size you want your flower to be.  Then Cut a long strip of tape and fold it, leaving only a small amount to stick to the cardboard.   Adhere the tape around the circle folding it each time you stick it down to create the rippled effect.   When you have made it around, trim your excess, flip it over and add a long folded strip the length of your wrist, attaching it with…tape of course!  Add Velcro to hold your bracelet closed.

DuckTapeButtonsSteps

Then flip it back over and hot glue gun your buttons to the front.  I used buttons to match the tape in Apple Green, Purple Possibilities, Robbins Egg Blue and Watermelon.

DuckTapeButtonsButtons

Ta Da…a designer wrist cuff in fifteen minutes or less!  For more ideas with Duck Tape and Buttons, visit my blog post from earlier this week!

Happy Taping and Buttoning Up Some Fabulous Fashion,

Laura

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Organizing with Nautical Buttons

Try organizing with nautical buttons.

Keep your supplies stored in style this year!

Create a fun storage tray for pencils.

Supplies for Organizing with Nautical Buttons

Additional Supplies

  • Patterned Paper – Tommy Collection, Cardstock (Honey, Cranberry, Outdoor Denim), Burlap Ribbon, Chipboard Arrow – all from Close To My Heart
  • Bling – Want2Scrap Sleek Strips Silver Rhinestones
  • Twine – Doodlebug Design Doodle Twine
  • Ink – Copic R46, R29, C3, C4, Blender (0) and SP05 Multiliner, Cantaloupe and Bahama Blue Memento Dye Ink (Tsukineko)
  • Adhesive – Scor-Tape (Scor-Pal Company) and AdTech Adhesive Hot Glue
  • 3d Pencil Box with Wrap SVG – Designed by Jamie Cripps (Silhouette Online Store)

Create a fun storage tray for pencils.Create a fun storage tray for pencils.Create a fun storage tray for pencils.

Directions:

  1. Cut two outer panels, one of the Tommy themed paper – one of Outdoor Denim (both from Close to My Heart). Adhere together with Scor-Tape. Save leftover patterned paper – on the back there is a word strip that is used in the embellishments. Note – the Outdoor Denim liner is a special addition – it gives the box a little bit of added sturdiness.
  2. Color numbers of choice using Copic Marker R29 and R46. Add shadows with C3 and C4. Add accents with Blender pen and Copic Multiliner.
  3. Cut insert from Honey Cardstock. Assemble and attach to the outer portion of the box.
  4. Cut band from Cranberry Cardstock.
  5. Loop twine through Anchor button and tie through red button. Adhere red button to Ship’s Wheel button using AdTech Adhesives hot glue.
  6. Adhere burlap ribbon and buttons with AdTech Adhesives hot glue.
  7. Ink Chipboard Arrow (From Lucky Level 2 Assortment – Close To My Heart) with Cantaloupe Ink and edge with Bahama Blue Ink (Tsukineko – Memento Dew Drop). Adhere with AdTech Adhesives hot glue.
  8. Choose sentiments from leftover Tommy paper and “pink” edges. Attach to burlap using AdTech Adhesives hot glue.
  9. Outline numbers with Sleek Strips Silver Rhinestones.

Create a fun storage tray for pencils. 

Note – for additional assistance assembling the box, Jamie has a wonderful tutorial on her blog.

http://www.jamielanedesigns.blogspot.com/2013/07/pencil-box-with-wrap.html

 Thanks for joining me today. Hope you have fun getting organized in style.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Linking up with Transformation Thursday

 

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1

Save your sanity with Road Trip Bingo!

Who wants to play Road Trip Bingo?

If you have ever gone on a family road trip for an extended period of time, you would know that at times it seems like you will try anything to keep your children happy! Road Trip Bingo is something that I remember from my family trips to Ontario. Fifteen hours is a long time for a family to be in one vehicle together, so my mom had Road Trip Bingo cards for the whole family. Then whoever won, got a special treat or small toy.

We are soon making that trek again, this time with two teenage girls. They love to play games and they love candy. Road Trip Bingo tins were the perfect combination!

Road Trip Bingo Tin

First, I took magnets and lots of bright colored buttons and hot glued them together.

Making Button Magnets

I made the bingo cards myself by doodling and making them somewhat specific to our surroundings. But if you do a quick online search, you will be able to find plenty of printable Road Trip Bingo cards.

Road Trip Bingo

Road Trip Bingo Tin close-up

Oh, and by the way….this is what my activity tin looked liked before! I simply covered the tin with some fun and bright patterned papers.

IMG_5873

The plus to using a tin for your bingo game (instead of flat cards) is that there is some storage space for some other activities and even snacks.

Road Trip Bingo Tin interior

 

I hope the next time your family has  an extended road trip, that this Road Trip Bingo activity tin comes in handy. Thanks for stopping by!

1

Button Balloon Layout

Who doesn’t love a hand made Button Balloon as an accent for a layout?

I adore the whimsical look of a hot air balloon. I think everyone at some point has pictured themselves taking a hot air balloon ride. From the freedom of the open air to the romance that is normally associated with a sunset balloon ride. Recently in the paper crafting world I have noticed hot air balloons popping up in design. So I thought I would create my own using pretty patterned paper and some fantastic coordinating buttons. This is my Button Balloon Layout.

The button balloon is created using a large circle punch and some 3D foam dots for dimension. The punched shape and single button turns out to be the perfect accent for my Button Balloon Layout.
IMG_5886

IMG_5889

I hand cut the clouds for this Button Balloon Layout.

IMG_5893

I used a variety of buttons to coordinate with my patterned paper to create the Button Balloon Layout.

IMG_5896

Thank you for stopping by

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Simple Thank You Card

I ran out of thank you cards. I needed to replenish my stash! So … time for a quick …

SIMPLE THANK YOU CARD

 

 


A Simple Thank You Card

 

 

Top of the card – I used a Scor-Board to make lines on my cardstock, and then I sanded it.

Middle of the card – the strip is a cut from the Silhouette Online store that I sized to fit a standard A2 Card. The sentiment is stamped and colored, and I rounded just two of the corners. I added an adhesive backed pearl and some rhinestones.

Bottom of the card – just some simple card stock that I sanded the edges of, and added a Heart Button tied with some Twine and embroidery thread.

It’s kind of a running joke when it comes time to request more buttons for projects, that I ask for Heart Buttons! I love to accent my cards and projects with HEART BUTTONS.

This is my stash. It makes me happy. I am out of the large RED buttons that I used. Guess what I’ll be asking for …

 

Hearts Hearts and more Hearts

 

Supplies for a Simple Thank You Card

 

1

Fancy Straws with Buttons

We are on vacation at the beach and I am loving this opportunity to create in a new environment. We love to make up new drink concoctions when we are on vacation and I love to decorate them and make them fancy.  Here is today’s special…Popsicle drinks with fancy straws!

ButtonStrawDrinks

I used my Ad-tech hot glue gun (never leave home with out it) and buttons from my Laura Kelly mix to create a fancy straw collection for our drinks.  We stirred them with Popsicles and sipped through the straws. They were yummy and decorative and lots of fun.  Buttons are a great way to decorate when you are in a hurry or don’t want to spend a lot of time on something that might end up getting thrown away.  The color selection in the Laura Kelly mix is really festive and bright.

PopsicleDrinks

We made two versions of the drinks, one for kids and one for adults.  Which ones do you think look yummier.

ButtonStraws

Happy Creating Fun Drinks and Decorations with Buttons,

Laura

 

1

Buttons and Back Packs

Instead of jewelry this week, I’m playing with paper and buttons. I must say, buttons and back packs go together pretty well!

Buttons and Back Packs

Buttons and Back Packs

Buttons and Back Packs

I created the backpack and inked the edges with Tea Bag ink. I dyed a wooden button and cut the shank off. The bag was then decorated with patterned papers and fun embellishments. To lift the bag up a little, I created little feet by gluing Coffee and Rustic Coconut Shell buttons together.

Now, it’s time to fill it with goodies for the teacher!

Buttons for Back Pack

HAB701-2

Hand Carved Wood Buttons

Additional Supplies

Canvas Shapes, Wood Shapes and Cork Tags (Little Yellow Bicycle), Champagne Cardstock, Tea Bag Ink, Patterned Paper (Close To My Heart), Brads (Creative Impressions), Twine – My Mind’s Eye), Letters (EK Success), Flower (Petaloo), Back Pack Template (SVGCUTS.COM)

Adhesive – Scor-Tape and AdTech Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks

3

Back to School Embellished Pencil Pouch

Send your kids back to school in style with my embellished pencil pouch.  Who wants plain old school supplies when you can have some with a little flair?  You daughter will love showing off this little pencil pouch to her friends this school year.  The best part is that it only takes a few minutes to add this little embellishment.  You could coordinate a backpack or other back to school accessory to go with the pencil pouch as well.

back to school embellished pencil pouch

Back to School Embellished Pencil Pouch Supplies

  • Pencil pouch (mine came from the Dollar Tree)
  • Felt (I used zebra stripes felt)
  • Button in your choice of color
  • Needle and thread
  • Scissors, Sizzix die cutter, or other ways to cut circles

Back to School Embellished Pencil Pouch Instructions

I have a treat for you all today.  I am not going to just tell you how to make this great back to school accessory….I am going to SHOW you.  Come on over to my house and grab a glass of sweet tea.  Sit back and watch this short (less than 4 minute) video to see how to make a pencil pouch of your own.  The video is captured live and is just me sitting and crafting along with you all.  It is the equivalent of you coming to a crafting party at my house…if it was possible to squeeze all of y’all in here.  So come on over and craft along with me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHod6JPk3Nc

Did you have fun?  Come back anytime y’all and craft with me via video.  I love inviting my readers into my home with fun live videos.  Plus when it is live there is no retakes.  Just me, the camera, and some crafty fun.  I have included a close up shot of the finished flower embellishment below in case y’all had a hard time seeing it on the video.

back to school embellished pencil pouch-001

I hope you will add these fun flower embellishments to your daughter’s back to school supplies this year.  What a fun and unique way to carry your pencils and even books.  Grab some felt and have fun going back to school this year.

3

Back to School Homework Organizer

It’s back to school time already!  How can that be?  Every year I promise myself I’ll be more organized, so this year I designed a homework organizer for my daughter to keep all her homework supplies in.  It’s so cute, I think my daughter might even be motivated to do her homework!

Make a Back to School Homework Organizer with Buttons Galore

Supplies for homework organizer

  • Wood crate
  • Paint-I used Apple Barrel Paint in Parrot Blue
  • Red Buttons
  • Glue
  • Red glitter
  • Markers
  • Small piece of green felt
  • Letter stencil

Instructions for homework organizer

1. Paint the crate.  Set aside to dry.

Make a Back to School Homework Organizer with Buttons Galore

2. Once crate is dry, sketch an apple shape on the front of the crate.

Make a Back to School Homework Organizer with Buttons Galore

3. Fill the shape with buttons, using glue craft glue to secure the buttons onto the crate.

4. While glue is still wet, sprinkle glitter over the apple shape.  This will fill in the holes between the buttons and give it some sparkle.  Instead of loose glitter, you can also use glitter glue to fill in the spaces.

Make a Back to School Homework Organizer with Buttons Galore

5. Using a marker, draw a stem on your apple.

6. Cut out a small leaf shape from the green felt and glue it onto the stem.

7. Using letter stencils and markers, spell out school or your child’s name onto the crate.

Make a Back to School Homework Organizer with Buttons Galore

Thanks for getting crafty with me today!  For more button crafts, stitching and lifestyle ideas visit me on my blog at www.laurabraydesigns.com.

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Button Bib Necklace

I’ve admired bib necklaces for quite some time now.  I love how whimsical they look, especially if they are covered in buttons.  They can elevate a plain t-shirt and jeans outfit into something really special and it doesn’t have to cost much.  Yes, you can buy very expensive “statement” necklaces, but with a little felt and a jar of buttons you can create something really beautiful.

Button Bib Necklace: Buttons Galore and More

Supplies for a button bib necklace

Instructions for a button bib necklace

1. Lay the bib necklace template onto felt, pin in place, and cut out two bib shapes.

Button Bib Necklace: Buttons Galore and More

2. Starting at the center of one of the bib shapes, begin sewing buttons onto the felt.  Working your way out from the center will give your necklace a centered focal point.

Button Bib Necklace: Buttons Galore and More

3. Leave about 1″ of the felt on the ends unembellished.

4. Measure two pieces of ribbon (one for each side) to the length you want your necklace to hang.  Bib necklaces usually look best hung at your collar bone.  Don’t forget to allow some length so you can tie the necklace around your neck!

5. Lay the unembellished piece of felt down on your work surface.  Place the front piece over it.  Make sure it lines up nicely.  Gently lift the ends and slide your ribbon ties in places.  Pin and either hand or machine sew the ribbon between the two pieces.

Button Bib Necklace: Buttons Galore and More

6. To attach the front and back of the bib, use a strong fabric glue or whip stitch them together.

Button Bib Necklace: Buttons Galore and More

Thanks for getting crafty with me today!  For more button crafts, stitching and lifestyle ideas visit me on my blog at www.laurabraydesigns.com.

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2

Prima Doll Tag

I wanted to try something different. So … I hope you like this

PRIMA DOLL TAG

My daughter and I saw the Script in concert recently, and one of the songs has the line “The Good Old Days” over and over and it was just stuck in my head.

I love these Prima Dolls from Julie Nutting, and this particular one reminds me of my daughter!

The Vacation mix of buttons is really fun and had this enormous green button, along with some flower buttons.


Prima Doll Tag featuring Vacation Buttons.

 

I don’t do much of the Mixed Media, but I really had fun with this. I stitched together some pennant strips. I decorated the Prima Doll with Washi Tape. I colored the rest of her with Copic Markers.

The background is just some torn papers that are layered together.

 

Prima Doll Tag featuring Vacation Buttons.

 

I highlighted the letters and outlined the Good Old Days.

Prima Doll Tag featuring Vacation Buttons.

 

I tied a twine bow through the smaller flower button, and tied it to the large green button from the Vacation mix.

Supplies for Prima Doll Tag:

  • Buttons – Vacation mix
  • Patterned Papers, Burlap Ribbon – Close To My Heart
  • Stamps – Prima
  • Adhesive – Thermoweb iCraft Adhesive 3mm, Mini Glue Dots
  • SVG – The Good Old Days (this is just words welded)
  • Washi Tape – DowntownTape.com
  • Twine
  • Other – ink (Tsukineko / Imagine Crafts) and Copic Markers

 

 

Thanks for joining me today. To see more creative ideas, I’d love for you to join me at My Card Party!

1

Dyed Boho Bracelet DIY

Buttons and Boho Bracelets … Say that three times fast.

This Dyed Boho Bracelet DIY is extra fun and special. Why BUY when you can DIY? Right?

We’ve all been having a lot of fun with the Rit Dye, and I had a lot of Moda Jelly Roll Strips left, so I was playing around with braiding and made this Boho style bracelet. It’s actually braided, but it has that vibrant, Boho feel.

Boho Bracelet

 

It’s funny, I work with buttons a lot, obviously … but it had been a while since I’d sewed. My fingertips would highly recommend you use a thimble!

 

Boho Bracelet

 

Dyed Boho Bracelet DIY Instructions:

Take three dyed Moda Jelly Roll strips and braid them. Determine placement for the buttons on your wrist and add the buttons. For specifics on how I dyed my fabric, please see my Rit Dye Blog Hop Post. It was really very easy! The strips naturally fray a bit and will fold and show different bits, it really adds to the look of the braid.

Knot your braids at each end. Tip – use a clip board to hold your strips and leave plenty of extra length at each end so that you can knot the ends and also tie it on your wrist.

Supplies for creating bracelet:

  • Rit Dye – Aquamarine, Kelly Green, and Fucshia
  • Buttons – Vacation
  • Thread – Coats & Clark

 

You will also need needles, and as suggested by my fingertips, a thimble! I hope you enjoyed this Dyed Boho Bracelet DIY.

Have you hopped with us? There are so many fun projects with buttons and dye that you won’t want to miss.

 

Don’t forget to enter our Rit Dye and Buttons Galore and More Giveaway

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1

Rit Dye and Buttons oh my!

Create colorful back to school projects with Rit Dye and Buttons Galore and More. We are co-hosting a blog hop with Rit Dye featuring back to school items for students of all ages. Below you will find directions to this project, links to the other projects and a Rafflecopter entry form to win a GREAT prize package valued at over $100.

Create a wooden gift box for the teacher and add a gift card to their favorite school supply store.   The box can be reused on the teacher’s desk to hold miscellaneous items.

It is easier than you would thing to dye wood.  Rit has a page dedicated to tips on dying wood and wicker.

Back to School Rit Dye Project with Buttons

Materials to create a Rit dyed wooden gift box:

  • Wooden box available at local craft stores.
  • Rit Dye in Aqua
  • Glue Gun and glue sticks
  • Back to School Buttons, Tutti Fruity
  • Misc.  Paper towels, plastic grocery bag, sand paper, disposable container for dye.

Directions to make the wooden gift box:

  1. If the box has rough edges you can sand them smooth with sandpaper.  Wipe off dust with a damp paper towel.
  2. Dip the box in heated dye.  Tap to remove excess.
  3. Place a paper towel on a plastic bag.  The paper towel is used to gather excess dye.
  4. Once the wood is dry you can add the button embellishments.

If you would like to order any buttons from the site click this link to the Buttons Galore and More store and enter the discount code of RIT20 for 20% off your order.  Use all caps or the code will not work.

Don’t forget to enter our Rit Dye and Buttons Galore and More Giveaway

Rafflecopter giveaway

If you want to view the designers blogs you can also click the links below.

6

Encouraging Card

Sometimes, a friend needs to hear they are fabulous, thus the need for an …

ENCOURAGING CARD

An Encouraging Card featuring buttons, Close To My Heart embellishments and papers, along with Close To My Heart bling.

I cut the card base and flowers using the Silhouette. I cut an extra set in green to add some more leaves. Laura Kelly’s Sweet Blush Buttons dot the centers of the flowers, and these are accented with pink rhinestones. I punched some Martha Stewart butterflies from matching card stock to give a little more dimension to the butterflies on the card, and those are accented with rhinestones as well.

An Encouraging Card featuring buttons, Close To My Heart embellishments and papers, along with Close To My Heart bling.

Buttons are always a fun and inexpensive embellishment!

Supplies for an Encouraging Card:

Thanks for stopping by today. To see more cards and creative ideas, please visit me at My Card Party.

 

5

Apple of My Eye Storage Jar

AppleJar

Teachers are so important and appreciate them lets them know it.  There are lots of great ideas of way to show your teachers how much you care about them but this one is fun because you can make it and then fill up the jar with treats!

ButtonApple

I filled the jar up with Sharpie Markers because I think almost every teacher would LOVE to get a jar full of bright fun colors of my favorite permanent markers.

To make the apple, I used a pattern and cut out an apple from black foam core.  You can get the pattern here is the free printable download (that also has a word search to keep your kids busy while you use the hot glue)!

Wordsearch

I covered it with Radically Red buttons from my collection and made the stem with ribbon then attached it to the jar, all with Adtech hot glue.

AppleSteps

When it was done, I started thinking of all of the things that could be put in the jar that teachers would love!  What do you think they would like most?

For another fabulous way to use the apple made of buttons, visit my blog.

Happy Creating,

Laura

 

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Simple Bracelet

How about a bracelet with just two items?

A Simple Bracelet!

Just hemp and a button. If you wanted, you could add some beads…


Simple Bracelets with Hemp and Button

 

These really don’t get much simpler. The knots are easy to pull out if you want to swap out your button.

Simple Bracelets with Hemp and Button

 

Two strands of hemp, and a Latte Button with four holes will work best. Bring the ends up through the bottom of the button. This creates a loop underneath.

Put the ends through that loop and your button is secured. Repeat on the opposite side.

Simple Bracelets with Hemp and Button

 

To make the bracelet adjustable, you’ll wrap one set of ends around the other and create a loop, pulling that same set of ends back through to make a knot. I like to put little knots in each end to prevent accidentally pulling them all the way through when taking your bracelet off. Flip the bracelet over and repeat the same looped knot.

Now, when you tug on the ends, the bracelet tightens. To loosen, gently push on the knots.

Simple Bracelets with Hemp and Button

 

To add beads, I took a third piece of hemp and ran it through the loops I created to secure the button, then through the beads. I took the ends of the pieces securing the button and went around the beads, holding them in place, then making knots.

Make your other knots the same way as above – they’ll just be a bit larger.

Simple, easy, great fun to make with kids.

Supplies to make a Simple Bracelet:

Latte Buttons, Handmade Dyed Hemp, optional – wide mouth beads

 

Thanks for joining me today.

2

Button Coasters

There’s nothing I love more than a summer afternoon spent sipping a cool drink.  To make the experience even better, I made some colorful coasters to protect my table.  Get out the lemonade and red and white straws.

Button Coaster Beauty Shot

Supplies for Button Coasters

Supplies for Coasters

Instructions

1. Cut circles from felt using the Shape Template.  I used the 4″ diameter size circle.

Cut out circles for coaster

2. Glue buttons onto the felt circle in a random pattern.

Glue Buttons on Coaster

Tip:  Make sure the buttons are approximately the same thickness as this will keep your coaster surface stable for your drink glasses.

Remember!  These coasters should only be used for cold drinks.  Hot drinks might melt the buttons.

Thanks for crafting with me today.  To get more button craft tutorials, recipes, and lifestyle tips, visit my blog at www.laurabraydesigns.com.

 www.laurabraydesigns.com

 

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Button Grapes

When I received my package of Laura Kelly’s pretty Purple Possibilities buttons (say that 3 times), I knew instantly, I was gonna create a card with a cluster of button grapes.

 

Button Grape Card

 Cluster of Button Grapes Card

 

To make my grape card, I used a Sarah Bailey Grape cut file then adhered Laura Kelly’s Purple Possibilities buttons over the grape die cuts.   Aren’t those grapes just poppin’ out at ya now?

 

Button Grapes

Add buttons to cards for dimension

Adding buttons to a card really is an easy way to provide that fun pop of dimension.

Buttons Galore Supplies:

Supplies Used to make Button Grapes Card:

hollysignature

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2

Fifteen MINUTE Friday – Boxtops for Education Collection Jar

It is August and that means back to school time. Boxtops for Education is a fabulous program that helps lots of schools with funding to purchase things for the students and classrooms.

BoxTops

Sometimes finding a place to keep them until the children take them in is the tricky part. Here is a fun way to upcycle a Mason Jar into a fun home for the cutout Boxtop pieces until it is time to send them in. Use hot glue and add buttons, ribbons and whatever else you have around the house that is fun to decorate the jar in a way that you like having it out as a reminder to clip and save.

If you fill the jar up, here is a fun sheet to tape the cutouts to for sending them in so you can hang on to your jar.

BoxTops_BlankSchool

Happy Fifteen Minute Friday,

Laura

1

Button Key Ring

Hi all, Allie here with a quick Button Jewelry project. C’mon and get your Shine on!

a Button Key Ring

Shine On Keychain for Buttons Galore

 

 

I created a fun key chain using a Charmed Key Chain Kit and some buttons from the Laura Kelly Designer Mix. To finish it off, I added a peace charm that was left over from another button jewelry project.

Directions:

  1. Stamp Shine On! sentiment on Watercolor Garden Paper. Adhere Jeweler’s Blank to paper using Glitter it Glue. Remove excess with a Q-Tip and cut out with non-stick scissors. (Note – any residue can be removed from scissors with hot water.)
  2. Adhere Jeweler’s Blank in Pendant Tray with Adhesive Tape.
  3. Place Pendant Tray onto Key Chain.
  4. Place buttons 9 mm jump rings. Place charm on a 7 mm jump ring. Attach a 9 mm jump ring to the loop on the Pendant Tray. Attach each charm using a 6 mm jump ring.

Supplies for Button Key Ring:

Tools Needed:

  • One pair of beading pliers, optional – split ring tool
  • Westcott Scissors
  • Q-tip

Thanks for joining me today. To see more ideas and jewelry, please join me at My Card Party.

1

Button and Twine Medallion Tutorial

Join me for a step by step tutorial where we will make Button and Twine Medallions to use as embellishments for a seaside themed scrapbook layout. Nothing says seaside or nautical like red, white and blue with the texture of rope incorporated.

Products used to create this layout with Button and Twine Medallions:

IMG_5706

You want to start with cutting out circles from cardstock. This is going to be what you create your Button and Twine Medallions on. So make sure you use a punch that is the size you would like the embellishment to be.

IMG_5709

I then used hot glue to start adhering the twine to the outside of your cardstock circle.

IMG_5710

I left a small space in the middle of each of my medallions. That way if you have chosen buttons that have shanks, then you should be able to still just hot glue the buttons to the medallions.

IMG_5712

Here are the buttons that I chose from the Nautical Value Pack for my Button and Twine Medallions.

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I added my Button and Twine Medallions to the border of my scrapbook layout.

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I added a few more buttons from the Nautical Value Pack along with some canvas stickers to the top of one of my photos.

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IMG_5725

Here is my completed scrapbook layout with the Button and Twine Medallions as the perfect accent to my photos from the stunning Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope these Button and Twine Medallions make it to your next nautical themed craft project.IMG_5720

1

Beach Theme Button Decor with Starfish

Make this great beach theme button decor with a starfish for your nautical themed room.  A great addition for summer or any time of the year.  This button decor is easy to make and will look great in your home.

Beach Theme Button Decor Craft -- perfect nautical themed art with buttons and starfish.  Add this one to your summer decor with a super simple tutorial.

Beach Theme Button Decor Supplies Needed

  • Wood Buttons
  • Styrofoam
  • Rope
  • Starfish
  • Styro Cutter or equivalent
  • Hot Glue
  • Scrap fabric

Beach Theme Button Decor Craft -- perfect nautical themed art with buttons and starfish.  Add this one to your summer decor with a super simple tutorial.

 Beach Theme Button Decor Instructions

1.  Lay your buttons out on your Styrofoam then mark the perimeter.

Beach Theme Button Decor Craft -- perfect nautical themed art with buttons and starfish.  Add this one to your summer decor with a super simple tutorial.

2.  But around the perimeter with a Styro Cutter, serrated knife, or other cutting tool.

Beach Theme Button Decor Craft -- perfect nautical themed art with buttons and starfish.  Add this one to your summer decor with a super simple tutorial.

3.  Cover the front with a scrap piece of white fabric.  Then use hot glue to add buttons, rope, and starfish.

Beach Theme Button Decor Craft -- perfect nautical themed art with buttons and starfish.  Add this one to your summer decor with a super simple tutorial.

4.  Add a rope to hang your project that is also secured with hot glue.

Beach Theme Button Decor Craft -- perfect nautical themed art with buttons and starfish.  Add this one to your summer decor with a super simple tutorial.

5.  I added my beach theme button decor to the center of an empty white picture frame to really make it shine.

Beach Theme Button Decor Craft -- perfect nautical themed art with buttons and starfish.  Add this one to your summer decor with a super simple tutorial.

Enjoy this beach theme art in your bathroom or any other part of your summer home.  This nautical inspired art will bring the beach indoors this summer.

3

Christmas in July- Shadow Box Button Ornaments

Christmas in July – let’s make some Shadow Box Button Ornaments!

Snowman ornament
To make Button Ornaments:

It seems like its never too early to be thinking about Christmas crafting. When I was asked to do a set of Christmas ornaments using Styrofoam and buttons from Buttons Galore and More, I asked if I could use foam core instead. Lately, I have become somewhat of an addict to manipulating the craft knife to cut various shapes. For these ornaments, I challenged myself to cut circular shapes rather than my usual safe square or rectangular shapes.

trace circles on foam core To make Button OrnamentsFirst I created cardstock circle templates in three different sizes. One for the back, one for the front and one to use to cut a circle in the center of the large circle. I used Elmers Foamboard for this project.

cut out foam coreNow for the hard part. Use a very sharp craft knife with and a self healing cutting mat to cut the circles out. First, score lightly along the traced line, then pass the knife back through cutting almost to the other side. Use a third and/or fourth pass to cut the circle all through way through. This is referred to as the “three pass rule” and when used with patience, will result in perfect cuts. If you do end up with stray bits of foam core, use a sanding block or file to smooth the edges.

cut out center

Trace a circle in the center of the cut circle and cut out with knife. Cut a slightly larger circle to enclose the back of the ornament to create a shadow box effect.

 

cut cardboard from cereal box

 

 

trim with scallop edged scissors

Trim the edges of the circle with scalloped edged scissors.

paint foam core

Paint the pieces of the foam board and cardboard with acrylic paint. I choose coordinating colors of DecoArt’s Americana Acrylics.

cover with glitter

Spray the cardboard circle with a sealer and coat with glitter.

assemble ornament

Next, assemble the ornament with a strong tacky glue.

form motifFor the green and yellow ornament, I formed a tree shape in the center of and used green and red buttons to decorate the edges.

Snowman ornament

Paint and stamp blank craft shapes with a holiday sentiment and attach it to the front of the foam core.

finished ornaments

I hope I have inspired you to try your own Shadow Box Button Ornaments! Choose from an array of inspirational buttons from Buttons Galore and More to come up with your own themes and designs. Start now and you will have plenty of these budget friendly creations ready by the holidays for your tree and to give as gifts.

Live Life Creatively,

Melony

 

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Braided T-Shirt Bracelets with Buttons

bracelets 1

Braided T-Shirt Bracelets, we are seeing this unique idea for repurposing old t-shirts everywhere! After having experimented many times making several in different colors and styles, I think this is my best version. The secret? The buttons. I first made a batch of these to wear to my Zumba classes. No matter how sturdy the construction seemed to be, after a few sweat sessions, they kept falling apart.  So finally I decided to give it another try but added buttons to the mix this go-round.

strips of t shirts

To make the Braided T-Shirt Bracelets:

First you will need to cut strips of some old t-shirts. I cut mine into a strips measuring approximately 2″ x 10.” I used about five but you can use 2 or 3 more or less depending on how large you want the end result to be.

secure with safety pin To keep your strips in place while braiding them, secure the ends with a safety pin.

braid stripsStart to braid the strips working in bundles of two or three strips at a time.

continue to braidContinue to braid to the end, tightening the braid as you go along.

cut off excess

Decide how big your bracelet needs to be to fit your wrist and cut off the excess end if needed.

secure with threadSecure the end of the bracelet with a hand sewing needle and thread.

color blends

To secure the braided bracelet, I chose these Color Blend Buttons by Buttons Galore and More.

sew buttons to braceletI spaced them somewhat evenly on the braided bracelet and sewed them down with the hand sewing needle and thread. This is what will keep your bracelet in tact during heavy periods of wear and tear and sweat, like dance class!

finish bracelet

Finish your bracelet with a button, sewing the ends together.

bracelets 2Live Life Creatively,

Melony

 

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Mini Flowerpot Card Holders

It is always nice to have a personalized touch when celebrating special times.  These little flowerpots turned place card holders add that special touch and they are really simple to make.  You only need a few things to make them (spray paint, mini terracotta pots, clothespins, buttons (Radical Red and Black Beauty were used on these pots, hot glue).

Spray paint the pots a solid color.  I used Krylon’s Cherry Red to match the picnic basket set.

Krylon_CherryRed

Glue on the clothespin upside down to hold the cards.  You can paint it the same color or make it different.  Add a button (or more) and you are ready to personalize.

PicnicBasket_Lake

I filled the pots with my husband’s favorite organic mints for our picnic outing.  There are so many creative things you could put in the pots, even flowers!  For more ways to create a picnic basket ensemble, you can find in a previous Fifteen Minute Friday the project for the napkins.

PICNIC_Napkins

You can also visit my blog today today for directions on making the recycled glass jar heart candle.

Happy Friday,

Laura

 

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CHA CHA Button Bracelet

Create a fun Cha Cha Button Bracelet with your favorite buttons.

I thought a “CHA CHA” bracelet was appropriate, since Buttons Galore and More is at C.H.A. this week, the Craft and Hobby Association event in Las Vegas, Nevada.

It seems that everybody enjoys making their own custom, artisan jewelry these days, and I love making jewelry with BUTTONS!

Create a bangle with your favorite buttons and a 3 row cha cha bracelet.

 

Cha Cha Bracelets are a lot of fun. The slip right on and one size generally fits all. It is basically an expansion bracelet, like a watch band, with loops for attaching beads, or in our case today … BUTTONS!

Buttons are lightweight AND affordable, and can be swapped out making this an inexpensive project.

 

Buttons Galore and More Supplies

Buttons – Fancy Gold Grab Bag (shown below)

Fancy Gold Grab Bag Buttons Fancy Gold Grab Bag Buttons

 

Additional Supplies and Tools

Beading Pliers, Jump Rings, Cha Cha bracelet base (shown below)

Create a bangle with your favorite buttons and a 3 row cha cha bracelet.

 

Instructions

  1. Attach a button to Cha Cha bracelet base using jump rings. I found it easiest to place the button on the jump ring and then thread the jump ring through the link on the bracelet base.
  2. Alternate sizes and styles and continue adding buttons to bracelet base. Leave open spots where desired.
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Burlap and Buttons Cuff

Short-sleeved, summer tops demand a good burlap and buttons cuff, don’t you think?  Create this simple and rustic burlap cuff for your next walk on the beach.  It’s hip and cool and so easy to make!

Cuff Beauty Shot

Supplies:

  • Burlap cut to 10″ by 6″
  • Assorted colors of felt scraps
  • Buttons
  • Embroidery floss & thread

Instructions to make a burlap and buttons cuff:

1. Fold the burlap into thirds to create a long strip measuring 10″ x 2″.  Pin in place and stitch along the edges.

Putting Cuff together

2. Using felt scraps, cut out petals and leaves to form a flower.  Arrange in the center of the burlap rectangle and using embroidery thread, stitch them into place.

3. Stitch buttons into place.  Use them for the center of the flower.  You can really go crazy and add more into the design. (I strongly believe you can never have too many buttons on a project!)

Sew on felt pieces and buttons

4.  Once the design is stitched in place, use embroidery thread to attach the two short ends of the cuff together.

Note: I measured my wrist at the beginning of the project and made sure that I could slip the cuff on and off.  If you prefer a tighter fitting cuff, measure your wrist size and then use a hook & loop, snap, or BUTTON closure to secure the cuff on your wrist.

Thanks for getting crafty with me today!  For more button crafts, stitching and lifestyle ideas visit me on my blog at www.laurabraydesigns.com.

www.laurabraydesigns.com

1

Me and My Peeps Trashy Fun

MAMPS_TrashCanDollarStore

Welcome to the Me and My Peeps Blog Hop!

Peeps_BlogHop_Badge

Here is the Peep and here are the buttons that I used to put this together (along with a little hot glue from Adtech).

MAMPS_ProductsHOP

What kid do you know that wouldn’t benefit from having this trashy little can to use in his bathroom or bedroom or playroom or any room.  It would even be great for the car!  The trash can came from the Dollar Tree.  Yes, it was only ONE DOLLAR!  Add a Me and My Peeps decal (you can get the AC Moore or at PlaidOnline) and a few buttons to the top and wa-la, you have a great little storage container.  I think it would be fun to store Barbie clothes, doll shoes, Legos, BUTTONS, Crayons, or even use for…GARBAGE!

MAMPS_TrashCanDollarStore2

This would be fun for party favors too!  You could let the kids pick their peeps and fill them with party goodies!

If you want to check out the rest of the Me and My Peep DIY craft projects, please click here and you will find a long list of fun ideas from the rest of our design team!

If you would like to win this fabulous prize pack, there are lots of ways to enter.  Click on RAFFLECOPTER link below.  Also feel free to leave comments.  We  all like to hear nice things…

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Creating and Have A Great Weekend,

Laura

 

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Me and My Peeps Projects

It’s time for more Me and My Peeps Projects!

Did you see the “how to” on this charm yesterday? If not, hop on back and check it out.

Allie Gower created a sweet charm using Peeps packaging.

 

Princess Peep is Pretty in Pink

 

So c’mon, let’s get started!

PRINCESS PEEP’S BOTTLE

Step One…. You’re gonna need supplies, a bottle – I used my favorite Calypso Southern Peach Lemonade bottle … some paint … and a peep.

Step Two… Pour some of that paint IN the mason jar and coat the insides. Let dry.

Step Three… Clean the outside of the jar and apply the decal.

EMBELLISH!

I put a post it note on the packaging and made myself a stencil. I used the stencil to cut some Jillibean Soup patterned paper for Princess Peep’s dress. I added all kinds of bling from Want2Scrap, along with a crown (also from Want2Scrap). I adhered the crown with Dazzle Tac.

Around the opening of the jar, I made a little bracelet with buttons and snippets of ribbon. It’s just some jump rings and charms and buttons and stuff. Note, the neck of the bottle had a code that I could not wash off, so I covered the neck with small strips of washi tape.

Supplies

  • Jump Rings, Chain – Fire Mountain Gems
  • Heart Charm – Peeps packaging, Epiphany Hearts 14 Punch, Bubble Cap and Jewelry Setting
  • Bling, Crown – Want2Scrap
  • Paper – Jillibean Soup
  • Tools – pliers
  • Other – Calypso Bottle, tissue tape, paint, ribbon

Thanks for stopping by!

 Please visit all of the talented Peeps playing with us!

Special thanks to our Sponsors and Promoting Partners

Laura Kelly Designs + Niki Meiners + Laura Kelly Buttons + Plaid Enterprises + A.C. Moore + Cre8time

Day two  

There is also an awesome CONTEST for a giveaway. [giveaway ended]

 

Happy Creating Connections with The PEEPS that you LOVE,

Me and My Peeps

3

Me and My Peeps Blog Hop

Me and My Peeps?  You might not know it, but that is the name for the line of auto decals by Laura Kelly.  You  likely recognize them from  the back of automobiles everywhere.  The Designers of Buttons Galore and More have teamed up with Me and My Peeps to bring you may alternative uses for them.

The Peeps are not just for cars.  Designer Niki Meiners used them to make a tub for a baby gift.  It really is a cute and inexpensive baby gift since  the metal container  is from Dollar Tree and can be used as storage after the gift is removed. It would make a great pacie  bucket or  for lotions and ointments.

baby gift bucket by Niki Meiners

 materials used for Me and My Peeps baby bucket:

  • red bucket from Dollar Tree
  • Jute twine from Dollar Tree
  • Peep decal from AC Moore and Plaidonline
  • Buttons from the Laura Kelly button mix

Special thanks to our Sponsors and Promoting Partners

Laura Kelly Designs + Niki Meiners + Laura Kelly Buttons + Plaid Enterprises + A.C. Moore + Cre8time

 

Day One

There is also an awesome CONTEST for a giveaway.

Lots of great crafty prizes to be had.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Creating Connections with The PEEPS that you LOVE,

Me and My Peeps

3

Ribbon Spools made from Buttons

rolled out ribbonsDid you know you can use buttons to create ribbon spools to hold your hand dyed and stamped ribbons and other trims? I ran across this fabulous creative living idea while reading a recent copy of Somerset Life by Stampington and Company. Oh so simple!

BGM buttons

I used these fantastic buttons from Buttons Galore and More along with Laura Kelly’s Hand Dyed buttons  (My favorite by the way)!

Laura Kelly Hand Dyed Buttons

The few supplies you will need to make ribbon spools from buttons:

buttons and supplies

First, thread a very fine piece of fabric such as organza or  lightweight cotton cut into a super thin strip and thread into a plastic drinking straw. I cut my straw down to about 1 1/2″.

threaded through strawNotice how my piece of fabric is sticking out of both ends.

threaded through button Then, simply thread through one of the buttons holes from the inside out and then through the second hole.

threaded through two buttons

Then, roll you trims, ribbons, etc around the straw! What could be a better use for buttons? Hand made ribbon spools for all your ribbons.

rolled out ribbons

Live Life Creatively,

signature

 

 

 

1

Keepsake Frame

Create a Keepsake Frame for someone special in your life.

I had a special little person come into my life recently and I wanted to create something special, a Keepsake Frame, for he and his family. Something that they could keep for years to come. A Keepsake Frame can incorporate as much or as little information as you would like. It could even accommodate memorabilia you may have as well. This is the Keepsake Frame that I created for handsome little Grady.

To start with you need a frame that is large enough to hold all of the information that you would like to include. My Keepsake Frame is an 8×10.

IMG_5693

A closer look at the details of Grady’s Keepsake Frame.

IMG_5697

I used a mixture of my own writing and an assortment of letter stickers throughout the project. The mixture of fonts makes the project interesting to the eye.

IMG_5699

I used a large heart punch, and cut out the place where Grady was born from a map I had laying around.

IMG_5701

Products Used for the Keepsake Frame:

IMG_5703

Thank you for stopping by and I hope we have inspired you to create a Keepsake Frame for someone special in your life very soon.

IMG_5693

 

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Chunky Button Necklace

Create a chunky button necklace.

For a fun button necklace, all you need is a thick chain, buttons and lots of jump rings. Don’t forget your pliers!

This button says sunshine to me!

Chunky Button Necklace by Allie Gower for Buttons Galore and More

I gathered up a hodge podge of orange and hot pink buttons.

Pumpkin Orange

Sweet Blush

 

Supplies:

  • Laura Kelly buttons
  • Jump Rings – 7mm, 10mm – Bead Landing (Michael’s)
  • Chain – Bead Landing (Michael’s)
  • Optional – lobster, split ring – Bead Landing (Michael’s)

Directions:

  1. Gather your buttons. Put an orange button AND a pink button onto a 10 mm jump ring.
  2. Attach each of these rings to a the necklace with 7mm jump rings.
  3. Add your closure. I used a lobster clasp with a split ring.

To change things up, mix different colors or add crystals, beads, or charms!

Give it a try. It’s inexpensive and FUN!

Allie Gower

Thanks for stopping by. This week I’m linking it up with Real Family Fun!

To see more projects, tips, recipes and more, stop by My Card Party.

Visit us on Facebook for a chance to win some Laura Kelly buttons and a Me & My Peeps Decal!

4

Distressed Serving Tray embellished with Buttons

So, you’ve been eyeballing a distressed serving tray in a home decor store that you’re  totally in love with but can’t seem to justify spending the money.

Well, no worries ’cause here is a simple tutorial on how to make your own distressed  serving tray by using a  Walnut Hollow Serving Tray  and Buttons Galore buttons that will make the perfect {inexpensive} addition to your home decor.

 

 Distressed Walnut Hollow Serving Tray

 

Supplies Used to Make Serving Tray:

 

1. Paint  2. Sand 3. Stain

 How to create a distressed look

 

 To give this tray a distressed look,  I painted it white,  used an electric sander to randomly distress areas and then applied a light coat of stain. ** Tip…A little stain goes a long way**

I applied the stain with a sponge brush then used a paper towel to quickly wipe off the excess.  As you apply and wipe off the stain, you’ll begin to see the distressed areas become darker in appearance developing into your aged look.   Just like magic!

 

tray2

Use Mod Podge to adhere patterned paper on tray

 

While I was waiting for the stain to dry,  I tore the edges off a piece of patterned paper and inked them with Colorbox ink  to create a distressed look.   When the stain was dry, I adhered the paper onto the tray using Mod Podge Matte.

tray1

Add buttons to wood projects

To complete my serving tray,  I added some buttons from Buttons Galore  Vacation &  Zesty Lemon  packs on to the four corners and tied the handles up with Hemptique Natural Cord.   Adding simple buttons on  to your projects can be an inexpensive way make them  beautiful.

 

tray2bgm

Use buttons as Home Decor accents

 

I’m totally in love with this tray.  I even like how it’s displayed with a vase full of buttons.  Buttons just make everything look better!

 

newsignature

 

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2

Sew a Button and Burlap Pencil Case

Sew a button and burlap pencil case for the guy in your life. It’s just right for the high school graduate who is heading off to college in the Fall or it would also be a great Father’s Day gift.

button and burlap Button & Burlap Pencil Case II

I know I’m always trying to keep my husband organized and he’s always looking for pens and pencils. Do you think there’s any chance a button and burlap pencil case is going to help?  Naw, I don’t think so either, but it’s fun to make!

Supplies needed for a button and burlap pencil case

  • Burlap cut to 7.5″  x 8″
  • Velcro (R) Brand Sew-On Fasteners cut to 7″ long
  • Ribbon cut to a length of 8″
  • Buttons – the Haberdashery line has some great masculine colors!
  • Basic sewing supplies

Instructions for sewing a button and burlap pencil case

1. Sew ribbon onto burlap parallel to the side that measures 8″. Place it approximately 1.25″ from the edge of the burlap.

Ribbon Onto Burlap

2. Sew the Velcro (R) Brand fasteners onto the 7.5″ inch sides. (These will be perpendicular to the ribbon.) I like to leave the top of the case without finishing it. The rough edge gives it a more masculine touch!

Sew on Fasteners

3. Fold in half, right sides facing (the side that you sewed the ribbon onto is the “right” side). The 7.5″ edges should be even. Press with an iron.

4.  Sew the short sides closed.

Sew Closed

5. Clip the corners and turn the bag right side out.

Sew On Button

6. Sew buttons onto ribbon. I know it’s a bit harder to sew them on when the case is sewn, but it’s best to leave this step for last, so you can see the best placement for them.

www.laurabraydesigns.com

1

Button Memo Board Tutorial

I really enjoy creating home decor items from every day things that may already be in your home. This Button Memo Board is so simple to create, and you may even have a spare laying around to get crafty with today.

This is what I started with:

Magnetic Memo Board with Button Magnets by Tracy McLennon for Buttons Galore & More

Something you may want to test before starting your Button Memo Board is, to test and make sure your pan is indeed magnetic.

I then used the liner on the pan itself as a template for my patterned paper.

Magnetic Memo Board by Tracy McLennon for Buttons Galore & More

I added some thin thread to my wooden buttons to coordinate with my chosen patterned paper.

IMG_5548

Button Magnets by Tracy McLennon for Buttons Galore & More

I then used a glue gun to attach the magnets to the buttons.

Magnetic Memo Board with Button Magnets by Tracy McLennon for Buttons Galore & More

I decided to add some flair by incorporating the rhinestones. They adhere just fine onto the pan, I used hot glue again for the buttons in between the sections of rhinestones.

Magnetic Memo Board with Button Magnets by Tracy McLennon for Buttons Galore & More

Magnetic Memo Board with Button Magnets by Tracy McLennon for Buttons Galore & More

Just a simple final touch with the large flower and a button added to the middle. I thought the burlap ribbon really added to the shabby chic look I was going for.

Magnetic Memo Board with Button Magnets by Tracy McLennon for Buttons Galore & More

Magnetic Memo Board with Button Magnets by Tracy McLennon for Buttons Galore & More

My Button Memo Board is complete and ready for the home. A great addition to any home, by a phone near you.

Magnetic Memo Board with Button Magnets by Tracy McLennon for Buttons Galore & More

2

Inspirational Card

When your friend needs a pick me up, it’s time for an Inspirational Card.

Make some quick and easy cards. I like to make a bunch and leave the insides blank, so I have them ready when a friend needs a quick pick me up.

Inspirational Card

I love finding new ways to use buttons in my card making, and it was fun to make a border with the buttons. This was really easy to do, and would look fun with different kinds of buttons. I’m not great with bows, but this … I can do!

Supplies for making an Inspirational Card

  • Buttons – White Buttons by the Pound
  • Twine
  • Stamps – Gina K Designs
  • Cardstock – Discount Cardstock
  • Patterned Paper – Authentique
  • Ink – Tsukineko, Copic Markers
  • Bling – Want2Scrap
  • Adhesive – Scor-Tape and Dimensional Foam

Directions

  1. Cut and score cardstock to create a standard A2 Card (4.25 x 5.5″)
  2. Cut a 3.5 x 5″ black mat.
  3. Add a 3.25″ square of patterned paper mat and a white strip (1 x 3.25″) at the bottom.
  4. Cut a 2.5″ square black mat. Cut a 2.25″ square white mat.
  5. Stamp and color image, mat and adhere with dimensional foam. Stamp sentiment on white strip (1 x 3.25″) at the bottom.
  6. Cut a piece of twin four times the width of your card. Wrap around the back of the patterned paper. String buttons on both ends of the twine and tie a bow. Trim excess.
  7. Embellish butterfly and sentiment with bling.
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Summertime Picture Frame-Sunflower & Wood buttons

Want to make a summertime picture frame for your home? Here’s a simple frame embellished with a handmade Sunflower, garden sign and a Haberdashery Carved Wood button.

You could choose any flower to embellish your frame but a Summertime Sunflower really does make a beautiful impact.

bloom3

Summertime Picture Frame

 

I always enjoy seeing  the Sunflower fields as we drive across country during our vacation.   They really are a beautiful sight.   One day,  I’ll convince my hubs to actually stop along the interstate to take a photo in the field.   He just can’t appreciate a purty photo op.  Men.

bloom2

A Haberdashery Wood Button makes the Perfect Sunflower Center

To make the Sunflower picture frame:

I used my Silhouette and a Lori Whitlock cut file to cut out the  3D Sunflower then inked the edges of the leaves and flower with Colorbox ink and added a unique  Haberdashery carved wood button  to the center.   It really is the perfect center for a Sunflower!

I’m totally in  love with all the  Haberdashery Wood Buttons you can find in The Button Shop too.   They’re all so unique in design.

bloom

On the other side of the frame, I hand cut out a garden sign and grass, stamped a sentiment and hot glued the grassy sign onto a dowel.  A perfect Summertime frame to display Summer memories in.

Supplies Used For Sunflower Picture Frame:

hollysignature

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0

DIY Simple and FUN Picnic Napkins

Picnics are such a great way to connect with family and friends.  From creating the yummy contents in the basket to making the decorations for the outing, it is just good old fun!  While some people spend lots of time on the meal in the basket, others prefer to spend time creating the parts of the picnic that create the atmosphere.

PICNIC_Napkins

Here are some REALLY simple napkins that you can make from any fabric scraps (including outgrown clothing, towels, sheets or pillowcases) in a  matter of minutes.  You will need the fabric, pinking shears (I love Fiskars), buttons and embroidery floss (Coats and Clark for me).  They are really fun to make out of bright colored towels for kids and holidays if you are looking for a twist on this simply button project.

Napkin_Materials

Cut the fabric into 16 x 16: inch squares.  Pick a corner for each and add a few stitched on buttons.  Voila!  You have adorable, creative and festive picnic napkins.

Napkins_Buttons

If you prefer, you can fold them in squares and make cocktail napkins.

Napkins_Folded

If you love the festive RED picnic basket, place card pots and tall jar votive, check out my blog to find out how I got them such an awesome color.  (hint: Krylon).

Happy Creating with Buttons,

Laura

 

 

 

 

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Alter a Wood Button

Step One – Alter a Wood Button

Step Two – Create an Anklet with the Altered Wood Button.

First off, I love to alter things – so to alter a wood button was not outside my comfort range. At first, I was nervous but it just adds such a nice touch, and really accented the beads perfectly.

Do you really need to ask the question, to ink or not to ink? I mean really, don’t you just want everything to have your personal touch, a little added color?  Buttons Galore has a variety of Carved Wooden Buttons and they are just little canvasses, waiting for you to create.

Before and After Photos of Wooden Buttons

 

 

 

Supplies for Altered Wooden Button Anklet

You will need a Carved Wooden Button  and some Rustic Coconut Shell Buttons.

Additional supplies include hemp and beads, as well as ink, glaze, and applicator (Tsukineko/Imagine Crafts). The beads I used are faceted Carnelian beads.

Directions

Altering the Wooden Button

  1. Dab Stazon Ink on button with an Ink Blusher. You really need to use a permanent ink that will not run or bleed. I like to buff off any excess with a paper towel.
  2. Seal the button with a finishing glaze. I used Creative Medium. This doesn’t get tacky – it’s perfect.

Altered Wooden Button on an Anklet

Creating the Ankle Bracelet

  1. Measure your ankle so that you can determine how large you want your anklet. Triple this measurement.
  2. Double your hemp and place the folded end through your Carved Wooden Button shank slightly. Pull the loose ends through this loop. Give yourself about 1/4″ of space and make a knot.
  3. Add a bead. Knot.
  4. Add a Coconut Shell Button. I take one of the strands and go up from underneath the button, then I take the other strand and go down through the top. This secures the button and prevents it from twirling around.
  5. Repeat until you have reached your desired length.
  6. Finish off with a loop. Make sure this look is large enough to accommodate the diameter of your Wooden Button.
  7. I like to wrap a segment of the bracelet with the remaining length. I loop around the bracelet and bring the end through the loop, doing this several times, then  tie a knot in the end of each strand – just to secure everything. You can also put a little nail polish on the ends of the knots.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. With some different beads and buttons, you could really create so many different styles. With a little ink and glaze, you can really create a perfect match for any outfit.

See more of my creations on my own blog, My Card Party.

Thanks for joining me today. Since today is Independence Day, I want to wish all my American friends a safe and happy fourth. There is nothing quite like celebrating your freedom with the ones you love.

Allie Gower

 

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A Gift with Charm

This is the time of year where around every corner you seem to picking up some sort of Thank You gift. Teachers, coaches, neighbors and friends. All would love this bottle of wine and coordinating wine charm. This tutorial will take you step by step to create this “Charm”ing gift.

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You are going to start by measuring the width of your wine bottle. I cut the white cardstock base just slightly larger than that measurement. My bottle of wine was just under 3.5 inches. The full size of the white cardstock is 3.5×8.5. The top section is 3.5×3.5. Just score a line at that point.

I used a 1.5″ circle punch to cut the hole for the neck of the bottle in the middle of your 3.5″ section of the white cardstock. I then took the circle I cut out and used it as a template to round the top corners.

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I then added a couple of layers of cardstock and patterned paper from the Teresa Collins, He Said, She Said Collection to decorate the base of the wine bottle card.

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Once I had these layers complete, I re cut the hole on the top section of the card. I find using the punch upside down for this will make it much easier for you.

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These are the pieces that I used to create the layered flower on the wine card.

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Add the large button in the middle as a finishing piece and adhere to the main section of the wine card. Then I also added sweet little peach buttons along the bottom of the card.

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These are the pieces that I used to create the wine charm.

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First I adhered the flowers together. I used my 5/8″ circle punch to create a template to trace onto the middle of the flower. I then cut in through the petals using scissors, and cut that circle out.

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I added the sweet layered butterfly and leaf, with a small green button in the middle. Your charm is now ready for the stem of your favorite wine glass.

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This is the finished wine card, ready for your favorite bottle of wine.

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Products Used to Create This Project:

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I hope this makes your gift giving just a little bit easier. Thank you so much for stopping by.

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Red White and Blue Button Flower Vase

I love decorating empty cans and turning them into something fun and useful again. All those canned beans and soup can really be a DIY project waiting to happen. Add some fabric, ribbon and brightly colored buttons and you have yourself a whole slew of possibilities. For today’s project I decorated a can with patriotic colors and turned it into a pretty little flower vase, perfect for adding to the table for July 4th.

Red White and Blue flower vase

Red White and Blue flower vase

Materials:

  • Empty aluminum can, washed and dried
  • Blue fabric
  • Red ribbon
  • White card stock
  • White and Blue embroidery thread
  • Red, white and blue buttons
  • Red eyelet and eyelet tool
  • Glue

Patriotic flower vase DIY

Patriotic flower vase DIY

Instructions to make your own patriotic flower vase decor

  1. Cut fabric and wrap around the outside of the can. Glue in place.
  2. Wrap ribbon around the can, tie in a knot, trim edges. Tie a red and blue ribbon together using white embroidery thread. Tie to center of ribbon covering the knot.
  3. Make a mini gift tag using the white card stock. Apply ribbon, wrap with blue embroidery thread and attach a white button. Add an eyelet with eyelet tool and then attach the tag to the button/ribbon on the can.

Recycled can to patriotic vase

Recycled can to patriotic vase

Simple patriotic flower vase

Simple patriotic flower vase

 

You can make a bunch of these patriotic flower vases to decorate for your July 4th festivities. I use these same kind of decorated cans as utensil holders and pencil/marker holders for parties. You can add a little sparkle by using glitter or rhinstones to the tag and ribbon wrap. You can even add buttons all around the can. Get creative and make your own fun patriotic decorations!

 

1

My Little Cowboy Card – Mixed Buttons

Hi Ladies, today I would like to share with you a My Little Cowboy Card – Laura Kelly’s Mixed Buttons from Buttons Galore & More.   I live in Western Wyoming and we have lots of Cowboy’s running around here, but this card is perfect for any young man that at one time or other was running around the house in their cowboy boots and hat.  The fun thing about Laura Kelly’s Mixed buttons is that I could go either country or patriotic, because the colors are very versatile.

I personally think all little boys look cute in western cowboy wear, but for this project I used La-La Land Crafts Cowboy Luka digi.

 cowboy card3

 I accented My Little Cowboy Card by using Laura Kelly’s Mixed Buttons and finished off with some hemp to give it a more Western look.

cowboy

I’m not the best in coloring, but I tried using Prisma Color – Watercolor pencils to color Cowboy Luka here.

cowboy boy card2

Now to create my envelope I cut my kraft cardstock 5 x 6″ and then another piece at 4 1/2 x 5 1/2″ and score at a 1/4″ on three sides, which is used to create the pocket.  Once I scored and I applied the score tape and adhered to the main piece of the envelope.  Now you have a pocket for your envelope.  Now you can punch out a semi circle before adhering the pocket to the envelope, which is what I did.

For the card itself I used Authentique Curiosity Paper & Strong Components  Kraft Paper, and Teresa Collins Now & Then paper pad.  I rounded the corners, used a Spellbinder’s Floral Ovals.

Supplies Used to Create My Little Cowboy Card:

 

 

 

 

0

Bugs and Kisses

Bugs and Kisses. What’s cuter than that?

Sharing a fun and easy summer card. Do you have paper that you love, that you’ve used and used til you just have scraps, and none of the fun embellishments left to go with it? When you have buttons in every color, you don’t have to be afraid of not having anything to match! I love kitschy old retro papers. This is paper from my “retro” stash, and of course, I was able to find matching embellies, and make a few too!

Bugs and Kisses

 

Supplies for Bugs and Kisses Card

Buttons Galore – Satin Finish buttons from Orange, Blue and Fire Engine Red Bulk Collections

Other – Papers – Cosmo Cricket, Dies – Spellbinders Paper Arts, Ink and Glitter Glue – Ranger, Bling – Want2Scrap

Notes and Tips

  • Use Spellbinders dies to cut, emboss and stencil. Tape dies in place with repositionable tape and run through machine, repeat and emboss, then daub on ink. This is done on the butterflies and the sentiment circle.

Thanks for stopping by. See more of my creations at My Card Party.

Keep celebrating your sweet life with creativity.

Allie Blog Signature

 

2

Patriotic Wall Hanging – Mix Buttons

I can’t tell you how much I loved Laura Kelly’s America the Beautiful fabric and her mix buttons.  These really inspired me to created something a bit primitive with a patriotic touch.

Now, I am definitely not a sewer, in fact I can sew better on paper than on fabric, but Laura Kelly’s mix buttons and her America the Beautiful fabric really made this project fun and very easy to create.

Here is what I created using Laura Kelly’s Mix Buttons collection and her

laura Mix buttons by Laura Kelly

 

It really was very simple to create this Patriotic Wall Hanging using Laura Kelly’s Mix Buttons and America the Beautiful Fabric.

Directions for wall art with mix buttons:

Step One:  So, lets get started by gathering all our supplies:

wall hanging

Once you have gathered all these lovely supplies, you can begin by cutting out your fabric.

Step Two:

I cut my Laura Kelly’s America the Beautiful fabric into the shape of a square.  I used a contrasting piece of checkered fabric that I picked up at my local Walmart, which I used for the roof of the house.  I cut that piece into a triangle.

Now be sure that you cut two pieces of each because once you have all the edges sewn you will stuff, but lets now go to our next step.

Step Three:

Now that you have 2 Square pieces and 2 Triangle pieces cut of your fabric of choice of course, you will need to take out your sewing machine or sew by hand whichever is easier for you.  Sew one roof piece to the top of your square and do the same with the other two pieces.  You will then have to house looking pieces of fabric.  Now that you have those two you will place both pieces with the outside pieces facing each other and secure them with pins.

With a sewing machine sew the edges, but make sure you leave an opening.

Step Four:

Turn the fabric inside out and start stuffing with the fiberfill and sew the opening up.

Step Five:

Use Laura Kelly’s mix buttons to create a door knob and a window.  I used embroidery floss for this stop to sew into my little house.

If you have an extra piece of Laura Kelly’s fabric go ahead and cut and create a chimney.

Step Six:

Now with the Beacon Fabri-Tac glue the house to the canvas and embellish with the twig and fence.  I distressed my fence and added stars.  I also sewed the word U.S.A with the embroidery floss.

I am not a perfect sewer, but I think this was a perfect and easy project to make.  That anyone even beginning sewers could enjoy creating.  Here is the supply list if you are interested in creating this awesome and fun Patriotic Wall Hanging using Laura Kelly’s Mix Buttons and Fabric

Buttons Galore Products:

Cross Promotion:

  • Laura Kelly’s – America the Beautiful Fabric

Other Materials Used:

  • Hemp
  • Wood Fence – Michael’s
  • Embroidery  Floss
  • Needle
  • Decorative Twig
  • Wall Hanging Canvas
  • Sewing Machine
  • Fiberfill
  • Fabric Scissors
  • Pins

I hoped you enjoyed this project, be sure to check out all our fun and amazing Patriotic Projects and Laura Kelly’s I love USA Blog Hop.

 

0

Quick and Easy Patriotic T-Shirt Makeover with BUTTONS

It is that time of year, the red…white…and blue time that is!  Here is a quick and easy way to up-cycle an old t-shirt into a festive masterpiece fit for the grandest of parades.  It is shown in patriotic style but could be done in any color theme for any occasion.

ButtonShirtMakeover

You only need a few things…buttons (Laura Kelly’s patriotic mix is best), embroidery floss (Coats and Clark is my favorite), HOT glue (Ad-tech of course)  and ribbon.

ButtonShirtMaterials

Make the ribbon flowers with button centers using your HOT glue.  It works best to do the ribbon part first and then add the buttons at the end.  Then sew them and additional buttons around the neck of the shirt.  If you want to go button crazy, you can sew red, white and blue buttons all of the shirt to look like polka dots.
ButtonPatrioticClothesMakeover

If you like the shirt and you want an additional patriotic button craft idea to upcycle these denim shorts, visit Laura on her blog for directions.

If you want to win this prize, (buttons in an awesome Viewtainer, Beacon Zip Dry, and a Laura Kelly notepad with a Sharpie,  go like Laura on her Facebook page or post a comment on this blog and you will be entered!

Prize

Happy Creating using BUTTONS, imagination and LOVE.

Cheers,

Laura

ButtonShirtPatrioticStrip

 

28

Button Earrings

These Button Earrings are super quick and fast. You can even swap out buttons to match your outfit.

Why buy when you can DIY? I chose these Teal Ice buttons to match a new shirt I got. It took me MINUTES to create these earrings. Jump rings are pretty hardy, so you could easily swap out buttons. However, they are so inexpensive and fun, you’ll want to whip up a bunch for yourself and your friends! I like to have friends over to make things. This is perfect!

Why buy when you can DIY? Easy button earrings!

Supplies for creating Button Earrings

  • Findings – Earring wires, jump rings
  • Buttons – Teal Ice

Instructions

This could not be simpler.

  1. Attach three buttons to jump rings through one of the holes. I used 10 mm rings.
  2. Attach three buttons on their rings to a small jump ring, and attach that to your pre-made earring wires. I used 7 mm rings for this step.

If you’ve never opened jump rings, I’ll share a little tip – don’t pull them apart, twist them… One side away from you and one side toward you. Then, when you are ready to close them, you want to go back and forth a little, this actually strengthens your ring. If you were working with something tinier than a button, like say a wrapped bead, you could even put a little adhesive like Gem Tac.

I’m linking it up with Create.Craft.Love this week. Join the party. #linkparty

 

Wear and enjoy! Thanks for dropping by today!

13

Red, White and Blue Altered Canvas

Today’s crafty inspiration is this red, white and blue altered canvas featuring fabric from Laura Kelly Designs and of course buttons! It’s an easy to create project for your home or for a gift.

All of the July 4th celebrations are fast approaching. So that means get out your Red, White and Blue, and get crafting. 

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I started with and 8×8 canvas that I covered in cardstock and patterned paper. Tip: Make sure you use a strong adhesive that you trust for altered projects to ensure your paper will stay attached to your canvas.

Other Products Used:

 

Make sure to cover the sides of your altered canvas as well. I like to cover all surfaces that can be seen with patterned paper, ribbon or fabric.

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An altered canvas makes a great gift or display for your own home. Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope your 4th of July celebration is full of red, white and blue craftiness. A celebration to remember!

1

Make a 4th of July BBQ Apron

Having a BBQ on the 4th of July is as American as apple pie.  But who wants to get their cute summer clothes stained with BBQ sauce?  Here’s how to make a BBQ apron.  It’s perfect for either a guy or gal, depending on who is the BBQ master in your house.

Sew a Fourth of July BBQ Apron with Buttons Galore and More||by Laura Bray

Supplies:

Directions:

1. Cut a piece of fabric into a 6 1/2″ x  5 1/2″ rectangle.  This will be the body of your flag.

Sew a Fourth of July BBQ Apron with Buttons Galore and More||by Laura Bray

2. Place the fabric on your apron.  Pin it and sew it down. I left my edges raw for more of a folk art look. Laura Kelly’s 4th of July Fabric already has stripes.  You can slice up the stripes and sew them down individually or just sew down the entire rectangle and then go back and quilt along the stripes.

3. Cut a 3″ x  2 3/4 inch rectangle from the felt. Pin in place in the top left corner of your flag and stitch down.Sew a Fourth of July BBQ Apron with Buttons Galore and More||by Laura Bray

4. Arrange white buttons in the felt rectangle to represent stars and sew them on.

Sew a Fourth of July BBQ Apron with Buttons Galore and More||by Laura Bray

5. Add red & white buttons by the top ties of the apron.

Wishing all my fellow Americans a Happy Fourth of July!

Logo copy

0

Snap Happy

It’s Red, White & Blue season, the perfect colors for this Snap Happy Card. Will you be taking lots of pictures on the 4th?

Every week we share fresh card making ideas using buttons. This week we’re using my absolute favorite Heart Novelty Buttons. I made a card with a gift card inside that’s good for some prints at one of our local stores. What family doesn’t print a ton of pictures?

Snap Happy

Supplies for creating Snap Happy Card

Buttons – two Heart Novelty Buttons – Buttons Galore and More

Stamps  – Gina K Designs

Cardstock – DiscountCardstock.com

Embellishments – Turquoise Rhinestones – Want2Scrap; Twine – Doodlebug Design; Stickers – SRM

Tools: Dies (Inverted Scalloped Circles, Star, Circles – Spellbinders Paper Arts; Labels – My Favorite Things) ; Embossing – Sizzix

Adhesive: Hot Glue – Adtech; Dimensional Foam Tape – 3M; Scor-Tape – Scor-Pal

Other: Ink – Tsukineko; Markers – Copic; Flashing Tape – available at most Home Improvement Stores

Directions

  1. Create a Neenah Solar White cardstock base 4.25 x 11″. Score and fold in half.
  2. Cut your mats: Neenah Solar White mat 4 x 5.25″ – Black Licorice mat 3.5 x 3.5″ – Currant Red mat 3.25 x 3.25″ – Emboss Currant Red mat.
  3. Adhere mats to card with Scor-Tape.
  4. Die cut pieces: inverted circle from Lunar Blue Cardstock, a Black Licorice circle, and slightly smaller Neenah Solar White circle and label shape.
  5. Stamp and color image on Neenah Solar White circle. Stamp sentiment on label shape and attach to card.
  6. Embellish with Turquoise Rhinestones. Tie black and white twine through one Heart Novelty Button and glue to stamped image.
  7. Layer round pieces with Dimensional Foam Tape.
  8. Adhere Flashing Tape to scrap paper and die cut and emboss star. Adhere to card with Dimensional Foam Tape
  9. Wrap aqua and white twine around card and secure with second Heart Novelty Button.
  10. Add sticker sentiment to bottom of card.

Thanks for stopping by today. To see more of my art, please visit me at My Card Party. I’ll see you on Thursday with some new Button Jewelry.

Until then, keep creating!

2

Tie-Dye Pajama Party with Rit and Buttons

A Party without buttons and bright colors, well that’s hardly a party to me!

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Several of the Buttons Galore Design Team members and myself participated in a “Pajama Party to DYE For” this week with some fantastic creative new friends from Rit Studio.  I created and brought the goody bags and, of course, added bright Laura Kelly Buttons to the elements in them. They ended up being a part of the party!  Here are a few pictures from the creations being made.

TieDyeGoodyBags  ButtonPJ2

Yes, those are buttons on my tweezers and buttons on the mini journals.

TieDyeGoodyBagJars

I added buttons into jars too, just in case we wanted to use them at the party.

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Which we did.  I sewed a scrap flower from my dyed PJ remnants and added a button center.  The tearing of the fabric, sewing of the ribbon and adding the button took me about fifteen minutes!   I think it came our really cute and can’t wait to wear them!  It just goes to show, a party just isn’t complete with dye and buttons!  It was a BLAST and then more fun on top of that.

To learn more about our celebration of creativity and color, search the hashtag #pjrit around the web and see what you can find.

Happy Adding Buttons To Your Parties!

 

 

0

BaZOOple Bracelet

I’ve got a BaZOOple bracelet for you today. The buttons can be changed out.

We go to the Zoo a lot during the spring and summer, and I think this will be lots of fun to make and wear with the kids.

Bazoople Bracelet.

BaZOOple Bracelet

 

Supplies

I like to include a floss threader in my little bracelet kit. These can be found in the dental area of your pharmacy – they’re very inexpensive and they really make my life easier!

How to Create the BaZOOple Bracelet

  1. Create a cuff using ribbon or fabric. I sewed a long piece of ribbon in half.
  2. Sew some yarn or twine to the cuff.
  3. Add your choice of buttons with shanks.

It’s really that easy!

BaZOOple Bracelet

Thanks for joining me today.

See more of my creations at MyCardParty.

0

Seasonal Door Wreath – Red White and Blue

If you visit my house during the month of July this seasonal door wreath will welcome you at my front door. I decided to go big and bright this year using festive patriotic ribbon, painted stars, and red, white & blue buttons from Buttons Galore. I love the nostalgic look of the dimensional stars and the traditional Americana design.

Grapevine Star Wreath

Patriotic Wreath with Stars and Buttons

I’m a sucker for wreaths. It’s a rule in my house to have a seasonal wreath on my door at all times. Of course, if I made a new wreath for every season, I’d have a lot of them to store. My husband wouldn’t like this very much either. I have a little secret to share when it comes to my seasonal wreaths. I don’t make a new wreath – I just recycle this grapevine wreath into something new every season.

My secret is to use a heat gun to melt off the hot glued embellishments. It works great every time!

Supplies used to make seasonal door wreath:

painted paper mache star

Paint Paper Mache Stars with Plaid Craft Paints

Twine Paper Mache Star

Add a dab of hot glue onto each side of star and wrap twine around
Add festive button from Buttons Galore to center.

Hot glue painted stars onto a grapevine wreath

Hot glue painted stars onto a grapevine wreath

buttonbow

Add stacked buttons to the center of your patriotic bow.

I hope my idea of recycling the same wreath for the seasons inspires you to creative you own festive wreaths to welcome visitors at  your door. Seasonal door wreaths are a nice festive touch.

hollysignature

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0

Americana Decorations: Buttons and Stars Garland

Are you looking for Americana decorations for the 4th of July for your home?  This buttons and stars garland is the perfect solution.  A great way to combine the red, white, and blue for a patriotic display that your family and guests will love.

button and stars garland for the fourth of july-005

 

Americana Decorations Supplies:

  • Styrofoam Sheet
  • Styrofoam Cutter
  • Mod Podge
  • Laura Kelly fabric (available at JoAnns)
  • Ribbon
  • Assorted buttons
  • red, white, and blue embroidery thread from Coats and Clark
  • hot glue

 

button and stars garland for the fourth of july

 

Americana Decorations Instructions:

1)  Cut stars from your styrofoam sheet as shown above.  You could also substitute wood stars if you can find them.  I used a Styro Cutter to cut my foam.

2)  Cut fabric into squares leaving at least a couple of inches around your star.

 

button and stars garland for the fourth of july-001

 

3)  Cut into the square to the points on your star.

 

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4)  Use Mod Podge to adhere the fabric to the star as shown below.  Trim away any excess fabric.

button and stars garland for the fourth of july-003

 

5)  Cover the outer edge with ribbon and use Mod Podge once again to adhere it to your star.

button and stars garland for the fourth of july-004

6)  Twist your red, white, and blue embroidery thread together to form one string.  Add your stars and buttons to the string using hot glue.  I assembled this garland right on my mantle.

 

button and stars garland for the fourth of july-006

All that is left is to step back and enjoy your creation.  A wonderful addition to your 4th of July decor.  This buttons and stars garland will be the hit of your Americana decorations this year.

button and stars garland for the fourth of july-007

 

 

5

Haberdashery Primitive Doll

Well, I wanted to continue my love for dolls and share a doll that I created using Buttons Galore & More Haberdashery wooden buttons.  These buttons are just so darn cute that you can paint and distressed to make whatever your heart desires.

My Haberdashery Primitive doll is a gift for a very special lady, and I know I’m way over due, but I decided that instead of one Primitive Doll I would make her two for her long wait, I just hope she likes it as much as I do.

To make this doll I used Michelle  Allen Raggedy Doll pattern along with Buttons Galore & More Buttons to give her some accents.

prim girl4

I used Buttons Galore & More Haberdashery buttons for her upon, which I distressed with inks to make a little bit old.

For her hair, I used Buttons Galore & More Nautical Buttons.

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I also used the same Nautical buttons for her arm pieces.

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Buttons Galore & More Supplies Used:

Other Supplies Used:

  • Fabric – Muslin
  • Michelle Allen’s Raggedy Doll Pattern
  • Acylic Paints
  • Brushes
  • Sewing Machine
  • Thread & Needle
  • Embroidery Floss

Well, I hoped you enjoyed this project!

 

0

Red White and Blue Card

Create a quick Red White and Blue card to celebrate Summer

Hi, it’s Allie here from My Card Party. I had some extra patriotic stickers from Authentique, and lots of patriotic cardstock from DiscountCardstock.com so I thought I’d make a summery card.

Red, White, and Blue

Happy Summer to you!

Red White and Blue Happy Summer to You

 

Shopping at Buttons Galore is always fun. There are so many categories and styles. My favorite thing to do is Shop by Color. I had so much red, white and blue going on in this card that black buttons seemed to be the way to go. There are many choices in the Black and White category.  I settled on a package of Cookies and Cream Buttons.

Supplies for creating Red White and Blue Card

  • Cookies and Cream Buttons
  • Ivory Smooth Cardstock #80 and Currant Red Cardstock (Discount Cardstock)
  • Bulk Bling (Want2Scrap)
  • Stickers (Authentique, Sentiment – SRM)
  • Twine and Baker’s Floss (Jo-Anne’s Fabrics)

Tools

  • Other – Martha Stewart Butterfly Punch, Martha Stewart Score Board
  • Hot Glue (AdTech)
  • Scissors (Westcott Brand)
  • Desert Sand Ink and Ink Sponge (Tsukineko)

Instructions

  1. Create a card base 4.25 x 11 and fold in half.
  2. Ink edges of card front with Tsukineko Desert Sand Memento Dew Drop.
  3. Tie multiple colors of floss through Cookies and Cream Button.
  4. Add twine and embellishments. Finish with sentiment and bling.

Thanks for joining me today. I’ll see you next Sunday.

See more of my creations at My Card Party.

0

Patriotic Craft – Country Chic Flag

Patriotic Craft – a Country Chic

Hi, Allie here and I’m sharing my Patriotic Craft – a Country Chic Flag. We are your LAST stop on the I Love the USA Blog Hop today. Are you hopping with us for this amazing Patriotic Craft Party? You should arrive here via Jen Hadfield’s Tator Tots & Jello Blog.

 *******If you’re just getting started – be sure to visit Laura Kelly at Laura Kelly Designs so you don’t miss a SINGLE project!  (Also, this is where you enter for the great prizes)******

 

The designers have worked long and hard to bring you patriotic inspiration.  We have gathered top name designers in their respective fields such as: sewing, scrapbooking, card making and many more.  We hope you can share in their pride and enthusiasm for all that America stands for and the beautiful country that she is.

Patriotic Craft - A Country Chic Flag

I Love the USA Star Pennant Flag Close Up

designed by Allie Gower for Buttons Galore

Patriotic Craft – a Country Chic Flag

Materials needed:

 

I’ve used lots of Patriotic Buttons along with Laura Kelly’s Beautiful America Fabric. (click the links to purchase) We really appreciate you hopping with us today.  Are you inspired to create something patriotic?

If so please share your projects with us on our Facebook page or on Pinterest or even Twitter using hashtags #ilovetheusabloghop  #craftpatriotic #laurakellyart    

 

Four more days left of the I LOVE THE USA BLOG HOP… so, keep hopping. Don’t forget to share your crafts too.  We really do love seeing what you all create. Comments are always welcome.  We all like a little love now and then, right?  From all of us at Buttons Galore and More, we wish you a creative, happy and safe  Flag Day and 4th of July too! Keep crafting!!!

To enter the I love the USA BLOG HOP, enter the -> a Rafflecopter giveaway 

20

A Criss Cross Card for the Man in your Life

Do you ever get stumped trying to come up with an idea on how to make a masculine card for the man in your life?  Have you thought of making him a Criss Cross Card? A  Criss… what???

Well, here’s a Criss Cross Card tutorial to make for that special man in your life embellished with a Haberdashery carved wood button.

fathersdaycard

Criss Cross Father’s Day Card

Most of us females would choose pretty flowers, glitter and anything cutesy before a brown and boring card.   But brown, especially brown wood can be fun!

I actually like brown.  I totally heart Kraft paper and when I received my Buttons Galore design team goodies, these Haberdashery wooden buttons totally caught my eye.

 Supplies needed to make Criss Cross Card

How to make a Criss Cross Card

Criss Cross Card

  • Cut a 8 1/2 x 11 piece of card stock in half, lengthwise.
  • Score each piece at 5 1/2 inches.

Criss Cross Card

  • Over lap the two pieces of card stock.
  • Adhere together with Glue Dots®.
  • Your card will now be 16 1/2 inches long.

Criss Cross Card

  • Using your paper trimmer, trim off the top corner of each end diagonally.

Criss Cross Card

  • Now, you have a naked Criss Cross card all ready to get manly.

<insert a manly grunt here>

  • To keep your card close, cut a 1 x 12 inch Belly Band to wrap around card.

<insert “belly size” pun here>

Criss Cross Card

  • Measure and trim out paper to embellish your card with.
  • Ink the edges of the paper with  Colorbox ink.

fathersday2

Inside of Criss Cross Father’s Day Card

Even without flowers and glitter, a masculine card can still be fun to decorate.  I chose to go for an “Old World” feel.

To embellish this Criss Cross card, I used paper from DCWV Industrial Chic  line, added some zig zag stitching inside and a Father’s Day die cut from a Loni Harris cut file.  Then, I embossed the belly band with a burlap folder and completed the masculine Criss Cross card with a Haberdashery wood button.

See, brown can be fun!

 

Hollysignature

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3

Patriotic Button Card

Let’s make another easy Patriotic Button Card.

This is simply stickers and a cluster of Patriotic buttons. I used hot glue which allows me to put buttons where I want, and cluster them together. I finished off the card with some simple doodling.

Let the kids loose with buttons and stickers, and have them make some cards for friends and neighbors.

Patriotic Button Card

Supplies

  • Buttons – Patriotic
  • Stickers – Authentique
  • Cardstock – Discount Cardstock
  • Twine, Embroidery Thread
  • Adhesive – Hot Glue by Adtech
  • Copic Multiliner

How to Make a Patriotic Button Card

  1. Create a card base 4.25 x 11″ and fold in half.
  2. Apply stickers.
  3. Tie twine and embroidery thread to buttons and glue to card.
  4. Doodle edges.

 

Thanks for joining me today.

See more of my creations at MyCardParty.

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A Patriotic Craft Party – the I Love the USA Blog Hop

It’s going to be a Patriotic Craft Party of epic proportions…

You’re invited to join us for the I Love the USA Blog Hop!

I Love the USA Patriotic Party Crafts - I Love the USA Blog Hop

 Cupcakes say PARTY! You’re invited to a Patriotic Craft Party!

28 Fabulous Artists – scrapbookers, cardmakers, seamstresses and more joining forces to take your patriotic crafts soaring to new heights. Join our Hostess Artist Laura Kelly Walters and Jen Goode and a parade of sponsors including Laura Kelly “America the Beautiful” General Fabric for Jo-Ann’s Craft Stores, Coats & Clark, Plaid, Fiskars, and Buttons Galore.

A Patriotic Craft Party – the I Love the USA Blog Hop

Check out this ALL STAR Line Up for the Blog Hop!

Our Hostesses

The Button Bevy

And Lots of Honored Guests

 

Join us!  If you want to follow along with hashtags and share your projects with us on our Facebook, Pinterest or even Twitter use hashtags #ilovetheusabloghop  #craftpatriotic #laurakellyart  

 

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Take a Doodle Picnic and Create Some Button Fun Cards

DoodlePicnicPacking

It summertime…a great time to picnic…creative style.  I packed up my bag and headed to the nearby creek to create.  This is what I came up with.

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I doodles a few flowers and the framed them in and colored them with my Tombow markers and cut them out.I used Power Adhesive Tabs to mount them to pre-cut note cards with envelopes then added buttons from the Laura Kelly collection of bright colors to make them “pop”!

TombowDoodleFlowerCards

If you want to know what goes in a Doodle Picnic Bag to ensure the most successful outing, visit Laura’s blog for those details!

Happy SUMMER!

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Patriotic Bracelet with Buttons and Ribbon

Create a Patriotic Bracelet with Buttons and Ribbon. This could easily be done with the kids in a variety of colors with lots of different buttons.

I’ve knit my ribbon by wrapping it around my fingers. As a child I would sit for hours and make yarn chains and pull them out. I guess I was bored during the summer! If you aren’t familiar with this technique, you could easily braid some ribbons.

It’s fun to find inexpensive craft ideas for the kids during the summer.
Patriotic Bracelet Ideas

 

Supplies

  • Buttons – Patriotic Value Pack
  • Ribbon – Michael’s
  • Embroidery Thread – Coats & Clark
  • Rhinestones – Want2Scrap Bulk Bling

How to Create a Patriotic Bracelet with Buttons and Ribbon

  1. Knit or braid ribbon, leaving a length at each end to tie on wrist.
  2. Tie a bow with buttons around the bracelet with several strands of embroidery thread.
  3. Hot glue a rhinestone on each bow to hold knots in place.

Thanks for joining me today.

See more of my creations at MyCardParty.

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Button Hair Accessories

It’s so easy to make hair accessories with buttons.  My daughter has long hair and the start of summer means lots of ponytails!  I stitched up a couple of super cute ponytail holders for her using buttons and hair elastic.  It’s a great project to do together.  I just pulled out my button jar and let my daughter pick the ones she loved and then I quickly stitched them up for her.  I have to admit, the wood button hair accessories are for me!  I couldn’t resist the look of them.

DIY Button Hair Accessories by Laura Bray on the Buttons Galore & More Blog

Supplies:

DIY Button Hair Accessories by Laura Bray on the Buttons Galore & More Blog

Directions:

1. Hand stitch the button onto the elastic.

That’s it!  You can make dozens in a an hour.  They would be great to make for  little girl party favors.

DIY Button Hair Accessories by Laura Bray on the Buttons Galore & More Blog

To make these ponytail holders, it’s better to use buttons without shanks.  Of course, my daughter chose some with shanks.  (I mean, who can resist butterfly buttons?) So I made a couple of additional ponytail holders using Jen Goode’s brilliant tutorial.

DIY Button Hair Accessories on the Buttons Galore and More Blog

Logo copy

 

 

 

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Patriotic Cards with Buttons

This month I’ll share several Patriotic Cards with Buttons. These would all be fun to do with the kids for friends and neighbors. Now that the kids are out of school, it’s fun to do crafts with them, right?

I’ve been creating several fun projects for an upcoming blog hop, the I LOVE THE USA Blog Hop. I had some embroidery thread left, and thought it would be fun to jazz up some buttons. 

 

Patriotic Cards with Buttons

 

Supplies

  • Buttons – Laura Kelly Patriotic Mix
  • Neenah White #110 Cardstock (DiscountCardstock.com)
  • SRM Stickers
  • Ribbon – Michael’s
  • Embroidery Thread – Coats & Clark, Twine – Doodlebug Design
  • Tools – Scor-Board, Floss Threader
  • Adhesive – Hot Glue from Adtech, Redliner Tape

How to Create Patriotic Cards with Buttons

  1. Cut a piece of Neenah Solar White #110 4.25×11 and score in half. On the front of the card, score some additional lines above and below where you would like your ribbon placed.
  2. Adhere ribbon on card with Redliner Tape.
  3. Add stickers.
  4. Tie several strands of embroidery thread with twine to Patriotic buttons as shown below.  Trim ends.
  5. Hot Glue buttons to ribbon on card.

Patriotic Cards with Buttons

 

Thanks for joining me today.

See more of my creations at MyCardParty.

1

Initial Wrapping Paper

IMG_5838.

Nothing beats birthdays and presents…especially giving things to people we love.  Sometimes the wrapping makes all the difference.  Here is a wrapping idea that is simple and fun.  The mom of these spectacular kids kept the wrapping to frame.  How touching!

This would be a great way to wrap graduation gifts, Father’s Day gifts and wedding gifts too.

I painted the initial on the paper then outlined with Sharpie and added words.  I hot glued buttons and ribbon to decorate and wa-lah…the gifts were ready to give.

To read more about this project, visit Laura Kelly’s blog.

Happy Creating!

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Mixed Media Necklace

I created a mixed media necklace to share with you today. Mixed media to me means having fun. It’s more about the journey, and not so much about the results.

I like to incorporate elements that have meaning to me, or to the person I’m creating for. I love butterflies. They are all about change.

Mixed Media Necklace

Supplies for creating a mixed media necklace

Note – this is what I used – use what YOU love. But of course, include some fun buttons! You don’t need everything on this list – you could play with paint, beads, remake an old necklace… The sky is the limit. Enjoy the journey!

  • buttons – Shop by color at Buttons Galore
  • chain and jump rings (Fire Mountain Gems)
  • shrinky dinks
  • napkin
  • dies (Spellbinders)
  • craft metal (Ten Seconds Studio)
  • glitter and liquid adhesive (Art Glitter)
  • copic markers and an ABS (air brushing system)

Here’s a fun little video showing some close ups and tips.

animoto_high_res

Thanks for joining me today. Please share something you make with buttons, I’d LOVE to see it.

You can find me at My Card Party.

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DIY Plate Chargers with buttons

Plate Chargers

I love the look of  chargers, but they are so pricey!  Sometimes they can cost more than the plates themselves.  Here’s an easy, inexpensive way to create DIY plate chargers.  They really complete the look of a table setting and add that extra little pop of color.  Take your table from blah to beautiful in just a few easy steps.

Make DIY Plate Chargers with buttons!

Supplies

  • 14″  cardboard cake rounds.  You can find them in the baking aisle of your local craft store.
  • Glue Dots
  • Buttons

Make DIY Plate Chargers with buttons!

Instructions

  1. Using glue dots, attach buttons around the edge of the cake rounds.  If you want to make them on glass plates use an appropriate glue like Beacon’s Quick Grip.

Make DIY Plate Chargers with buttons!

That’s it!   You can use buttons to match your dishes, your kitchen or a special occasion. A rainbow of options is open for your selection.

Make DIY Plate Chargers with buttons!

It really doesn’t get any easier than this!

Make DIY Plate Chargers with buttons!

www.laurabraydesigns.com

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Buttons and Birdcages

I was inspired by this wooden birdcage the moment I saw it on the Walnut Hollow website. I knew exactly how I wanted to incorporate buttons onto the project. This birdcage is made to be a clock, it has the hole in the middle for the clock’s hands. But I knew that I wasn’t going to use it for that purpose. Instead I wanted to decorate it as if it were a canvas or photo frame to hang on the wall or sit on a mantle.

IMG_5068

Every once in a while you need to create a template of sorts to cut paper to a very specific shape. I use a technique I learned back in elementary school. Take paper and a crayon and simply rub over top of  your project. Then I just cut out the odd shapes and used them as templates on my chosen patterned paper by Teresa Collins.

IMG_5064

The little bird I drew and hand cut myself. I love how it turned out.

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I used a mixture of colors of buttons from white, cream to light pink. If you were wondering how many buttons were used, well that would be 120!

IMG_5074

I also covered the sides of the wood with patterned paper.

IMG_5076

Products Used:

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Get Well Card

Make a simple Get Well Card.

A Get Well Card is always a good card to have in your stash, because injury and illness never arrive at a convenient time.

I randomly stamped flowers and accented with Bling. At the bottom of the card, I’ve cinched some ribbon with a Teal Ice button and some orange floss.

Get Well Card from BUTTONSGALOREANDMORE

Supplies Used to make Get Well Card

  • Buttons – Teal Ice
  • Stamps and Cardstock – Gina K Designs
  • Sticker Sentiment – SRM Sticker
  • Bling – Want2Scrap
  • Trim – Berwick, We R Memory Keepers
  • Ink – Tsukineko/Imagine Crafts

Thanks for joining me today. I hope you don’t NEED a card wishing you well, but if you do, I hope you get well soon!

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Make a Card for Dad

Let’s make a Card for Dad, shall we?

Just for Father’s Day, let’s step away from the flowers, the ribbons, the lace. Let’s go all MANLY! Blues, browns, etc. – safe color choices. I’m going for a mannish, woodsy feel here. My kids will give this to their dad with a gift card inside.

Make A Card for Dad

Instructions for a Card for Dad

  1. Score lines on cardstock.
  2. Ink mat with Donna Salazar inks from Clearsnap.
  3. Add small holes with hole punches and sand a bit to distress it.
  4. Add paper wire.
  5. Adhere mat.
  6. Place sticker on button, sand or cut off excess and attach to paper wire.
  7. Attach button, add finishing sentiments.
  8. Complete card.

Supplies to Make a Card for Dad

Thanks for joining me today. I hope the men in your life have a day they deserve.

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Button Up a Decorative Monogram

Initial_C

For a quick and personalized gift, cover a monogram in buttons and add a bow to hang it up.  You can use letters made from wood or cardboard.  They are sold in all kinds of sizes at the craft stores.  The best way to adhere buttons to them is with Ad-tech hot glue and a glue gun.

This letter “C” (for Chloe) is covered in buttons from the Laura Kelly collection.

Happy Creating!

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Buttons & Beads Necklace

Hi, it’s Allie! It’s Thursday, time for some button jewelry, and I’m sharing a Buttons & Beads Necklace with you today.

Button Jewelry with Allie Gower

If you have a basic understanding of stringing, this necklace is super simple!

I went with a rainbow sherbet color scheme – pink lemonade, raspberry, orange – yummy, right? I used satin finish buttons – picking out all the same size, just because … The pinks (dark and light) are from the Victorian Collection. The orange ones are from the Tutti Fruity Collection.

I used single seed beads on both ends and I strung the wire through both holes in the buttons, using a seed bead on the wire coming out of each hole. I went about 2/3 of the way around the necklace in this manner, and then brought both strands together with seed beads. I reversed the order of the seed beads after each set of matched buttons – just to add a little interest.

Button Close Up

Simple Repetition

I finished it off this necklace with a simple magnetic closure and some crimping beads. I particularly like magnetic closures for kids – if they accidentally got caught on something, it would open. The magnet is strong enough to stay closed during normal wear.

closure

Magnetic Closure for Safety

 

This would be so fun to do with the kids for summer! Are you ready for summer?

Buttons Galore Products Used:

Additional Products Used:

  • Size 11 Seed Beads in Pink and Orange
  • Magnetic Closure
  • Beading Wire and Crimp Beads
0

Graduation Card

Here’s a simple Graduation Card inspired by Dr. Seuss.

graduation card

Congratulations!
Today is your day,
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!

 

I hope this simple card inspires you!

I cut my letters on the Silhouette. The font is called Apple Gothic, and came with my Mac. The size is 72 point.

I used Glue Dots to adhere these adorable Buttons.

Supplies used to make Graduation Card:

1

Father’s Day Gift – Button Photo Wall Decor

Father’s Day Gift idea: with buttons and paint both masculine and patriotic.

With Father’s Day just around the corner it’s certainly FUN to bring out those old pictures, buttons, and brads, and creating something that will be enjoyed by everyone!

This coming Father’s Day turn a simple photo frame and buttons into an amazing wall decor that will hold not just a picture but your keys as well.

For my project this month, I would like to introduce you to the special man in my life.  He is not only a loving husband and father, but he’s a fisherman as well!   From the time he was able to walk, his grandfather taught him how to fish and here I share a simple Button & Photo Wall Decor for Fathers Day that I created using a picture I found of my husband fishing when he was just four years old.  Now, he’s not really a fisherman, because he can’t catch a fish to save his life, but today he caught a red fish with a little help from my creative hands.

Father's Day Gift with buttons and paint, masculine and patriotic

This perfect Father’s Day Gift – Buttons & Photo Wall Decor can created using:

Brads, Haberdashery Buttons, & Frame

It’s as easy as 1-2-3! So, let’s create a Button & Photo Wall Decor together!

Material used for Father’s Day Gift:

Buttons Galore & More Products used:

Cross Promotional Products Used:

  • Glue Dots
  • Adtech Hot glue gun and glue

I also used:

  • Picture (of the special Father)
  • Wood Frame (I picked my wood frame from Walmart’s Discount aisle for .95cents).
  • Want2Scrap – Beautiful Bling Border by Nina Brackett- Fancy Waves
  • Flag Red Acrylic Paint
  • Lite Mocha Acrylic Pain
  • Folk Art Crackle
  • Wooden knobs (unpainted)
  • Paint Brush
  • Gesso
  • 1″ Grosgain Blue Ribbon

Step One:

The very step I always recommend everyone to do is to gather all your supplies.  It just makes things a lot easier.

Erik fishing tutorial supplies

Step Two:

Apply a coat of gesso to the frame using a bristle paint brush and either let it air dry or use your heat gun to make this process quicker.

Erik fishing tutorial gesso Erik fishing drying gesso

Make sure that you allow the gesso to properly dry before you begin your next step.

Step Three:

My favorite step is applying the first coat of acrylic paint.  For this project I used Apple Barrel Flag Red as my base coat for the frame.

Erik fishing red paint

Erik fishing red frame

Don’t be afraid to apply a little heat to the frame to speed things up just be sure not to apply it directly to the paint or it may bubble up.  Once you have the frame completely painted with the base coat you can apply a layer of Folk Art Crackle Medium.  Make sure you apply the crackle to the entire frame.  Let this air dry for about 20 minutes.  Once it is completely dried you can apply a light color as the top coat.  I used a Lite Mocha from Apple Barrel and as you can see the red it peaking out of the cracks.  I really love taking something new and making look/appear old.

Erik fishing tutorial

I purchased some unpainted wooden knobs at my local Walmart and painted them Flag Red and I distressed it just a little to go with the frame.  I then took the Cozy Brads “‘All Boys” and hot glued them to the knobs.  I also painted the Carved Wooden Buttons with the same Flag Red acrylic paint and hot glued a piece of 1″ Grosgain Blue Ribbon to each Carved Wooden Buttons.  I hot glued these to the frame like you see below.

Erik fishing

My final step was to adhere my husband’s picture to a piece of cardstock that I cut to size and for this I used Glue Dots!  It was a lot safer and easier!  I wanted to give the picture a little flare so I cut out a red fish and added a piece of bling to the eyes and used a piece of Want2Scrap Nina Brackett – Fancy Waves to the tail of the fish to make it look like it just came out of water.  To finish this project off I them applied the rest of my Want2Scrap Nina Brackett – Fancy Waves to the grass or edge of the picture at the bottom.

So there you have it an EASY & FUN, Project that will definitely WOW your special man this Father’s Day.

 

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Wizard of OZ Charm Bracelet

As a kid, I remember the first time I saw the Wizard of OZ, and I tried to capture all my memories in this Wizard of OZ Charm Bracelet. This month I’m sharing some easy Button Jewelry ideas. I hope you like them, and that you’ll come back every Thursday to see a new project.

I like to figure out how long I need to make a bracelet and then count the links, so I have a nice even variety of buttons and charms. My wrist is on the slim side – an average bracelet is about 7.5″. One thing to remember to take into account is how bulky your bracelet is – if it’s super chunky, you might need to go a little longer.

I’ll briefly go over what I used – the construction is pretty simple. Decide where you want things and add them with a jump ring. I used the satin finish buttons from the Teal Ice package. These are my favorite colors, so it was just a matter of what I liked! In addition to that I have some Want2Scrap charms – I used crowns, a key, a little girl, a music note, and a star – for the Wizard of course. In addition to the charms, I used an Epiphany Crafts punch to punch out OZ (from Graphic 45 papers) and Epiphany blanks and acrylic shapes (Circle 14) to make my OZ charms. The paper is actually blue, so the buttons went together nicely.

 

OZ Charm Bracelet

Supplies used to make OZ Charm Bracelet

  • Teal Ice Buttons
  • Chain, Jump Rings** – Fire Mountain Gems
  • Blanks, Acrylic Disks, Circle 14 Punch – Epiphany Crafts
  • Charms – Want2Scrap
  • Paper – Graphic 45

I hope you’re inspired to grab some buttons and charms and create a Charm Bracelet. I’ll be back next Thursday with some more Button Jewelry.

 

**Note – you will need pliers to open and shut the jump rings.

 

3

Quick and Simple Money Holder Envelope

Money Holder Envelopes can only mean one thing … It’s Graduation time again and maybe you want to show those special Grads some love.   Cash love that is!

Here’s how to make a quick and simple money holder envelope that can be stuffed full of congrats cash and gift cards for that starving ex-student.

Money Holder Envelope for Buttons Galore and More

Money Holder for the Graduate

 

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Supplies Needed to Make a Money Holder:

 

IMG_4610

8 x 7 inch piece of cardstock scored at 2″ and 6″

congrats4

1. Trim out sentiment and adhere. 2. Peel off backing and sprinkle glitter 3. Remove excess glitter. 4. Done!

 Use Clearsnap Design Adhesives

To quickly add a Congratulations sentiment on to the money holder,  I used these convenient  Design Adhesives from Clear Snap.  Really neat product and sooo easy to use!

IMG_4669

You could use any choice of adhesive to make your money holder but I choose to stitch mine together using a sewing machine, added a clear Velcro coin to keep the envelope closed (don’t wanna lose any of that congrats cash now) and added a ribbon bow and  Haberdashery button for some sophistication.

I love how the black and white stitching contrast together,  adds a ‘lil sophistication on the envelope.  Now that they’re a graduate,  they should be a little more sophisticated, right?

newsignature

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1

Graduation Gift Card Holder

Make this graduation gift card holder for the graduate in your life.  The perfect thing to make a gift card a little more special.  Plus these can be customized to the graduate easily.  Show the graduate how much you care by adding these handmade gift card holders to their gift.

Graduate Gift Card Holder

 

Graduation Gift Card Holder Supplies Needed:

  • white cotton material
  • spray adhesive
  • white card stock (8 1/2 by 11)
  • printer
  • phoomph or other fabric stiffener
  • sewing machine with colored thread
  • felt
  • die cutter and cutting die (or scissors)
  • assorted buttons

Graduation Gift Card Holder Instructions:

1)  Cut a piece of white cotton material to the size of your card stock.  Adhere the fabric to the card stock using spray adhesive.  Pick graduation themed images on your computer and put them onto one page in a word processing program or equivalent.  Run the card stock through your printer printing the images onto the fabric.  Allow to dry before touching.  You can set the images with some aerosol hairspray for extra insurance if desired.

Graduate Gift Card Holder

 

2)  Next you need to stiffen the fabric.  I used a self adhesive product called phoomph but any type of interfacing that you would like to use would work.  The phoomph helps keep the fabric from fraying when cut which will be important because I am not sewing the edges.  I cut my fabric down then adhered to one side of my phoomph.  I then ran the fabric through my die cutter with a die to get rectangular shape.  You can use scissors and a straight edge to get the same results.

Graduate Gift Card Holder

3)  Now cut a piece of felt to 4 inches by 6 inches.  Fold your felt around the gift card as shown below.  Wrap loosely so you will have adequate room.

Graduate Gift Card Holder

 

4)  Turn over and find the center of the front.  Mark for reference.

Graduate Gift Card Holder

5)  Add your saying to the approximate center.  The shorter end should be up as this will be the flap you fold over on the back.

Graduate Gift Card Holder

6)  Use a zig zag stitch to go all around your rectangle.  Now fold into position again around a gift card.  Pin around the edges that you are going to sew.  Also put a few pins to mark the top of your graduation gift card holder.  We will be sewing across this top as well.

Graduate Gift Card Holder

7)  Sew all the way around again with a zig zag stitch.  Sew with your flap open.

Graduate Gift Card Holder

8)  Cut the back flap into a triangle shape.  Sew on a button to the back and cut a button hole from the felt.  Add your gift card and a note of congratulations.  I put a few glue dots on my note and adhered them to the gift card.  Button your gift card holder closed and give this graduation gift to a special someone.

Graduate Gift Card Holder

You graduate will love this small personalized gesture.  Add this graduation gift card holder to your to do list today.

Graduate Gift Card Holder

3

Make an iPhone Purse with Duck Tape and Buttons

Make a Duck Tape  iphone purse with buttons galore and more buttons.  I was struggling with ideas to make for my projects this month featuring buttons. While I was sitting around brainstorming, I started playing with the fancy roll of Duck Tape I had and next thing ya know, I had made a mini purse. Now, I don’t have photos to share showing how I made the purse exactly. That’s what happens when a girl get crafty at 11pm with no plan. However, I’ll tell you how I did it.

I used buttons to create the closing feature on this purse. I hand stitched these buttons in place so they would be more sturdy than a simple adhesive attachment. I think it would be fun to sew extra embellishments and designs on the purse too.

 

Make a Duck Tape cell phone purse with buttons galore and more buttons

Duck Tape cell phone purse

 

Make your own iPhone purse

Make your own iPhone purse

Materials I used:

  • Duck Tape
  • Vacation – Coordinating buttons
  • Embroidery thread and needle

– no kidding, that’s it!

How to make your own iPhone purse with Duck Tape and Buttons:

  1. Create a sheet of double sided Duck Tape that is 3 tape strips wide and 11″ long. To make the sheet, tear off 3 pieces of tape that are about 11″ long,  lay them next to each other, overlapping on the side by about 1/4″. Repeate this step and then stick the two large pieces on top of each other.
  2. Fold the bottom up about 4″ and tape the sides. Now you should have a pocket with a flap.
  3. Cut a small hole on each side of the pocket opening.
  4. Using a long strip of duck tape, make a strap for your purse. Roll or fold the strip of tape until it is more like a cord with no sticky side showing. RUn the cord through each hole on the purse pocket. Place tape around the edges of the cord so that it stays in place.
  5. Add your buttons
    1. Sew buttons in place however you’d like.
    2. Wrap thread around the bottom button and leave a piece hanging so you can use it to wrap around the flap button to keep your purse closed.

iPhone purse pocket

iPhone purse pocket

 

iPhone purse flap

iPhone purse flap

 

iPhone purse button closeup

iPhone purse button closeup

 

Fun colors to make your own iPhone purse

Fun colors to make your own iPhone purse

 

I always carry a super small purse, so you could use this as your wallet or add more pockets to carry more little treasures. I think it would be neat to add a few different Duck Tape patterns too. Get creative with the Duck Tape to make your own fun purse. I’d love to hear what you come up with!

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Birthday Card Ideas -DIY a Make a Wish Birthday Card

Today, I’m sharing Birthday Card Ideas.  I’ve made an easy Make a Wish Birthday Card. It is great for almost anyone.

You just need some stickers, buttons and cardstock. Cards like this can easily be remade in a variety of colors, to bundle up and present as a gift.

I embossed some cardstock and cut it into strips. I matted the strip and added some Cupcake Buttons and some sentiment stickers. I like to make sets of birthday cards to give as gifts, so being able to create a bunch easily is a bonus.

Birthday Card Ideas Make a Wish Card

 

Supplies Used to Create Make a Wish Birthday Card

  • Buttons – Cupcake Buttons
  • Sticker Borders – SRM Stickers
  • Cardstock – Gina K Designs
  • Other – Cuttlebug Folder (Provo Craft)

More Birthday Card Ideas

Card bundles are a great gift, especially for the elderly. Create several cards using different combinations of card stock and buttons and include stamped envelopes. These bundles are always a great hit.

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Water Bottle Favors

AfterPromWater2

Sometimes creating the perfect party favor that equally serves as a decoration is simple to button up.  This project can be used to create color themes for birthdays, weddings, baby showers, etc…  Here is a really simple, quick and decorative way to create favors that are great for summertime.

AfterPromH20AdTech

Remove the label on the water bottle.   Using ad-tech’s hot glue, add a little message and a button or two from Laura Kelly’s bright collection of colors along with a ribbon tied in a bow and you have a bright, cheery favor that is sure to be a hit.

AfterPromWater

For more fun party decorating ideas with the prom theme, visit Laura’s blog.

 

0

Wedding Card

Wedding Card

Make a lovely wedding card. Wedding season is upon us!

I love to use the colors chosen by the wedding party. By stamping and adding matching buttons, any card can become extra special to the bride and groom.

Wedding Easel Card

This is a simple easel card with a little bit of stamping with die cuts. It’s not difficult. The background is embossed panels – the folder is Swiss Dots. The swirls are die cut from the Belle Rose set from Heartfelt Creations. The sprigs are from a Spellbinders set called Foliage. When some were too big, I just cut them down. Make your dies work.

Button Embellishments

I stamped my bird cage and fussy cut it. I also cut a mat for it, so it would stand out in the business of the flowers. The buttons help the card stay open. To one I added a bling center, and then I took two buttons and tied them together with twine. The larger white button is actually upside down, so that the twine doesn’t touch the card.

Wedding Embellishments

I stamped and cut out the label. My sentiment was a tad too big, so I just matted it and accented it with some fancy bling.

The buttons are from the Valentino Collection, the flower buttons are blank Flower Shapes, and I added some bling to the centers. The flowers came with bling already attached.

Supplies Used:

Tool Used:

1

Flower pot Flowers

It is springtime and that means gardening, planting, flowers and sunshine.

Polkadot Flower pot Flowers

If you are working towards creating a colorful flowerpot garden, here is a fabulous QUICK and easy way to add bright colors.

IMG_4378

To make the Flower pot Flowers :

grosgrain ribbon, bright Laura Kelly colored buttons, hot glue (I use ad-tech high temp) and wooden skewers!

Use grosgrain ribbon loops to create petals and then hot glue gun buttons to the centers to add color and hold them together then hot glue the to the non pointed end of the skewer.  Flip them over and hot glue a button to the backside so that if they turn around in your garden they will still look cute.

RibbonButtonFlowers

What a fabulous way to create color in fifteen minutes.  These flowers withstand the weather and last all season long.  Of course they are pretty indoors too.  You could even make a whole pot of just these and never have to water.

RibbonFlowers

If you want to know where the polka dotted flower pots came from, hop over to my blog and find out.

Happy Fifteen Minute Friday with Flowerpot Flowers!

1

Shaker Charm with buttons

Today, I’ve got this shaker charm. These are easy to make and can be a wearable memento. I think of my Dad a lot in the Spring, and I  think of a strong man. My dad was quiet, but in his silence, he always had so much to say. He left us in April 1997 after a brave fight with cancer, but he’ll be in my heart, forevermore. My dad let me share his work space to experiment with different crafts. I think he’d really enjoy seeing some of the things I make now. I’d like to share some Button Jewelry ideas with you this month. So, if you like jewelry, you will want to come back each Thursday for a new project.

 

Shaker Charm

 

These are very easy to make. This charm is 3×1″. I’m using a Memory Frame, Slide Glass and Capsules from Ranger Ink.

How to make a Shaker Charm

  • Trace patterned paper and card stock to match the size of the glass slides and cut it out. A
  • Add some tissue tape and stickers.
  • Sandwich the decorated paper between two glass slides.
  • Place a variety of small Haberdashery Buttons in the capsule (upside down).
  • Lay the slides on the capsule and carefully slide everything into the Memory Frame.
  • Adorn with token.
  • Remove fasteners from brad and adhere to outside of capsule with a Glue Dot.

There are lots of different items you can place inside the capsule, and equally as many ways to decorate the slides and make this shaker charm a personalized memento. I left the back blank with card stock, but you could easily add a photo. When I’m not wearing charms, I like to hang them around the house – on knobs, lights, etc. My kids even wear them on their hoodies as zipper pulls.

 

Supplies to make a Shaker Charm

  • Haberdashery Buttons – Buttons Galore
  • Paper and Stickers – Authentique
  • Memory Frame, Glass and Capsule – Ranger
  • Tissue Tape, Token – Tim Holtz
  • Brad – Creative Impressions
  • Adhesive – Glue Dots
  • Jump Ring**, Waxed Cotton – Fire Mountain Gems

 

 

I hope you’re inspired to grab some buttons and create a memory. I’ll be back next Thursday with some more Button Jewelry.

 

**Note – you will need pliers to open and shut the jump ring.

 

 

2

gifts for guys blog hop

Join the Button Bevy and the Glue Dotess in a “Gifts for Guys” blog hop on May 7th-9th 2013. 20 great inspirational projects for the men in your life – from Dads to Grads and babies to boys. Two prizes, one from each company. Join us.

Gifts for Guys blog hop Buttons and Glue Dots

 Gifts for Guys  May 7th-9th 2013

from Dads to Grads and babies to boys. Two prizes, one from each company.

0

Make a Ribbon and buttons masculine scrapbook page layout

 

Ribbon and buttons are something that all scrapbookers should have on hand. The simple combination of the two can add so much texture and dimension to an otherwise simple layout.

One of the things I hear most often from other scrapbookers, is how hard they find it to scrapbook their more masculine photos. Whether it is little boy layouts or those of grown men. Adding flowers, gems or anything that glitters often comes easier to us. Making embellishing a masculine layout often a little harder to do. Adding ribbon and buttons is one of those easy ways to add dimension and texture.

This is a simple layout that I created using the Fancy Pants collection called Swagger, a great masculine line.

Ribbon and Buttons Scrapbook Page Layout

Directions to make a Ribbon & buttons masculine scrapbook page layout:

Here are a few of the patterns and embellishments from the collection and the buttons and ribbon I chose to use with it.IMG_4714

I decided on the patterns and cardstock that I wanted to use as the base of my layout and cut them accordingly.IMG_4717

At the bottom of my layout I have 3 layered squares. The largest layer is 4″. I inked and adhered all my layers together.IMG_4718

Then I punched small holes in each of the 4 corners of all of your squares.

IMG_4722

I cut 6 pieces of ribbon, all about 7 inches long. Start by feeding one piece through 2 opposite holes in your button.IMG_4728

Take a second piece of ribbon and feed it through the other 2 holes in your button. Repeat this for the other 2 squares.IMG_4730

Then you’re going to feed the ends of the ribbon through the holes in your squares. You want to keep the button as close to the middle as possible. I then just taped the ragged ends of ribbon in behind the squares.

IMG_4733

At this point you are ready to assemble your layout. Add a few more DIY embellishments and a few more small buttons. Plus a triple matted photo and you’re done.
IMG_4740

Products use to create this ribbon and buttons layout:

  • Brown Buttons
  • Patterned Paper and Coordinating Embellishments: Swagger by Fancy Pants
  • Dark brown, light brown and cream cardstock
  • Yellow ribbon
  • 1/8″ hand punch
  • Mini Glue Dots

IMG_4744

1

Buttons and Birdhouse Challenge Winners

Buttons and Birdhouse Challenge Winners –   we have a Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!
Thank you to everyone for viewing all the projects with buttons.  We had our best participation ever and I cannot tell you how excited that makes me.  Our designers place a lot of time, energy and love into each one of their projects in the hopes of inspiring you, our wonderful fellow crafters and showing you how to make really cool crafts.   Enough of my mushiness and on to the important stuff.

Buttons and Birdhouse Challenge Winners

Author: nancy (ntorresdir@xxxxx.com)
Website:https://www.facebook.com
Comment: permalink
my vote is for Mai Larsen, espectacular

Nancy,  Please contact us with your shipping address.  nikimeiners@ yahoo . com  She will take care of it for you.

The viewers favorite was Mai Larsen.  We are very lucky to have Mai as she is bi-lingual and has brought a whole new group of fans to our blog.  Muchas gracias Mai.  Speaking of Mai – she also had the most votes too. ¡Felicidades!   Mai.

button sculpey polymer clay and jewelry basics 2  buttons

Stay tuned to the blog for some great button jewelry ideas. Thursdays this month will feature unique DIY jewelry ideas with buttons for everyone.  Tutorials and instructions will be provide for some of the pieces and materials lists for the rest.

6

Buttons and birdhouse – Designer Challenge

 

 

Buttons Birdhouse Blog Party

Buttons and birdhouse Spring Design Team Challenge is on!

Each of the designers were sent buttons and birdhouse.  We  asked them to decorate them in any manner they desired.  Any theme, any materials and any colors could be used on the birdhouses.

Niki our DT Coordinator created the pieces below.  She is ever the overachiever and decorated a trio. But, since she is in charge of the team she does not get a chance at the prize.  PRIZE?  Yes a prize.  Vote on this post at the bottom.  Vote for your favorite designers project.  Her projects were inspired by a cool and relaxing color combination of coral, poppy, grey, brown, aqua and cream.

                           *****WIN A PRIZE!*****

How to win a Buttons and Birdhouse Prize:

  •  The designer with the most votes at the bottom of this post will win a $10 Starbucks Gift Card
  •  A commenter on this blogpost will win a $10 Starbucks Gift Card, a $10 pair of FISKARS scissors
  •  Two commenters on the DT blogs will get a package of buttons.

We would love new follower in Facebook and on Pinterest

buttonsbirdhouses uncropped

The designer with the most votes at the bottom of this post will win a $10 Starbucks Gift Card and one commenter on one of the DT members blog will also win a $10 Starbucks Gift Card, a $10 pair of FISKARS scissors and a button assortment.  Total value of prize is $25.

The blogs are listed bellow – visit them and then come back here and let us know your favorite.  You could win a prize

Allie

http://wp.me/p2Ys5f-gj

Tracy

http://scrappychick101.blogspot.com/2013/04/its-for-birds.html

Angie

http://www.thecountrychiccottage.net/2013/04/barn-button-birdhouse-and-designer.html

Mai

http://creandocondetalles.blogspot.com/2013/04/totally-shabby-rose-garden-birdhouse.html

Holly

http://www.ribbonsandglue.com/2013/04/shabby-chic-birdhouse.html

Jen

http://www.100directions.com/birdhouses-are-better-embellished-with-buttons

Laura Bray
http://laurabraydesigns.com/button-birdhouse-pincushion

Laura Kelly

http://www.laurakellydesigns.com/laurakellydesignsblog/index.php/2013/04/25/attention-little-birdies-these-houses-are-all-buttoned-up-for-the-fairies/

Carla

 http://carlaschauer.com/painted-floral-spring-birdhouse/

How to win a Buttons and Birdhouse Prize:

  •   The designer with the most votes at the bottom of this post will win a $10 Starbucks Gift Card
  •  A commenter on this blogpost will win a $10 Starbucks Gift Card, a $10 pair of FISKARS scissors
  •  Two commenters on the DT blogs will get a package of buttons.

Upcyle Recycle Repurpose Mel Designs – Featured Designer

Upcyle Recycle Repurpose savant queen, Mel Designs – Melony Bradley has a way with truly turning trash into treasure.  Her creativity never ceases to amaze me. If you would like see other projects that she has created you can check out her blog.  She does fantastic tutorials and almost every post has one. She accents many pieces with sewing, ink, buttons paint and sew much more

 

I love the little tid bits she adds to every  project.  This is a cool desk set.

Upcycle recycle repurpose cool desk set with buttons Upcyle Recycle Repurpose

A fantastic laundry room organizer.

Upcyle Recycle Repurpose laundry-room-organizer

 

2

3D Button Flowers

3D Button Flowers

It’s spring. These 3D Button Flowers would be so cute for Mom, or any Spring birthdays, or just as a pick me up.

Go 3D with flowers and buttons

 

These are SO simple to make.

You need the following supplies:

Buttons, Twine, Sturdy Wire, Felt,

Yes, that’s IT!

I die cut some flowers using a Spellbinders Paper Arts die called Blossoms. You could also just cut out flowers, or use ready made flowers.

I chose a large button with four holes. I thread two wires through the holes. I sandwich flowers on the “stems” and add buttons.

I put a circle of felt on the button of the button to help keep the sculpture upright. I added some twine around the edge of the button to create grass.

SUPPLIES USED:

TOOLS USED:

Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you’re inspired to make something 3D!

4

Scrap Paper & Button Gift Tag

Some times it is so much fun to create ways to use scrap paper and miscellaneous bright buttons.  This project is one that is worth “picking”, kind of like a pretty flower.

FlowerTag1

Materials for the scrap paper gift tag:

You will need scrap paper , Mod Podge (I used the washable kind for kids), a brush, black Sharpie marker, Laura Kelly buttons and ad-tech hot glue to create the flower.  You can buy a tag already to go or make one yourself.

Directions for the scrap paper gift tag:

Cut your paper into petals of any size and shape, whatever works for the tag size you are making.  Mine are about 2 inches long.  Cut another piece into a circle about an inch in diameter.  Using Mod Podge, brush a heavy coat on the circle then add the petals, brushing new layers of Mod Podge liberally between each petal.  Apply a final coat over the entire flower.  Set it aside to dry.  Cut a stem and leaves from your scraps and use the Mod Podge to apply them to your tag using the same technique.  Add the flower with Mod Podge and let it all dry.  To finish your project, use your ad-tech hot glue to apply several buttons in a stack in the center of the petals.  If you want to add the black decorations around the outside, you can’t beat the black Sharpie permanent marker.

PaperFlowerTag5

There are lots and lots of ways to use these paper flowers to create masterpieces.  You can visit Laura’s blog to find more ideas if you have more than fifteen minutes to create!

 

2

Ivory Pearl Haberdashery Wedding Favor Sachet

With Spring just around the corner, many young couples are planning their weddings. What better gift than a Ivory Pearl Haberdashery Wedding Favor Sachet Set.  Buttons Galore & More offer more than just buttons they offer young couples the ability to create lovely wedding invitations and favors with their lovely line of buttons.

For my project today I used one that I have totally fallen in love with.  The  Ivory Pearl Haberdashery.  The ivory pearl finished buttons come in a variety of sizes and its truly something that can be used over and over again regardless of what the occasion is.

Now who wouldn’t want a scented wedding favor? Especially one with lovely buttons such as the Ivory Pearl Haberdashery?  These favors  can be used to provide scent to any room in your home  after the wedding is over.

wedding set

wedding card to make the  Ivory Pearl Haberdashery wedding favors:

Wedding favor sacket

These Ivory Pearl Haberdashery Wedding Favor Set can be created for any occasion it doesn’t necessary have to be done for weddings, but I think that anyone attending a wedding would truly love receiving such a lovely favor.

MATERIALS to make the  Ivory Pearl Haberdashery wedding favors:

 BUTTONS GALORE & MORE:

Cross Promotional Supplies:

  • Fiskar Scissors
  • Jacquard – Velcro Press & Close Fasteners

Additional Materials:

  • Hot Glue
  • Glass Beads
  • Fabric of choice
  • Trim
  • Potpourri – Cinnamon
  • Seam Binding Ribbon
  • Canson – Tracing Paper
  • Canvas Corp – Heavy White Cardstock
  • BoBunny – Back to Basic Paper collection
  • Sewing Machine
  • White Floral Wire
  • Black Staz On Ink
  • Teresa Collins Stamp – Vintage Finds Acrylic Stamps

How to make the  Ivory Pearl Haberdashery wedding favors:

Now I know it may seem like a lot of materials.  Trust me it makes a lovely  Wedding Favor Sachet.  I started out by cutting my fabric that I picked up at my local fabric store.  I cut the fabric 4 1/2″ x 5″ and sewing the edges leaving an opening.  Now, I’m not that great at sewing.   So I glued my ivory trim with Beacon adhesive Fabri-Tac.  Wow this glue is amazing.  I was really amazed on how quick it dried up and how well it glued the trim to the fabric.  Once you have this all done you can begin beading the flowers by using a floral wire.  I twisted the wire once all the glass beads were on the fabric wire to create a flower.  To make the swirls on the side of the flower I did the same thing.

I applied the flowers to the fabric using Beach Adhesive  Fabric-Tac.  It was just that easy to adhere to the sachet bags.  Next  I applied my buttons from Ivory Pearl Haberdashery collection and Sunny.  They are on  Buttons Galore & More website.  I placed a piece of Velcro Press and Close Fastener to the inside of the sachet bags. This will allow you to refresh or replace your potpourri bags anytime you want.

The potpourri is something I picked up at my local Walmart.   I used Canson Tracing Paper to hold my potpourri.  I cut about 3 3/4″ x 4″ tracing paper.  I hot glued the edges leaving an opening and then placed my potpourri inside and sealed the top with more hot glue.   I placed it  inside of my Wedding Favor Sachet and sealed with the Velcro Press & Close Fasteners.

I couldn’t stop just here I had to make a card to accommodate this lovely Wedding Favor Sachet Bags.  The card is 5 x 5 1/2″ and I used the same technique to create the flower.   I added the Ivory Pearl Haberdashery buttons to the flower petals which I glued using hot glue.  I  also saved a piece of the fabric that I used for the bags and applied it my card and to top this card off I used Teresa Collins Vintage Find Acrylic Stamp, Staz On and Buttons Galore & More Sm. Rectangle Sliders .  I stamped the word “LOVE” using Black Staz On Ink and stamped it directly to the Sm. Rectangle Sliders.  I used Glue Dots to attach my seam binding ribbon to the card and finished my card up.

I hope this inspires you to create something lovely and amazing for your Wedding using Buttons Galore & More buttons for your wedding favors.

4

Yellow and Grey Baby Shower Decor

handmade yellow and grey baby shower decor

A Baby Shower was the most recent of events for my group of close friends. Between us we have had wedding showers, weddings, big birthdays and other baby showers. I was more than excited to be in charge of the decor. For this baby shower, mommy and daddy-to-be did not find out the sex of the baby. I wanted to stay away from the traditional yellow and green combination. Instead I chose yellow and grey with hints of silver. Here are some photos of the decor from our little event.

IMG_4360B

The cupcake skewers are just simply layered circles and scalloped circles of yellow grey and white cardstock and patterned papers. Then I used my heart punch with the glitter paper. An adorable yellow button finished it perfectly.

IMG_4345B

I also made the cupcake stand from a couple of dollar store plates and a silver candle holder.

IMG_4341B

IMG_4339B

The “Welcome Baby Gibbs” banner was probably the most work. It includes layers of patterned paper and coordinating cardstock. The letters are cut from glitter paper. I also added a tissue paper ruffle to the top of each banner section, then added a little sparkle using Smooch Glitz.

IMG_4338B

At the very top of the banner is a strip of washi tape and a yellow button at the top and the bottom of each section. Each section of the banner is strung on 3/4″ grey and white ribbon.

IMG_4336B

I even covered the inside of the glass panels of the hutch to coordinate with the yellow and grey theme.

IMG_4335B

The final piece to the decor was the diaper cake I constructed. I continued with the same patterns as the rest of the decor. Layering grey and yellow cardstock and patterns.

handmade yellow and grey baby shower decor

Each tier of the diaper cake had a accent piece rimmed with a tissue paper ruffle and a yellow button in the middle. The little yellow rubber ducky just finished it off.

IMG_4359B

At the very top were the 3 yellow and grey pinwheels, attached to wooden skewers and stuck into the diaper cake.IMG_4330B

Materials to make the handmade yellow and grey baby shower decor:

  • Yellow Buttons
  • Smooch Glitz (Starlight)
  • 2 3/4″ Circle Punch
  • Martha Stewart Crafts Scallop Border Punch
  • Streamers/Tissue Paper
  • Recollections Yellow and Grey Polka Dot Patterned Paper
  • 1 1/2″ Scallop Circle Punch
  • 1 1/8″  Circle Punch
  • 1 1/4″ Circle Punch
  • American Crafts Glitter Paper (Silver)
  • Martha Stewart Crafts Heart Punch
  • Yellow and Grey Ribbon
3

Create a Springtime Flutterbug Medley Wall Plaque

I love April for many reasons! April is when you start seeing the signs of spring, but it also reminds me of the day I welcomed my oldest and youngest daughters to this world. So I created this springtime Flutterbug Medley Wall Plaque with them in mind. April is when we start to see the beautiful flowers start to bloom and when we start to see the birds chirping and singing. My oldest is always a reminder that she was born in April, because she is always singing up a tune, so that is why I created this Flutterbug Medley Wall Plaque using Buttons Galore and More Flutterbug Medley buttons. It’s a reminder of some of the things that as mothers we enjoy and at times we tend to forget.

My baby girl will be turning 17 here in a few days. I wanted to give her something that will inspire her to always believe in herself and – just like the birds and the butterflies – to sing her heart away. It’s a daily reminder of what really matters most in life, but it also reminds me of why I love April so much!

As I was walking down the Scrapbook Expo in Utah two weeks ago, I couldn’t help but notice that there were a lot of wood projects. At the time I went in with the idea that I wanted to buy something to create a wedding theme for this project. I walked past the ADORNit booth and saw these scalloped wood frames. I thought I could make a wedding theme out of that, so I picked up the two wood frames!  I really didn’t expect to bring them home and create something completely different, but that is what I did!  First I thought wedding, then I thought Mother’s Day, and finally I thought Spring since April is one of my favorite months!

My Springtime Flutterbug Medley Wall plaque is cute for any young lady and very easy to make!

April

april2

April4

Materials used:

  • Flutterbug Medley buttons
  • Rose Garden buttons
  • Beacon Adhesive – Tacky Glue
  • Zip Dry Glue Adhesive
  • Fiskars Scissors
  • Adtech Hot glue gun and glue
  • My Mind’s Eye – Follow Your Heart by Rhonna Farrer Paper Collection
  • ADORNit Scalloped Large Wood Frame
  • ADORNit Scalloped Small Wood Frame
  • Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink
  • Want2Scrap – 3D Chipboard Frame
  • Want2Scrap – Music Note Charm
  • Want2Scrap – Wonderful Wings by Donna Salazar
  • Dimensionals
  • Acrylic Paint
  • Seam Binding
  • Doodlebug Glitter
  • Sand block
  • Pencil
  • X-acto knife

Directions:

Once  you have gathered all your supplies, you can begin to transform the scalloped frames into something totally cute and ready for spring.

April instructional material

STEP ONE:

Start by tracing the large scalloped wood frame onto your paper of choice. Be sure to trace on  the back side of the paper.

instructional material3

Once you have both the large and the small scalloped frames traced like you see above you can begin to cut.

STEP TWO:

Cut the frames that you just traced. You can use an X-acto knife for the harder to cut places, or your Fiskars scissors.

Instructional Material 4

STEP THREE:

Apply Beacon 3 – in -1 adhesive or Zip Dry (they both work just as well) to your decorative paper and adhere to the scalloped frames. A good tip is to use a sanding block to sand off the edges of the paper that may hang from the edges. This also gives it a more distressed look!  Once you have distressed with the sanding block, use a Distressing Ink like Tim Holtz’s to distress the edges of the frames/paper.

STEP FOUR:

Now that the edges are distressed and the paper adhered, you can begin to add some dimension to the back of your smaller frame. This will give it the popup look that you see. Adhere the smaller frame to the center of the larger frame.

STEP FIVE:

Start decorating your frame. I used Want2Scrap’s chipboard frame, which I painted with pink Acrylic paint, and then added some Zip Dry and dusted that with Doodlebug Glitter. I set that aside to dry. I selected a verse from the same paper collection by Rhonda Farrer. I cut out the verse to fit the frame from Want2Scrap, and glued that to the frame.

Instructional material 5

I used my Fiskars scissors to cut out another piece similar to the one above to give it the dimensional look.

Finally, to finish this project I added a few of my favorite things, which are buttons, bling, and seam binding. I threaded the Flutterbug Medley buttons through the seam binding and tied it up with a bow.  I gathered a few buttons that I had laying around and added that along with Want2Scrap charm.

I hope you enjoyed my Springtime Flutterbug Medley Wall Plaque that I created for you today!

4

Altering Buttons

Altering Buttons

There are lots of ways of altering buttons. Today, we cut off shanks and paint.

Altering Buttons to match a Poppy Card


Altering buttons to match a butterfly card.

I’m back with more buttons from the Butterfly Kisses collection. I needed to do something to make these butterflies match the cards I was wanting to make.

Butterfly Kisses

Butterfly Kisses Collection

Here’s how to get started.

Altering Buttons - Start by removing the shank

Gesso is like paint, but different – it’s almost like a crafty primer coat.
Altering Buttons - Apply Gesso to your Button

Once your button is primed, you can try lots of products.
Here, I use Smooch in a couple of colors.

Smooch comes in a nail polish style bottle with it’s own brush. So convenient. It’s made by ClearSnap.

Altering Buttons

To finish off this card, I added some ribbons from May Arts. As a kid, I grew up watching my mom sew. When she passed away, I received her sewing basket, and inside were her orange handled Fiskars scissors. Her scissors were carefully hand labeled – for sewing, for ribbons, and for paper. I still have them all.

You can also ink your primed buttons.

Altering Buttons

No button should ever go to waste!

Alter buttons to match your next project.

Supplies Used:

  • Butterfly Kisses buttons
  • Gesso – Claudine Hellmuth
  • Ink, Spritz and Smooch – Clearsnap
  • Ribbon – May Arts
  • Images – Gina K Designs
  • Paper – Cosmo Cricket
  • Other – Copic Markers

Tools Used:

  • Fiskars scissors
  • Toe nail clippers

 

1

Button Flower Table Decor for a Bridal Luncheon

Your Wedding Day is coming up.  Now, it’s time to throw a thank you Bridal Luncheon for the gals who’ve been helping you make your big day special.

Previously this month, I posted a tutorial on the Buttons Galore & More blog on how to make a Bridesmaid Gift Box.  So, to continue with my bridesmaid theme, I’m sharing coordinating Button Flower table decor that can be an easy way decorate your Bridal Luncheon table.

 purple button flower tutorial

Button Flower Table Decor for a Bridal Luncheon

To coordinate with the Bridesmaid gift box,  I made some button flower table decor using a Fiskars punch and adhered them on to  C.U.T.E drinking straws.  I love how these straws come in a variety of colors.  There so cute that it’s almost hard to put them in to a drink.

purpleflower

Button Embellished Flowers using a Fiskars Flower Punch

  • Punch flower petals using Fiskars punch.
  • Ink Edges of Flower using Colorbox ink
  • Assemble petals together with adhesive of choice
  • Curl edges of petals to make into flower shape
  • Apply Smooch Glitz to flower petals
  • Add a Button Galore & More button to center of flower

purpleflower5

Simple Bridal Luncheon Table Decor Using Buttons

 

purpleflower4

Hollysignature

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1

Mason Jar Fairy Lanterns

BG_FairyLantern

Spring sprang and summer is on the way which means warmer weather and more time outdoors…whether playing, celebrating or entertaining.  This little recycled mason jar acts as a great fairy lantern that can be used as a candle jar, party decoration or a jar to be filled with goodies for favors.

To make it you will need assorted Laura Kelly buttons, wire that it easily bendable (I used electrical fence wire from the garage) and feeds through the button holes and pieces of ribbon (5 inches long) and a mason jar without the lid.

FairyLanternRibbonKnots

To make it simply feed the wire through the buttons twisting and turning to create bright and colorful design then tie the ribbon pieces in knots along the wire.  Twist the wire to go around the top of the jar then use the remaining length to create a handle, twisting the wire through the piece that went around it to secure.

It is simple, fun and easy and makes for a great quick project that you can complete in around fifteen minutes!  It is one of those creations that has lots of great uses and ways to spread bright joy and light.

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Wedding Decorations – DIY Candle Wraps Two Ways

Looking for DIY wedding decorations for your wedding?  These candle wraps with buttons are perfect for your ceremony.  Plus there are two different looks to choose from.  These wedding decorations can be modified to work with any style.

Wedding Decorations Wedding Candle Wraps

Materials needed for candle wrap wedding decorations:

Wedding Decorations Wedding Candle Wraps

 Directions for making candle wrap wedding decorations:

For the blue candle wrap, cut a sheet of paper so that it fits your candle.  Punch out a pattern of windows in your scrapbook paper with the Fiskars Everywhere Punch.

Wedding Decorations Wedding Candle Wraps

Cut a sheet of tissue paper slightly smaller than your paper and tape to the back.

Wedding Decorations Wedding Candle Wraps

Use various stamps to decorate each window of your candle wrap.

Wedding Decorations Wedding Candle Wraps

Wrap the candle and secure with tape in the back.  The candles I am using are wax sleeves that accept battery power tea lights.  There is no threat of fire when using these types of candles.  Add random buttons from the Something New button pack around your candle wrap.  Use hot glue to secure your buttons.

Wedding Decorations Wedding Candle Wraps

Add this one to the center of your wedding table for a beautiful centerpiece.  A collection of these would look great at your wedding reception.

Wedding Decorations Wedding Candle Wraps

Now for the second version just to show that these can be customized to any wedding theme.  For this version, again I cut the paper to size.  This time I used my Fiskars Everywhere Punch to make an elongated hole.

Wedding Decorations Wedding Candle Wraps

I cut some sheet music to size and taped it to the back of the paper over the window.

Wedding Decorations Wedding Candle Wraps

Stamp the blank shape with the monogram of your choice.  Then thread through some ribbon.  Glue the shape and the buttons to the ribbon ONLY.  Do not adhere to your wrap in this step.

Wedding Decorations Wedding Candle Wraps

Wrap the paper only around your candle first and secure with tape.  Then add your ribbon and secure with hot glue.

Wedding Decorations Wedding Candle Wraps

You can change up the paper and buttons on your candle wraps to match your wedding theme.  These are a quick and easy addition to any wedding decor.  Not getting married anytime soon?  These could also be customized for any season or home decor.  Grab your buttons and get started on your wedding decorations today.

1

Make Pretty Dragonfly Decor for your Wedding

You can add your own pretty handmade art to every guest table at your wedding reception with just a few steps.   Use the Buttons Galore and More blank craft shapes to create mini masterpieces that coordinate with your wedding theme. You can use these pieces to embellish candle votive holders, make into wedding party gifts or even as jewelry for the bride and bridal party. I played with different colors and color combinations, use what works for your event theme. I used  the idea of dragonfly decor.

Wedding Votives with Dragonfly  Decor Art by Jen Goode

Wedding Votives with Dragonfly Decor Art by Jen Goode

 

Materials you need Make Pretty Dragonfly Decor for your Wedding:

Start Ups are mini canvases for your own art

Start Ups are mini canvases for your own art

 

Steps to make your own Make Pretty Dragonfly Decor for your Wedding:

  1. Make sure to cover work space with paper to prevent spraying in unwanted surfaces.
  2. Create a stencil using a decorate punch or use a pre-made stencil. I used a tiny dragonfly paper punch to create this image.
  3. Spray adhesive on one side of the stencil and adhere to the craft shape.
  4. Spray Smooch Spritz, one color at a time on to the craft shape. You can blot the ink with a tissue to lighten it, blend it or to remove it.
  5. Use the heat gun to set color between applications.
  6. To blend colors, spray two to 3 colors before blotting or applying heat.
  7. Finish the piece of art, remove the stencil and then liberally spray Champagne Smooch Spritz and applying heat. This will give an overall sparkle to the entire piece, even on the stenciled area.
  8. Thread organza ribbon through the craft shape holes and tie around a glass votive holder.

 

Spray layers of Smooch Spritz to add color

Spray layers of Smooch Spritz to add color

 

Finish with Champagne Smooch Spritz

Finish with Champagne Smooch Spritz

Tips:

Don’t be afraid of adding more color. If you don’t heat set, you can wipe off some of the excess color and start over. Although you may not be able to wipe off all the color, you will be able to remove quite a bit of it.

If your stencil comes loose from the heat gun use, simply reapply with more adhesive spray.

Most importantly, have fun creating your own personalized dragonfly decor!

Dragonfly Art sparkles

Dragonfly Art sparkles

 

Add color layers to other Start up shapes

Add color layers to other Start up shapes

 

Wedding votives with handmade Dragonfly art by Jen Goode

Wedding votives with handmade Dragonfly art by Jen Goode

 

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Quick and Easy Place Cards Ideas

Quick and easy place cards ideas!

Do you need place cards for your next event? Create some with just buttons and paper. Here are some quick and easy place cards ideas.

Quick and Easy Place Cards Ideas

 

 

 

 

These are easy to create.

I’ve cut my cards 3X3″ and folded them in half. The image below shows how the easy grass border is made and attached. This month we’re lucky enough to be playing with Fiskars products, so of course I used my Fiskars orange handled scissors. Thanks, Fiskars!

 

Quick and Easy Place Cards Ideas - Making the Grass Border

 

The cloud is a die cut that I inked. To finish off these quick and easy place cards, just add stickers. I love these adorable, chunky butterflies from Buttons Galore’s Butterfly Kisses Collection. I like to use Beacon’s 3-1 glue to make sure they stay put. Buttons Galore has several kinds of adhesive to offer in their Adhesives section.

Quick and Easy Place Cards Ideas Close Up Green

Quick and Easy Place Cards Ideas Close Up Orange

 

Supplies Used

Tools Used

  • Fiskars scissors
  • Sizzix Vagabond and cloud die

Thanks for joining me today. I hope you will find that our buttons are a great embellishment for all of your paper crafts.

1

Felt and button crafts – S’mores by the Fire

Felt and button crafts – S’mores by the Fire – DOLL Size are quick and easy kids crafts that are created with bright and colorful Laura Kelly buttons.

It is that cool and breezy…camping time of year again.

Here is a quick and fun craft idea by Laura Kelly (and her beautiful step-daughter Jordan) for little girls…and their dolls to enjoy.  Creating with felt and buttons is both economical and simple.

IMG_3724

To make Felt and button crafts S’mores by the Fire you will need:

Laura Kelly buttons in Sunshine Yellow and Outrageous Orange, Sticks (real ones from the yard), Felt in yellow and orange, orange ribbon and hot glue (ad-tech lo-temp is what I used with kids)

IMG_3702

How to make Felt and button crafts S’mores by the Fire:

Assemble three sticks approximately 5-6 inches long each in a bonfire arrangement and hot glue them together.  Add felt flames in orange and yellow followed by buttons and ribbon in the same colors.  Using similar colors will help to make it look real.

DollCampfire

For extra fun, make a marshmallow out of white felt and a white button or a s’more out of brown buttons for crackers and chocolate added to your pretend marshmallow.

Doll_Smore

Have a great time enjoying your camp fire  and your button and felt  S’mores.  Happy Springtime, Camping, Outdoors and Creating!

2

Handmade Wedding: Doily Pinwheels

I am in love with doilies.  Seriously, I think everything looks better with a doily.  And, as Spring and Summer approach, I’ve also got pinwheels on my mind.  So, when I was brainstorming some wedding ideas to share with you, I decided to combine my two loves.  Of course I threw in a button for good measure too!  These doily pinwheels would be great wedding favors or, if you want to give your wedding a whimsical touch, why not line the ceremony aisle with them? I can’t imagine a better way to walk into life as a newlywed than between pinwheels.  After all, doesn’t your groom make your heart spin?

Doily Pinwheels Beauty Shop

Supplies for Doily Pinwheels:

Doily Pinwheels Handmade Wedding: Doily Pinwheels

Instructions for Doily Pinwheels:

  1. Fold the paper doily in half. Open it and fold it in half the other way. Open it up and lay it flat.
  2. Cut along the fold marks, stopping 1″ from the center of the doily.
  3. Take one corner of each cut edge and fold it towards the center of the doily.  Attach it with a dab of glue. Continue folding other three cuts.
  4. Glue the pinwheel onto one end of the straw.
  5. Glue a button into the center of the pinwheel.

Tip: Match the button and the stripes of the straw to your wedding colors.  If you can’t find straws to match, use wood sticks and paint them to match!

www.laurabraydesigns.com

 

 

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DIY Bridesmaid Headband – Tiffany Blue Wedding

Something borrowed, something blue.  This cute, DIY bridesmaid headband is perfect for your wedding.  I love the “Tiffany” blue of the ribbon and the Buttons Galore & More Wedding Glitz buttons give it lots of sparkle.  This headband is a great wedding project.  It would look great on your bridesmaids, flower girls, or even as a alternative to a veil for a bride.DIY Bridesmaid Headband - Tiffany Blue Wedding

Supplies needed for a DIY Bridesmaid Headband:Wedding Headband Supplies

 

Instructions for making a DIY Bridesmaid Headband:

1.  Using scissors, cut 3 circles, measuring approximately 6 inches in diameter, from the tulle.  This doesn’t have to be perfect!  Cut them freehand and let the edges be a little ragged.  This will give the headband a soft, romantic look.

2.  Cut 12 inches of ribbon.  Twist and roll it into a flower shape.Roll a ribbon flower

 

3. Using the Lumiere paint, apply a dab of glue to the side of the headband and attach the tulle circles to the headband.  It should be placed 1-2 inches from the top, center of the headband.

4. Again using the Lumiere paint, attach the the ribbon flower and some additional Wedding buttons to the headband over the tulle.  Add as much or as little bling as you like!Wedding Headband Glue on buttons and flower

 

Tip:  Lumiere 3D Dimensional Paint works great for this project as it works as both a glue and design element.  When the paint dries it gives you a 3D pearl effect-perfect for a wedding.

www.laurabraydesigns.com

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Brown Button Border Layout

I have always loved to use buttons on my layouts as the perfect accent or as part of a border, like in this layout. But my process doesn’t start there. When I create a layout I always start with the photo. Everything from that point on should accentuate your photo. In this tutorial you will see step by step, the process that I go through when I create a layout.

The photo is of my husband and I, taken in Point Aconi Nova Scotia. When you look at a photo to scrapbook, you must choose what it is that you want to bring out. In this case I wanted to bring out he and I. So when I chose the patterned papers I made sure I have something that pulled the green in my shirt, and the his dark jacket. Black was a little too harsh to add to this layout, so I chose a chocolate brown instead. The other colors in the pattern also bring out the background.

scrapbook page idea with button border

So here is a look at the papers I chose for the background, all cut and ready to go. Another trick that you may notice in the photo below, is that when I can, I will cut the middle out of the large pieces of paper. I like such a layered look, that I felt like I was wasting paper all the time. Paper that can be used for matting photos, titles or journal blocks.

IMG_4469

In this next photo you will see that I have adhered some of the layers together, but not all of them. I have also cut my pieces of ribbon that are going to be used to create your button border. You will need 3 strips that are about 14″ long, and 3 shorts pieces that are about 4″ long.

IMG_4473

You are going to adhere the 3 long pieces of ribbon in back of your layout. I tried to get them an equal distance apart. Then you are going to string your chosen buttons, one on each ribbon.

IMG_4476

Here is a close up image of the ribbon strung through the button. Bring the button to the approximate area that you would like it to end up when you are finished. As in the photo, leave the ribbon loose in the front.

IMG_4481

Take one of your smaller pieces of ribbon and tie it in a knot to keep it in place. This can be done without tying the small piece in a knot. I did end up untying the knot in the end before trimming so that the green ribbon showed over top of the yellow.

IMG_4486

Pull the ribbon tight, untie if you’d like and I also adhered the back of the button to the layout to keep it in place. Repeat this for the other 2 ribbons and buttons.

IMG_4488

Once you have your ribbon and buttons in place you can add that back layer of cardstock. I also trimmed the small pieces of ribbon to clean them up a bit.

IMG_4492

In my next step, I added some more pattern accents. I added the layered strip border up the same side as the ribbons. I also added simple flag accents to the bottom of the layout and the top right hand corner. I used a 1.75″ circle punch for the half circle at the top of the polka dot flag. I also added one more chocolate button with just a simple twine tied through it.

IMG_4494

Now to add the final elements. My photo is matted 3 times, in cream, green and brown. I used 3D pop dots to adhere the photo to the layout. I then added the title, which happened to be a coordinating stick embellishment. I matted it in brown cardstock and adhered it to the layout, slightly overlapping onto the photo. I also added a couple of tiny journal strips and the heart embellishment.

scrapbook page idea with button border

The patterned papers and coordinating embellishments I used are by Fancy Pants, the Summer’s End Collection.

2

Sunday Cardmaking: Make an Easter Magnet

Make an Easter Magnet.

Do you keep a calendar on the fridge? When my kids were little we would keep our calendar on the fridge and mark special days with a holiday magnet.

I used an Inky Antics stamp set to make my ears and face for this project, but you could EASILY cut some and draw your own face! This is a fun magnet that can be used on the fridge. You could easily swap the magnet for a pin back and have a holiday pin.

Happy Easter Magnet

How to Make an Easter Magnet:

  1. Stamp or draw and cut out ears. Stamp or draw a face and cut out with a circle punch.
  2. Sponge on pink ink on ears.
  3. Stack two Big Ol Buttons, nestling ears between them.
  4. Adhere a magnet to the back of the button bunny. I use Beacon’s Adhesive
  5. Die cut and emboss scalloped squares and classic squares.
  6. Stamp sentiment and assemble card.

I slid a small disc of metal under the top square, so that the magnet could stay in place and be removed easily. This is also how I wear the magnet.

Buttons Galore Supplies Used to make an Easter Magnet:

Cross Promotional Products Used to make an Easter Magnet:

Additional Supplies Used to make an Easter Magnet:

  • Sponge – Tsukineko/Imagine Crafts
  • Cardstock – Bazzill

 

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Bridesmaid Gift Box using Buttons & Glitter

A Bridesmaid Gift Box idea – So your big day is coming up and you want to give your Bridesmaids a handmade gift from the heart since they’ve been puttin’ up with your Bridezilla attitude.

How about making them an elegant Bridesmaid gift box using buttons and glitter?  You could even personalize the Bridesmaid gift box more by using your wedding colors or even their favorite colors.

Bridesmaids gift using buttons

Simple and elegant Bridesmaid Gift Box made by using buttons and glitter.

Supplies Used to make a Bridesmaid Gift Box:

 

 

How to make a Bridesmaid Gift Box:

 

Sand Paper Mache Box

  • Spray Paint Paper Mache Box white.
  • Ink randomly around edges of painted box with Colorbox ink.
  • Distress edges and rim of painted box using a sanding block.

mod podge glitter buttons

  • Paint a layer of Mod Podge on to lid of box.
  • Quickly sprinkle glitter over Mod Podge, let dry.
  • Spray a clear coat over top of lid to seal glitter in place.

 

Purple Glitter and Teal Buttons

 

  • Using hot glue, add button colors of choice on top of lid.
  • Wrap box with coordinating ribbon.

 

button bridal shower gift

Fill up your pretty Bridesmaid Gift Box

Now that your elegant Bridesmaid gift box is made,  it’s time to add something sentimental inside for them to remember your special day and how they helped you to get there. Maybe a piece of jewelry, a gift card to their favorite eatery or even an IOU for a night out on the town after your big day.

 

Hollysignature

3

Treasures and Trinkets Boxes for Kids

ButtonsFlowerPotandBox

Creating keepsake boxes to hold treasures and trinkets is fun for kids of all ages. Whether using a shoe box or a box purchased from a craft store (they have them in all sizes and shapes with lids ready to be embellished), it is a project that is simple, quick and fun.

You will need the box (of course) along with buttons and other small objects to glue to the outside of the box. You can also add ribbons and paper memorabilia like ticket stubs or photographs.  These are also nice additions to adhere to the inside of the box lid. This project works great with hot glue for instant bonding but if working with small children, Beacon Tacky Glue or PPA Matte Adhesive works great.

Once completed, the box is great for storing notes from friends, shells, report cards, jewelry, photographs or even more craft supplies.

Happy Making Memories and Places to Store Them Too!

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Butterfly and Flower Die Cuts Embellished with Spring Buttons

When you think of spring what comes to mind?  Butterflies, flowers, beautiful weather, allergies?   Well, here in southern Nevada,  spring doesn’t seem to stay very long ’cause it jumps from like cold to hot in a snap…Ack!

Despite the limited spring weather here in the desert,  I can always resort to creating cards using spring die cut shapes that are embellished with Spring Buttons.

 Butterflies and Flowers Embellished with Spring Buttons

To make this spring card I resorted to my trusty old kraft paper as the base {I heart Kraft}, matted it with some American Crafts chevron paper and used my Silhouette to cut out the butterfly and flower die cuts from a Lori Whitlock file.

butterfly die cut embellished with spring buttons

I embellished the card with green & pink twine, green wire, a stamped sentiment, faux stitching and used some cheery Spring Color Blend buttons to make my butterfly and flower die cuts pop. I can’t forget to mention the whole Glue Dots family was basically included too. Ultra Thin, Mini, Glue Lines and Pop Up Glue Dots were all used as adhesive on this Spring card.

Supplies Used:

  • BGM Spring Buttons
  • Butterfly and Flower Die Cuts
  • Pastel Cardstock and American Crafts Paper
  • 20 gauge Green Wire
  • Twine
  • White, Pink and Yellow Fine Tip Markers

Cross Promotional Products Used:

 

Hollysignature

1

Clothespin craft – Spring Home Decor

A clothespin craft is simple, fun and most importantly inexpensive.

I love using ordinary household items to make seasonal decor.  I always try and shop my house or dig through my bins of craft supplies to see what I can come up with first before I run out the door to the craft store.  Of course,  making a bee-line to the craft store is seriously tempting.  It’s also much cheaper and  fulfilling to up-cycle things you may have lying around.   Like empty (clean) cans.

My name is Holly and I have a confession to make.   I am a Can Hoarder.  Yep- Coffee, tuna, soup, Pringles, yadda, yadda…if I can turn a can in to something pretty,  I’m keeping it!

clothespin craft idea for kids

Just like this clothespin craft for Spring that I made from a tuna fish can.  Yes, A tuna fish can. You can use this clothespin craft idea for kids too.  The buttons might not be as straight though.  LOL

Materials used to make clothespin craft:

Clothespin Supplies

Directions for a Spring clothespin craft:

 

clothes pin tutorial

Clip clothespins on can and paint edges white.

 

clothes pin tutorial

Adhere buttons to clothespins using Mini Glue Dots.

burlap button flower

Cut a flower out of burlap, add a button center and attach to a dowel.

clothes pin buttons

Fill it up and Enjoy!.

Now that your DIY craft project is complete, it’s time to fill it up. Let you imagination run wild with the contents.

You could fill your clothespin craft decor project with a small plant, flowers, a candle or candy.  I choose candy.  It gave me an excellent reason to buy some Cadbury Eggs- Yum!

Hollysignature

3

Felt Easter Egg Treat Pouches

Use felt scraps and buttons to create cute little felt Easter eggs with a hidden surprise. Each little egg is actually a pouch. Each has a pocket in the back so you can put a little treat. You can make your eggs whatever size you like, I made these just big enough to hide a single little chocolate kiss. Add buttons to accent each egg, complimenting colors and adding a little bit of cute fun to each piece.  If you want to make them larger to hold a gift card you can.

Mini felt Easter Egg treat pouches

 Directions and materials to make the felt Easter egg:

Fiesta buttons are perfect for this Easter project! It’s a nice mix of spring colors you can mix and match with purples, greens, blues and yellows too. You can find the full tutorial to this project on my site. Learn how to make your own Mini felt Easter egg pouches.

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Rose Garden Buttons Love U Card

Hi everyone, here is a fun and easy to make card using Buttons Galore Rose Garden buttons.  The card itself is 5 1/2 ” x 6″ and I was thinking of colors that blended well with my Buttons Galore and More Rose Garden buttons.  As, I was shopping at Hobby Lobby two weeks ago, I went on a paper matching mission and the mission was to buy paper that would blend well with my gorgeous buttons from Buttons Galore and More.  Well, I think I succeed, because the Authenique’s Collections matched up very well.

As, I created my card this past week, I wanted something that was going to say I love you whether it was Easter, Valentine’s or whatever holiday it was!  I wanted colors that were springy.  The paper collection I chose for this card is from Authenique Anthologie  collection and it blended extremely well with my Rose Garden buttons.

Regardless of what holiday it maybe, a simple card could warm up anyone’s day.

Love u card rose garden buttons

love u2

I used several things to create this lovely card, and if you like to play with different materials this card will be a perfect card to create.  I love distressing things, now I’m not saying that you have to distress everything you create, but I generally do.  Whether you are using lace, ribbon, or bling no card can’t be complete unless you have your Buttons Galore & More buttons.  The buttons are just so darn cute that you can’t help yourself!

Materials used to make this Rose Garden Buttons Card:

Cross Promotional Supplies Used to make Rose Garden Buttons Card:

Additional Materials used to make this Rose Garden Buttons Card:

  • Want2Scrap Bling Pearl Swirl bling
  • Want2Scrap Charms
  • Authenique Antologie Paper Collection
  • Lace
  • Seam Binding Ribbon
  • Canvas Corp Mixed Media Pack
  • Wild Orchard Paper Roses
  • Hemp
  • Hot Glue
  • Glue Dots

Thank you for stopping by today, I hope you enjoyed this Rose Garden Buttons Love U Card that is perfect for any occasion.

 

1

Sunday Cardmaking: Create an Easy Ombre Easter Card

Let’s Create an EASY Ombre Easter Card. Ombre is a Spanish word that simply means graduated colors. I really wanted to make a simple, sweet Easter card, and I did not want to use traditional colors. These blues are calm and happy to me. I like the tone on tone bunnies on the blue strips, and the bunnies and button eggs add a little bit of fun. I used a paint sample as my inspiration. This simple construction allows you to make a lot of cards, without a lot of work.

Easter Card

Material used to create an EASY Ombre Easter card:

Buttons Galore Product used:

I also used:

  • Dies – Quickutz
  • Embossing Folder – Sizzix
  • Cardstock – Bazzill
  • Dimensional Adhesive

Directions for making the EASY Ombre Easter Card:

  1. Create a 5×7″ card base.
  2. Cut four pieces of graduated blue cardstock 4 3/4 x 1.5″ and emboss. Place on card, leaving room in between each strip. Adhere to card base.
  3. Die cut four bunnies from same graduated card stock. Adhere to graduated blue rectangles with dimensional adhesive.
  4. Add buttons.

I hope you enjoyed this Ombre Easter card. When I’m making a lot of cards, I love to do something simple, but different. You can get a lot of strips out of each piece of blue card stock, and cut all your bunnies out of the scraps. When my kids were little we used to have their friends over and make fun cards for friends and family.

Thanks for stopping by.

Allie

1

Embellished lamp shade-15 MINUTE Friday

Make an embellished lamp shade  and light up your room.  This craft is so easy, so quick and creates such a bright and happy addition to your studio decor or any home decor.  I think it would make a great addition to a tween room.  Especially for the girl that is into DIY and wants to express her favorite colors.

Materials needed to make a embellished lamp shade:

The only things you will need are a lampshade, Laura Kelly’s bright colored buttons and HOT glue. You could kick it up one notch further and add a ribbon to the edges.  If I were doing it I would use a polka dot ribbon as they are my personal favorite.

Laura Kelly Buttons

How to make an embellished lamp shade:

Make two layered button stacks in whatever colors will best accent the space your shade will go.   Use the  hot glue to adhere them together.  Allow the glue to cool.

Carefully glue them to the lampshade with the hot glue, space the button stacks  as desired.

Embellished lamp shades light up - Fifteen MINUTE Friday

Put the lampshade on a lamp and place the lamp in your desired location.  Turn the light on and enjoy it!

ButtonLampshade

Happy creating and decorating!

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button scrapbook page layout – cute as a button

 

 

Button scrapbook page layout is well, “Cute as a Button” and it doesn’t even start to describe how sweet and adorable little Miss Emma is.  Yes, I am a little biased.   I love the happy expression on her sweet face.  To accent the sweet little face I chose the soft muted tones of the patterned papers and button embellishments made the photo pop. My scrapbook style often is defined by many layers, mixing patterns and texture.

Cute as a Button Layout

IMG_4267

The patterned papers are from the Dear Lizzy Collection by American Crafts. The perfect accent to the papers are  Nana’s Curtains buttons , some simple brown and white twine and brown ribbon. I also added some chocolate colored Liquid Pearls.

IMG_4271 button scrapbook page idea

Products Used for Cute as a button scrapbook page:

  • Orange Buttons
  • 1 3/4″ Circle Punch
  • 1″ Circle Punch
  • Martha Stewart Crafts Heart Punch
  • Corner Rounder

I hope you enjoyed the ideas in this button scrapbook page layout.  Scrapbooking lets me be very creative and also preserve out families memories.  If you are interested in seeing more button scrapbook page ideas, you should check out my blog too.

1

Hand Stitched Birds – Button Embellished

You can create these adorable hand stitched little birds using a wide array of materials. Use your mixed-media mojo to create birdies with your own unique look and then embellish with pretty buttons to add color, sparkle and dimension. I absolutely love the new wedding buttons, so I had to use these little glittery hearts for my bird ornaments. Today I’ll share with you how you can make them too.

Button Embellished hand stitched birdies

Materials to make the hand stitched birdies:

From the Buttons Galore and More Store:

Other materials used:

  • Neutral colored fabric
  • Coordinating brightly colored fabric
  • Scissors
  • Needle and thread (white and black)
  • Polyfil
  • DecoArt SoSoft® Fine Glitter fabric paint (Ice Crystal) and paint brush
  • Twine or ribbon

Colorful buttons

How to make button embellished hand stitched birds

  1. Cut 2 identical bird shaped pieces of fabric
  2. Stitch both pieces of fabric together, 1/4″ from the edge leaving a 1″ opening. Do not cut thread. Stuff with polyfil. Stitch closed and tie off.
  3. Cut 1 wing shape from colored fabric. Adhere in place (stitch or glue).
  4. Cut a small triangle for the beak and glue in place.
  5. Paint accents using sparkly fabric paint. Allow to dry.
  6. Stitch buttons in place as desired. For buttons that do not lay flat, snip off the button hole ring and glue button in place.
  7. Using black thread, stitch a small eye.
  8. If you’d like your bird to be able to hang to display, stitch a small twine or ribbon loop at the top.

Sparkly wedding buttons

Sparkly wedding buttons

 

Cut off button back before gluing

Cut off button back before gluing

 

Pretty button embellished birds by Jen Goode

Pretty button embellished hand stitched birds by Jen Goode

These hand stitched birdies make a great decoration you can add to any centerpiece, accent other key piece or even include as a gift tag accessory. Mix and match the colors of fabric and buttons to create pretty handmade pieces you can include in any occasion.

 

 

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Make an embellished tote with Hand Dyed Buttons

embellished tote

An embellished tote

Hand journaling is becoming more and more popular in mixed media crafts these days. This tote is a basic pre-made black tote I ordered online and embellished with hand journaled muslin, Jacquard Products paints and dyes (for the hand dyed fabric) and finally, fun buttons!

Jacquard products makes a wonderful product called IDye. It comes in both liquid form and powered packets. I used the powdered packets to machine dye white cotton muslin. Once the muslin was dry, I created happy bright colored fabric flowers using various techniques. Instructions for making flowers by hand from fabric can be found in abundance these days. Search for a myriad of techniques on sites like Pinterest.  You can find other ideas for an embellished tote there, too.

How to make an Embellished Tote:

I started with creating a dry brushed background using Jacquard’s Neopaque and Lumiere paints. Starting with one color, I waited for the colors to dry in between coats before adding the next to create an interesting canvas.

Believing that I have the absolute worst hand writing on earth, I was very timid about hand journaling on these muslin strips. I took on the challenge anyway and pinned and sewed them to the front of the bag. Swiping a coat or two of the paints allows them to blend in nicely with the background while standing out at the same time.

An Embellished Tote bag with hand dyed buttons and fabric

Bright, fun, hand dyed buttons  add the final touch to the flowers. They are perfect for this project since the fabric is hand dyed as well. I used three strands of six ply embroidery floss to sew through the holes of each button. I wanted to create the impression that the buttons were sewn to the bright flowers but in reality, I knotted off the threads in the back and glued them on with Beacon Adhesives Fabri-Tac.

The message of the sentiment speaks well to me. Instead of constantly complaining about how things should be, or how they are not what we envision as “right,” we should lead by example. Show the world what a better place it could be by being just that – better.

Live Life Creatively,

Melony

0

Giveaway Winners and other fun stuff

The Giveaway winner was chosen via computer and she chose the green container.  Congratulations Barb  please contact us with your shipping information by 3-28-13.   Congratulations to our Designer Craft Connection members for a beautiful button inspired hop.  Also please congratulate Sue Eldred she won the other Viewtainer filled with buttons and ribbons.

Giveaway Winner:

Author: Barb Wagar
Comment: permalink
I forgot to add that if I win I’d like the green container. Thanks so much.

As an added bonus we have another beautiful card creation by Allie Gower of My Card Party to share with you.  Be sure to check back soon for other giveaways.


CAS After WM

 

Allie writes … “My favorite technique lately is using Avery Labels in my crafting. I have a tutorial on making faux Washi Tape here on my blog.”

Products Used – Stamps (Unity), Button (Buttons Galore, Bling (Want2Scrap), Ink (Close to My Heart), Accents – Smooch (Clearsnap)

0

Sunday Cardmaking: Making an Easy Easter Card and Treat Containers

Making an EASY Easter Card and Treat Containers to match.

Easter is so much fun for the kids, but it doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult to make treats. I love to make these little treat containers for the children at Sunday School, along with friends’ children. They are EASY PEASY to make. The card couldn’t be easier. With a sticker sheet, you can quickly make 8 cards out of one sheet of 12×12″ paper and some scraps.

It’s so easy, and I’ll walk you through it!

BGM Carrot Easter Bunny 2013-02-27 11.55.51

Directions for making Easy Easter Card

  1. Cut a card base 3 x 6 and fold in half.
  2. Create a green mat 2.75″ square and adhere to card base.
  3. Add a small strip of patterned paper 2.75 x 1″ and adhere near bottom of  green mat.
  4. Tie a bow through a white button and adhere to card.
  5. Place dimensional foam on back of bunny sticker. Leaving release paper in place, dust the back of the sticker with baby powder. This deactivates the adhesive. Tap off excess. Remove release tape and adhere bunny to card.

Directions for making Treat Containers:

  1. Cut a piece of patterned paper in a square – I made small containers – they are 4 x4″.
  2. Roll patterned paper into a tube and seal edges with redline tape.
  3. Squeeze at one end – seal with tape. Fill with treats. Squeeze at the other end, being sure to squeeze the tube “perpendicular” to your other end. These will look like Minute Maid popsicles or those old fashioned tubes of sour cream.
  4. Die cut circle and doodle around edges. Die cut green inverted circle. Fold in half and adhere to tubes.
  5. Add some Laura Kelly buttons with Beacon’s Adhesive and let dry.

2013-02-27 11.55.18

Buttons Galore Materials used to create EASY Easter Card and Treat Containers:

Cross Promotional Materials used:

Additional Items Needed:

  • Paper, Sticker, Twine – Doodlebug Design
  • Ink – Copic Multiliner
  • Dimensional foam adhesive
  • Baby powder and a small brush

Thanks for joining me today. These are super simple craft ideas that would be fun to do with the kids.

0

Create Unique Easter Jewelry

When I lived in Ohio, I remember all too well covering up my beautiful Easter outfit with a heavy winter coat.  The way the weather has been going lately, I’m thinking this Easter might be the same so I created a piece of unique Easter Jewelry to pin to your coat.

Easter Pin Beauty Shot

If the weather clears up (let’s hope it does) you can pin it onto an Easter basket or tote bag, or you can even hang it on the wall.

Easter Pin Supplies

Supplies for unique Easter Jewelry:

Instructions for unique Easter Jewelry:

1. Using the Quick Grip glue, attach buttons to the wood rectangle.  I visually split the wood in half and filled the top in with the blue, Mint Cooler buttons and the bottom with the green, Candy Apple buttons to represent the sky and grass.Easter Pin Glue the Buttons

2. Glue the lamb onto the center of the piece, on top of the buttons.

Easter Pin Glue the Lamb

3.  To add some dimension, glue more buttons on top of your original button layer.  Don’t completely fill it in this time.  You want to have different levels of buttons in the background.

Easter Pin Layers

4.  Glue the flower embellishments on to the piece.

Easter Pin Glue Pin Back

5. Turn the piece over and glue the pin back on.

It’s actually a very easy project, that gives you really impressive results.  I hope you’ll wear your pin proudly on Easter Sunday-no matter what the weather may bring!

Easter Pin Close-Up

www.laurabraydesigns.com

 

1

Teacher Appreciation Gifts – Make Upcycled Button Rulers

Teacher Appreciation Gifts are pondered often in this house.  You want something they can use and need.  Being a former teacher I know it is not another apple themed gift.  Well, this quick, bright and happy project really measures up! Just in time for Teacher Appreciation Week.  With the loop on the end it is easy to hand and even easier to find.  The bright buttons really make a difference.

Upcycled Button Ruler

Materials Teacher Appreciation Gifts :

You will need a wooden ruler (or a yardstick), Laura Kelly colored buttons, a 6 inch piece of ribbon and HOT GLUE (My fave is Ad tech)!

How to make Teacher Appreciation Gifts:

While your hot glue gun is warming up, lay out your buttons in the pattern that you want to use in the length of the ruler.  You can stack them a bit if you like the depth.

One at a time, glue, the buttons to the ruler, straight down the middle so the numbers can still be read.

Once your button are securely adhered, create a loop with the ribbon and glue it to the back to create a way to hang it up.  If you want to cover the ribbon with more buttons, go for it.  I did.  :)

ButtonYardstickTwo

You can also line the ruler with ribbon first and then add buttons.  It makes cute Teacher Appreciation Gifts  too.

ButtonYardstickOne

Happy Celebrating Teacher Teacher Appreciation.  Celebrate with gifts for Measuring for Accuracy and Simply Creating Bright & Fun Things!

1

Paper Flower tutorial – Pretty Flower Pick-Me-Up

 

Check out my paper flower tutorial and create a pretty paper flower Pick me up- The winter months can be long, dreary and very cold depending on where you live. Here on the east coast of Canada it has been one wicked winter so far. Sometimes you just want to create something to brighten someone’s day, or even your own day. So that is what I did one afternoon. I created this sweet and simple little bouquet of paper flowers in quirky and bright tones. Sure to brighten anyone’s spirits. Try this one for someone special or for yourself. It’s amazing what a simple crafted surprise can do a person in the hectic world that we live in.

 

IMG_4236

 

 

Materials used to make this paper flower project:

 

Instructions for paper flower craft:

First you are going to select your pattern paper. Using the XXL flower punch, you are going to cut out 4 flowers from each pattern you would like to use. Once you have all your flowers punched, you are going to cut them accordingly. Two of the flowers remain as they are with just a simple cut up the to middle of the flower between 2 of the petals. One flower is going to have one petal removed completely. The remaining flower will be cut so that you have a section with 2 petals and a section with 3 petals. The image below shows what your pieces should look like for each of the flowers you want to create.

IMG_4221

Next, you are going to take these pieces and glue them into shape using Fabri-Tac adhesive. Starting with the 5 petal flowers, you are going to put adhesive on one of the petals next to where you have cut. Then you are going to pull the petal on the other side of the cut, on top of the one you just added glue to. This creates sort of cone shape. You are going to repeat this with your remaining pieces. Treating the missing petals as your cut. For these flowers I actually did not end up using the 2 petal piece, as the buttons I chose to use were larger. However if you have a small button in mind, you will want to keep the 2 petal piece. The photo below now shows the shape of all the pieces.

IMG_4226

For the next step you will need something to roll your petal around to shape them. This can be a multitude of things. I use a BBQ skewer, it seems to give the the amount of curl that I like. Some other objects that could work would be a pencil or pen, an actual paper shaping tool, a nail or even just rolling the paper in your fingers can work. The image below shows some of the pieces after they have been rolled and shaped. They are now ready to assemble.

IMG_4228

For assembly I used hot glue, as always just be careful. You are simply going to layer your flower gluing from largest to smallest. However if you would like your flowers to be on craft wire like mine, it starts with the first 4 petal flower. I poked the wire through the bottom of the flower and then looped the end of the wire so that it would not go back through the hole. Add a generous amount of hot glue and adhere the other 4 petal flower on top. Once all your layers are secured, you are free to add your gorgeous vintage button to the middle of your flower. These vintage buttons can add flare to any project, I thought they added such pizzazz to these funky little flowers.

I used a small unwanted empty crafting flower jar as my vase. I put a small amount of craft clay in the bottom for the wire to stick into and stay in place. Then I added strips of coordinating paper around the bottle to hide all the goings on inside. Then I added a bit of coordinating ribbon. I also made a tag  from a coordinating cardstock sticker. Tie your tag around the top of your vase and your beautiful little bouquet is complete.

Thank you so much for crafting along

 

 

 

 

4

Napkin Rings with buttons – A Mixed Media Masterpieces Shabby Chic Style

 

Mixed Media Napkin Ring Ideas

Mixed media shabby chin napkin rings with buttons

My love of mixed media runs deep. Very deep. Seldom is there a project that I complete without adding paint, sewn elements, stamped components and especially glitter. When I opened up a delightful assortment of buttons from an ordinary corrugated shipping box last week. my heart leapt when I discovered these fantastic carved wooden buttons from Buttons Galore and More from the Haberdashery line. I immediately started rifling through the remainder of my goodies and discovered these fabric covered Cozy Brads and these amazing camoes.

productsI grabbed some wooden napkin rings, some Gem-Tac Glue by Beacon Adhesives, some art glitter and some Neopaque paints from Jacquard Products so that I could make these fantastic wooden napkin rings.

Directions to make the napkin rings:

I played with the arrangement several times before coming up with one that suited me. I used the button shank remover to remove the wood shank from the wood carved buttons and the cameos. I also discovered that is could be used to remove the flange from the fabric covered brad.

sand wood pieces

I carefully sanded the pieces before setting about painting them. I nail file works well with wood napkin rings since it allows you to get inside the ring in order to sand away the rough areas.

stamped piecesOnce the front of the wood disks are dry enough and while you are waiting to add additional coats to the napkin rings, use an ornate motif and solvent ink to stamp the front of the napkin rings.

add glitter to edges

Coat the edges of the disk with some of the gem-tac glue and sprinkle on glitter to give your napkin rings some extra sparkle.

arrange buttonsNext arrange your buttons as before and glue down using the gem-tac. I also added an appetizing sentiment stamped with alphabet stamped and solvent ink. I placed the de-flanged cozy brad in the center of the carved wooden brad.

gem tacSewn elements were added in the form of small scraps of hand dyed fabric that were gently stitched and then glued to the rings.

sewn elementsUse Neopaque in black to add a very heavy dry brushed coat to the napkin rings.

dry bushed ringsFinally, use a generous amount of gem-tac to glue the embellished disk to the napkin ring.

gluing rings to disksEnjoy your artfully buttoned embellished shabby chic napkin rings!!

finished rings 2Live Life Creatively,

Melony

www.mel-designss.typepad.com

3

Easter Table Decor — Handmade Utensil Pouch

Today I am going to show you some Easter table decor in the form of a handmade utensil pouch.  Your Easter table will never look better once you make this table decor.  These utensil pouches are perfect for your Easter celebration.  Plus they are easy to make and will really impress your guests.  Learn the basic technique of creating these then put your own spin on the front for a personalized table for any holiday.

Easter Table Decor Utensil Pouch

For this Easter Table Decor you will need:

Directions to make this Easter Table Decor:

I used a cookie bag that I purchase in bulk for the base of my utensil pouch.  You should be able to find something similar in a party supply store or online.  I ran it through with the Spellbinders embossing folder and was happy to see that the embossing looked wonderful!  I wanted a punch of color on the plain white bag however so I went over lightly with the chalk ink from Clearsnap in Yellow Citrus.  Just allowing the embossing to really come to life.

Easter Table Decor Utensil Pouch

The cookie bags are actually a little wide to be used for a utensil pouch.  I used the utensils as a guide and then folded over the excess on both sides.  I used Mod Podge to adhere the excess on the back of the pouch.

Easter Table Decor Utensil Pouch

Now let’s work on the decoration for the front.  I cut a shape from card stock using the Spellbinders dies.  I then used some flower stamps to add two flowers.  I used fine line craft markers to color in the stamps then added the button brads to the center of both flowers.

Easter Table Decor Utensil Pouch

I then drew stems and leaves on my flowers using the same set of fine line craft markers.  I stamped “Happy Easter” onto a small oval slider using the Colorbox Ink.

Easter Table Decor Utensil Pouch

The cardstock shape was applied to the bag using Mod Podge.  I then used hot glue to attach the slider to the front.  I tied baker’s twine to one side of the slider, ran it around the back, and tied the other end to the opposite side of the slider.  Make the twine taught but don’t cinch your pouch.

Easter Table Decor Utensil Pouch

Add a napkin and your utensils for a festive addition to your Easter table.  I think the basket weave emboss is perfect for spring but you could incorporate other emboss folders you have to put your own unique spin on this idea.

Easter Table Decor Utensil Pouch

Make your Easter table decor extra special with the addition of personalized utensil pouches.  A perfect way to set your table in style.

Easter Table Decor Utensil Pouch

 

8

Sunday Cardmaking: Make a St. Patrick’s Day Card

Let’s make a FUN St. Patrick’s Day Card.

As an Irish lass, I just HAVE to share another St. Patrick’s Day Card.

Sometimes I like to make easy cards. Other times, I like to pull out lots of toys and tools, and for this card, I got out sandpaper, my scor-board and all kinds of goodies.

Let’s get started!

Happy St Patricks Day

How to make this FUN St. Patrick’s Day Card.

  1. The base is a standard A2 size (4.25 x 5.5″) and opens at the bottom. The dark green mat is 4 x 5.25″ and the white mat it 3.75 x 5″. The light green strip is 1.75 x 5″.
  2. Score light green strip at every quarter inch. Turn over and sand score lines.
  3. Stamp sentiment. Assemble card.
  4. Die cut three clovers and sand around the edges. Tie twine through assorted Orange Buttons and adhere to clovers with Beacon’s.
  5. Add ribbon. I like to fold over the top edge and use Red Liner Tape to hold it down. Add bling to ribbon and dot i in St. Patrick’s.

We had a lot of fun using tools, but it wasn’t hard… Was it? Grammar Note – the plural of clover really is clovers, I researched it. It sounds wrong, doesn’t it?

Buttons Galore Supplies Used to make this FUN St. Patrick’s Day Card.

Cross Promotional Supplies Used to make this FUN St. Patrick’s Day Card.

Additional Supplies Used to make this FUN St. Patrick’s Day Card.

  • Sentiment, Twine, and Cardstock – Close To My Heart (I like to use this cardstock because it has a fun white core.)
  • Clover die cuts – Sizzix
  • Sandpaper – Bazzill Sanding tool
  • Ribbon – American Crafts
  • Bling – Want2Scrap
  • Dimensional Foam Adhesive

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope your St. Patrick’s Day is filled with luck to last you through the year.

2

DIY Craft ideas – button craft blog hop

DIY CRAFT IDEAS

crafty ideas blog hop  buttons

 

Handmade craft ideas abound in this creative blog hop.  Please join the Designer Craft Connection, Viewtainer and Buttons Galore in presenting this blog hop.   You have a chance to win a Viewtainer filled with an assortment buttons and 45 feet of ribbon. (picture below)

buttons galore craft ideas blog hop viewtainer

What is a craft ideas blog hop you ask?

A blog hop is where, as a reader you check out the host blog and then follow the links to the other blogs participating in the hop.  You hop from one blog to another by clicking the Designer Craft Connection logo on each page.  The arrows will take you backward and forward.   Leave comments if you like something, follow them on facebook, twitter or even pinterest.  Most of all have fun and enjoy the projects. The designers have created projects that include paper crafts, sewn projects, jewelry and mixed -media and much more.

To win one of the Viewtainers filled with ribbons and buttons – Leave a comment here on this very post.  The comment should contain your favorite project from the hop, and the container you would like to win.  Comments need to be made by March 17th, 2013 at 11:59 eastern standard time.

The Buttons Galore and More Designers participating in the hop are listed below.  Visit their blogs too.  If you really like something leave them a comment.  We all like to hear compliments.  I know I sure do.

DONT FORGET TO LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!

If you would like to purchase any of the buttons used in the many craft ideas presented you can shop the

BUTTONS GALORE AND MORE STORE

 

Easter Basket Ideas for Crafters

I’m always on the look-out for unique Easter basket ideas.  I have found that the easiest way to put together an Easter basket is to start with a theme and a basket with a button theme is sure make a sewer, or even a paper crafter,  hop up and down for joy. It’s also a great way to use up all those plastic eggs you’ve been saving!

Easter Basket Ideas for Crafters www.buttonsgaloreandmore.net

Supplies for Easter basket ideas:

Instructions for Easter basket ideas:

1. Glue buttons onto basket.  Add a fabric yo-yo, bird and other embellishments.  Fill the basket with grass

2. Glue ribbon bows and buttons onto plastic eggs.

Easter Basket Ideas for Crafters www.buttonsgaloreandmore.net

3. Fill eggs with buttons. I coordinated the color of the eggs with the buttons inside.  Tuck the eggs into the basket.

Easter Basket Ideas for Crafters www.buttonsgaloreandmore.net

Laura Bray www.laurabraydesigns.com

 

 

2

Mini Easter Egg Art – make your own art

Mini Easter Egg Art is fun to make.  Combine paint and buttons to create a pretty vintage look when decorating this Easter. Create your own mini Easter egg art in just a few steps. You can make a whole pile of these cute little art canvases and use them to accent your Easter decor throughout the house, just change the design and alternate the colors and you’ve got a new art piece.

Easter Egg canvas art by Jen Goode

Easter Egg canvas art by Jen Goode

Easter Egg canvas art with buttons

Easter Egg canvas art with buttons

Materials you need for Mini Easter Egg Art:

  • Small brown buttons
  • Mini canvas
  • Twine
  • DecoArt Americana Craft Paint – tan, white, pink, purple and yellow
  • DecoArt One Step Crackle
  • DecoArt Gel Stain
  • Liquid glue
  • Cardstock
  • Scissors
  • Paint brushes
  • Black fine tip marker

Steps to make mini Easter Art

Allow materials to dry between applications.

  1. Paint each canvas tan.
  2. Dry brush paint over tan with white.
  3. Create an egg shape stencil using the cardstock.
  4. paint the egg art on each canvas. Alternating tan and white, create an egg shape on each canvas with the stencil. Layer color until you get the look and texture you’d like. Lightly paint color on each egg. Create a pattern or apply in various areas for each piece. Coat with One Step Crackle. Using a cloth, rub on gell stain. Immediately wipe off.
  5. Using black marker, doodle outlines and patterns on each egg design.
  6. Tie twine through each button. Glue buttons in place as desired.

paint canvases

paint canvases

 

close up of Easter Egg art

close up of Easter Egg art

 

Easter egg button art by Jen Goode

Easter egg button art by Jen Goode

 

Tip: Use colorful Spring buttons in mini Easter baskets to accent your Easter decor instead of jelly beans. Just make sure not to leave the buttons where young children can reach them. Have a Happy Easter!

Basket with spring buttons

Basket with spring buttons

4

Create an Antique Chic Cameo Button Envelope and Card

Create an Antique Chic Cameo Button Envelope and Card with a few easy steps.

Hi everyone, I’m Mai Larsen new Design Team member for Buttons Galore & More.  I’m very excited to be a part Buttons Galore & More 2013 Design Team and even more excited to share with you  my first project as a Design Team member.

Cameo Buttons are one of my favorite graphic image to work with.

There is so much you can create with Cameo Buttons.  Honestly, the sky is the limit when it comes to buttons.  The project that I created for you today is an envelope and card using Cameo Buttons as closures.  Buttons Galore & More made this project super fun for me, because the Cameo Buttons and  Haberdashery Buttons were gorgeous and I found the perfect paper to go with it from We R Memory Keepers “Antique Chic”.  This paper collection went very well with the buttons.

 Cameo button1

 

Antique Chic Cameo button

Material used to make Cameo Button Envelope & Card:

Buttons Galore & More Products used:

Cross Promotional Products Used:

I also used:

  • Kraft Paper
  • We R Memory Keepers Antique Chic Paper Collection
  • Hot Glue
  • Maya Road Black Twine
  • Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink
  • Scor Tape
  • Want2Scrap Fancy Frame
  • Want2Scrap Black Rhinestone Swirl
  • Ad Tech Glue Runner adhesive
  • Paper Studio Fibers
  • Karlas001 Rosette Ribbon
  • Sewing Machine

The envelope itself is 4 x 5″ and the card is 3 1/2 x 4 1/2″.  To give it a more elegant look I used a sewing machine and stitched the layers.  I hope you enjoy the video I created showing you how to create this beautiful envelope and card using Buttons Galore & More Cameo  & Haberdashery Buttons.  Be sure to visit Buttons Galore & More website for your buttons at www.buttonsgaloreandmore.com.

Directions for creating the Envelope and Card:

Step One:

Envelope measurements

 

Step Two:

envelope measurement2

 

Step Three:

envelopement measurement3

Here is a link to my video tutorial check it out:

Buttons Galore & More Envelope & Card

Visit my blog and let me know what you thing at www.creandocondetalles.blogspot.com.  I hope you enjoyed my first project!

 

14

Sunday Card Making: Make a St. Patrick’s Day Card

Make a St. Patrick’s Day Card with hearts. I found that I did not have many St. Patrick’s Day themed stamps and embellishments in my stash. I decided on an Irish styled saying and a clover made of stamped hearts. You can make a card any size you like. My card is 4×4″.

Buttons Galore celebrates St. Patrick's Day with Allie Gower

Material used to create St. Patrick’s Day card:

Buttons Galore Product used:

I also used:

In addition you will need:

  • Post-it Note
  • Circle punch or die
  • Finger Dauber or Sponge
  • Copic Multiliner ( for drawing stem )

Directions for making the St. Patrick’s Day Card:

  1. Create a card base by cutting a piece of cardstock 4×8″ and fold in half.
  2. Cut a mat – 3 3/4×3 3/4″ and adhered to card base.
  3. Tie ribbon around card base and attach button using twine.
  4. Die cut scalloped square and adhere to card.
  5. Die cut a classic square.
  6. Stamp sentiment on classic square. Stamp heart four times to create a shamrock, and hand draw a stem.
  7. To create the cloud around the sentiment, you can make your own stencil, as shown below. Attach a Post-it Note to some scrap paper and punch a circle out – near the sticky edge of the Post-it note. Remove sticky circle and place on card and gently sponge around it, moving as needed, to create a cloud shape.
  8. Adhere classic square to card and add bling.

create a cloud step onecreate a cloud step two create a cloud step three create a cloud

I hope you enjoyed this St. Patrick’s Day card and the quick cloud tutorial. May the wind be ever at your back!

Thanks for stopping by.

Allie

5

Festive Button Votive

BG_CandyVotive Festive button

This quick craft is festive and FUN!

Materials needed for festive button votive:

Directions for festive button votive:

1.  Create 5-10 button stacks.  To create the stacks by using hot glue  gun to adhere the buttons to one another. **Please use caution when using a hot glue gun. **

Each stack should have no more than 3 or four buttons.

Once the button stacks are cool, carefully adhere them to a glass votive with the hot glue.

Place a candle in the votive and you are ready to let that little light shine some joy in the world.

1

Embellished Hand Towels home decor

Valentine Hand Towel Close-Up

Embellished hand towels are one of my favorite home decor crafts.  I think little holiday touches, throughout the house, make everyone smile and turns an ordinary day into something special.  Today, I  have a DIY project for an embellished Hand Towel.  It’s simply a matter of embellishing a store-bought hand towel with ribbons and buttons.  You’ll be amazed by how easy the project is and how cute your guest bathroom will look when you hang this cute, embellished hand towel in it!

Supplies for the embellished hand towel:

Instructions for the embellished hand towel:

1. Lay the hand towel flat on your work surface.  Measure out your ribbons and lace to span the width of the front of the towel.  Pin in place and sew them onto the towel.

Sew Ribbon Onto Towel valentine's day home decor

2. Fold the towel in half in order to establish the center mark of the towel.  Place a button on top of the ribbon at the center mark and stitch in place.

Sew Buttons onto towel

3. Sew buttons on either side of the center button.

It’s best to gently hand wash the towel once it has been decorated. Alternately, go ahead and drive your family crazy by telling them the towel is only for decoration and not to be used.

Valentine Hand Towel Beauty Shot

Laura Bray www.laurabraydesigns.com

 

1

Sunday Card Tutorial: Make a Window Card

Window Cards are cool.  Have you ever wanted to make a window card? Have you ever had to make a BUNCH and wanted them all to be the same?

Window Card by Allie Gower

 

Materials to make Window card:

I have a Grand Calibur from Spellbinders, but this should work in any machine. You need repositionable tape – I use Tissue Tape – as you can see! You will also need two post it notes.

Start by making an outline of your card, so that you know where to place each card front.

Making the Perfect Cut

 

You also want to tape down the die. You will cut through the tape – no worries, just put tape all over it and really rub it down. Then, you are ready to die cut your panels. Use some post it notes to hold it in place. These will really stick after running through your machine, but won’t leave any residue.

Making the Perfect Cut

 

Rinse. Lather. Repeat. Just kidding. Keep going, just line up your panel  and secure with post – its. Before you know it, you’ll have a nice neat stack of card fronts.

Making the Perfect Cut

 

My card fronts were created with an arrow stencil. This is a new stencil that Donna Salazar designed for Want2Scrap. It worked great. I used my trust post its to hold it in place, and airbrushed some black ink. Afterwards, I sprayed on a little red ink, and outlined the card.

I finished the card off with ribbon, a Red Heart Button and some twine, and a rhinestone flourish.

Behind the opening is some cardstock. I raised up the card front with some dimensional adhesive. The card front is matted on black, and then adhered to the card base.

If you have to make several cards, or even just one – this easy technique will help you get it right – the first time, and every time.

Buttons Galore Supplies Used to Make the Window Card:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional Supplies Used to Make the Window Card:

  • Cardstock – My Favorite Things Replenishments
  • Patterned Paper – Canvas Corp.
  • Stencil and Flourish – Want2Scrap
  • Die – Classic Heart from Spellbinders
  • Ink and Airbrush System – Copic
  • Ribbon – American Crafts
  • Twine – Doodlebug Design

Would you like me to send this card to you? I will be sending it to one lucky winner.

Simply leave a comment and Pin this card!

 

Thanks for joining me, I’ll be back next Sunday with a fun Card Making Tutorial for you featuring, of course, fabulous BUTTONS!

 

 

 

Button Bumblebee BZZZZZZ

Button Bumblebee is Buzzing over with another fabulous craft!  You can create this cute little creature in no time.  It makes a perfect package topper for all your spring time gift giving needs. Not only could you use it as a package topper, it could make a magnet, place it on a close pin to hold papers or even as an accent on a headband.

For the Button Bumblebee will need:

Button Bumblebee

Directions to make the Button Bumblebee:

1.  Use the yellow and black buttons to design a striped bumble bee, using a large black button for the head.

2.  Use a hot glue gun to adhere them to any surface I used felt) then add a few smaller buttons to the stripes for the stacked effect.

3.  Cut a piece of bendable wire into a 5 inch piece.  Bend it in the middle and them spiral each side around a pencil to get the antennas.

4.  Adhere the antennas with hot glue above the large black button head.

5.  Cut two pieces of black gross grain ribbon into 5 inch pieces and glue them to the body to make wings.

 

Button Bumblebee

I think the Button Bumblebee makes a very  cute decoration for a plant or a gift tag for some yummy local honey.

Happy Buzzing Around and Creating Button Fun!

1

Mixed Media Canvas by StudioBeeCreations – Guest Designer

Mixed Media Canvas by StudioBeeCreations

Mixed media Canvas

OH ME…OH MY!!!….I am soooo “over the top” excited about my guest designer post here at Buttons Galore & More!
Buttons have ALWAYS been a passion of mine…one of my favorite “collections”.
I have been crafting some way or another most of my life….Recently I have been drawn to mixed-media….because I can use bits & bobs of all my “stuff” to make ART!
I also enjoy music…and wordage….so, here I have encorporated my “loves” into this canvas.

Mixed Media Canvas – “Sunshine on a Cloudy Day”

Mixed media Canvas

Directions and materials to make a Mixed Media Canvas:

 

I have taken an 8×10 canvas….added loads of texture….vintage music pages,along with (believe it or not) babywipes that I used to wipe up some inks and paints from a previous project…..some inks, rubber stamps,rub-ons, great alpha stickers from my stash and an ANTIQUE quilt piece “rescued” from a dresden plate quilt piece….it realy looks like sunshine…doesn’t it?…..and to top it all off….a YUMMY assortment of buttons from ButtonsGalore&More….these just make me HAPPY!
With my favorite medium Mod Podge, it all comes together in a fun piece of art…..Each time I create these canvases…even tho the same products are used, they all come out uniquely OOAK!(one-of-a-kind)
I currently have my wares for sale at my etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/Studiobeecreations
..more items being added this week!
Loveeeeeeeeeeee all of the assortments BG&M offer for my creative pleasure!
creative blessings, Debbie

Mixed media Canvas

3

Button Topiary Trio for Spring

Make a button topiary.  As the Ohio winter lingers on, I find that I am incorporating more bright cheery decor into my home.  This trio of button flower topiaries fits the bill perfectly, adding a touch of Spring inside to hold me over until the snow melts and the daffodils peek through the ground again.  You can make the button topiary as large as you would like.  I chose to make a trio of small button topiaries.

Button Flower Topiary Trio

 

Material used to make Button Topiary:

Buttons Galore & More Products used:

I also used:

  • 3 Paper Mache’ Flowerpots (2 small, one medium)
  • Yellow acrylic and glitter paints (DecoArt)
  • 1″ Paintbrush
  • 22 gauge craft wire
  • needle nosed jewelry pliers
  • Styrofoam Foam balls, cut (diameter of pots)
  • felt flowers
  • Coordinating ribbon
  • Green surface material (like that used for models)
  • Beacon Fabri-Tac liquid adhesive

 Directions to make Button Topiary:

Paint and prepare flower pot for button topiary flowers

 First, paint each flowerpot using yellow acrylic paint.  Apply multiple coats as necessary.  Paint one coat of yellow glitter paint over acrylic paint and let dry completely.   Cut foam balls in half, placing one half in each painted flowerpot, and glue in place. (Steps a & b, above)  Spread glue over foam ball and press green model foliage into glue to secure (Step c).

Glue felt flower to button blossom

Cut 8″ length of craft wire.  Choose 3-4 buttons of various colors and sizes from Color Bulk Buttons, and thread one end of wire up through holes on buttons.  Bend wire in half using needle nose jewelry pliers and thread back down through button holes from top.  Twist wire ends together under button “blossom” to add strength.   Glue felt flower to back of several blossoms if desired (I added them to large button topiary only).

Push button stems into flower pot topiary

Once all the flowers are finished, start adding them to the flowerpots.  Add a small dab of glue to the ends of the wire stems and gently push into the foam ball to secure.   Fill in remaining spaces, bending wire stems as necessary to create arrangement.  Repeat for additional flowerpots.

Single button flower topiary

To complete the button topiary, wrap each flowerpot with coordinating ribbon and glue into place.  For small topiaries, remove shank from Daisy Delights button and glue over ribbon ends.  For large topiary, remove shank from Daisy Delights button and glue in center of Tangerine Stitched button.  Glue button stack over ends of ribbon.

Enjoy the touch of welcome Spring color of a button topiary !

Thanks for stopping by,
Carla

5

Sunday Card Making: Make an OWL LOVE YOU Valentine Card

Do you like puns?  There is nothing cuter than OWL LOVE. I think this card would work well for Valentine’s Day, or any day with the simple HELLO!

This card is not difficult, but it’s got a little cutting and some die cutting and punching.

I started with Spellbinders Labels 20 and cut two green shapes and embossed them. I though these worked well for bushy foliage. I also die cut a branch from the Spellbinders BUGS set, and I also embossed it and added some ink for added contrast.

I stamped the Owl with some Crystal Blue ink from Close To My Heart – the owl is a Stamp of the Week from Unity Stamp Company. I have a love for owls, and some of my close friends call me Owlie – it’s even the name of my character on the Wii. It’s okay to laugh! I fussy cut the owl – not as hard as SOME shapes. I doodled around his feet and gave him some eyelashes with a Copic multiliner. I stencilled on his nose – I stamped a second owl and cut out the nose. I colored and outlined. An owl can be blue and sit in a tree, but a blue nose – never! I added some metal brads for his eyes.

I punched a heart using a Fiskars punch. The paper is from Canvas Corp and has all kinds of love words on it. I added a Red Heart Button. I tied a little bow with some Doodlebug Design Twine. At the bottom, I stamped “hello” from the same stamp set. I colored in the heart with a Copic Marker and added some Turquoise Rhinestones from Want2Scrap.

I did a little rounding at the bottom of the card and on the sentiment.

That’s it!

I hope you will love this card.

 

 

Hello by Allie Gower

Buttons Galore Supplies used to make the OWL LOVE YOU Card:

Additional supplies used to make the OWL LOVE YOU Card:

  • Cardstock – My Favorite Things Replenishments
  • Stamps – Unity Stamp Company (Stamp of the Week Program)
  • Dies – Spellbinders Labels 20 and Bugs
  • Punches – Scalloped Heart and Corner Punch from Fiskars
  • Twine – Doodlebug Design
  • Ink – Close To My Heart and Copic
  • Bling – Want2Scrap

Do you want this OWL to love you forever?

I will send him to a lucky winner.

Leave a comment and PIN him. I know, you were going to do that anyway. Good luck and I’ll see you all next week.

styrofoam button ornament

styrofoam button ornament

A styrofoam button ornament – This quick craft project is bright and cheery and EASY PEASY! It is great for a kids craft on a rainy day, scout activity or for a girls night in.

Materials to make a styrofoam button ornament:

  • Styrofoam ball (the bigger it is, the longer it will take and the more buttons you will need),
  • Button  orange pink green
  • Straight pins with white pearly ball ends
  • Ribbon.

Directions to make a styrofoam button ornament:

1.  Using a Styrofoam ball in the size of your choice, cut a piece of ribbon 10 inches long and tie a bow in the middle.  Attach both ends of the ribbon to the ball with a straight pins.

2. Place your first button on the ends of the ribbon.  Secure it following step 3.

3.  Place the buttons on the surface of the styrofoam.  Use a straight pin to hold the button in place.  (If you want you can also use HOLD THE FOAM glue to hold them in place)  Use multiple colors of the round buttons and the push pins to cover the entire surface.

If you would like to create multiple  Styrofoam ball ornaments,  you can find them sold in bags and separately at your local craft store.  They are most often found in the floral isle.  I am sure you can order them on line too.

DSCN4077

0

Sunday Card Making: A Valentine that Holds a Gift Card

Are you giving a Gift Card to your Valentine this year? Gift cards are great, but they rarely come in a cute package. Am I right?

This is easy peasy. You will be ready to present those gift cards in style, for every occasion.

Ready? Here we go!

Valentine for Gift Card

 

I’ve mad a standard card. A2 – 4.25 x 5.5 – inside though, I added a flap. Above, I’ve stamped and cut and matted, and added a row of glorious Buttons in Laura Kelly Walters fabulously bright colors. Easy peasy, right?

I like to stamp a lot of images and keep them in a baggy so when I’m bored, yes, like that ever happens. What I mean is when I have time, I can sit down and color. Then, when I need a card, I already have images ready to go. This cute set of stringing hearts is from the Unity Stamp Company’s Kit of the Month. I stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink from Tsukineko/Imagine Crafts and colored with a few Copic Markers.

Shall we head inside?

Below, I added the flap. I stamped and fussy cut my hot cup of steamy cocoa and the sweet sentiment sentiment. Inside the flap, I stick on my cards with a Glue Dot. If you prefer, you can tape up the sides and make a pocket.

 

Valentine Gift Card Flap

 

 

 

Buttons Galore and More Supplies Used to Make This Valentine Gift Card:

Additional Supplies Used to Make This Valentine Gift Card:

  • Cardstock – My Favorite Things Replenishments
  • Ink – Tsukineko Memento in Tuxedo Black, Copic Markers
  • Stamps – Unity Stamp Company Kit of the Month Set.

 

I hope you enjoyed this EASY PEASY Gift Card lesson.

This card could be for you! Leave a comment and Pin the card and a lucky winner will be chosen.

Join me again next week – hope you like OWLS!

 

4

Survey Says?

sparkly-wedding-buttons

What products would you most like to see BGM add to it’s line?

Please answer the question on the bottom of this post by Feb 18,2013.  We will randomly select a commenter to receive a $10 buttons assortment.

8

Wire Heart Hanger

Wire heart hangers can be made quickly and I am going to show you how.  This week the quick-to-make and adorable craft is something you can use for Valentines Day next week or any other day that you want to spread some love.
Wire heart hanger

 

Materials for Wire heart hanger :

  • skinny bendable wire
  • buttons
  • ribbon

Directions to make wire heart hanger:

  1. Cut a piece of bendable wire 10 inches long.
  2. Put one end of the wire through a button, slide it  about an inch in and wrap  the wire around the button.
  3. Add another button about a half inch from the first by putting the wire through one hole of the button and out another.
  4. Fill the wire up using these two methods, twisting and bending as you like and then shape it into a heart.
  5. Add ribbon to make a hanger.

Happy Creating and Lots of Love!

0

Button Bevy – Meet the new Design Team

The Button Bevy is the creative branch of Buttons Galore and More.  We are pleased to announce the newest members.  Each person brings a unique skill set to the team and will be providing you with wonderful inspiration for you to recreate as you wish.  They specialize in scrapbooking, card making, paper crafts, embroidery, hand sewing, altered art, home decor, jewelry, hand made gifts and so much more.

i-love-buttons-galore-and-more To get your button go here

 

Presenting… The BUTTON BEVY!!!

 

Allie Gower from My Card Party

 Allie Gower

 

Please welcome to Angie from The Country Chic Cottage

familypic2010 Angie Holden

 

Carla from Carla Schauer Designs

 carla schauer color-print

 

Holly Gagnon from Ribbons and Glue

Button Bevy Holly Gagnon

 

Jen Goode from J Goode Designs

button bevy  jen goode

 

Laura Bray from Laura Bray Designs

 laura Bray

 

Laura Kelly from Laura Kelly Designs

Laura Kelly and Me and My Peeps

 

Mai Larsen from Creando Con Detalle

Mai Larsen _  Button Bevy

 

Melony from Mel Bradley Designs

bradley head shot

 

Tracy Mc Lennon from Scrappy Chick

Mc Lennon

 

Please give these wonderful ladies a warm welcome and leave a little love here on the blog for them.  Who knows we might surprise a commenter or two.   Be sure to get your badge and tell the world that you love BUTTONS!!!

 

12

ART Quilt – Mixed Media Button and stamp design

Art Quilts are fun to make. Create some ART by making a little Mixed Media Quilt using some great buttons, trims and specialty stamps.  Once you create one you will be hooked and want to create several using words that inspire you.  Oh, by the way the specialty stamps used in this project are from my new line of stamps from Unity Stamp Company so be sure and check them out as they have so many possibilities! You can use them for making cards, scrapbook pages, mini books and so much more.

 art quilt Designs 004

Supplies for an ART Quilt:

Assorted Buttons by Buttons, Galore and More

Faux Quilting Stamps by Unity Stamp Company

KellyCraft Laser Square

Crafter’s Ink by Clearsnap color of choice

Beacon Fabri Tac

Threads by Kreinik 

Trims by Expo International

Font by Duetica

Assorted Flower Dies by Sizzix

Non Stick Scissor by Westcott 

8” x 8” Muslin (2), 8” x 8” Batting, Needle, Pins, Acrylic Block, Paper Towels

Designs 037

Gather supplies

Designs 040

Directions for making an Art Quilt:

Square fabric using laser square.

Place 3 one” triangle stamps onto clear block, ink up and stamp onto fabric three times to create a Flying Geese Quilt Pattern, using the laser square to line everything up straight.

Place fabric on top of  batting and second square of fabric; use thread to quilt around flying geese pattern.

This is where the you use your creativity to arrange the die cut flower, buttons, words and trims into a pleasing manner then sew or glue into place.

Designs 005

Each mini quilt will take on a look all their own, be creative and have fun!

0

Sunday Cardmaking: Making a Valentine that Hides a Sweet Surprise

Have you ever wanted to hide a sweet surprise in a Valentine card?

Sweet Surprise Card by Allie Gower

This is a standard Easel Card Valentine with a sweet surprise.

If you’ve never created an Easel Card, here is a very easy tutorial. On my Valentine, I’ve made the size a little larger – the card is 6×6.

The sweet surprise is that in the bottom half of this Valentine, I’ve wrapped a Hershey Bar.

I added a panel of black cardstock, and scored it to make a little sleeve for the candy bar. I didn’t glue it, so the card doesn’t have to be destroyed to enjoy the candy. Apparently, no one wants to rip up the card to get to the goods! Nothing stops me from getting to chocolate.

Hershey Valentine

Sometimes people ask about the buttons and other dimensional items, and if it makes the cards hard to mail, or expensive.

Once you get a certain size, you’re paying a premium anyway, so I just pop my cards in a bubble mailer or a small box, and grin and bear the cost of mailing. My only other option is to hand deliver, which I love to do! I don’t want to hold back on my creativity – so I say layer it on, and on, and on.

Buttons Galore and More Supplies Used to Create this Valentine:

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Strawberries

Mini Glue Dots

Beacon’s 3-in-1 Glue

Additional Supplies Used to Create this Valentine:

Paper – Authentique

Stamps – Gina K Designs

Ink – Close to My Heart

Dies – Spellbinders

Bling – Want2Scrap

Thanks for checking out my Valentine.

If you have any questions, just leave me a comment below.

I’d like to send this card to someone! Leave a comment here, and PIN the photo for a chance to win.

15

Valentine’s day craft ideas – A Project Round up

 Valentine’s Day Craft Ideas

Valentine's Day Craft Ideas - A Project Round up Sweet Surprise Valentine Card by Allie Gower

  • Valentine’s day craft ideas are very popular with our design team.  We have provided some extra inspiration for you to check out in addition to the wonderful Valentine’s Day Crafts they have created on our blog.  Go check out some of their projects and leave a little love.  Hey, isn’t that what Valentines Day is all about?

Valentine’s Day Craft Ideas

I hope you made it through the list of great projects.  Valentine’s day craft ideas do not have to take a lot of time.  It is the thought that counts.  So go make someone a Valentine’s Day gift.

0

Sweet Valentine hearts with little buttons and BIG Love!

Sweet sweet Valentine hearts!  Little buttons are so fun to work with.  This project is so simple and so adorable that it is a Valentines Day must –do!

Directions to make sweet Valentine heart:

Using sharp fabric scissors, cut felt hearts measuring approximately 2 inches wide and 2 inches tall.

sweet valentine heart buttons

I like Kunon felt because it is thick and soft.  Stack several buttons on each felt heart and sew through the holes from top to bottom and back up through to the top.  Tie a knot on top of the button stack to secure the buttons.  For a more colorful effect, use different colored floss from the top button in the stack.

These sassy little button/felt hearts make a great addition to any valentine treat.  You can use them in many fun ways including a decoration on a treat box or bag.  To adhere them to your surface of choice, choose the glue that works the best for that surface.  I recommend Aleene’s Tacky Glue for most crafting projects that work with felt.

Valentine Felt Buttons Pkg

If you really love stitching, you can turn a piece of felt into an envelope with a few quick stitches up each side and add a felt heart button stack to close up a love letter with a special touch.  I added ribbon to mine too!  You can also add one to a little clothespin and attach to a Valentine’s Day Treat!  This pretzel treat is super yummy.  You can get the recipe on Laura’s Inklings.
Felt Button Heart BG

Materials needed sweet Valentine heart:

Red, Pink and White Buttons (Laura Kelly’s Bright Colors), Red, Pink and White Embroidery Floss, Red and Pink Felt, Embroidery Needle and Scissors.

I really hope you enjoy making the sweet valentine heart as much as I did.

1

Pink Fabric Hearts with Buttons – Valentine decoration

I’ve recently started making little fabric ornaments using just plain canvas or linen fabric and embellishing with different materials. It’s an inexpensive material that you can paint, glue and sew with and using colorful buttons you can great a whole variety of different looks. So today I’m going to show you how I made these pretty little pink fabric hearts embellished with fabulous pink buttons. Don’t fret if you don’t sew, just use a fabric glue instead! You can do it.

Fabric heart ornaments with buttons

Fabric heart ornaments with buttons

Materials you need  to make Fabric Hearts:

Materials for making button hearts

Materials for making button hearts

How to make fabric hearts with buttons:

  1. Fold fabric and cut a heart shape so you end up with 2 matching heart cut outs.
  2. Stitch heart 1/4″ from edge. Leave a 1.5″ opening.
  3. Stuff with Polyfil.
  4. Stitch buttons in place as desired.
  5. Stitch a loop of ribbon or twine at top for hanging.

Stitch buttons into place

Stitch buttons into place

Add a hanging loop to the top of the heart

Add a hanging loop to the top of the heart

Optionally, if you choose to use fabric glue in lieu of sewing, glue the buttons on first and allow to dry. Then glue heart pieces together, leaving a space to stuff and then seal closed.

You can add extra embellishments, decorative stitching and other accents to create a look that’s all your own.

Pretty button heart ornament Pink Fabric Hearts with Buttons - Valentine decoration

Pretty button heart ornament

You can make a whole pile of these fun fabric heart buttons. Make each one unique by choosing from a wide array of red and pink buttons in all kinds of shapes and sizes.

0

Winter Card: Sunday Cardmaking

 

I’m back with another winter card for Sunday Cardmaking here at Buttons Galore. I had some holiday pictures to mail off, and I thought this was a fun winter card to create, to accompany those pictures.

Do you love a winter card that’s easy to make? I used all scraps!

Directions for making Winter Card

I started with an 8.5 x 11″ sheet of cardstock from  My Favorite Things and cut a piece 4 x 8″ and folded it in half. Yes, I like to make cards in all shapes and sizes.

I cut a piece of patterned Authentique paper sized 3.5″ square. I also cut a 1 x 4.5″ strip of the same paper, and flipped it over. I stamped snowflakes on this piece, and accented it with Dimensional Pearls Paint and bling and pearls from Want2Scrap. I colored the pearls with a Copic marker to get a matching shade. I stamped the sentiment on a scrap of white cardstock and trimmed it into strips. The edges were lined with a Copic marker, and then colored with a lighter shade to match the patterned papers.

The sentiment reads …

In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me was an invincible summer.

I promise, Spring is coming. The trees will soon be singing again.

To finish off the winter card, I punched some snowflakes from the matching patterned paper and painted them with some glossy accents and sprinkled Sugar Shimmer. These are adhered with dimensional foam dots. I then chose three matching Clear Round Buttons and punched out small circles of a coordinating Authentique patterned paper. I adhered the paper to the buttons with Glossy Accents then I attached the Clear Round Buttons and two Rustic Coconut Shell Buttons using Memory Book Dot ‘n Go glue dots.

Buttons Galore Products Used 

 Promotional Products Used

Additional Products 

  • Bling – Want2Scrap
  • Glossy Accents, Dimensional Pearls Paint – Ranger Ink
  • Snowflakes – Punch
  • Ink – Copic, Memento
  • Stamp – Close To My Heart

 

 Thank you for joining us this Sunday. I’ll be back next Sunday with another project idea.
0

Button and Bow – Make cute Socks with Buttons and Bows

Buttons are the perfect addition to most any craft, they come in every color, size and shape you can imagine.  I have been making things for my granddaughter and decided to decorate some socks.

Directions to make button and bow socks.

I started out with a plain pink pair of socks which I pre-washed and dried without fabric softener.

I got out some of my pink buttons from my BB84 Brilliant Pink Buttons package, Fabri-Tac, Kreinik Thread and some scrap pink fabric which I tore and tied into 2″ bows.

I threaded some Kreinik Thread through the button holes and glued them on top of the bows.

Then glue the bows onto the sock being sure to glue them on opposite sides of the socks.

Let dry….

Make these cute little socks in every color for a special little girl!

1

Fun Snowman Treat Bags: Sunday Cardmaking

I’m back with a Sunday Cardmaking project.  This week we’re making Snowman Treat Bags. I made a couple of quick, simple snowman thank you cards, and wanted something nice to put them in. Snowman Treat Bags are perfect!

Let me walk you through the process. It’s not hard at all!

Directions for making Snowman Treat Bags

I started with two 8.5 x 11″ sheets of cardstock from  My Favorite Things and cut a piece 6 x 11″. I scored from left to right at 1″, 6″, and 7″ and folded them, and then adhered them together. For the bottom of the bag I used a piece of cardstock that was 3 x 6″ and I scored it to create three one inch folds. I attached that at the bottom. The handle at the top is 1 x 11″ and it’s held in place with two brads and some adhesive.

I stamped my image on cardstock and colored with Copics, and stamped again on patterned Authentique paper – cutting out the scarf and part of the hat. I used a Copic Marker to highlight some of the shadows. I cut a panel out of the same patterned Authentique paper sized 5.25″ square. I colored the edges of the bag and the mat with a Copic marker to match the patterned paper. The paper edges are inked in the same color using the broad tip. I embellished the stamped image with Polar White Flower Soft and some red pearls from Want2Scrap. I painted the snowman with Smooch. He doesn’t sparkle much in the photo, but after a few coats, he was twinkling in person.

I tied a bow around the bag to hold the cards in place and cinched the bow with some Doodlebug twine and a Wild White Button topped with a Brilliant Blue Button anchored by a snowflake brad. I placed the stamped image on the bag with some dimensional foam tape. Five holes were punched at the top, and I placed five Wild White Buttons held in place by brads. You can simple spread the “legs” on the brads a little to go through the holes, then squeeze them back together to attach to the paper. I used 3 in 1 Craft Glue just to help them stay put.

Buttons Galore Products Used 

 Promotional Products Used

Additional Products 

  • Snowflake Brads and Red crepe ribbon – Creative Impressions
  • Ivory Flowers – Petaloo
  • Bling – Want2Scrap
  • Snowflakes – Punch
  • Ink – Copic, Memento
  • Stamp – unknown
  • Twine – Doodlebug Designs
  • Fluff – Polar White Flower Soft

 

 Thank you for joining us for Snowman Treat Bags: Sunday Cardmaking. I’ll be back next Sunday with another project for you.
2

Design Team Openings – Calling all Crafters!

 

2013 design team call

 We have a few openings on our design team we want to fill with YOU! 

Do you have a love of a love of buttons, a passion for color, an eye for design and it shows in everything you touch? Well, It is time for you to embrace your talent and design skills can give them the spotlight they deserve!

We’re looking for a few designers who love buttons, to add to our existing and wonderfully talented design team.  We want people who can create fun, fresh, functional and innovative project ideas for our blog, online galleries and other materials.

  • Sewing/quilting, fiber arts, embroidery
  • Cardmaking
  • Scrapbooking
  • Paper crafts
  • Mixed media. 
  • Kids crafts
  • Jewelry

Are you good with a camera? Even better. Because those dynamic, brilliantly shot, perfectly cropped photos give your designs a definite edge.

Here’s what you need to do:

Send us images of your favorite 3-5 projects. The ones that really highlight your mad design skills.  One hard and fast rule – they have to be your own original creations. 

We’ll announce our new design team on Feb 4, 2013.

When you submit your project, please include:

  • Full name
  • Address
  • Email address
  • Phone number
  • Link to your blog and/online gallery. We’d also love to know if you are on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram or Twitter.
  • Send us 3-5 photographs…highlighting your use of buttons.
  •  What do you consider your specialty.
  • Tell us about the CRAFTY you… Do you teach? Have you been published? Do you or have you ever worked at a craft store?
  • What other Design Teams are you part of and when does their term end? (Note: No previous DT experience is required, we want to prevent any conflicts of interest)
  • Send a profile photo and short bio about you. That way when you get picked we already have your info to share.
  • Other information you feel may be beneficial for us to know.

All BGM Design Team applications must be received by January 31st to buttonsgaloreteam@yahoo.com  to be considered. If selected you will be notified via email and the new team will be announced on our blog by February 4th.

 

Design Team Requirements

  • You will be required to submit 2-3 assignments per month. One will be a tutorial with step-by-step photos and written instructions required.
  • Once a year you will be asked to create a class project for our retail stores. This would include product photos, step-by-step photos and written instructions. Your name and blog will be listed.
  • Upload blog posts to a WORDPRESS blog format. We are willing to teach you how (so no worries).
  • All team members will be asked to watermark their project photos with the BGM logo and your name/URL. This will help us better market our products and your projects on Pinterest.
  • Team members are asked to repost their projects on three different social media sites (those can include 2Peas, CraftGawker, Scrapbook.com, Pinterest, your Blog and/or your Facebook) and tag or link to Buttons Galore and More.
  • Design Team term will be for 6 months starting March 1, 2013 and ending August 31, 2013  Contract may be extended if both parties agree.
  • Design Team members are supplied with monetary compensation and with generous amounts of products from our Product Partners and Buttons Galore and More.
More details will be provided upon selection for the team.

 

 

5

Winter Card Ideas: Sunday Cardmaking

I’m back with more winter card ideas. I had some holiday pictures to mail off, and I thought this was a fun card to create, to accompany those pictures.

Let me walk you through the process. It’s not hard at all!

WINTER CARD IDEAS

Directions for making Winter card

I started with an 8.5 x 11″ sheet of cardstock from  My Favorite Things and cut a piece 6″ square and folded it in half. I chose this size, because inside, I added a Caribou gift card, just a little after the holidays treat! I just stuck it on with a Memory Book Dot ‘n Go glue dot.

A piece of patterned Authentique paper sized 2.75 x 5.75″ was added. I colored the edges of the card with a Copic marker to match the patterned paper. The paper edges are inked in the same color using the broad tip. I stamped the image on cardstock with Memento ink and then taped my die in place using Washi tape to hold it in place. When I removed the die and paper, I left the tape, and sponged on some Close to My Heart ink to distress it.

I placed some white chipboard on a Wacky Tape Sheet and die cut a bird and wing. The bird was then glittered with some Clearsnap Sugar Shimmer.

I bent the vine in the shape I wanted and adhered it with 3 in 1 Craft Glue. I threaded some Rustic Coconut Shell Buttons using some twine, and adhered the buttons using Memory Book Dot ‘n Go glue dots and a few foam squares for added dimension. I added the rest of the embellishments using 3 in 1 Craft Glue and Memory Book Dot ‘n Go glue dots.

Buttons Galore Products Used 

 Promotional Products Used

Additional Products 

  • Sizzix – Bird Die
  • Ivory Flowers – Petaloo
  • Vine – Prima
  • Bling – Want2Scrap
  • Snowflakes – Punch
  • Ink – Copic, Memento
  • Stamp – Close To My Heart
  • Twine – Doodlebug Designs

 

I am glad you joined us for Sunday Cardmaking. I hope you are enjoying the Winter Card Ideas. I’ll be back next Sunday with another project idea.
4

Shabby Chic Card: Sunday Cardmaking

Cardmaking - Winter I

I’ve got a shabby chic card for today’s Sunday Cardmaking post – and it is very easy. It’s for a friend that loves all things shabby chic.

Let me walk you through the process. It’s not hard at all!

Directions for a shabby chic card:

I started with an 8.5 x 11″ sheet of cardstock from  My Favorite Things and cut a strip 5.5 x 11″ and folded it in half. A piece of patterned Authentique paper sized 5.25″ square was added. I placed some plain cardstock on a Wacky Tape Sheet and die cut a star. The star was then glittered with some Clearsnap gold glitter. I adhered the large snowflake and glittered star and button with 3 in 1 Craft Glue.

I gathered the fibers and ribbons. I cinched them together with Wild White Buttons and Rustic Coconut Shell Buttons using some twine. I punched two small holes in the cardstock behind each button, and tied the ribbon to the card. The rest of the embellishments were adhered using 3 in 1 Craft Glue and Memory Book Dot ‘n Go glue dots.

Once everything was dry, I placed the card, along with a few small gifts, in a bubble mailer. It’s a little late for Christmas, but it’s a nice winter card, too. Don’t you think?

Buttons Galore Products Used for the shabby chic card:

 Promotional Products Used

Additional Products 

Large White Glittered Snowflake and Christmas Tree – Michael’s, Poinsettia and Gold Leaves – Prima, Assorted Fibers – Basic Grey, White Flowers – unknown

 

Thank you for joining us this Sunday and my shabby chic card. I’ll be back next Sunday with another winter card idea.

3

Make a Vintage Button Card Journal and GIVEAWAY

I decided to make a vintage button card journal because I love to make lists.  With the new year here I find I’m making lists every day.  Goals for the year, things to do, crafts to make.  They all go onto lists.  Then I lose the lists.  In order to stop this vicious cycle, I’ve started keeping my lists in journals. The thing is, I come up with some of my best ideas on the go so I need something compact, hence the birth of my Button Card Journals.

Vintage Button Card Journals:Buttons Galore

All the vintage button cards I owned had some buttons that were hideous.  The buttons were odd colors and looked damaged, so I pulled off the old buttons and glued on new ones!  Presto!  A little bit vintage, a little bit modern.  Perfect!

Vintage Button Card Journals:Buttons Galore

Supplies to make a vintage button card:

Instructions to make a vintage button card:

  1. Measure your button card and multiple the width by 2 and cut a rectangle from your cardstock and copier paper.  For example, if your button card measures 3″ tall by 2″ wide, you cut your rectangles to be 3″ x 4″.  Lay the cardstock down, then pile up a few rectangles (maybe four or five) of your cut copier paper down on top of it.  Fold it all in half and then staple along the fold.  Your journal is done.
  2. Cut the old buttons off the vintage button card.   Glue new, colorful buttons onto the card.  Allow to dry.
  3. Glue your modernized button card onto the front of your journal.

Vintage Button Card Journals:Buttons Galore

Tip

Instead of gluing your new buttons onto the vintage button card, you can also sew them on, then you can clip them off later and use them in a project, which would make the journal a darling gift for the seamstress in your life!

 

Post this project to PINTEREST  with #vintagebuttoncard in the description and be entered to win $25 in buttons and glue.

Contest closes January 10,2013 at midnight.  Winner will be posted on Facebook and on this post.

www.laurabraydesigns.com

 

 

 

8

Easy Button Bracelet DIY

 

 

Easy Button Bracelet Tutorial by Allie Gower

Easy Button Bracelet by Allie Gower

 

Ready for a fun and easy Button Bracelet DIY project? This bracelet is put together very easily. I used a variety of buttons, some fun Turquoise Bulk Buttons, along with Orange, Pink and Purple buttons from a bag of Color Bulk Buttons in fun sizes and shapes, and used Tiny, two holed White Buttons for a little more jiggle and dimension. On the colored buttons, I had to just sample and try to see which ones fit the jump rings I had on hand. It’s so nice to have a variety to choose from.

Directions for the Button Bracelet DIY

I attached colored buttons by jump rings to a chain segment, one per link. I attached a white button via a second jump ring to each of the colored buttons. Toggles are added to each end.

Button Bracelet in Progress

Note: be sure to take into account the size of your closure in the measurement of your bracelet, and add a little room for bulkier bracelets

Buttons Galore Products Used:

Additional Supplies needed:

You’ll need two sets of pliers, I use Half Round Flat Nose – these are lined with nylon so they don’t scratch up some of the softer metal jump rings. Chain nose pliers would be fine too. If you’ve never worked with jump rings before, Fire Mountain Gems has some great tutorials. This article “All About Jump Rings” is a great start.

  • 48 jump rings
  • 48 buttons ( I used 6 each of the blue, pink, purple and orange, and 24 white)
  • chain – most wrists are 7.5″
  • closure

I hope you enjoyed this easy Button Bracelet DIY – give some jewelry a try!

3

Gingerbread House A DIY Christmas Craft with Kids

Gingerbread House ideas are as diverse as their makers. This gingerbread house is made with a paper mache house. You can get them at your local craft stores or at an online craft retailer. If you are super crafty you can make your own out of a cardboard box. Me? I am going with the pre-made and ready to decorate.
Gingerbread House

 

Materials for the great Gingerbread House ideas:

Directions for the easy Gingerbread House ideas:

I used gumdrop buttons with their shanks removed for the roof of this gingerbread house.  After adding texture to the paper mache house and painting it with a distressed brown finish, I decided to add fake snow.  The Decoart Snow Writer was the perfect thing to use.  The fine tip allowed me to get in all the crevices.  It dried quickly and I was able to add multiple layers of it.  Just like real snow.

For added accents I placed a star on the chimney.  I made a tree with two tree buttons and I added poinsettia to the windows along with some snow that looks like it accumulated there.

The simplicity of this design makes it an easy Christmas craft for kids of all ages.  If you wanted a more elaborate house you could add to this one, buy a bigger one or make a village out of a bunch of small ones.  With this craft being non-edible and the snow hardening it will store away easily and be ready for next year.  So start you gingerbread house village collection today with these fun and kid friendly gingerbread house ideas.

0

Country Chic Christmas Ornament – buttons and bows

Create this cute country chic Christmas ornament for your tree this year as they are so quick and easy to make!  The would be perfect for a handmade ornament exchange.  They look great and are easy to make with minimal costs involved.

Supplies to make country chic Christmas ornament:

Directions to make the country chic Christmas ornament.

 

Tear a strips of fabric 3/4″ by the following lengths 3 1/2″, 3″ and 2″.  The more fringe along the edges the better.  If your fabric does not fringe well, you can make fringes by hand and pull the threads at the edges.  Knot each piece in the middle. This will create three symmetrical bows

Glue fabric onto green pine pieces.  Allow to dry and then apply glue to the back and press  onto twig.  You might want to hold them in place for a few seconds to allow the glue to dry.  It is okay to be generous with the glue as long as you do not let it show.  The ornaments get a lot of handling in our house.

Glue buttons over knots of fabric.  Cut a string or ribbon of your choice to the top.  Glue star on top of that and allow to dry.  There you have it a cool country chic Christmas tree ornament for your tree.

 

0

button and bead bracelet with Christmas novelty buttons

Button and bead bracelet is so quick and easy to make you will want to whip up several pieces to have on hand for holiday gifts! They do not have a clasp so they are great for people with wrist and hand problems and also for children. You can also use different novelty themed buttons to make them for other seasons.

How cool would it be to give one for Valentine’s day made from heart buttons, an Easter piece with eggs and bunnies.  I think there are novelty buttons for almost every holiday or event you could imagine in the Buttons Galore and More store.

When I received the new winter themed buttons I knew immediately they would be perfect for jewelry.

Materials to make the novelty button and bead bracelet:

 Directions to make  button and bead bracelet:

I got out some red and green faceted beads to place in between the buttons so the buttons and started stringing them onto elastic cording alternating with three beads between each button.

I checked the placement and once I was happy with it…..

I tied it off and placed a dab of Beacon Adhesives Tacky Glue on the knot, let it dry and trimmed the ends.

 

 

0

DIY recipe book – holiday favorite Recipes

Holiday Album

 

Recipe books make great gifts.  They are fun to create and pass down to younger generations.  I created a fun Holiday recipe book using a Blank Board 7″ Circle Book from the Altered Arts Section at C&T Publishing.

Every year, we try new recipes or crafty tricks, or a new tradition. This year, we’ll be keeping track by making notes and taking clippings to add to this fun book. C&T Publishing was kind enough to provide us with a sample of their products, and I had a lot of fun playing.

Materials used in the DIY recipe book:

This book is covered with paper from October Afternoon, then embellished with matching journaling cards, a die cut scalloped border from My Favorite Things and a bling border from Want2Scrap. A glittered snowflake ornament was adorned with some buttons from Laura Kelly tied together with some Baker’s Twine.  When height doesn’t matter, I love to layer buttons! In the bottom right corner, there is a cluster of buttons from the Clear Button Grab Bag, a bulk package of Ivory Buttons, and Valentine Hearts. A small circle was punched from matching patterned paper and placed behind the clear button. It’s fun to match clear buttons to your project!

I found that Beacon’s 3-1 Adhesive worked best to hold on the elements. I also used some Glue Dots.

Thanks for looking, I hope your holidays are filled with lots of favorites and yummy goodness you’ll also want to cherish.  Make your own holiday recipe book

 

2

Twine-Tied Button Holiday Card idea

Button Holiday Card

Buttons holiday cards tied with twine are the perfect embellishment.  The buttons give the card some dimension, while the twine adds a natural element.  I used bright red buttons from the Christmas Button Bonanza pack, green twine, and other partner products to give a festive look to this card.

 

Button embellished holiday card

 Supplies for Button Holiday Card:

Buttons Galore & More

 

Partner Products:

  • “Gifts Galore” Jumbo Rollograph Wheel, Watermark ink, embossing powder (Sterling Silver), Smooch, white ink–Clearsnap
  • Green Twine–The Twinery
  • “Wrapped in Love” stamps–My Favorite Things

Other Supplies:

  • cardstock (red and green)

I used the “Gifts Galore” Jumbo Rollagraph Wheel, Watermark ink, and Sterling Silver embossing powder  to create the line of gifts on white cardstock, then colored in some of the designs using Smooch. The white cardstock strip was matted on a slightly larger strip of green cardstock and layered over a large scalloped circle of dotted green paper.

I tied each of the red Button Bonanza buttons with green twine and glued them in place under the “Gifts Galore” design.  A sentiment stamped in white pigment ink (heat dried) on green cardstock was glued under the tied buttons to add to the gift theme.

 

Twine-tied buttons on holiday card

 

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the Twine-Tied Button Holiday Card

Carla Schauer

0

Make holiday trees whimsy and bright with buttons and Styrofoam cones

I love to make holiday trees with buttons and Styrofoam cones.  It’s such an easy project and the possibilities are endless!  This year I created some merry and bright trees using brightly colored felt and buttons (and a little glitter of course!) You can make the trees in any color combination, to coordinate with your decor.

Directions to make holiday trees:

Make holiday trees with Buttons GaloreSupplies to make holiday trees:

Instructions

  1. Glue felt to Styrofoam cone. Set aside to dry.Make holiday trees with Buttons Galore
  2. Glue felt around the edge of the Styrofoam star.
  3. Glue buttons onto the front surface of the star.Make holiday trees with Buttons Galore
  4. Squeeze glue into spaces around buttons and sprinkle glitter all over the star.  Shake off excess.
  5. Using felt letters, spell out your message on the cone tree vertically.
  6. Using stick pins, attach buttons all over the cone tree.
  7. Glue pom pom trim around the bottom of the cone tree.
  8. Stick one end of wood skewer into the base of your button and glittered star.  Stick the star onto the top of the tree.Make holiday trees with Buttons Galore

Laura Bray www.laurabraydesigns.com

I hope you make holiday trees for your home.

1

Gumdrop Button Christmas Tree Ornament

Make your own sparkly Christmas tree ornament with a cute candy twist using our gumdrop buttons. You can make a whole pile of these glittery ornaments and personalize them for each gift recipient. Make little Christmas trees that are multi-colored or use a single gumdrop color to make each ornament unique. I included a mini gift tag with this ornament to show you could easily personalize.

Gumdrop button ornament by Jen Goode

Gumdrop button ornament by Jen Goode

To make the gumdrop Christmas tree ornament …
Materials you need:

  • Gumdrop buttons
  • Gold flower button
  • 3″ Wood circle
  • DecoArt Silver Twinkles paint
  • DecoArt Snow Writer
  • Scrap denim fabric
  • Small gold colored gem
  • Tiny gold dot embellishments or beads
  • Gold trim or decorative ribbon
  • Hemptique brown twine
  • Scissors
  • Paintbrush
  • Beacon 3-in-1 craft glue

Christmas tree ornament using gumdrop buttons

Christmas tree ornament using gumdrop buttons

Christmas tree star with button

Christmas tree star with button

Make a Christmas tree ornament with gumdrop buttons

  1. Paint the wood circle with Twinkles, covering completely. Allow to dry.
  2. Cut a circle of denim 1/4-1/2″ smaller in diameter than the wood circle. Glue to the center of the wood circle.
  3. Cut off the backs of the gumdrop buttons so they will lay as flat as possible. Glue to center of denim in the shape of a pyramid, leaving a 1/2″ space at the top for your star.
  4. Using the Snow writer, create 3-4 small dots on each gumdrop. Place a small gold bead on each white dot. Allow to dry.
  5. Create a hole at the top of the ornament about 1/4″ from the top, (I used a Crop-a-dile to easily cut this hole).
  6. Using Beacon 3-in-1 glue, adhere gold trim to painted surface edge of the ornament, overlapping the edge of the denim.
  7. Adhere a piece of hemp twine on top of the gold trim to add a nice finished look. Then, tie a piece of twine through the hole to create a hanging loop for your ornament.
  8. Finish off by making a star to put at the top of the Christmas tree using a single gold button. Glue a gold colored gem in the center of the button and then glue a tiny gold bead on top of the gem. Glue in place on the ornament. Allow to dry

Mini gift tag

Mini gift tag

To make the mini gift tag…
Materials you need:

  • White cardstock
  • Heat gun
  • Clearsnap Smooch Spritz (Gold Glow and Gingersnap)
  • Clearsnap Smooch (Mocha)
  • Clearsnap Glitter (Cinnamon Spice)
  • Hole Punch
  • Gold eyelet
  • Small scalloped square die from My Favorite Things
  • Cutting machine – to use the die

How to make a mini gift tag for your ornament:

  1. Cut out a small decorative square using the MFT die
  2. Punch a hole 1/4″ from edge in one corner. Add an eyelet.
  3. Spray lightly with Smooch Spritz, first one color then the other to add some color interest. Heat set with heat gun.
  4. Draw lines and a heart using Smooch, while still wet sprinkle glitter. Set with heat gun.
  5. Place twine from ornament through the eyelet to display the tag.

Fun Christmas ornament using gumdrop buttons

Fun Christmas ornament using gumdrop buttons

 

You can make so many variations of this same project just by changing the colors of the fabric and embellishments you use. Try using a red velvet with green sparkle ribbon or a blue satin fabric with hemp ribbon that you doodle on yourself. You can make a cute gumdrop  Christmas tree ornament gift for each of your friends with these simple materials!

1

Zippered Bag with Buttons by Denise Clason

 Make a Zippered Bag with Buttons

Fall Zippered Bag with Buttons by Denise ClasonZippered bag measurements 10×10 bag

Fall Zippered Bag with Buttons by Denise Clason

 

  • *(5) Coordinating Fat Quarter (FQ) Prints or use scraps, minimum 10” x 10”
  • *1 bag “Button Tote Bag Assortment” by Buttons and More, #1138473
  • *(2) 10” x 10” scraps of cotton batting, Warm & Company
  • *Star Multi-Color Machine Quilting Thread, to match fabrics, Coats & Clark
  • *10” Polyester Zipper, Coats & Clark
  • *Rotary Cutting Tools, Olfa
  • *Temporary Spray Adhesive, Sulky (green cap)
  • *Fray Check, Dritz
  • *1/8” wide12” strand cording to match fabric

Supplies for zippered bag:

1/4” foot, zipper foot, multi-purpose foot, scissors, sewing machine, iron

All seam allowances are 1/4”.

Cutting Instructions for Zippered Bag:

From each FQ, cut (1) 2 1/2” x 10” strip (front of bag)

From one FQ, cut (1) 10” square (back)

From one FQ, cut (2) 10” squares (lining)

From cotton batting, cut (2) 10” squares

Fall Zippered Bag with Buttons by Denise Clason

All seam allowances are 1/4”.

1.  With 1/4” foot, sew each 10” strip RST, along 10” side, Press

zippered bag

2. Layer backing (face down), batting, lining (face up) Spray Temporary Spray Adhesive between layers. Repeat with front and lining.

 

3. With darning foot and feed dogs lowered, quilt bag using loopy design. Repeat with backing layers. Use matching lining thread in bobbin.

  1. Trim Front bag approximately 10” x 10” and then trim Back bag the same size.

 

Fall Zippered Bag with Buttons by Denise Clason

5. Position various buttons to front bag, in random places. Sew with machine or by hand. I used my machine and the variegated thread, it changed with the color of each button! Apply Fray Check to back of each button to secure.

Fall Zippered Bag with Buttons by Denise Clason

6. With Zipper foot, sew zipper RST onto front of bag along top raw edge.

7. Sew zipper RST to back of back. Use pins if necessary.

8. With the Multi-purpose foot, zig-zag along zipper edge.

9. Turn bag over to Right side and topstitch along zipper edge.

Fall Zippered Bag with Buttons by Denise Clason

10. Upzip zipper! (for turning right side out) With 1/4” foot, and RST, sew bag along all three sides. Backstitch at each end. Zig-zag along seam allowances.

Fall Zippered Bag with Buttons by Denise Clason

11. At corners of bag, match up side seam with bag bottom seam, pin on either side of seam. Check inside of bag to make sure they line up. Sew a seam, approximately 1 1/4”, from tip of corner . Backstitch at each end. Zig-zag and trim. Turn bag RSO.

Fall Zippered Bag with Buttons by Denise Clason

12. Thread cord through zipper pull and tie a knot. Thread cord through three different buttons and tie a knot. Trim cording even. Apply Fray Check to ends. Enjoy!

Fall Zippered Bag with Buttons by Denise Clason

Denise Clason has been an artist/designer for over 35 years, selling her creative and beautiful designs to friends and teachers at an early age.  She continues to design and has  been published and licensed in the craft, decorative painting, sewing and quilting industries.  Along the way she has designed product for several manufacturers.  Denise is the author of 9 books. Her latest book, “Sewing Vintage Aprons” was published by All American Crafts”, released June 2011. Another two books were published by Krause Publication’s, “New Country Quilting,” released Spring 2005 and “Quilted Bags & Totes,” released Fall 2006. Denise is a Designer Member of The Craft & Hobby Association (CHA).  Please contact her at denise@deniseclason.com or visit her website & blog: www.DeniseClason.com. She would love to hear from you!

2

Make button snowman gift tags and two other christmas gift tags

Button snowman gift tags with buttons and felt are easy to make. These cute gift tags will take your gift giving to the next level and when the gifts are unwrapped, the tags can be used as tree ornaments. I love it when things can be multi- purpose. The nice thing about a button snowman is that he can be used past Christmas.

Snowman Gift Tags

Here’s how to make button snowman gift tags:

Supplies:

  • Two pieces of felt cut into a 3″ x 5″ rectangle
  • Three white buttons. 1 Small, 1 medium and 1 large sized look the best
  • Glue
  • Scrap pieces of black felt , cut into a 1 small square, 1 small rectangle, and two long rectangles
  • Scrap piece of orange felt, cut into a 1 small triangle
  • Embroidery floss and basic embroidery supplies
  • Printer paper, cut to approximately, 2.25″ x 4.25″
  • Hole punch
  • Ribbon

Instructions:

  • Glue buttons onto felt. The smallest button is the head of the snowman.
  • Glue on small black square of felt for the top hat.
  • Glue on small black rectangle of felt for the brim of the hat.
  • Glue on two long rectangles as arms.
  • Glue on small orange triangle for the carrot nose.
  • Print or write on printer paper (this is where you would write the “to” and “from” of the gift.
  • Stitch the paper onto the second rectangle of felt.  You can either hand-stitch it or use your sewing machine.
  • Place the blank backs of the felt rectangles together.  Stitch (I used a running stitch) or glue together.
  • Punch a hole into the top of the tag, and run a ribbon through it. Attach it to your gift or hang it on the tree.

Snowman Tag Tutorial

After making the button snowman gift tags, I came up with a few other tag ideas:

Ric Rac and green buttons make a cute Christmas Tree tag.

Christmas Tree Holiday Gift Tag

Isn’t the back cute?

Christmas Tree Holiday Tag Back

Some garland really makes this Christmas Ornament gift tag sparkle!

Christmas Ornament Holiday Gift Tag

Have fun and let your holiday spirit take control!

Holiday Gift Tags

Thanks for taking the time to look at the button snowman gift tag and the other ideas too.

1

Holiday Gift Container Embellished with Christmas Buttons & GIVEAWAY!

The Christmas season is getting closer, and along with the season comes cookie baking.  Giving baked goods as a gift becomes even more festive when delivered in a handmade gift box embellished with themed Christmas buttons.

Holiday Candy Gift Container with Themed ButtonsDirections to make a gift box with Christmas buttons:

I began with an unfinished wooden box I purchased at a craft store, and painted using “Santa Red” (how appropriate!) on the inside of the lid and the outside of the box.  I also painted the inside of the box base a dark green to match the felt.

Red Painted Wood Gift Box with Holiday Buttons

I lined the lid of the box with a circle cut from dark green felt, glued in place using Fabri-Tac Adhesive.  The dark green showing through the tree cut-out in the top of the box made the perfect showcase for the Christmas buttons.

Felt Lid Lining of Holiday Candy Gift Box with Buttons

To embellish the felt tree using the Christmas buttons, I began by removing the shanks from the candy cane and peppermint swirl candy buttons using the Button Shank Remover and gluing them to the felt using the Fabri-Tac Adhesive.  I also glued on three of the micro buttons to simulate ornaments.  I glued the star to the tree top without removing the shank, since it fit nicely into the cut out area.

Button Embellished Holiday Gift Box Lid

A red and green stitched grosgrain ribbon glued around the lid added another touch of texture to the wooden gift box, and I used a gift-shaped Christmas button as a final accent and to cover the ribbon ends.

Button Embellished Holiday Candy Gift Box Front

 

With a little paint, some felt, and some Christmas buttons, you can make a gift of goodies even more personal.  Make several at a time before the holiday season is in full swing, so they’re ready for y0ur fresh baked holiday gifts.

Thanks for stopping by,

Carla

November 16 is National Button Day.  Leave a comment here with your favorite button collection an you could win themed Christmas buttons.  Comments must be received by Sunday night at midnight est.

 

Napkin rings DIY for fall – Make rustic coconut shell button flowers

DIY Fall napkin rings:

Napkin rings are essential to the holidays.  Button napkin rings are even better.  I created a quick and easy holiday craft using Rustic Coconut Shell Buttons. These beautiful buttons have a wonderful natural feel and I thought they would be perfect for a Fall table.

 

 

Materials and steps to make DIY Fall napkin rings with rustic coconut shell button flowers:



Layers

 Directions to make DIY Fall napkin rings with rustic coconut shell button flowers:

This is really a simple project. I’ve shown some of my steps above. I use 3-in-1 Glue from Buttons Galore. In addition to being inexpensive and lasting a long time, 3-in-1 Glue holds well and dries relatively fast. When dry, it’s completely clear.

I will share a tip, before gluing, I laid out the buttons until I had them layered the way I wanted them, and then I adhered them to a paper circle. I just punched out some cardstock. In the photo, I’ve shown the buttons on a white circle simply so you can see it. In my completed project, I inked my circle brown so that it wouldn’t be shown.

Once my buttons were dry, I attached the piece to a ring of grungepaper that I had covered in lace [My Mind’s Eye]. I accented it with the leaves [Prima] and bits of bling [Want2Scrap].

I think napkin rings would be a great craft to do with kids. The button centerpiece would be fun on a pin or bracelet, too. Imagine the options with these rustic flower buttons.  They would not only make great napkin rings, but a broach, a hair clip, a scarf holder and so much more.  You could make giant ones for curtain tie backs.

0

Christmas button craft ideas – Easy and simple DIY

Christmas button crafts ideas!

Christmas button craft ideas have been overflowing from my mind lately.  I love so many of the buttons from the Christmas Holiday section at Buttons Galore and More that I had a difficult time deciding which to use first.

 button crafts ideas materials:

I used a Christmas Tree from this fun set and a gift button from this set.

 

 

 

 

 

Directions to easy Christmas button ornament:

I made a quick and cute ornament using paper scraps. I think this would be fun to hang on a Kraft bag, place on top of a box, or hang on your Christmas Tree. I simply took strips of scrapbook paper and made a simple design, adding a button from the Star of Wonder set.

 

Directions for an easy  button craft ideas:

Here I took some more scraps and created a bow and box, embellished with a button from the Christmas Presents set in the center. I took two additional strips and glued them to the scalloped circles to create the tiny gift box. I would love to make lots of these, attach some magnets and use them on my fridge to create an Advent Calendar – I have such fun crafting with the little ones I babysit.

My preferred adhesive is Beacon’s 3-1 Adhesive, available on the Buttons Galore & More site. It sets quickly, but gives you time to reposition, and it dries clear. Buttons Galore & More has many additional adhesives to choose from. Additional supplies used include Paper – October Afternoon, Scalloped Circle Die – Spellbinders Paper Arts, Circle Punch – Marvy Uchida

Thanks for joining me today. use up your stash and add some fun new elements.  Please use these Christmas button craft ideas.  I hope you enjoyed these simple, inexpensive ideas for the Holidays.

1

Make a Little Christmas Button and Felt Wall Hanging

Wall hangings for Christmas? Sure! Make these little wall hanging decor pieces using the new Christmas buttons from Buttons Galore and More. You can make them as gifts or wall art yourself. They’re also a great craft to do with the kids, no sewing required! If you like to sew, stitch everything together instead of using glue.

Pretty little Christmas button wall hanging decor

Pretty little Christmas button wall hanging decor by Jen Goode

Materials you need:

Christmas button decor closeup

How to make Christmas button and felt wall hangings:

  1. Cut 4 squares, approximately 1.5″ wide, out of green felt. The squares do not need to be exact.
  2. Glue each square on to white felt. Trim white leaving about 1/8″ showing around edges.
  3. Glue each green and white square onto red felt creating a single large square. Trim to one single square. leaving approx. 1/2″ red border around the entire square.
  4. Glue 1 holiday button in the center of each green square.
  5. Using red felt, make 2 hanging loops and glue to top back of piece.
  6. Embellish with ribbon and extra holiday buttons as desired.
  7. Finish with a dowel through the hanging loops and a ribbon to hang.

Christmas button wall hanging craft

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The CSI Project Challenge Linky Party featuring Buttons Galore and More – Giveaway

CSI Project Schedule buttons

The CSI Project Challenge Linky Party featuring Buttons Galore and More – Giveaway

The CSI Project has partnered with us this week.  They have a set schedule of events and this week they will feature tutorials using buttons.  We are sponsoring a FANTASTIC GIVEAWAY – a $100 of goodies. To win the goodies you need to link to the linky party on the CSI site.  There are two other opportunities to win a prize – leave a comment on this page and we will do a drawing at the end of the week and one for our new facebook friends. Entries must be received by midnight November 10th, 2012.

Our design team will also have button projects posted on their blogs this week. Please stop by and visit them.

Sit back relax and grab your favorite cuppa.  We hope you will enjoy all the creative inspiration from both the CSI Project and from the Buttons Galore and More designers.

 

 

 

Each of

Quick and Easy Gifts – Make a handmade note card set

It’s that time of year where we all start looking for quick and easy gifts. Being able to make them homemade is a bonus!!! Why not make a handmade note card set? Mine is not Christmas themed, or Fall themed…I like generic…it works well when I am in a pinch! I can just grab & go! BUT I do like to make my gifts in good seasonal colors. So for this set I thought I would show you my “thought process” on how to make a set of cards in a quick and easy assembly fashion. :) Just add in your papers, matching buttons, ribbon and bling of your choice and you are all set and ready to get creating your very own quick and easy gifts!

 

 

Gather up supplies. I generally like to pick my papers first, then cardstock, ribbon and embellishments. As you can see, I have chosen three different colors of Button Bonanza Bags just to be sure I have the perfect color when the time comes for embellishing. You can also see I have printed out my sentiments panels using Duetica Lettering Arts Studio’s Mandolyn Font in the Outline feature then colored it in using my Copic markers. Another neat trick to PERFECTLY matched sentiments that say JUST what you want in just the perfect size for your project. :) Once I was done coloring them in I die cut each sentiment panel using Spellbinders Nestabilities and I was all set!

Using a Bow Easy Ribbon Tool REALLY helps make the set look polished, all of my bows look exactly alike!

Add an extra touch by outlining the first letter using a glue pen then shake on a bit of coordinating glitter.

Another great touch that really doesn’t take too long is to embellish the embellishments! I love to add a bit of bling to the center of my buttons.

 

And here you have it! A cute set that took less than an hour start to finish! Not bad….

 

 

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recycled jar crafts – A Fall Vase Using Buttons

I love to make recycled jar crafts and one of my favorite ways is by upcycling the jars to make vases, candle holders and other home decor pieces. They’re usually quick projects that you can use for your own center pieces or home accents and you can give them as gifts. Here’s a fun little project you can make to dress up your fall table. Grab yourself some of the Buttons Galore and More fall buttons, some glue and you’re ready to get crafting. For this project I used an empty tomato sauce jar, but you can use any jar you like, just make sure to remove the label, wash and dry it before you get started.

Glass jar vase with buttons

Glass jar vase with buttons designed by Jen Goode

Materials you need to make a recycled jar crafts:

Fall button materials for glass jar vase

Fall button materials for glass jar vase

How to make recycled glass jar crafts – a pretty fall vase with buttons:

note: make sure to have your hot glue gun set on low heat so you don’t burn yourself while handling these small buttons. If you prefer, use craft glue and allow for dry time.

  1. Cut a piece of burlap so that it’s long enough to completely wrap around your jar.
  2. Add a center button in the middle of the burlap. I used 3 buttons for my center, a large brown button, a smaller decorative brown button and then a tiny red button – each glued in place.
  3. Add a leaf embellishment to either side of the center brown button, gluing in place. I started out with a green and a dark brown on this piece and then changed my mind, I like the brown on brown much better. Choose whichever colors you prefer.
  4. Add tiny buttons around the leaves, varying the colors as you’d like.
  5. Wrap the burlap around the jar and glue in place.
  6. To make the tag, color the tag as desired with alcohol markers, allow to dry. Glue tiny buttons in place. Add some twine from the burlap through the tag hole and tie a bow then glue the tag on to the burlap.

Glue embellishments in place

Glue embellishments in place

Center art is 3 buttons glued together

Center art is 3 buttons glued together

Buttons and burlap make pretty fall decor

Buttons and burlap make pretty fall decor

1

Tic Tac Toe with Buttons

I love playing board games and discovered the VELCRO® Brand Memo Board was the perfect base to create a board game.  I decided on a Tic-Tac-Toe Board that would use Buttons as the game pieces….this was quick and easy to make, now when the grand kids come over we can sit down to a fun game of Tic-Tac-Toe; the added bonus they can also count all the buttons on each game piece to help them with their counting.

Here’s how you can create Tic Tac Toe with Buttons:

Cut out 5 circle and 5 X shapes, I did this with mat board, Sizzix Serif Alphabet and Big Shot….

Use Beacon Felt Glue to cover each game piece with buttons; I did two layers to completely cover the mat board; let dry.   I use BB84 Brilliant Pink Buttons for the circles and Latte Buttons for the X’s.

I used my KellyCraft Get-It-Straight Laser Square to perfectly align my Metallic Krenick  Thread onto the VELCRO® Brand Memo Board so that I had 9 squares the same size.

Use Westcott Non-Stick Scissor to cut small pieces of Sticky Back Velcro.

Place these onto the back of each game piece.

Now your game pieces are ready to use….Have Fun playing Tic Tac Toe with Buttons!

1

DIY No-Sew Fleece Pillow -Fall Themed

Hi there!  I have a quick no-sew fleece pillow idea for you.  It’s quick it’s easy and so festive! You will want to make a  no-sew fleece pillow  for each season

Supplies for a no-sew fleece pillow :

Directions for a no-sew fleece pillow :

Cut two layers of polar fleece material approximately 3-4″ wider then the pillow you plan to cover.  No need to be exact, this project is really forgiving

Cut away the corners of the fabric and cut strips all the way round the outside edge approximately one inch thick.

Once everything is cut, tie the top and bottom matching strips together in a double knot creating the fun fringe look.  Don’t forget to insert your pillow before you tie your pillowcase closed.

Embellish your pillow front with fleece scraps cut into shapes representing your theme.  I free-handed a maple leaf shape for fall.  Glue on fleece shapes and other embellishments like ribbon and buttons to complete the no-sew fleece pillow.

Enjoy your new festive pillow!  Not only is it fun to look at but it’s cozy too!

This is a great project for kids!

Thanks for stopping by!

2

Ribbon Wreath with Button Accents a DIY that is easy to make

Ribbon Wreaths are trendy right now, with photos appearing on blogs and Pinterest.  This tied ribbon version with button accents is a great way to get autumn colors and textures in a wreath that is easy to create.

Fall Ribbon Wreath with Button Accents

 Directions to make a Ribbon Wreath:

Making a ribbon wreath is a straightforward process that begins with a simple wreath form.  For this wreath, I used a STYROFOAM Brand Foam wreath form approximately 8″ in diameter.  I painted the front of the wreath using a foam brush and orange acrylic paint to camouflage the form in case it happened to peek through the ribbons.

Ribbon Wreath STYROFOAM base

While the painted wreath form is drying, I gathered my ribbons and cut several lengths of each.  My form required around 50 pieces, each 10″ long.  Widths ranged from 1/2 to 1″.

Cut Ribbons for Ribbon Wreath with Buttons

Once the form was dry and the ribbons cut, I tied the pieces around the form.  I began with the wider ribbons, and filled in the spaces with the narrower pieces, adjusting the location of the knots as necessary.

Tying Ribbons onto Ribbon Wreath with Buttons

Once all the ribbons were tied around the wreath form, the whole project looked pretty scary.  It resembled a big autumn-colored ribbon Medusa.

Ribbons tied on Ribbon Wreath with Buttons

But once all the ribbon ends had been trimmed to approximately 1.5 inches long (use sharp fabric scissors for clean edges), scary Medusa transformed into a pretty tied ribbon wreath ready for embellishing.

Making Tied Ribbon Wreath

I added thick marbled dark brown buttons from the Natural Grab Bag tied with orange embroidery floss, and a large aged metal leaf as an accent.  Three additional buttons from the Autumn Grab Bag tied with cream floss top the leaf for additional coordinating color and texture.

Button Accents on Ribbon Wreath

With no time or labor-intensive techniques to deal with, this tied ribbon wreath can be assembled quickly and easily.   Dive into your ribbon stash and make one today!

Thanks for stopping by!

Carla

 

2

Make Halloween Spider Decorations: Button-bodied spiders

Put down the mop and dusting cloth!  Button-bodied Halloween SPIDERS are fun to make and should become a welcome addition to your Halloween arsenal of ghoulish home decor!

I just ADORE creating “life” with buttons!

It doesn’t TAKE much…. to make your EYES bulge with joy seeing these Halloween Spiders!

Button-bodied  Halloween Spider Recipe:

Buttons Galore & More Buttons (3 per spider, small, medium & large)

Craft Wire

Google Eyes

Beacon Adhesive

Sharpie Markers

Wire cutters

Clear thread  – if you want to hang them!

 

Button-bodied  Halloween Spider Directions:

1) Cut craft wire into 4 pieces of 4 – 5″ lengths.

2) Take one, fold in half and thread through medium sized button.

3) Thread ends (with medium button attached), through large button, adjusting smaller button to sit on the edge of the large button, so that there is approximately 1/4″ slack between medium button and where the wires thread through the holes of the large buttons.

4) Twist the legs or “ends” of the wire, to lock it into position.

5) Repeat step #2 with the smallest button and second piece of wire.

6) Thread the wire ends from the smallest button into the holes of the largest button, so that it covers the “slack” of the wire.

7) Fold in half and add the remaining wires, criss-crossing through the button holes, so that the spider now has 8 legs.

8) Arrange legs to your liking, cutting off excess as needed.

9) Color wire legs with Sharpie markers.

10) Adhere eyes with Beacon 3 in 1 adhesive.

11) Using clear thread, tie through the central wire in the “body” of spider to create spider web string.

Embellish Halloween scenery and your home as needed!

Ya see!  There are SO many ways to use Buttons Galore & More buttons, it’s SCARY!

Happy HAUNTING!

 

 

 

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Halloween table decorations make them with ease

Halloween table decorations

Here’s a quick and easy tutorial for creating a unique Halloween table decorations.  In fact, I think this is the easiest tutorial I’ve ever done for Buttons Galore and More!  Now, I’ll admit, I’m not a huge fan of Halloween.  It just doesn’t appeal to me visually, but now that I have a little girl, I must play along and decorate our house and table for Halloween.  I’ve found that the elegance of an all black and white table satisfies my aesthetic and still gives my daughter the full Halloween experience.

Create three Halloween table decorations with one Haberdashery Trim Collage Kit!

Materials:

Directions to make halloween table decorations :

  1. Cut a 5″ piece of ribbon from the Trim Collage Kit.
  2. Wrap it around a napkin and secure closed (in the back) with a glue dot.
  3. Using another glue dot, add a button or ribbon rosette from the Trim Collage Kit on the front of the napkin ring.

That’s all you need to do to create stunning Halloween table decorations!  If you want to, you can take it even further and use the same Trim Collage Kit to decorate candles, vases and pumpkins for your table.

 

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A DIY on How to Make a No Sew Tutu Tutorial Embellished With Felt Leaves & Buttons

 no sew tutu tutorial

Good Morning! Today I have a stepped up version of a no sew tutu tutorial from a great DIY blog called – Skip To My Lou. I followed all of her steps but where she stops is where I picked up to make this fun and oh so seasonally perfect button embellished tutu! Here’s how I just kicked her’s up a notch – Enjoy!

 no sew tutu tutorial Autumn Forest Nymph Tutu

Find an adorable little girl who you can transform into an Autumn Forest Nymph!!

 

Direction to make a  no sew tutu tutorial/ Autumn Forest Nymph Tutu

 

Follow tutorial found on Skip To My Lou’s Blog (http://www.skiptomylou.org/2011/11/01/no-sew-tutu-tutorial/) but cut away the excess elastic.

 

Add a bit of superglue to the knot to be sure it is held securely.

 

Wrap the ribbon around your finger to measure out how much ribbon will be needed to fit round the knot and still have plenty of room to pass the other length of ribbon through.

 

Wrap the ribbon around the knot and hot glue in place.

 

Be sure to keep edges of ribbon even and hold end of ribbon in glue until glue cools.

 

Pass the ribbon through the loop and tie into a perky little bow.

 

Embellish the center of the bow with a large button that has a bow of hemp tied through the center.

 

Gather a few different colors of Autumn colored felts.

 

Cut felt into approximately 2″ x 3″ rectangles.

 

Fold rectangle in half and cut a half leaf shape on fold.

 

Open to reveal leaf shape.

 

Repeat with additional colors of felt until you have a good assortment of felt leaves.

 

Place leaves all over tutu before gluing into place to be sure you have a good mix of colors and spacing.

 

CAREFULLY adhere using hot glue. Be careful as the glue will go right through the tulle if you aren’t careful!

 

Using either heavy duty scissors or a button shank remover tool, remove the button shanks from as many buttons as you glued leaves.

 

Carefully adhere a button to the top of each leaf on the tutu.

 

Finish gluing a button to each leaf to finish embellishing the entire tutu.

 

Find an adorable little girl who you can transform into an Autumn Forest Nymph!!

 

I hope you have enjoyed this  no sew tutu tutorial /Autumn Forest Nymph Tutu.  It was fun and easy to make and my daughters love it.

4

Upcycle a Can into a Pretty Pencil Holder with Buttons

This project will keep the kids busy and help the environment! Upcycle your empty food cans into containers for various storage and use buttons to create a fresh, fun look. You can create any kind of pattern or look with just a few easy-to-find materials. I created a pencil holder out of a spaghetti sauce can.

First, I covered  it with some fabric. Then I embellished the top edge with a swag design of pink and purple buttons. (Optionally, you can line the inside of the can as well.) I’ve created a number of different pencil and school supply containers using fabric or paper, so whichever you like best will work great!

upcycled can to pretty pencil holder

upcycled can to pretty pencil holder

Materials you need to upcycle the can:

Steps to make your own button embellished upcycled can pencil holder:

  1. Measure and cut fabric to fit the outside of the can.
  2. Cover the can with your choice of fabric & adhere with glue.
  3. Add a swag pattern to the top of the outside edge of the can using glue and twine.
  4. Adhere buttons in place, alternating colors.
  5. Make small bows of twine and glue at the top of each swag.

glue twine to can

glue twine to can

create a scalloped swag design with twine

create a scalloped swag design with twine

add buttons to twine

add buttons to twine

add more buttons

add more buttons

make a bow out of twine and glue on the can - I got a little too much glue on my fingers

make a bow out of twine and glue on the can – I got a little too much glue on my fingers

The best part about upcycling empty cans is that they are small.  This allows you to use your left over craft scraps to make some neat, decorative containers. Mix and match your scraps with your favorite button colors to create a whole collection of pretty pencil holders and other organizing containers. Plus these are easy enough that your kids can make their own too!

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halloween wall art with buttons idea -DIY

Halloween wall art?  Buttons Galore & More buttons and supplies make Halloween SO much fun, it’s spooky!

make halloween wall art with buttons

Autumn is the PERFECT time to get crafty, and I couldn’t help but be influenced by the most wonderful inventory of buttons from BG & M and the subtle changing of light and shadow as the days are becoming shorter…   So HERE I go, sharing with you a technique rich, button festooned project, to get your inner hoot owl, hooting!  Let’s make halloween wall art with buttons.

halloween wall art embellished with buttons from Buttons Galore & More:

Suggested supply list –

1. Artist (value) canvas

2. Inspirational graphics of your choosing (i.e. scrapbook paper, free digital images, old print ads, etc.)

3. Acrylic paint/ Gesso/ Artist Paste

4. Seasonally colored buttons from Buttons Galore & More

5. Beacon adhesive

6. Decorative tissue tape

7. Pipe cleaners

8. Google eyes

9. Jacquard Lumiere 3D acrylic paint

10. Sharpie Markers

halloween wall art directions:

This project is shared for YOUR inspiration – I hope you’ll create something specific to your needs for fun and holiday decor!  What follows is a guideline to assist you in  your creative travels.  Enjoy make halloween wall art with buttons.

Remove packaging materials from value canvas, flip to the backside.  Fill support gaps in stretcher bars with Artist 3D medium (spackle!) using tool of your choosing.

Prepare the raw canvas with gesso, so that acrylic paint can be applied.  Let dry.  Paint the wooden frame in a complimentary color for your project.  Finish the OUTSIDE edge of the frame with decorative tape.

Since buttons were the inspiration for MY project, I sought a design that could feature buttons as eyeballs!  A pair of spooky, Halloween owls were the next logical choice for my decorative canvas.  By placing the buttons on the canvas, I sketched out owls at a scale that would really make the buttons stand out!  If you are not comfortable with sketching freehand, you can get beautiful results by blowing up a printed image and then using graphite transfer paper BEHIND the artwork, trace the image from the front and then have our lines appear, similar to this drawing.

By painting in the highlights, first, I could confirm the scale, but mistakes could be easily covered with leftover background paint.  Using a limited palette makes this SO easy!  (And SUPER spooky!)

For this project, I immersed myself with buttons!  While Buttons Galore & More is a wealth of seasonal themed, as well as EVERY color and shape of buttons imaginable, I was searching for classic buttons, to create a spooky, vintage look.  In a FAT bag of miscellaneous goodies from a BG & M grab bag, I found a wealth of these snazzy, faux velvet and gold buttons.  It was easy to snap the shank off the back, remove the gold, and then fit a SCRUMPTIOUS orange button into the recess.

I LOVE the character that was created with these stunning buttons!  Beacon 3 in 1 craft glue makes for easy and secure button festooning… (Plus, it’s FUN!)

A button WITHOUT holes was a perfect, pumpkiny surprise for this craft-addicted girl…  Add SHARPIE marker = PUMPKIN FACE!  Trick OR Treat, babies! It’s ON!

Did I mention, I LOVE HALLOWEEN CRAFTS!?!

…   And GREAT materials!  Look how this gorgeous Lumiere 3D paint from Jacquard and some Sharpie marker brought this sentiment up a few zillion watts!

Oh, gawsh…  And did I forget to mention, SPIDERS?

No need to shriek…  This one’s perfectly tame!  Pipe cleaners, buttons and GOOGLY eyes…!   Give the exterminator the day off, buttons BUGS are fun to make!

Thanks for taking this eerily creative and crafty journey with me!  I hope you’ll be inspired to make halloween wall art with buttons and supplies from Buttons Galore & More!  Have FUN!

 

 

 

1

mini composition notebook with buttons

Personalize a mini-composition notebook with buttons.  With the recent beginning of the school year, composition notebooks are featured prominently in grocery and office supply stores.   After the first few weeks of school they are often deeply discounted.  It is a great time to stock up on these notebooks, which make a great surface for embellishing with buttons.

 

Button-embellished mini-composition notebook

This button covered mini composition notebook happens to be one of the mini-sized versions.  This size is fun for kids to pop into backpacks without a lot of extra weight to carry around.  My daughter likes to use them as entertainment on her bus ride.

Covered mini-composition book

Directions for a Personalize a mini-composition notebook with buttons

First, cover the notebook with patterned paper, including a contrasting border along the side next to the binding.

Button border on embellished composition notebook

Then, use an all-purpose thick glue to attach small coordinating buttons in a pattern to cover the seam.  I used buttons from the Citrus Splash Grab Bag and Juke Box Button Bonanza from Buttons Galore and More.

Button Monogram on Embellished Composition book

I added a fabric sticker letter to the top of a 7/8″  red button, and accented the monogram with a flower button from the Juke Box Button Bonanza (shank removed).

Button clip bookmark for mini-composition book

I created a fun bookmark using a premade felt flower and pink button glued to a metal, pinch-style hair clip.  The clips are easily moved, and don’t easily slip out of the book, making them easy for littler hands to use.

Bookmark for a mini-composition notebook with buttonsButton-embellished mini-composition notebook

Altered Composition notebook with buttons

Small and easily portable, button-embellished composition notebooks are a wonderful way to encourage writing and imagination in children, and are also easy to place in a purse or diaper bag for parents.  Personalize one for someone you know!

Thanks for stopping by!
Carla

1

14 fun Christmas crafts with buttons

BGM-14-Christmas-crafts with buttonsMake 14 fun Christmas crafts with buttons

14 fun Christmas crafts with buttons, that is right… 14.  Take some time and check out the links below to see all of our crafts with buttons.  Our creative team worked hard in July to bring you some fun new inspiration and there will be even more fun Christmas crafts with buttons coming in October.

The links listed below are to 14 fun Christmas Crafts that you can make.

Country Chic Christmas Wreath

Styrofoam and buttons Christmas Money Tree

Christmas Home Decor

Vintage style Christmas Decorations

Needle Felt Wall Art

Aqua Christmas Wreath

Styrofoam Christmas Ornament

St. Nick Ornament

Table Top Tree Ornaments

Christmas Puppets

Christmas Tree Wall Art

Wine Glass Charms

Red Wall Art

Kids Christmas Ornaments

I hope you enjoyed looking at the wide variety of Christmas crafts with buttons.  Stop by the store if you would like to purchase the button, ribbon and glue supplies used in these projects.  We have daily deals and weekly coupons.  Stop by often as there are new items on the way.

 

 

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country chic Christmas wreath-styrofoam Sculpey Polymer Clay

A country chic Christmas wreath can be made in an afternoon and used for years to come.  We have a screened in porch and use it almost year round.  Since it gets so much use I like to decorate it for the seasons as well as our front porch.  This country chic Christmas wreath would need to be displayed in a sheltered area.

country chic Christmas Wreath - full view

To make this country chic Christmas wreath :

Sculpey Polymer Clay Poinsettia

The poinsettias for the country chic Christmas wreath:

The poinsettias are made using the Sculpey Polymer Clay Flower Mold.  I thought yellow buttons made a great center for the flower.  It gives them an extra little pop of color. To make the poinsettias follow the directions in the manufacturers packaging.  If the clay sticks in the mold use a little cornstarch.  It washes off easily.  Once the pieces are dry, paint a coating of white paint on the top.  Then remove excess with a paper towel.  Seal if you would like with Sculpey Glaze in matte or glossy.

Sculpey Polymer clay leaves and berry buttons

The red buttons make perfect buttons and the leaves are made of polymer from the same mold.

To make the country chic Christmas wreath:

Cut the burlap into three inch strips.  Adhere one end to the wreath with a dollop of FabriTac.  Hold it in place with a straight pin until dry.  Repeat this step until your wreath is covered completely.  Wrap the jute cording in one direction and then the other to achieve the diamond pattern.  Secure the ends with FabriTac.  Adhere the buttons and leaves around the wreath and then secure the  poinsettias with a generous amount of FabriTac.  I think this country chic Christmas wreath would look great in other colors too.  If your decor is less earthy and more pastel, you could make the poinsettias in off white and the burlap in natural or blue.

 

 

2

Use Theme Buttons to Customize a Photo Clip!

Who doesn’t love the dollar aisle? I picked up some simple photo clips the other day that I knew I could dress up with theme buttons to customize them for my daughters. It’s so quick and easy!

IMG_2852

Supplies needed to customize a photo holder with theme buttons:

IMG_2844

 

 

IMG_2845

Directions to customize a photo holder with theme buttons:

Start by removing the shanks from buttons.

IMG_2847

If the theme button has layers, glue them back together with a dot of glue.

IMG_2851

Adhere the chosen buttons to the four sides of the photo clip cubes.

IMG_2849

The sunglasses are a fun moving element by just clipping one side of the button shank and snapping in on the wire .

customize a photo holder with theme buttons

Final step…add cute pictures of fun times!  This is a fast and easy way to customize a photo holder with theme buttons.  Less than a half an hour including dry time and you have a great project.

0

Make a checkbook cover – Button up your Checkbook –

A creative checkbook cover has never been easier when using Eileen Hull’s “Checkbook Scoreboard Die” from Sizzix.   Combine the die cut with Buttons makes a perfect combination.  While narrowing down your button choices is the hard part….but then again it is a die so you can make several in no time at all.

I chose novelty buttons from the BaZooples Collection for this checkbook cover as I knew I wanted shades of green for the cover and the flowers in this collection matched perfectly and will remind me of beautiful springtime flowers in the chilly months ahead here in Minnesota.

Materials to make a creative checkbook cover

2 Packages Buttons Galore & More BZ108 Multi Flowers

Checkbook Scoreboard Die by Sizzix

Earth Safe Finishes Shimmers

Quick Grip Adhesive by Beacon

Mat Board

Paper Towel Flowers

Shank Remover

Paintbursh

Die cut the checkbook cover, painted with different shades of shimmers.  Let the pieces dry and chose  the buttons.

I removed the shanks from the buttons.

Used Quick Grip to assemble the checkbook cover and to attach the buttons to the top edge.

I knew it needed a little something to make it complete.

I cut some scallop circles from paper towels.  I then used a paint brush to add some shimmers on them. I stacked the flowers and created a big layered flower.  For the center I placed an additional flower button.  It made the perfect  finishing touch!  Quick and Easy that’s what I like to do make a creative checkbook cover.

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upcycled sweater – DIY Boutique Style

How to Upcycle A Child's Sweater for a Boutique Style

Make an upcycled sweater for a Boutique Style

My daughter and I have champagne taste and apple juice budget so I decided to make an upcycled sweater to get a boutique style look at a fraction of the cost. I’ve been busy doing our annual back to school shopping.   We saw a ton of button embellishments on the clothes in all the children’s boutique clothing stores this year, so when we got home, I got out my buttons and an old sweater and got to work.  The sweater was cute last year, but the sleeves are too short for my growing daughter and the flowers on the shoulder were looking a little tired.  The end of the sleeves were also stained.  (Why oh why can’t my daughter pull up her sleeves before eating or crafting?)  It hardly cost me anything to make as I already has some ric rac and I used fabric scraps for the sleeves.

The  sweater before:

How to Upcycle a Child's Sweater

And here is the upcycled sweater!

How to Upcycle A Child's Sweater for a Boutique Style

Did I inspire you?  Here’s how you can upcycle a sweater!

Supplies for an upcycled  sweater:

  • Old sweater
  • Buttons. I used my favorite Buttons Galore Mix, Citrus Splash.
  • Ric Rac
  • Fabric
  • Basic sewing supplies.

Directions:

  • Put the sweater on your child and mark where elbows are located.  Take off the sweater, and cut off the sleeves at the elbow mark.

http://www.buttonsgaloreandmore.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=GB126

  • Remove the original buttons.
  • Measure the sleeve width, and double the measurement but a strip of fabric that measures the length of your measurement and a 6″ width.  For example, my daughters sweater sleeve measured 5″, so my fabric strips measured 10″ x 6″. Cut two strips, one for each sleeve.
  • Fold the fabric strip in half lengthwise, wrong sides together.  Press.
  • Fold the fabric again, bringing the short sides together.  Stitch together.

http://www.buttonsgaloreandmore.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=GB126

  • Slip the fabric strip over the sleeve.  Line up the seam you just sewed with the underarm seam of the sleeve.  Make sure the rough edges of the sleeve are aligned with the edge of the sleeve. Pin in place. Sew.

http://www.buttonsgaloreandmore.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=GB126

  • Fold the fabric sleeve down.
  • Sew ric rac along the side where the buttons are and along the side of the button holes.  Make sure you leave room for the buttons and that you do not cover the button holes!

http://www.buttonsgaloreandmore.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=GB126

  • Sew on new buttons.

That’s it!  Easy.  It took me less than an hour to do this upcycled sweater project.  If you aren’t feeling adventurous, simply changing out the buttons on an old sweater will give it a new look.  Or if you are feeling extra adventurous, you could add some fabric to the bottom edge of the sweater.  (Which also lengthens it if the sweater is too short for your child!)

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altered buttons make great embellishments!

Today I thought I would bring you an Autumn themed card and share a few tips on how to alter buttons for embellishments. I know it is hard to  believe Summer is passing and we are moving into the Autumn season?  Creating distressed or altered buttons is not a new concept, that I know. But sometimes being reminded that creating handmade embellishments isn’t feasible and that altering embellishments is the next best thing! Here I will share with you one way I like to alter my button embellishments that takes just a few quick strokes of sandpaper in two different grits and you have an entirely new and interesting look to your buttons! I started with two buttons of the same size and color from the Gingerbread Assortment and then went to town!

 

 

 

 The buttons I chose to use from the Gingerbread Assortment matched perfectly with my color palette however,

I thought they’d look good with a little “character”.

 

 

 Starting with a rough grit side of the sanding block, sand the edges.

 

 

 Next using a less rough grit, sand the surface of the face of the button to lightly distress it.

 

 Notice the difference? It’s just a few simple steps to really personalize your button embellishments.

 

 

And the finished result!

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Cozy Brads + 15 minutes = cute handmade card!

Good Morning! It’s a great day to encourage someone to reach up and go for their dreams….what better way to do that than with a handmade card??? And this one can be created in less than 15 minutes! I know for a fact because…..
Confession time: I should have had it done and up on the Card Positioning Systems blog, ready to run first thing on Tuesday morning, but totally spaced it and didn’t create it or load it!!! So I had to whip it up first thing and it took less than 15 mins start to finish. I just used the weekly sketch, threw in a mix of fun patterned papers, some ribbon and two fabulous Cozy Brads and BAM!!! Done! Enjoy!!

 

 

Supplies:

Stamps: Hero Arts – Anytime Messages
Ink: Tsukineko Memento Dye Ink – Tuxedo Black
Patterned Paper: Fancy Pants Designs – Childish 6×6 Paper Pad
Cardstock: Bazzill Basics
Brads: Buttons Galore & More – Cozy Brads: All Boy
Dies: Spellbinders Paper Arts
Ribbon: Generic Grosgrain
Punch: Fiskars Scalloped Punch

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Make a money tree – Easy DIY STYROFOAM Christmas craft with buttons

Money doesn’t grow on trees!!!….or does it?  Check out this fun and easy way to give a money tree gift in a creative way.

Today I am excited to use a Styrofoam plus BUTTONS from Buttons Galore!  Check out the supplies…

Materials to make a money tree:

Directions to make a money tree:

Begin by wrapping your cone in bills and securing the corners with sequin pins.  Once you have all of the foam covered you can embellish to your heart’s content with buttons, colorful seamstress pins, tinsel chenille and more!  Important to note that non of the items were adhered with adhesive because in the end this money tree is meant to be harvested so make it easy for the recipient to wrap and just use pins.

I love the glow on the “lights”!

Thanks for joining me today! I hope you will make a money tree for your next gift.  No matter if it is a Christmas money tree, birthday money tree or a graduation money tree, the recipient will surely love a tree made of money.  I know I would.

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Make Faux Pierced Earrings : Button Fashion Craft with Cozy Brads

Don’t have pierced ears?  I have the solution.  Make faux pierced earrings.  This is a great back to school project for your tween who wants to have pierced ears.  If you’re not already buried in the reality of “back to school,” brace yourself…  {It’s COMIN’!}

Here’s a quick and easy way to do a fun bit of fashion craft with a sweet lil’ student, BEFORE things get ALL about the backpacks and hand sanitizer…  Cozy Brads “faux” pierced earrings, for back to school!

Materials for faux pierced earrings:

Blueberry Pie, Color Blends Pillow Pack

Cozy Brads – Men’s Closet

Quick Grip, Beacon Adhesive

Ultra Thin, Paper Crafting Magnets

 

This adorable little fashion model is eagerly awaiting the opportunity to showcase PIERCED earrings, but since she’s not quite ready for the real thing, we made some, less invasive, faux earrings with gorgeous buttons and super, trend-setting HOUNDS TOOTH brads from Buttons Galore & More!

You’ll never look at buttons, brads and magnets the same!  Thread the “legs” of one of the brads through one, of a two-holed button, of your color choice.

Flatten the brad legs, just as you would through a piece of paper, then apply a dab of Quick Grip adhesive.

Set magnets in the glue, adjusting the placement against the brad’s legs.  Having the natural attraction of the magnet AND the adhesive creates an excellent bond.  Allow time to dry and then rub off  excess.

Working from two-holed buttons will allow for a stunning, off-set accent, to the excitement of the hounds tooth pattern.

The “fashion model” seems satisfied with the results of her faux pierced earrings!

You can barely see the opposing magnet on the back of the ear lobe.  With these ultra thin magnets, there is just enough strength in the bond to keep the earring secure, but not enough to make it uncomfortable!  The model wore her faux pierced earrings for the day, comfortably!  These will DEFINITELY be a part of the first day of school wardrobe for THIS girl!

Just THINK about how YOU can customize some “faux pierced earrings” of your own!  HUGE possibilities!  Have FUN!

 

 

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Using brads to make paper flowers

You can make paper flowers using just pretty paper and brads.  Add layers of paper or fabric to make a more complex flower or you can even add in some floral wire to make petals that are bendable. For this tutorial I want to focus just on using brads to make paper flowers. Once you know this skill, you’ll be able to make a whole array of different kinds of flowers to use in your craft projects.

Paper flower with brads

Paper flower with brads

Supplies you need to make paper flowers with brads

  • Brads – I used the Cozy Brads
  • Paper – any kind of scrap paper will work well
  • Scissors
  • Small hole punch

Cozy Brads

Cozy Brads

Steps to make your own brad and paper flowers

  1. Cut out the petal shapes. I folded a 4×6″ piece of scrapbook paper. Cut out the tear drop shaped petal.
  2. Layer 6 petals on top of each other, face up.
  3. Punch a hole at the pointed end of the petals, about 1/4″ from the end.
  4. Put the brad through the hole, corduroy top up.
  5. Bend the ends of the brad toward the paper and flatten as much as possible.
  6. Spread out the petals as desired.

steps to make a paper flower with a brad

steps to make a paper flower with a brad

Voila! You now should have a 6 petal flower you can use for whatever you’d like!

You don’t always need to use a hole punch when using brads, however, I find it much easier because the points on a brad are ment to bend. Sometimes the paper or fabric you want to push the brad through is so thick, the brad bends before it punctures the material. For this project I used a super small hole punch, a stand punch would be too large and the petals would slip around. So go grab a stash of your pretty paper scraps and make paper flowers.

 

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paper craft flower idea – a brad for the center

A quick paper craft flower idea

I love brads and I love flowers.  I have also been creating a lot of things with flowers recently and thought combining brads and flowers together would work for so many creative projects and have a great look. There are so many creative paper craft flower ideas out there.   I wanted to show you how to make an easy center for your flower.   I chose a quick and easy one, BRADS!  Buttons Galore & More has a great selection of brads.  They carry  are metal brads, pattern fabric covered and corduroy and many more.

 

I created this little post-it-note magnet for the fridge and adding the brad to the center of the craft flower.  I think it is just the right finishing touch!

I started out with a great selection of Brads from Buttons Galore and More which included Men’s Closet # CZ101 and Pretty Girl #CZ103 (I just love the names of the brads….)

I gathered up some of my die cut, silk, mat board and fabric flowers to see what would work.  I have a stash of paper craft flowers.  They are one of my favorite staples right now.

I pierced the center of each flower and started adding the brads, they looked so great as the large brads really gave the flowers some substance.

Once my flowers were ready I got out some square coasters and covered them with old dictionary pages using Zip Dry Adhesive by Beacon and inked up the edges.

I added a stamped oval saying “notes” and a binder clip to hold the post-it-notes….then glued the flower into place….

Then I added a magnet to the back and it is all ready to place on the fringe!  There you have it a simple paper craft flower idea – using brads for the center.

 

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DIY crepe paper flowers with Stickles glitter

Pretty Crepe Paper Flowers

Who says that crepe paper is for parties only?  Not me.  Crepe paper flowers made out of party streamers are so pretty and super easy to make!   The flowers are a great way to use up the left overs after the party.  Flowers brighten a room any time of the year.  Crepe paper flowers can be used for almost anything and crepe paper comes in a wide variety of colors.  You can make one as an accent for a decoration, as a topper on a bag or to wear in your hair.  Make a whole bouquet of crepe paper flowers for those days when fresh flowers are not available.

Supplies to make crepe paper flowers:

These pretty crepe paper flowers are easily finished by using big designer brads from Buttons Galore and More.  The brads are available in many colors sizes and textures.  They have metal brads too.

See how simple the crepe paper flowers are to assemble…

Accordion fold a streamer for several layers stacked on top of each other.   Freehand cut a petal shape and keep them in a stack.  Micro tipped scissors work great for this.

Punch a small hole using a hole punch through all of the petals and insert the brad.

Distribute the petals into an open flower shape and then open the prongs of the brad to fix them into place.

Wrap and shape petals around the cozy brad to give them a more realistic shape.

Leave petals plain or fancy them up with a bit of glitter glue like I did here.

Once the glitter dries, the fragile crepe paper flower petals have a gorgeous sparkle and shine.  I hope this inspires you to give it a try!

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Personalize Lunch Bags for back to school and de-stash too!

It’s almost time to go back to school.   We all know what that means…packing lunches!  My daughter loves it when I personalize lunch bags.  No boring brown lunch bags for her, but some mornings it’s tough to feel inspired.  That’s where my craft stash comes in!  Use your scrapbook embellishments to create a designer style, personalized lunch bag in minutes!  Here’s how:

Supplies needed to personalize lunch bags:

Instructions to personalize lunch bags:

  1. Using a border punch, punch a decorative edge along the top of the bag.
  2. Using a white-out pen or a Sharpie Marker, write the lunch bag owner’s name or a sweet message on the front of the bag.
  3. Put lunch inside!
  4. Fold the top of the bag over towards the FRONT of the bag.
  5. Punch a hole in the top middle of the bag.
  6. Punch holes through ribbon and tulle and layer them under the brad. (This is optional.  If you are having a busy morning, just use a brad by itself.  It’s still cute!)
  7. Push a brad through the layers and secure the bag closed.

See?  I told you it was easy.  Quick personalized lunch bags.  I think these would also be great for gift or party treat bags.  You could personalize lunch bags to fit the theme or with a guest name.  Also, the would be easy to make ahead for classroom parties.  Another fun idea would be to gather some friends, get out all your scraps an have a party.  Everyone could personalize lunch bags for a few weeks and you can get rid of your leftovers.

 

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Handmade ‘i love you’ Card Idea with flowers

I can’t believe it’s August! I feel like the summer has really flown by. I haven’t had time to enjoy any summer festivities this year being in school the whole time, but it’s finally coming to an end. I can’t wait to get a few days off before the next semester starts. I don’t know about you, but I love it when all the kiddos go back to school. My tot is only two, but I do love those rare days when I get the house all to myself. I can actually make something! Today was one of those days, so let me take you through my design process…

As usual, the first thing I do when I start a project is to create a palette. This is what I laid out…

…and here’s what I ended up using on my project:

  • Studio Calico Take Note 6×6 Paper Pad
  • Jazzy Brads
  • Alphabet Stickers
  • Aqua Striped Ribbon
  • Baker’s Twine
  • Cardstock
  • Flower Stickers
  • Foam Adhesive Dots
  • Baby Powder
  • Small Brush
  • Sewing Machine & Thread
  • Westcott Paper Trimmer
  • Adhesive 

Assembly Instructions:

1. Trim Caterpillar green cardstock to 8.5″x4.25″ and fold in half for card base. Trim Kraft cardstock to 4″x5.25″.

2. Trim Grey floral patterned paper to 3.75″ square and scantly secure to upper portion of Kraft piece. Trim blue/white quatrefoil tp 3.75″ x 2.75″ and use border punch along the bottom edge before securing to bottom edge of Kraft cardstock. Use sewing machine for decorative edge.

2. Next, trim a 2.25″ wide strip of Kraft and layer on top of it a 2
wide strip of green stripe paper. Wrap a strip of ribbon around this piece before securing to card front.

3. At this point I decided to leave out the punched flowers and go with some cardstock stickers I found in my stash. I wanted them to pop off the card, so I put foam adhesive on the back.

I left on the second sticker backing, so that I could then brush baby powder on the back of the sticker without getting powder on my foam dots. I still want to use that part of the adhesive to stick the flowers to my card, but I didn’t want the actual sticker to be sticky, so it wouldn’t catch stuff and end up looking weird.

4. I poked a hole in my flowers here with a sharp point and added brads. The brads will push through most paper alright, but to keep the cardstock from buckling and wrinkling, you should always use a small hole punch, paper piercer, or even a tack or needle.

5. The final step is to assemble all of your embellishements and sentiment where you like it. I hope you enjoyed this project today.

Here’s the finished card all ready to give to your special loved one… 

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Create Personalized Monogram Home Decor using Buttons, Brads & Beads

It’s time to get busy making something to freshen up the house! We have been busy all summer and as the Autumn season fast approaches having a few handy tutorials on how to make personalized gifts and hand made home decor just seems fitting. So today I have a Personalized Monogram Home Dec project to share with you. Enjoy!

Supplies Needed: Buttons, Brads, Micro Beads, Gem Tac (R), Scrapbook Paper, Hot Glue Gun, Scissors, Frame

 

 

Print letter of your choice as large as you would like finished monogram to be. Place beneath paper and put against a well lit window to serve as a light box. Then trace onto scrapbook paper.

 

Outline one third of the traced letter with Gem Tac.

Fill in the area fully with Gem Tac.

 

Place as many buttons as fit onto the glue covered area.

 

 

Quickly cover the entire surface with micro beads.

 

Remove excess beads before moving onto next step.

 

Continue covering the entire traced area a bit at a time following the steps above.

 

Cut the prongs off of the brads using strong sharp scissors.

 

See how much flatter brads lie once the prongs have been removed?

 

Hot glue the altered brads to the surface of the monogram randomly. Here I chose to hide "barren spots" with the brads. :)

Once your piece has fully dried, place in a frame and you are ready to enjoy your brand new PERSONALIZED home decor!!!

 

I would love to see what you make! Please leave a comment with a link to your personalized home decor projects! :) I will be sure to pop over and leave you some love on your project!! :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Creating Easy Home Decor Using Buttons and STYROFOAM

Howdy all! I am so sorry to keep you waiting all month for my home decor project! I have had a SUPER busy summer and this month just was the busiest of them all. But tonight, JUST BEFORE JULY IS OVER I have a fun home decor idea for you that is quick, easy and can be easily customized to fit your home’s Christmas decor! So let’s get busy!!! And hey, now’s a great time to start working on holiday decor because it’s best to be prepared now and now hurried later, right? So HAPPY CHRISTMAS IN JULY Y’ALL!!!!

Supplies Needed: STYROFOAM Cone, Two Tones of Butt ons, Acrylic Paint and Paint Brush, Glitter, Hot Glue, wood circle for trunk or other trunk material.

 

Begin by placing a pool of paint onto a piece of scrap paper as a palette for easy clean up.

 

Apply a full coverage layer of paint to entire surface of cone.

 

While the paint is still wet, liberally cover surface with glitter.

 

Find a button the same size as the top of the cone.

 

Build a stack of buttons in graduating size and hot glue together to be a "tree topper".

 

Once the paint has fully dried, hot glue the topper to the top of the cone.

 

Randomly glue buttons all along the outside of the cone in various sizes and shades of green.

 

Glue a line of large Ivory buttons along the bottom edge.

 

Hot glue the piece of cut tree limb to bottom as a tree trunk.

 

Ahhh your brand new hip and happening home decor project ready for the mantle, table top or anywhere else in your home!

 

 

I would LOVE to see your home decor pieces! Please share a link here so I can come to your blog and see how you decorate for the holidays!!! And hey if you happen to have a great button project that is just a HUGE BONUS! :) Enjoy!

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My Favorite Things Stamps and Buttons Galore Winners

 Blog Hop Winners!

 

Hand stamped card ideas and mixed media projects by the MFT stamps team and the Buttons Galore team lead to an overwhelming amount of comments.  We appreciate each and every one.  The designers especially send their  THANKS  for all of the wonderful comments that you left  on their Buttons Galore and More and My Favorite Things Blog Hop Projects.

We hope that you had as much fun visiting with all of the designers as they had working on their projects.  If you missed the blog hop for any reason, you can find all the participants here. We’re pleased to announce the two winners of the MFT Gift Certificates.

MFT winners, be sure to check your email boxes, MFT  sent vouchers today via email!

From Laura Evangeline’s Blog Sue Ann said…

“MY DEAR is right ~ this is BEAUTIFUL!! All the elements are pulled together SO beautifully. What a way to wake up with such a beautiful card on this blog hop!!!”

From Jessie’s Blog  Thelma said…

“I absolutely love your coloring, your cards are always so much fun with your signature silver embellishments…LOVE it!!”
Winners of the $25 button assortments are:
liz aka javagirl

Great hop excited to glance at your buttons Who doesnt love buttons

megan mcdonald

“I love all the projects I saw I dont think I could pick a favorite… but I can say that I have add a few more people to my favorites list on the computer.” 

 The Card set winner from www.365DaysOfCrafts.com Blog is
Clare Dempsey

Oh, I started paper crafting as a scrapbooker and now make my own cards. Still not sure of my skills with card layouts. So, I love these ideas to use my MFS and buttons galore! thanks for the chance to win!

Please send and email to buttonsgaloreteam@yahoo.com with your mailing address.  Please allow 2 weeks for shipping.
Now that you have seen many creative ideas how well the products work together we hope you will make some  soon and share them with us.

 

 

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Stamps, Die Cuts and Buttons – A natural Pairing for a blog hop

My Favorite Things and Buttons Galore Blog Hop

Buttons Galore and My Favorite Things have teamed up to bring you an inspiration filled blog hop.  You’ll want to leave a comment on EACH designer’s blog because there is $100 in prizes up for grabs. MFT will give away 2 MFT Gift Certificates for the blog hop.  One $25 gift certificate to one randomly chosen winner from commenters on the MFT Designers’ blogs and one $25 gift certificate to one randomly chosen winner from the commenters on the Buttons Galore Designers’ blogs.  We will give two $25 button assortments the same way. We will take care of choosing the winners and sending the prizes and will announce it on the BGM Blog on July 30.  Deadline to comment will be on July 29.  Same for MFT.

Design Team Blogs:

 

Link to the MFT Blog:

Grab a cup of coffee, sit back and relax and enjoy the inspiration that is being brought to you by the many talented designers from both Buttons Galore and More and My Favorite Things.

Don’t forget to leave a comment to be entered to win one of 4 great prizes!

Tell us which project you like best. What products you like from My Favorite Things, what your favorite button set is… whatever you like. Then make sure to leave a comment on each designer project page for another chance to win!

 

 

Button Magnets – Internet Inspiration

Quick Button Project Idea

Tutorial Tuesday is a regular post on Big Box Detox and they have a fun,quick and easy tutorial on how to make magnets out of buttons.  I can picture these magnets on my fridge.  They would make a great back to school project to place inside a locker.  They might even make a nice teacher gift too.

I think the Granny’s Stitched Buttons and Big Ol’ Buttons would work great.  You could even layer other buttons on top of them.  If you were looking for Christmas gifts to have on hand you could make a bunch of these and package them in a pretty gift sack and have them on hand when you need a last minute thank you or hostess. gift.  After who does not like buttons?

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Creative card Ideas from Guest Designer Becky Thompson

Greetings!

The three cards on the blog today are handmade by our featured guest designer Beck Thompson.  Becky is and artist, a photographer and an all around great soul.  I have admired Becky’s work for as long as I have been in the creative industry.  At various Scrapbooking shows I was lucky enough to be her assistant and I even worked with a product line she designed.  She is a joy to be around and and she puts lots of details in her pieces.

Trio of  Stamped Cards

Products used:

  • Blank Card:
  • Seaside Big Ole Button
  • Fashion front Brads
  • Stamp  – Stampabilities
  • Ink – Tim Holtz for Ranger
  • Kraft card blank – Stampabilities

 

Joy Card:

  • Kraft Card Blank – Stampabilities
  • Stamp: Papertrey Ink (background), Stampendous (sentiment)
  • Ink: Stampin’ Up
  • Flower: Start Up Retro Flower
  • Mini Brad

 

Thinking of You Card:

  • Background Paper: KI Memories
  • Kraft Card Blank:P Stampabilities
  • Flowers: Cha Cha Felt Flowers
  • Sequin: Memory Grab Bag
  • Sentiment: KC& Company

 

Becky’s Bio

 photography page: www.beckythompsonphotography.com

Becky Thompson has been scrapbooking and paper crafting for over 20 years. Her work has been featured in numerous magazines and books, as well as on television and at many trade shows in the crafting industry. She has taught classes for Big Picture Classes as well as for local stores and various manufacturers. She describes her style as clean and classic.
Becky currently lives in Western Oregon with her husband Brad and their three children. She owns Becky Thompson Photography, specializing in seascape and nature photography of the Pacific Northwest. Her photographs can be found on her website and for sale  in local shops on the Oregon Coast.
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Make a DIY Gift bag rosettes…

dress up that kraft bag with burlap and buttons!

I love the blank canvas of a brown kraft gift bag!  While keeping it simple is a great way to go with the brown bag, going a little fancy and fabulous is pretty fun too!  Follow me as I upcycle a brown gift bag by adding a fun handmade rosette to add a punch of color to this gift wrapping staple!

Nothing like the summer skies to inspire a bright pop of yellow and blue!  Today’s project uses the following supplies:

Let’s get started!

I began with a piece of burlap, approximately 5×10 inches.

Cut burlap with a metal ruler and rotary cutter into 1×5 inch strips.

Loop and glue strips of burlap around a scrap of paper that will serve as the base for our rosette.  Continue gluing and layering paper strip, doily, flowers, ric rac and buttons until you get a fun rosette that can be added to your brown bag like this….

Hello sunshine!  We just went from drab to fab with a very simple addition to this bag!

Thanks so much for joining me!  I hope you’ll try fancy-ing up your gift bags with burlap, buttons and other craft supplies!

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Button-embellished ~ GLAMOUR~ Keepsake Frame

Taking a little break from our “Christmas in July” theme we have a delightful project of Mixed Media Art in this great Keepsake Frame by Elise! :)

Glamor, art and intrigue – a perfect recipe to play with buttons!

Teaming up with some HEAVENLY materials, including burlap, Lumiere Dimensional Paint by Jacquard, Glitter, Ink and Smooch Accent ink by Clearsnap, MICRO PEARLS {Yes!  Micro pearls!} and a whole lot of GORGEOUS buttons form Buttons Galore and More, I was COMPLETELY inspired to alter this simple “value” artist canvas to become “priceless” in no time!

Supplies:

Button Tote Bag Assortment – Cornucopia

Mixed Rectangular Sliders

Lumiere 3D Metallic Paint and Adhesive

Glitter, Smooch and Ink – Clearsnap

Trimmer, Knife, Ruler & Mat – Westcott

Adhesive – Beacon via Buttons Galore and More

Acrylic Paint – Eco Green Crafts

Burlap

Micro pearls

Tissue Tape

Faux Wood Grain tool (Local Hardware supply)

Other – Vintage light bulbs, twigs and fabric flowers (Misc. stash)

 

To begin, select a glamor shot of your choosing, to feature in finished frame. {I chose a cool, black and white shot of my sweet Mama at the wee-age of 17!  Wasn’t SHE a dish!}

By accessing the back side of a traditional canvas, there is a whole wealth of crafty potential to play with.  To customize the “frame” of this look, I created faux wood grain with a simple wood grain tool (available at most hardware stores!), Lumiere 3D paint, as well as regular acrylic paint and some strips of chipboard, cut and sized to metier together to match the stretcher bar framework of the canvas.  Start by applying an acrylic base to the chipboard.

For rich wood grain effect, the MORE color, the better…  I used FOUR different Lumiere colors for this look!  In case you’ve never dabbled in faux wood grain – it’s TOTALLY easy and addicting…  Apply Lumiere on top of dried, painted (with regular acrylic paint) chipboard strips, then pull and rock the tool to create the MOST amazing effects!  If you don’t like how it looks, keep working!  The 3D quality of the Lumiere gives you some decent working time – you’ll see!  (G’head – TRY it!)  Once you get all four strips done, set to the side to dry.

Paint the outside edge of canvas with color of your choosing.

Line the INSIDE of the frame edge with printed tissue tape.

Glue faux wood grain strips to frame.  I love, love, LOVE how beautifully Beacon 3 in 1 works for an assignment like this!

Westcott fabric scissors cut burlap, flawlessly!  Cut burlap to size of your choosing.  I decided to let some canvas frame the edge of the burlap, just because it looked YUMMY!  So many textures!  What’s a girl to DO!?!

Arrange picture and embellishments to your liking.  For this project, I mounted the photograph on chipboard, mixed micropearls and glitter and then adhered with Beacon 3 in 1 adhesive for a luscious, tactile effect.  Having TOO much fun to stop there, I added micro pearls to button centers, as well…  OMG!  {My middle name is DANGER!}

If you’ve never ventured, I can’t recommend HOARDING, uh, I mean, collecting some of our Blank Craft Shapes, in every size!  Love the mood that can be created with theses!  Easy to stamp and beautiful to behold – Je t’aime!  {See what I’m sayin’!}

YOU can get your glamor on, too!  Just pick up a selection (or TWO/FIFTEEN!) of some lovely button assortments from Buttons Galore and More, toss in some HEAVENLY crafty supplies, a canvas and old picture or two…  I guarantee you’ll beat the heat if you spend a few hours crafting away on a cool keepsake, like this!  I hope so!

Thanks for visiting!  Here’s to a glorious, button-craft filled day!  Keep CALM and BUTTON onnnnnnn!

 

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Scrapbook Page with Buttons – Internet Inspiration

One of our  Creative Team member Designs for Duetica.  While I was checking out her work I saw a scrapbook page that was loaded with buttons and wanted to share.  I printed repetitive words using the Duetica Mandolyn font. I love how crisp and clean this font is but still has a flowing feminine feel at the same time. I love how Keri Lee used all the names her mom has answered to in her life time….Marilyn, Mon, Mom, Kiddo, Momma, Mommy, Mother, Mimi etc…

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Christmas Craft with Styrofoam Brand Authentique

Vintage Style  Christmas Craft Decoration with Styrofoam cubes, Authentique papers, Red and Green Button Galore Buttons.

Christmas Craft Bristle Brush Tree

Today I bring you a Christmas Craft for your home.  The Vintage Christmas Cube has an old world Christmas feel.

I love digging through my Buttons Galore buttons. I selected several from the Color Bulk buttons. This is a tree I purchased at a hobby shop (for train landscape). I simply adhered tiny buttons with Mini Glue Dots.

Close Up

This is the full project.

I used a styrofoam cube from the Styrofoam Corporation. It’s about 3×3. I cut some papers (Authentique) 2 3/4″ square and applied them with Buttons Galore’s Beacon 3-in-1 glue. I’ve decorated some chipboard letters (Want2Scrap) with some sharpies that I received in my DT box. I then coated those with a layer of adhesive and some glitter from Donna Salazar. I finished the project off with a little bling (also Want2Scrap) and a Christmas tree that is decorated with what else … BUTTONS, using some mini dots, also from Buttons Galore. There are also some buttons held in place with a fancy pin (Maya Road).

 Supplies for  Vintage Style Christmas Craft :

  • styrofoam cube – Styrofoam Corporation

  • buttons – Color Bulk buttons

  • paper – Authentique

  • bling, chipboard – Want2Scrap

  • adhesive – Beacon’s, Glitter It, Mini Dots – all from Buttons Galore

  • glitter – Clearsnap

  • flowers – prima

  • stick pin – Maya Road

    I hope you enjoyed this Vintage Style Christmas Craft.
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Needlefelted Winter Scene

It’s Christmas in July with Buttons Galore & More and STYROFOAM Brand Foam!  I used my buttons and STYROFOAM Disc to create a holiday needle felting project.   Styrofoam is a wonderful base for needle felting, since the wool roving can be felted directly onto the surface, and if the piece is thick enough, no pad is needed.  I used a non-traditional color scheme of light blue, raspberry, and lime.  This color scheme can go up before Christmas and last through January.

Styrofoam and Button needlefelted scene

Supplies:

Buttons:  Sea Glass, Clear, Wood
Styrofoam Disc, 6×1”
wool roving, light blue
Clover needle felting tool
ric-rac, lime green
cardstock, raspberry
hemp twine, raspberry and dark brown
ribbon, light blue
accent ink, Smooch (Clearsnap)
thread, white
scissors
Beacon Adhesive
heat tool, optional
Needlefelting on Styrofoam supplies

Instructions:

  1.  Needle felt wool roving onto STYROFOAM disc using needle felting tool until entire front is covered.  (Note:  fibers felt together with motion of felting tool.  Be sure to use straight up/down motion to keep needles from breaking.)
    Steps for Needlefelting on Styrofoam
  2. Cut lime ricrac into pieces, each smaller than the last.  Layer smaller pieces over longer, and glue together.
    Making a tree with ricracUse scissors to trim into desired tree shape.  Wrap raspberry twine around tree to create “garland”
  3. Thread wood button with dark brown twine.  Glue into place as trunk, and glue tree over top of button.   Thread clear button with white thread.  Draw star on button using Smooch, covering thread.  Allow to dry (or use heat tool), and glue to top of tree.
    Drawing on clear button with Smooch Ink
  4. Thread Sea Glass buttons with white thread and glue to roving around tree for “snow”.
  5. Cut cardstock strips to cover sides of STYROFOAM disc and glue into place.
  6. Carefully apply thin layer of glue to raspberry twine and attach between cardstock sides and felted front of disc to create finished look.
    Needlefelted Styrofoam with buttons
  7. Cut length of aqua ribbon and attach to back of disc to form hanging loop.

Try this holiday project with the tree, or create your own winter scene with Buttons Galore & More!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

http://www.buttonsgaloreandmore.com/product/HAB106.html

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Make an Aqua & White Holiday Wreath

Christmas in July?  With much of the United States suffering through a massive heat wave, I think we could all use an escape to something cool!  When challenged by Styrofoam and Buttons Galore and More to create Christmas decorations, I’ll admit to struggling, but one look at the cool, aqua of the Mint Cooler Color Blends buttons, and all I could think about was ice.  The great thing about this wreath is that it can be used for Christmas or Hanukkah.  It could even just be used throughout the entire winter season.  I few snow men and you have a Winter Wonderland!

 

Supplies:

  • 5 1/2″ Styrofoam Wreath
  • Buttons: Buttons Galore and More, Color Blends: Mint Cooler
  • 1″ Circle Mirrors
  • Silver beads
  • Craft Glue
  • Aqua & White Ribbon: 1 1/4″ wide

Directions:

  1. Glue ribbon around outside and interior edges of Styrofoam wreath
  2. Glue buttons, mirrors, and silver beads onto front surface of wreath.  It’s best to do one layer and then go back in and a second layer of buttons, strategically placed around the mirrors, with some overlap.  This gives the wreath extra dimension.
  3. Using more ribbon, tie a bow with extra long tails.  Glue the bow onto the top of the wreath and arrange the ties so that cascade down either side of the wreath.  Tack them in place with a dot of glue.
  4. Stack a few buttons and then glue the stack over the knot of the bow.

So there’s your super quick, holiday project!  If you get started now, you’ll have your holiday decorating “buttoned” up before you know it!

Craftily yours,

Laura Bray

Winter Wonderland Wreath by Laura Bray

 

 

 

 

4

Craft Wars Inspiration – Junk Drawer Chic -Margot Potter

Tuesdays, we like to feature people we find on the internet.  Margot Potter aka, the Impatient Crafter, is the crafty inspiration today.  Often, we select designers because of a really cool craft technique or because of a fantastic use of buttons.  Well,  her garden craft piece is both.  I would like to call her creation JUNQUE-TASTIC!  Margot shares a tutorial with you on how to create the beautiful finish on the wood.  I think it would make any garden that much happier.

Margot Potter’s inspiration was Craft Wars, the new TV show.  If you have not watched the show you really should.  It is not a traditional craft show.  It is a crafting competition.  It is on Tuesday nights at 10pm.

  To view the full tutorial please visit Margot’s blog – The Impatient Crafter  Not only will you see the full tutorial for the Craft Wars Inspired Junk Drawer Bird house but you can view many of Margot Potter’s other work too.  She also has a list of the other Craft War Vets who participated and their projects.

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Button up Christmas in July!

July is a great month to get a head start on those Christmas decorations and using BUTTONS in your creations is always FUN!  For this project I am using a Styrofoam Ball, Glitter, Kreinik Thread, Beacon Adhesives and beautiful BUTTONS!

Supplies:

  • Buttons Galore and More Buttons: Fancy Gold Grab Bag GB102
  • 6″ Styrofoam Ball
  • Gold Thread by Kreinik
  • Fast Finish Decoupage byBeacon Adhesives
  • Quick Grip Adhesive by Beacon Adhesives
  • Red Ultra Fine Glitter by Clearsnap
  • Skewer
  • Scissor

Instructions:

Apply Fast Finish Decoupage to entire Styrofoam Ball

Place Styrofoam ball onto skewer.  Sprinkle Glitter to cover; let dry.  Apply second coat of Fast Finish Decoupage; let dry.

Choose thread of choice and buttons.

Wrap thread around ball making 8 sections, then around center to create 16 sections.  Glue white and gold buttons at the top and bottom of ball where all threads meet.  Glue gold buttons around center where threads meet; let dry.

You have a beautiful ornament for your tree or a gift….Enjoy!

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Mini Christmas Packages with Buttons

I really love tiny decor pieces. You can put then in small spaces and it’s like finding a little treasure when you look around the house. This month’s challenge is to use Styrofoam and create a Christmas themed item, so I tied in my love for tiny things and recycled materials and came up with these tiny packages.

Mini Christmas Packages with buttons

Materials you need:

  • Styrofoam cubes (I cut a large cube into smaller cubes)
  • Christmas themed buttons
  • Brown paper – lunch sacks work great
  • Twine
  • Glue
  • Scissors
  • Black marker or drawing pen (Sharpies work great!)
  • Paint and brush – optional
mini Christmas packages with buttons tutorial

Steps to make your own mini Christmas packages with buttons

  1. You’ll need Styrofoam in cubes, I started with a large cube.
  2. Cut the Styrofoam into small cubes. These are approximately 1.5″ square. You can use a bread knife or a foam cutter. I was able to get 8 small cubes out of one large cube.
  3. Wrap each small cube with brown paper and tie with twine. Instead of taping the paper as you would with traditional gift wrapping, glue in place. I used glue dots so there was no drying time. If you want to create the look of gift wrap, decorate the paper before wrapping the Styrofoam cubes. I painted a green glitter dots on mine using DecoArt’s Glamour Dust paint.
  4. Decide how you want to decorate your cubes and leave those sides free of other embellishments, twine, etc.
  5. Tie a large green button and a small red button together with twine. Then glue to the front of one of the packages. This is the “O” in joy.
  6. Choose extra buttons to decorate your packages. Buttons Galore and more has some great Christmas button sets you can choose from.
  7. Attach extra buttons to the packages such as button gift tags, a candy cane or a small Christmas candy.

I found that the packages were so small, they didn’t stand up like I wanted when setting out to decorate. To fix this problem, you can hot glue each package to a small piece of balsa wood or cardboard. You could also stack your mini gifts and hold in place by using floral wire or toothpicks between each box. Decorate as desired.

 

 

 

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Internet Inspiration – A splendid Assemblage

Here at Buttons Galore we like crafts of all types and of all skill sets.  We especially like seeing buttons incorporated into projects that have a “green” flair to them.  The trendy word now is called UPCYCLED.  We like upcycled, recycled, repurposed, eco friendly or green crafts.  We find inspiration on Pinterest via readers sending us links.  If you have a project you want to share please email us or leave a message on one of our posts.  While surfing the net we found this blogger, A Splendid Assembledge, has a great project that would work great with our Big ol’ buttons.  Heck, it would work great with almost any of our buttons.  For a tutorial check out her blog.  While you are there you should check out all her tutorials.  She has some really fantastic ones.

 

1

Buttons & Burlap Summer Scrapbook Page Idea

Summer, when you hear that word what images does it conjure up in your mind? For me I think of the heat, the BRIGHT colors and RELAXING! I love Summer. I know a ton of people who just hate the heat, but being a gal who’s always got cold fingers and toes, I love that during the summer month’s my body feels WARM all over, all day long! Bright colors, well I love those too! Wearing them, creating with them, you name it, I love it! And relaxing…well let’s just say there’s a well loved, well worn hammock in my backyard that my kids and I all enjoy piling into and having a good snuggle time in. I can relax with the best of them, and in STYLE to boot! LOL

For my project today you can see each of these elements we are talking about have been captured perfectly! From the bright sunshine, the bright colors of the porch chair and the slouchy posture of my sweet Elliott, this scrapbook layout just screams SUMMER. Pairing up bright buttons & bright papers with a nice wide swath of burlap helps to give this layout rest amongst the busyness. Now, while I was creating I got to the point where everything was on the layout EXCEPT the title. And I was STUCK…I mean the page was cute, but needed something…but what….that was when I emailed a photo of the layout and then called our DT Lead Niki Meiners and said “What’s wrong with this page..I am stuck” As if on cue she replied “Oh just add a title to the page – SUMMER” “Where??? Where would I even put a title??” I replied. “Ummm right there under the photo overlapping the patterned paper, burlap and above the cluster of red big buttons…” And you know, she hit the nail on the head!!! It was JUST what this layout needed. Talk about a friend being a help just when you need it!!!  So now you tell me…who do you call if you get stuck or just can’t seem to “make it all workout” in your creative process??

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Happy- A Burlap and Button Banner

Hi all!  Ryann here with a quick and easy tutorial to share with you today featuring burlap and buttons.  Making little banners is a great way to use up scraps of paper or fabric because it doesn’t take much of either to put together a great little project to use for family celebrations!  Your banner can be as big or as little as you want it, it all really depends on how large of a word you want to use.  I find it’s best to use an odd number of pennants to achieve the “best” look for a banner.

Supplies Used:

1.  Die cut enough pennants to make your banner.  If you do not have a pennant die cut, trace a triangle shape on a piece of heavy weight cardstock and use it as a template.

2.  Cut out enough scalloped circles to place one on top of each burlap pennant.  Place alphabet stickers onto scalloped circles to create message.

3.  Decorate with buttons.

4.  Thread burlap pennants with twine.

 

The possibilities are truly endless when making pennant banners from burlap and buttons.  If you wanted to make a longer banner such as “Happy Birthday”, you could split your sentiment into two banners and have one hanging below the other.  I’m going to hang my little “Happy” banner in my craft room!  :)  I hope you will give pennant banners a try – they are so simple to make and fun to have!  Thanks for joining me today!

 

1

Button Up Candy Jar

Candy Jars are quick and easy to make so it is a good idea to have several on hand for last minute gifts.  The one pictured below is no exception, it combines buttons and burlap which has great texture.  There is also a small gift tag with a flower button on the front on the front to go along with the burlap flower…..check out the instructions below….

 

 

Supplies:

Buttons from Confetti BB87 and Mardi Gras GB127

Burlap 6″ x 18″ 2 colors of choice

Beacon Adhesives Stiffen Stuff

Beacon Adhesive Felt Glue

Sizzix Big Shot

Sixxix Fringe Flower Die

Mason Jar with Lid

1 1/2″ x 3″ cardstock

Scissors, hole punch

Instructions:

Die cut 6 – 8 medium fringe flowers.

Spray both sides with Stiffen Stuff; let dry.

Scrunch each flower piece up to give it fullness.

Pick out your buttons.

Layer flower pieces together gluing between each layer.  Pull a thread from burlap to insert through holes of button and blue to top of flower.

Cut out burlap to fit lid.

Glue burlap to lid and place inside jar band; then place on jar that is filled with candy.

Cut burlap 1 1/2″ x width of jar, fringe by pulling threads; wrap around center of jar and glue in place.

Glue burlap flower onto front.  Fold cardstock in half to form a gift tag, glue threaded button to the front; punch hole in corner.  Pull thread from burlap, wrap around top of jar and thread through gift tag, tie.  Layer and thread three buttons together, glue onto the top of jar.

There you have it; a quick and easy button and burlap candy jar….

 

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Guest Designer – Becky Thompson

Handmade cards with an ocean theme:

Becky’s cards are simple and classic with added touches that never cease to inspire the creative individual.

Products used:

Breathe Card:
Lighthouse flat back button
Bazzil Cardstock
Patterned paper (SEI)
Washi Tape – Recollections
Ink – Tim Holtz
Stamp: Stampendous

 

Blank Card:
Seaside Big Ole Button
Fashion front Brads
Stamp – Stampabilities
Ink – Tim Holtz for Ranger
Kraft card blank – Stampabilities

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Buttons and Burlap Love

When I initially started creating a card starting with burlap, I thought I would be creating a very masculine project, but it some morphed into a lovely fun card instead. I absolutely love the way this project turned out, so I hope you do too.

 

Supplies:

Burlap

Jazzy Brads

Paper Flowers

Alphabet stickers

Twine & Ribbon

Patterned Paper

Sewing Machine & Thread

Circle Punch

Cardstock

Paper Trimmer

Adhesive

Assembly Instructions:

1. Attach a piece of burlap to to the upper half of a piece of kraft cardstock cut to 4″x5.25″ and stitch around the border .25″ from the cardstock edge. Trim excess burlap with pinking shears.

2. Attach a piece of patterned paper trimmed to 4″x2.5″ to the lower half of the cardstock, and cover the seam with a strip of ribbon.

3. Layer brads, punched cardstock circles, and flowers together before adhering them through burlap & cardstock.

4. Attach letter stickers for desired sentiment and add baker’s twine.

5. Secure entire card front to an A2 (4.25″x5.5″) card stock base.

(Tip: I always create my card front entirely before attaching it to the card base in order to hide any artistic imperfections.)

Here’s the finished card all cute & ready to give to your special loved one…

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Bulk Buttons: Be Free!

I have been having fun embellishing with buttons from the Color Bulk Button collection. I decorated a fun frame that houses a favorite picture of my son going away on his first fishing trip. This was his first sleep away experience and he had such fun. While he got to get away, and be free, my daughter and I had the first of many mother daughter nights. FUN! June kind of kicks off vacation season for most families.

I started with a simple wood frame and papered it and added a few embellishments. I then set to work on the big embellishment, a jumbo bottle cap from Maya Road. I cut some burlap that I received in my monthly box from Buttons Galore. It was a gift from our DT Coordinator, Niki Meiners. I die cut the burlap and placed it in the bottle cap.

color bulk buttons be free frame close up allie gower

Also in our DT box was some Jacquard products, these wonderful bottles of 3D Lumiere – which is a glue, and a dimensional paint. I painted some Maya chipboard letters. Before they dried, I actually stuck them to some scratch paper and ripped off some of the paint, then went over them with ink and added some copper balls (also in my DT Box). I decorated with some buttons from the Color Bulk Buttons set. This is a great collection of buttons on all colors and sizes. It’s perfect for all projects!

color bulk buttons be free frame allie gower

I finally added a punched butterfly and some beaded letters, and it reads “BE FREE!” At the top it says “The end is nothing, the road is all.” from Willa Cather – this was a rub on from the paper collection – which is from my very old travel stash.

Supplies

  • Buttons – Buttons Galore
  • Bottle Cap and Chipboard Alphas – Maya Road
  • Scrapbook Paper and Die Cuts – unknown
  • Burlap – Niki Meiners
  • Ink – ClearSnap
  • Paint – Jacquard
  • Beacon Adhesive

Thanks for looking today!

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Sharpie Markers and Buttons – what a natural pairing!

 Sharpie markers make creating with buttons so much fun.  Our talented designers were sent a variety of Sharpies and asked to create a project around the theme of Weddings, Showers and parties in general.  One of our own designers, Laura Kelly, is getting married next month. so in honor of her event we thought we would give you some inspiration for the upcoming wedding season.

Each of the designers has posted their project on their personal blog.  We love comments and compliments… honestly, who does not?  So to encourage the love we are giving a prize.  Leave a comment on this blog about a project.  It could be your favorite, a delightful color combination or an inspirational use of the buttons and Sharpies.

The list of designers:

Ann Butler            http://www.creativitystirsthesoul.com/2012/06/buttons-plus-sharpies-equals-cute.html

 Allie Gower          http://welltrainedpaper.blogspot.com/2012/06/sharpies-blog-hop.html

Keri Lee Sereika http://pinklemonade.typepad.com/my_weblog/2012/06/buttons-galore-more-sharpie-marker-blog-hop.html

Ryann Salamon  http://ryannmarin.wordpress.com/2012/06/19/buttons-galore-more-weddingbridalshower-blog-hop/

Carla  http://carlaschauer.com/sharpies-and-buttons-tag-tuesday/

Dana http://www.paperdaydream.blogspot.com/2012/06/buttons-galore-teams-up-with-sharpies.html

Laura Bray http://www.katydiddys.blogspot.com/2012/06/wedding-blog-hop-buttons-sharpie.html

 

 


Acrylic Country Style Painted And Stamped Friend Card

Good morning Buttons Galore friends,

Pinky here today with an acrylic card project using the fun Cozy Brads from BG&M, you know sometimes the hand made cards you make really say something special to the recipient. And taking the time for those special touches are key.

This card has a wonderful “country” feel with those special touches.

Card by Pinky

I am going to share how to make this acrylic card step by step.

  • Trim Clear Scraps acrylic piece to 4X6″.
  • Trim wood grain patterned paper to 6X6″
  • Punch out top border of patterned paper with border punch.
  • Using Paint Sharpie, paint edges of acrylic sheet.

Sharpie & Acrylic

 

  • Using scraps of wood grain paper, Sharpie and sentiment stamp, stamp onto paper.
  • Trim out sentiment into pennant shape.

Painted stamp

  • Fold patterned paper to fot over top of acrylic, adhere using Beacon Zip Dry.
  • Punch 3 small holes and insert Cozy Brads.

Cozy Brads

  • Thread vintage lace through brads and knot in between.

Cozy Brads 1

  • Staple sentiment onto acrylic.

Card by Pinky

Now give the card with a hug and smile!

Happy Crafting friends- until next time.

Pinky- Buttons Galore & More Design Team

1

Button and Burlap Hostess Gift

I have a hostess gift to share today using Buttons Galore and More buttons and a cute flowerpot die-cut shape. Of course I’ve included burlap to fit with our monthly theme!

Button flowerpot Candle hostess gift

I used the following materials:

  • Buttons from the Buttons Galore and More Spring Blossom Grab Bag
  • Nestabilities Flower Pots die from Spellbinders (smallest)
  • Raspberry Hemp Cording
  • Terra Cotta textured cardstock
  • 22 gauge and 16 gauge wire (kelly green)
  • Light blue burlap
  • Liquid Craft Glue
  • Double sided tape or adhesive dots
  • Wire cutters and round-nose pliers

Flowerpot Die from Spellbinders for button bouquet

I started by cutting the smallest Flower Pot die from the Terra Cotta cardstock using my die-cut machine. The die embosses the cardstock at the same time as it cuts.

Button Flowers in flowerpot die-cut

Then I folded over and glued the top part of the die-cut to create the top of the pot, and tied a hemp cording bow. I selected flower-shaped and round buttons with interesting patterns in several colors from the Spring Blossoms Grab Bag for the flowers.

I cut 5 pieces of 16 gauge wire (smaller gauge numbers=thicker wire) to the lengths I wanted for flower stems, then set them aside. I cut 5 pieces of 22 gauge wire and threaded the thin wire through the buttons (connecting stacked buttons), with open ends toward the back of the button. I added a dot of glue to the back of the button, pressed the thick wire stem into the glue, and twisted the thin wire ends together securing the wire stem to the button flower.

Once all my flowers were secured to their stems, I arranged them on a 2″ strip of light blue burlap long enough to wrap around the glass candle jar and glued them in place. Once the flower pot was glued on top of the flower stems, I attached the wrap onto the jar using double sided tape. (Wrap must be removed before using candle, so make sure this adhesive isn’t permanent.)

This type of wrap also works well on vases for a fun summer home decor project. I’ll be using mine for a game night prize!

1

Sharpies, Buttons and Bows!

Good morning friends,

Killarney-Not Just For St. Patty’s Day

Pinky here with a post sure to make you smile. Buttons are so versatile, especially the high quality buttons from Buttons Galore & More, today I wanted to share a summer project using the beautiful Killarney Buttons, not just for St. Patrick’s Day! You can use these from everything.

Card By Pinky

  • Trim white card-stock to 9X6″.
  • Using score board, score card in half at 4.5″X6″.
  • Trim patterned paper to 4.5X6″.
  • Adhere patterned paper to card base.

Card with buttons

  • Using green baker’s twine and Killarney buttons, thread each button with twine and tie into a bow.
  • Using hot glue gun, adhere buttons to card base.
  • Using cloud punch and card-stock, punch out 2 clouds.
  • Using Sharpie Paint pen, coat cardstock with paint, making clouds a lime green.

Sharpie with cloud

  • Using SRM sentiment stickers- adhere to cloud shapes.
  • Adhere cloud shapes to card using foam pop dots.
  • Using Jaquard Luminiere Pearl Paint, paint around clouds.

Clouds1

  • Adhere chipboard flower and butterfly sticker.
  • Using Jaquard Luminiere Pearl Paint create butterfly trail.

Pearl1

  • Set aside to dry for 20-30 minutes. (completely dry after 72 hours)
  • Add gemstones.

Card By Pinky
That’s it! Your beautiful “Thank You” card that will make anyone see your appreciate them.

Until next time-

Pinky- Buttons Galore & More Design Team

0

Button and Burlap Patriotic Welcome Decor

I don’t do as much decorating for the patriotic holidays as I’d like. I do have quite a few family members in the military, so I think I get more caught up in remembering their service than I do decorating. This year I wanted to change that, so when I was challenged with using burlap in a button project, I knew right away what I wanted to do…

paint burlap and button American flag decor

paint burlap and button American flag decor by Jen Goode

Make an American flag decor sign using buttons and burlap. Using some paint on the burlap, it’s easy to get that rustic look with lots of fun texture and interest without having to create a super detailed piece. This project can easily be created in just a couple hours. I used Decoart craft paints for this project. Feel free to use what you have on hand.

Burlap and button project supplies

Burlap and button project supplies

Materials you need:

  • Ivory buttons
  • Tan/natural colored burlap
  • American Paint in Alizarin Crimson, Primary Blue and Light Buttermilk.
  • Decoart Dazzling Metalics paint in Glorious Gold
  • Craft glue
  • 1/4″ Wood dowel
  • Natural colored twine
  • Paint brush and Scissors
  • Wood letters to spell “Welcome”

Tie twine and glue buttons for faux sewn look

Tie twine and glue buttons for faux sewn look

Welcome patriotic wall art

Welcome patriotic wall art

Step by Step instructions

Make your own Patriotic wall decor using buttons and burlap:

  1. Cut burlap to your desired size
  2. Paint an American flag on the burlap (make sure to protect your work surface under the fabric). Let dry.
  3. Attach buttons to blue area of flag. You can either sew or glue. I tied twine through the buttons and then glued the buttons in place.
  4. Cut second piece of fabric, paint blue.
  5. Paint wood letters and dowel using Gold. I used a paper towel to spread the paint to give a bit more aged look. Let dry.
  6. Glue letters in place.
  7. Attach Welcome piece to flag fabric piece. either sew or glue. Add final buttons on edges as shown.
  8. Attach to dowel. I pinned mine but you can sew or glue – whichever you prefer. Tie twine around the edges of the dowel and hang as desired.

Tips:

  • Using a flat, square brush helps make nice stripes and blocks of color with the paint.
  • To create frayed look, gently pull threads of burlap on top or bottom of fabric to remove. Repeat until desired frayed look.

Patriotic wall decor using buttons and burlap

Patriotic wall decor using buttons and burlap

1

Giant Button in New York City

I was at a show last week and spotted this giant button in New York City. I really wanted to be able to get a giant set of chalk markers to color in some fantastic, vibrant art on it. You know, liven it up a bit, add some personality. A big black button is just begging for some color!

I didn’t get closer, so I’m not sure what that little building is the button is sitting on. I’m also a little confused why there are 5 button holes instead of just 4, but regardless… how fun is that!?

Giant button in NY City

Giant button in NY City

0

Romantic Embellishments for Card Making

Good morning, Pinky here again,

I love making cards and scrapbooking but sometimes they just need a special embellishment to make them POP.

The cards I am sharing today really shine with the beautiful soft Buttons Galore & More buttons.

On this card I used the beautiful Buttons Galore & More Ribbon Heart buttons

First cover white cardstock 6X9″ with patterned paper.

Use alternating colored cardstock to matte dress die cut and patterned paper.

Adhere matted patterned paper as shown.

Using thick pop dots, pop up dress die cut as shown in photo.

Pop up sentiment die cut using foam pop dots.

Using hot glue gun adhere 3 Buttons Galore & More Ribbon Heart buttons as shown above.

For this card:

First cover white cardstock 6X9″ with patterned paper.

Use alternating colored cardstock to matte dress die cut and sentiment.

Using thick pop dots, pop up dress die cut as shown in photo.

Tuck sentiment underneath dress die cut.

Using hot glue gun, adhere Buttons Galore & More Classic Circle buttons as shown.

2 beautiful cards in just 30 minutes!

Pinky: Buttons Galore & More Design Team

0

Guest Designer – Carlene

Today’s guest Designer is Carlene, who is also know as the Pink Scrapper.  

This is a sample of her paper crafts and they can be viewed on her blog.  But today she created something special – a video showing how to make a button bracelet.  BUTTON BRACELET VIDEO TUTORIAL 

Carlene’s Bio:

I have been paper crafting for over 20 years. I’ve gravitated from card-making, to scrapbooks, and now mixed-media and mini albums. I’m self taught and my favorite quote is “there’s no rules in crafting”. I love to create freely without any limitations. I also love to recycle, so you will often hear that I have been thrift store shopping because I find the best treasures there! I have been teaching locally for about 5 years, and own/operate my own online store. I love teaching and seeing students take a concept and add their own style and flair to it. That’s the best reward for me. I am a free-lanced mixed media artist for Prime Publishing, and have recently been published in Somerset Studio’s Gallery Summer 2012 edition. You can find my classes at ScrapbookNewsAndReview.com and more of my projects on my blog at PinkScrapper99.blogspot.com.

0

Teacher’s Gift: Burlap & Button Gift Bags

It’s the end of the school year and time to give your favorite teacher a token of your appreciation.  This easy burlap gift bag can hold a small gift and has a darling felt & button badge pin.  After the gift is opened, the badge can be worn as a pin on a favorite sweater or tote bag and the burlap bag can be reused for future gifting.

Supplies:

  • Burlap cut into a 6” X 5” rectangle
  • Two 1 ½” diameter circles of felt
  • Buttons-I love Buttons Galore & More’s Sweet Delights Buttons for this project!
  • Embroidery Floss
  • Pin Back
  • Ribbon
  • Basic sewing supplies & sewing machine

Instructions:

  1.  Fold the burlap rectangle in half lengthwise.  Sew a ¼” seam along the long sides.  Leave the top open.
  2. Turn-out the burlap so that the seams are on the inside of the bag.  Pull some strands of the burlap off of the top opening to give the bag top a frayed look.
  3. Hand sew buttons onto one of the felt disks.  Using a straight stitch or running stitch, sew the embellished felt circle onto the blank felt circle. 
  4. Sew a pin-back onto the back of the felt badge.
  5. Pin the badge onto the burlap bag.
  6. Fill the bag with your gift or candy.  Tie the top closed with a decorative ribbon.

Felt & Button Badges by Laura Bray

1

Fifteen Minute Fashion: How to create these adorable Button & Burlap Rosette Hair Bows

Hi there and welcome back!!! Today I have alot of info to share so get comfy! :) First I wanted to tell you about our June theme, then I have a really cute tutorial for you on how to make these delightful burlap & button rosette hair bows.

Our theme this month if you didn’t guess by my intro project is Buttons & Burlap!

 

Keep any eye out for our Buttons & Burlap Challenge Contest coming later in the month...if you don't have any burlap or buttons you may just want to go get some...just thinking out loud here. ;)

 

 

So this month we were given  a theme where we as designers have been challenged to work with Buttons & Burlap. I think you will really enjoy what the  design team has cookin’ for you! And today, I have the first project and it comes with a FULL STEP BY STEP PHOTO TUTORIAL!!! Yay!!! Who doesn’t love a good tutorial? So let’s get started. The supplies I have used are:

Buttons – I think my two came from various Button Jar assortments.
Burlap – you can find this at most big box craft stores and it’s CHEAP!
Westcott Brand Rotary Trimmer, Cutting Mat, Steel Ruler & Tiny Thread Snips
Large Needle
Twine or Yarn
Sharpie Oil Based Paint Pens
Ribbons & Trims
Hot Glue Gun & Hot Melt Glue

 

 

Begin by cutting a 1.5" strip of burlap in your choice of color...length is not all that important but these were approximately 12" long.

 

Use a large needle threaded with twine or yard and sew a large basting stitch about .25" from one edge.

Pull on the ends of the twine used to create a gather. Tie a knot to the back of the rosette and spread the ruffles so that they are evenly spaced along the tied circle of twine.

 

Remove outer few bands of burlap to create distressed edges

 

 

Use hot glue to attach hair clip to back side of rosette

 

Create polka dots on surface of button using Sharpie paint pen

 

Tie a length of green twine through the buttons and tie in a knot on the under side trim ends with sharp snips

 

Liberally cover entire knot with hot glue

 

Press onto front center of rosette to finish hair bow

 

Alternate button idea - try out all the various color/pattern themes you can think of! Get creative!!!

 

Just a quick shot of the two side by side.

And finally my adorable little model (my daughter :) ) who was just over the moon to be getting such “high fashion hair bows” today when Momma was done working…. :)

 

2

How to Watercolor using Lumiere 3-D, a shimmery way to paint!

Today I thought I would share a quick tutorial on how to use Lumiere 3-D one more way! :) I had used this technique on my “Mother” scrapbook layout earlier this month but didn’t really showcase it so I figured it would be a great way to end the month here… :) I hope you enjoy!

Supplies Needed: Cardstock, Stamps, Ink, Lumiere 3-D in Pink & Pearl, ButtonsPretty Girl Cozy Brads, Ribbon, Watercolor Brush, Small Container of Water, Palette for mixing on

 

 

Dip tip of watercolor brush into water then into Lumiere 3-D to thin.

 

Apply water thinned Rose Lumiere 3-D to each petal individually

 

 

Repeat steps one & two with Pearl colored Lumiere 3-D, Only this time just paint the entire surface of the flower image.

 

 

Before the painted surface has time to dry, apply a light dusting of ultrafine glitter to the surface of the Pearl painted flowers if desired.

 

 

Remove the excess glitter from the surface of the paper and then finish the card using your watercolored panel.

 

 

Here’s the finished card once assembled. The gentle shimmer is so subtle yet so pretty, I only wish I could have caught it in the photo as it really appears in real life.
2

Bib Tank Tutorial

I keep seeing adorable clothes for little girls, but never for us “big girls” like me. I want cute clothes too! So… I decided to see what I could do with my sparse sewing skills.  After rummaging through my tank top drawer and fabric scrap bin, I came up with a plan to work up a cute little bib tank.

LauraEvangeline

Supplies:

Tank Top or T-Shirt

Fabric Scraps

Aqua Striped Ribbon

Plaid Round Buttons

Scrap Paper

Fabric Marker

Scissors

Sewing Machine/Kit

Iron

Fusible Web/Stabilizer

Lumiere 3D

MicroBeads

LauraEvangeline

1. Take a scrap piece of paper and draw out a template that suits you and trim it out. This is your pattern. I sketched my design, folded it in half, and then cut it out to ensure it was symmetrical.

2. Once you’ve come up with a pattern that you like, cut out your pattern in a fun fabric. The fabric I chose was an old drawstring bag used to keep shoes nice when traveling.

3. To make the center strip, measure the top of your pattern to the bottom and add an extra inch to fold over later. You can create the strip as wide as you’d like, but I made mine 1.5″ wide keeping in mind that I’d be folding over 1/4″ on each long side to hide my raw edges.

4. For the outside ruffle, measure around the bib of your pattern and double it. This is about how much fabric or ribbon you’ll end up using once you ruffle or pleat it. You can also purchase a trim that is already ruffled if you like. If you’re using ribbon, you may want to consider the materials to ensure it can be washed (won’t bleed or melt). All of your cut pieces should end up looking like this:

5. To ensure that my center piece would be mid-line, I took a washable fabric marker and drew a line to mark the center of my bib.

6. You’ll then want to fold and iron the top edge of your bib down about 1/4″. I snipped the fabric in a bit about every 1/2″ so there would be less bulk and puckering. Fold and press over 1/4″ on each long side of your center strip fabric and apply a strip of fusible web 1/2″ narrower than the width of your fabric strip to the back before ironing to the bib. You’re then ready to sew the strip to your bib and attach the buttons. It should look something like this…

7. Sew the ribbon on top of the bib around the bottom 1/4″ from the edge. (If the material you choose to make a ruffle or pleat is single sided, you’ll want to ensure that is facing down for this portion.)

8. Carefully iron your ruffle/pleat out flat, add fusible webbing to the back, and iron on to your tank top.

9. Sew the bib to the tank top ensuring you don’t sew all the way through to the back (like I did). Now for bling… Use the Lumiere 3D to embellish the existing pattern on your chosen fabric and sprinkle on microbeads. I pressed the beads in lightly with the back of the measuring spoon once a hefty amount was sprinkled over each dot. Once the Lumiere dries for 72 hours it’s completely washable.

10.  And… that’s it! Wear it, enjoy it, and maybe even make a few more!

LauraEvangeline

I hope you’re feeling inspired, and have a crafty kinda day!

0

Happy Father’s Day Card

Taking time to recognize all the wonderful fathers out there is important & not just once a year, but the entire year through!

For this card I simply wanted to design something that my husband would love. I happen to love the colors kraft, red & blue together, no matter what the shades.

For the sentiment I had the notion to use a chipboard letter from Want2Scrap in place of the printed “F” but still use the fun swirls that come with that uppercase letter. To achieve this I opened a file in Photoshop, created a total of three layers, one for each word I was planning on using. I made the word “Father’s” larger than both of the other words. I then made sure that the “F” was even larger than the rest of the word. Finally, I created another layer. Then using the rectangular selector tool I created a selection over top of the “F” and filled it with white but kept the swirls that were coming off. My last step was to arrange the layers so that the sentiment was placed together so that there would be room to add the chipboard “F” as I had planned. I then printed the sentiment and die cut around it using Spellbinders Labels Four. To finish off my sentiment panel I simply inked the chipboard “F”, applied glue to the entire surface and applied red glitter to really give it “POP!”.

After that it was simply a matter of putting the card all together as you see here. I again used the Lumiere 3-D to adhere the buttons and fill the “naked” button holes, just like I did on my scrapbook layout earlier this month.

What a fun texture the strips of buttons add beneath the main focal image, don’t you think? Enjoy!


Supplies:
Sentiment: Duetica – Woodwynds Font
Cardstock: Bazzill: Red, White & Light Teal
Stamps: Gina K Designs – Vintage Backgrounds
Ink: Clearsnap Fluid Chalk Ink – Creamy Brown, Lipstick Red
Glitter: Clearsnap – Ruby Slippers
Ribbon: Really Reasonable Ribbon – White Seam Binding
Buttons: Buttons Galore & More – Button Tin in Sea Glass, red
Chipboard Letter & Gems: Want2Scrap
Other: Jacquard Lumiere 3D (To adhere buttons and fill button holes)

0

Create a Cute as a Button Frame!

You probably know by now that I love all things bright, cute and floral.  I found a plain, white, photo frame in my closet and knew that plain just wasn’t going to cut it around here, so I grabbed a few bottles of Jacquard’s Lumiere 3D paint and some buttons and got to work.  The great thing about using the 3D paint is that it’s also an adhesive, allowing you to have a seamless look without dealing with a glue mess.  I also love how the paint squeezes through some of the button holes to give more interest to the design.

Supplies:

Instructions:

  1. The best way to create a flower design with paint is to use dots.  Squeeze a large dot of paint for the center of your flower.  While the paint is still wet, press a button into the center.
  2. For petals, simply squeeze dots around the center.  Try to use the same pressure when squeezing the bottle to ensure that the petals are roughly the same size.
  3. Once you have all your flowers on your frame, set aside to dry for 72 hours.  Put your favorite photo in the frame.

 

0

How to use Lumiere 3D with buttons in a new and different way

 

I love my mom. She’s a wonderfully fun person who everyone loves! She has a joyful spirit that just oozes to all those around her. This week I decided it would be fun to scrap a layout with her as the subject! :) If any of you have followed my work you know I love stamping, I love paper, I love ink, I love all things “crafty”…and here on this project I went all out and decided to not use any patterned paper but instead to get creative and make my own backgrounds.

I really wanted there to be attention to all the fine details on this layout  so as you can see I used buttons as a border. Nifty Tip: Jacquard Lumiere 3D can be used to adhere buttons to your project AAAAAND it doesn’t leave you with “naked” button holes (personal preference of mine is to NOT have naked buttons!!!). The Lumiere 3D fills in the holes as well as adheres the buttons right where you want them to stay! The Lumiere 3D Turquoise is a dead match for the buttons in our Sea Glass Tin.

I also found that the Pearl Lumiere 3D was just right for holding my little white mother of pearl buttons from the Genuine Vintage Tin right where I needed them for the “buds” on my tree branch as well as for creating perfect domed centers for all my flowers.


As you can see here I have printed repetitive words using the Duetica Mandolyn 1 Font. I love how crisp and clean this font is but still has a flowing feminine feel at the same time. I decided it would be cute to make a list of all the names my mom has answered to in her life time….Marilyn, Mon, Mom, Kiddo, Momma, Mommy, Mother, Mimi etc…I then just repeated the list over and over and printed in a light gray on Kraft cardstock to make the background strip beneath the photo.


Then for my title I again used the Duetica Mandolyn1 Font in a larger point size and a cool teal color. One of the best things I am finding when working with the Duetica fonts is that I can customize EVERYTHING about them, the way they type out, the colors I print in, the size, the layout…you name it, you do it! :) Since we just celebrated Mother’s Day now is a great time to get out that photo of your mother and treasure that memory as you create a keepsake scrapbook layout…

Supplies:

Buttons: Buttons Galore & More – Sea Glass, Genuine Vintage
Jacquard – Lumiere 3D: Pearl & Turquoise
Duetica Font: Mandolyn 1 & Adobe Photoshop
Cardstock: Prismatics & Coredinations
Cricut Electronic Cutting Machine, Serenade & Winter Wonderland Cartridges
Stamp: Layers of Color – Fairy Wishes
Ink: Clearsnap Colorbox Pigment Ink – Glacier Ice
Glitter: Ultrafine Iridescent
Rhinestones: Want2Scrap
Flowers: Prima “e!” line
Die: Spellbinders Labels Four Nestabilities

4

Embellished Scrapbook Album Idea

 

I was scrap-booking the other day, putting my pages away in my plain black album and it occurred to me. If I can scrapbook and embellish all my pages why not do the same thing to my album??!

The first thing I grabbed was from Buttons Galore & More Animal Instincts Pack and went to town.

For this 8X8 Scrap book album I used a basic black 3 ring binder album.

Using sharpie or pen, draw or trace heart in middle of album

Carefully place Buttons Galore & More Animal Instinct Buttons, not adhering yet just placing them.

Using hot glue gun, carefully adhere each button, one at a time, covering any trace of ink on album.

Using hot glue gun and  Buttons Galore & More Animal Instinct Buttons adhere smaller buttons on top in second layer.

Using copper pearl pen, dab small pearls in the middle of 1/4 of the buttons.

Using the ribbon from  Buttons Galore & More Animal Instinct Buttons adhere all the way around the album trimming off excess. It will take 2 packages of buttons and ribbons.

Adhere title using chipboard letters.

 

Fill album with many memories and pages!

Pinky: Buttons Galore & More Design Team

2

Patriotic Scrapbook Layout by Linda Auclair

Linda enjoyed the Collage Trim Kit so much that she couldn’t stop with just the wallhanging! So, she created a layout to share using the same paper collection and leftover buttons from the supply list on the Patriotic Wall Art from last week. She was able to chaperone her youngest daughter’s recent class trip to the NH State House, and took a bazillion photos!

Materials Used –

If you would like to know more about Linda you can read her bio below or check out her blog. I know you will find so much more inspiration there!

About Linda:

Hi! I’m Linda Auclair, and I live in New Hampshire with my husband and daughters, Brigid and Aileen. My son Jonathan is away attending grad school at UPenn this year. I’ve been a papercrafter forever, and in the past decade, I have had the good fortune to work for a variety of companies, such as Fiskars, Creative Imaginations, Epiphany Crafts, and my current Design Team post at Echo Park Paper, as well as a number of online retailers. I have had my work published in magazines and eZines, and have been guest blogger/designer for a number of manufacturers. I am an active blogger, and love to share my designs, along with tips and tricks I have discovered, with my readers at http://elendae.wordpress.com/

3

Handmade patriotic pins – Show your pride!

Here in the U.S. we will be celebrating Memorial Day at the end of May.  We also celebrate Independance Day on the 4th of July.  Today I am sharing a simple way to show pride in your country with handmade lapel pins.

Gather a few simple supplies…

Supplies:

I  chose to decorate the stars in the value pack using dimensional paint from Jacquard.  Free handing dots and stripes is a breeze with the fine tip applicators on the bottles.  Let the dimensional paint dry completely before the lapel pin assembly steps.

Prep your ribbons by cutting at approximately 8 inches long.

Using a contrasting color of embroidery floss, sew the lapel pin together with the looped ribbon between the pin back and the embellished button.

Run a fine detail glue like Zip Dry along the edges of the cut ribbon to prevent fraying.

These are a snap!  Make a few and share them with your friends and family.  Not a lapel pin wearer?  I’ve pinned these on the side of canvas tote or they would look cute on a hat too.  Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great one!

1

Mixed media button art with a little love

I really love collage and mixed media. I’m sure I’ve said it before already, but really, I love collage. The idea of mixing textures to create a cohesive piece of fabulousness is a fun challenge I really enjoy. It’s neat to see what you can come up with when you mix odds and ends and some fantastic color. So, today’s project is an example of such fun… button art using Jacquard Lumiere dimensional metallic paint, fabric, old book paper and of course buttons!

Heart and Swirls button art by Jen Goode

Heart and Swirls button art by Jen Goode

Materials you’ll need to make this button art:

steps to make button art

steps to make button art

How to make your own button art

This dimensional paint is also as adhesive, so while you can use it to create pretty pieces, you can also use it to “glue” things in place.

Something to note, The directions I’m sharing are not in the order I did things… I painted the heart and then did the background which turned out to be a bit backwards, so instead, I’m sharing steps in the order I should have done them.

  1. Download and print the heart art onto a piece of book paper or newspaper.
  2. Color the background. Put some paint onto a paper plate for easy use. Using a damp paper towel, rub some Brass paint on to the paper. Add a layer of Copper directly to the edge of the paper and then rub using the damp paper towel. Add dots of Brass paint to create a bit of a pattern inside the heart, then add another line of Brass paint directly to the paper on all 4 sides and let dry as it.
  3. Using a paint brush, paint the heart and flowers first Brass and then add accents of Copper.
  4. Once all paint dries, gently tear both the top and bottom of the art completely off, creating two strips of paper. Tear a bit to trim down the size, adhere extra embellishments as desired.
  5. Cut burlap to fit your frame opening. Adhere heart image in place and then both top and bottom pieces, leaving a bit of space to allow the burlap to show through.
  6. Finish by tying twine through buttons and then adhering in place.
  7. Frame as desired.

Button art and illustration by Jen Goode

Button art and illustration by Jen Goode

Layering buttons creates a more interesting look and compliments the dimensional paint. Choose buttons of different sizes and finishes to create a more interesting art piece. I really like mixing shiny buttons with flat finish buttons to add more dimension between  them. Use buttons in your own decor to add a little fun interest and detail!

Tell me about your favorite button art!

 

3

Patriotic God Bless the USA Wall Hanging by Linda Auclair

Patriotic Collage trim Kit

PLease welcome this weeks guest designer – Linda Auclair.  Linda is an avid paper crafter who is know for her prolific work and her fantastic use of embellishments.  She is a natural pairing with Buttons Galore and More.  She does such fun and timely work  that we are going to feature today and next week too.  Both projects have a patriotic flair and are perfect to display for Memorial Day and the  4th of July.  If you would like to view more of her lovely work please visit her blog.

 

Materials used –

NicoleCrafts wooden décor heart (purchased at AC Moore)

Echo Park Paper’s “4th of July” Mini Theme Collection Kit    http://www.parttimesally.com/

HAB602 Nautical Trim Collage Kit    http://www.buttonsgaloreandmore.com/product/HAB602.html

DF93 Patriot Matte Round buttons     http://www.buttonsgaloreandmore.com/product/DF93.html

CH34 Star Charms     http://www.buttonsgaloreandmore.com/product/CH34.html

Tattered Angels chipboard alphabet

Jillibean Soup Alpha Beans alphabet stickers in Roma Red

The Twinery Twine in Marachino and Denim    http://thetwinery.com/

Stickles Glitter Glue (Ranger)

Mod Podge Decoupage Medium (Plaid)

Folk Art acrylic paint in Brilliant Ultramarine (Plaid)

 

 

 

Instructions:

  • Remove hardware from wooden heart.  Sand and paint the edges with the blue acrylic paint.
  • Trim patterned paper to cover wooden pieces and apply to surfaces with Mod Podge.  Allow to dry and trim with craft knife.
  • Cut 15 2 inch lengths of assorted ribbons from the Nautical kit.  Trim edges and apply to the back of the wooden heart with favorite liquid adhesive.

 

 

 

  • Embellish ribbon strips with buttons tied with twine and star charms.

 

 

  • Apply a thick coat of Stickles Glitter Glue to self-adhesive chipboard letters.  Let dry completely before handling.
  • Apply sticker alphabet and chipboard alphabet to wooden heart.

 

  • Embellish heart with ribbon rosette, and banner with buttons tied with twine and star charms.

 

button embellished wall hanging

 

  • Hang and enjoy.
Thank you for checking out this button embellished patriotic wall hanging by our guest designer Linda Auclair

 

3

Friendship Mixed Media Canvas with Jacquard Lumiere

Hi all!  Ryann here with my take on a mixed media canvas piece.  Now I am first and foremost a card maker, but every once in a while I like to stretch my boundaries a bit and try something new. I recently took a paper doll tag class from Julie Nutting and left feeling inspired to create my own paper doll.  After deciding on a mixed media canvas, I began my project!

Supplies used:

Directions:
  1. Tear book pages into small pieces, tearing off any large white spaces (you want to work with just the words).
  2. Adhere onto canvas using Mod Podge.  Cover adhered book page pieces with a layer of Mod Podge and allow to dry.
  3. Lightly paint a layer of light blue acrylic paint.  Let dry completely and follow it up with a lightly painted layer of light green.  Allow to dry.
  4. On a book page, draw out your doll figure and cut out.  Draw doll clothes on patterned paper and cut out.  Adhere onto canvas using Mod Podge.  Apply layer of Mod Podge on top of doll and allow to dry.  Do the same for the flowers.
  5. Lightly go around edges of doll/clothes/flower with white paint and allow to dry.
  6. Draw and then paint doll hair and allow to dry.
  7. Create sentiment in computer and print out.  Cut words out individually and adhere to canvas with Mod Podge.  Apply layer of Mod Podge on top of words and allow to dry.
  8. Stamp large polka dots with white ink onto canvas.  Stamp small polka dots with pink acrylic paint randomly around canvas.  Allow to dry completely.
  9. Adhere buttons onto canvas.
  10. Apply Lumiere 3D paint to doll to create texture on dress, neck and hair.  Allow to dry completely.
Thank you for joining me today.  I hope my story of creating outside my comfort zone inspires you to give it a try it too!  :)
Signing off,
Ryann

 

5

Large Circle Start Ups: Charmed, I’m Sure

Hi y’all! Allie here… I got my hands on some of Button’s Galore’s Start Up craft shapes this week, the Large Circles. I had such fun making some charms with these blank circles. These blank craft shapes are blank poly plastic pieces that you can stamp on, rub on, ink, paint or embellish with anything you desire. I decided to get creative with some napkins and stamps, and some spritz.

I really love these blank craft shapes! They come in lots of shapes and sizes, from flowers to tags, to sliders and frames, and even holiday shapes. There are even start up packs, and collections including a variety of sizes. They are perfect for every project.

 

charms-cropped-edited-300x279

 

This picture shows the separate layers of the napkins I’m using. For my charms, I just used the very top layer.

I decided to collage with napkins. I start by separating the layers of the napkin, so I’m working with the top designer layer. I use Claudine Hellmuth’s Matte Medium from Ranger, with a flat brush. Some people like to use a wet Q-tip to “cut” through the napkin, but I prefer to tear, and sand off any excess.

I used a little round file to clean out the holes in the charms. You can use any decoupage medium, whatever you prefer. I also like to seal the top when I’m done.

 

I skipped a few photos, but this is what happens after the decoupage step. I stamped the Large Circles with an Itty Bitty bicycle stamp from Unity Stamp Company. I used Jet Black Stazon ink from Tsukineko. I also lightly tapped around the edges of the Large Circles with the same black Stazon Ink. Once the ink was set, I gave the Large Circles a light spritz with Mr. Huey’s Gold spray from Studio Calico.

Use your favorite spritz, or you could even make your own.

You can add anything you like to these little charms. I put a jump ring on each of them, and added little trinkets and bling. The metal pieces and the little pearls are from Ideaology, and are designed by Tim Holtz. I added bling to the sprocket, on the second row, the charm on the left. I love a little sparkle, don’t you?

Add some bling, little trinkets or baubles.

You could attach these charms to a chain, a hoodie, or anything you like. You can even keep it simple, and just thread it onto some crepe ribbon, as shown below. This ribbon is from Creative Impressions.

 

SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS

  • Blank Craft Shapes – Large Circles
  • Napkins
  • Decoupage Medium and a Brush for application
  • Stamps and Ink
  • Spritz
  • Trinkets and Jump Rings

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Handmade Cards for All Skill Levels

Hi all!  Ryann here with my first Buttons Galore & More design team post and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be here with you today!  I have a fun handmade card set to share with you today in a weather theme using lots of buttons!  Now I know not everyone makes cards so I thought it would be neat to have a project for each type of card maker.  So whether you are a beginner, intermediate or more seasoned card maker, there is a project here for you!

Supplies used:

Cloud card:  cardstock, ink, stamps, Neutrals buttons

Rainbow card:  cardstock, ink, stamps, sewing machine, thread, Primary buttons

Sun card:  cardstock, ink, stamps, ribbon, marker, circle die, yellow spray mist, Harvest buttons, Tuxedo buttons

Cloud Card Directions:

1.  Sketch out the shape of your card onto a piece of sturdy cardstock and then cut out.  This will be your template to trace onto your gray card base and white mat layer.

2.  Trace the cloud shape onto your card using the template.  The top of the template should match up to the top of your card (at the fold).  Cut out and set aside.  (Note: You’ll notice the template is backwards from the card pictured.  When you turn it around, your trace lines will be on the backside of your card, so they won’t be visible when decorating!)

3.  Trace the cloud shape onto white cardstock using the template.  Draw a cloud just a little bit smaller than the cloud you traced.  Use the traced cloud as your guide.  Cut out the inside cloud.  This piece will be the layer you adhere the buttons to.

4.  Turn over your white cloud so the trace lines are on the back and adhere to your cloud shaped card base.  Adhere buttons onto card.

5.  Cut out three long strips of yellow/orange shades of cardstock.  Notch the ends to look like banners and arrange them how you want them to be placed behind the cloud.  Adhere the three strips together using scotch tape.  Adhere the sun rays behind the card front panel, NOT the backside of the card.

6.  Stamp sentiment onto strip of white cardstock and adhere onto card base.  Notch end of strip hanging off side of card.

Rainbow Card Directions:

1.  Create A2 card from white cardstock.

2.  Cut kraft cardstock to measure 4″ x 5-1/4″.  Sew along edges of kraft panel then adhere onto card base.  (Note: If you don’t have a sewing machine, faux stitching made with a marker will look just as good!)

3.  Stamp sentiment onto card, then adhere buttons in rainbow pattern.

Sun Card Directions:

1.  Cut out two circles.  Place them on top of each other and cut off a small section that will be the bottom of your card.  Set one circle aside.

2.  Stamp sentiment onto circle (card front) and create faux stitching along edges using marker.  Spray with yellow mist.

3.  Turn card front over and begin creating your sun rays from ribbon.  Create a loop from a small length of ribbon with your fingers and secure onto backside of card front.

4.  Alternate ribbons going along the edge of your card front, securing as you go.

5.  When done, use a piece of foam tap at top of your card, on the backside, to adhere your card front and back together.  Turn over and adhere buttons onto the card.

 

I hope this handmade card set has inspired you to get crafting today!  Thanks for joining me in my first post with Buttons Galore and More.  We’ll see you again tomorrow for more crafty button inspiration!!

Signing off,

Ryann

 

8

Buttoned up Memo Board – May

Make a quick and easy memo board using a VELCRO® Brand Memo Board, Buttons and Ribbon…..the theme of these can change easily by the buttons you use….Make several for gifts but be sure to keep one for yourself!

Supplies:
Assorted Buttons (Brilliant Pink BB84 was used here)
VELCRO® Brand Memo Board
VELCRO® Brand Sticky Back Adhesive
Beacon Adhesives Felt Glue
Kreinik Threads
Scissor

Gather your supplies

 

Place ribbon on memo board from corner to corner in a large X; cutting as needed; then place ribbon to create a square as shown in photo. Glue in corners and where ribbons cross.

 

Sew thread onto buttons then glue onto board....

 

where ribbons cross. For a finished look glue ribbon around edge of memo board also.

 

Now you can place cards onto the memo board under the ribbons.

 

For a more useful board pick out some buttons to layer on top of each other....

 

stack them together and tie off with thread.

 

Add Velcro Sticky Back Adhesive at the bottom over thread.

 

These buttons will stick the the memo board giving.....

 

you more ways to hold your papers on the memo board.

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How to make distressed buttons- Vintage style

Please welcome Teri – A great paper crafter and fantastic card maker.  She is a Go-To Gal For PaperCrafts magazine, and I know why!  She is very talented, creative and never ceases to amaze me with her fresh ideas.  I love her style and I hope you enjoy the card she made to share with you!  It is a fun technique that makes new buttons look like vintage or distressed buttons. She gives them the perfect touch of vintage.Teri_SewNiceCard1_teri

Supplies:

Classic Circles: Simply Pearls

Tangerine Tango: Color Blends

Clear Rounds

Zip Dry

Other:

Patterned papers from Jillibean Soup, Studio Calico, Crate Paper and My Mind’s Eye

Wood clothespin from Darice

“You’re Sew Nice” sentiment stamp from April 2012: Sew Nice stamp set by Avocado Arts

Jute by May Arts

White floss by DMC

 

Dressing Up Buttons for Cards

Hi everyone!

Don’t you just love buttons?

There is just something so fun about them and being able to add them to paper crafting projects.

I get bored using them the same old way they come so often times I’ll alter them up before I use them on a card or scrapbook page.

One of the easiest ways to dress them up is to sand them.

Sand buttons

Take a sanding file or distressing tool. Hold it firmly in your hand and then brush a button over it repeatedly. This will scruff it up so you get something like what I got with this button from the Tangerine Tango: Color Blends (http://www.buttonsgaloreandmore.com/product/CB100.html) pack.

Sand buttons

Take things a step farther by adding a circle from Classic Circles: Simply Pearls (http://www.buttonsgaloreandmore.com/product/4207.html) on top of the distressed button. Just be sure to use a strong glue and let the button sit awhile so the glue has time to dry.

I also like to stack them up.

clear buttons

Take a large button, place a small button on top of it and then tie the two buttons together with floss. When it comes time to use them, use a strong adhesive to put them on your project.

Another thing I like to do is add paper to them.

Thread buttons

Start with a Clear Rounds (http://www.buttonsgaloreandmore.com/product/CF80.html) button. Add clear glue under it and then place it on any patterned paper. Let the glue dry completely and then use your scissors to cut away the excess paper. The end result is a cool patterned button.

Here’s a whole collection of buttons I made with these tricks.  They look pretty spiffy on a card.


The trick to getting them to stay on the card is to use a good strong glue. I prefer Zip Dry (http://www.buttonsgaloreandmore.com/product/ZipDry.html).

Teri Anderson

Bio:

Hi! I am Teri, and I’m just girl who loves to play with all things crafty. I’m card maker and scrapbooker. And I am a Go-to Gal for Paper Crafts magazine and on a number of design teams. When I am not making stuff, I am going to concerts, spending them with my family and friends (and two fluffy dogs) and taking a whole lot of pictures. I blog at terisplace.wordpress.com.

 

 

1

Mother’s Day Canvas With Pinky

Can you believe Mother’s Day is quickly approaching? It is right around the corner and I love to make a handmade gift.

I want to share this artistic canvas made just for “Mom” using vintage doilies from around the house.

For this Canvas use an 8×10 canvas, and paint it with a sand colored acrylic paint.

After allowing the canvas to dry, take a craft spritz and carefully spritz canvas in random places. Set aside to dry for 10 minutes.

Using coordinating ink color, ink edges or canvas.

Take a pencil with eraser and dab into coordinating paint or ink, ink or paint onto canvas as shown in photos.

Adhere vintage doilies.

Grab some packages of beautiful Buttons’ Galore & More Vintage Gold buttons and apply buttons between doily stitches using hot glue.

Mothers Day Canvas

Using rub-ons, carefully apply rub-ons in desired locations.

Mothers Day Canvas

Using shank & pearl keepsake buttons, adhere over rub-on using hot glue gun.

Mothers Day Canvas

Set canvas aside.

Choose a lightly colored patterned paper, using home printer, print quote onto page.

Trim out words and hand cut pennant edging.

Ink edges.

Adhere quote to canvas.

Wrap it up and give with love.

I hope you enjoyed the post today- Pinky: Buttons Galore & More Design Team

 [Note: some products used in this tutorial have been discontinued so we have provided links to similar substitutes.]
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National Scrapbook Day -Button giveaway alert

It is National Scrapbook Day.  In honor of the day, we want to do a giveaway.  Share a scrapbook related project here on this post in the comment section, by Mondayday at midnight and we will do a random drawing for a either a tin of GENUINE VINTAGE buttons or a SPRING BUTTON TOTE.  You can pick which one.

Below is a page that one of our contributors made last year for National Scrapbook Day.  We look forward to seeing what you share.

totally - buttons on a scrapbook page

 

Taking inspiration and making something totally different

A few weeks back I was perusing Pinterest and I saw this totally cute pin idea and instantly thought  “I could make a really cool clean and simple card with this as inspiration”. So I repinned the blog post over at Imparting Grace where she had seen a Pottery Barn Pillow using buttons and was inspired to make it herself.


Image courtesy of Pottery Barn

I in turn was inspired by her post to make the general idea into a card!! Here’s my take on the simple but oh so button savvy design! I started with a 4 1/4 ” x 11 1/2″ strip of cardstock. I scored 5 1/2″ from the end and folded along the score line to make the spine of my card.  I then made and additional two score lines using my Scor-Pal Scoring Tool 1″ from the spine of the card and 1 1/2″  from the spine of the card.  I then folded at the score lines to create the “pleat” that you see on the left side of the card lining up the ends of the cardstock strip.  A little line of 1/4″ Scor-Tape to hold the folds and the base of the card was done. I then used four red buttons from the Girly Button Pack and tied a bit of twine through each before adhering them to the card front just past the “pleat”, stamped the simple sentiment and BAM! Done! :)

Have you ever been inspired by something and gone in a totally different direction with it? For example this was a pillow design and I translated it into a clean and simple card. Share a link! We’d love to see what inspires you and how you translate it into making it your own!

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How to make a statement by using a grouping

A few weeks ago I was stuck. I had to make my weekly card for Card Positioning Systems and I had everything but the finishing touch just wasn’t working. The sentiment I wanted to use was too small for the label die cut I was working with and I really wanted to use THIS SENTIMENT. You know how you can just get stuck with the image in your mind and nothing else works?? Yeah I was there…so I decided to embellish my main image…and not just with one, not two, but THREE fun buttons. Here you can see I chose some buttons from the Girly Button Pack. They were JUST THE RIGHT COLORS to go with my chosen patterned papers. So I kinda played around with the color balance and felt the two reds and one green was just what I needed. To spice things up I decided to use natural colored hemp in the red buttons, tied in a knot and snipped short. For the green button to add balance and interest I tied white twine, tied a big loopy bow and snipped the tails a bit longer. I felt it gave the card fun whimsy! If you’d like more info feel free to pop over to my blog Pink Lemonade. Enjoy!!

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How to Alter Shanked Buttons to Create a Sweet Papercrafted Garden

Have you ever been in the middle of a project and felt you needed just the “right touch” but couldn’t really put your fingers on what that “right touch” was?  Well I thought I would share my card that shows just such a moment.

I had this cute little stamp that was the flowers’ “stems & leaves” and I wanted to go 3-D with the flowers themselves…so I put my thinking cap on~ I sorted through my fun Gold Buttons and found three that were JUST THE RIGHT THING!!! So I snipped the shank off the back using some Hefty Duty Scissors….the shanks are plastic so you will not need wire snips or anything but I certainly recommend that you use a good strong pair of scissors!!! (And eye protection is a good idea too because the shanks can kinda take off on you! LOL)

Anyway, here’s my card…can you spot my BONUS HAPPY FIND? Yep! That is right, the butterfly on the knot of the ribbon is ALSO one of the buttons I found while pecking through my Gold Buttons! If you’d like more details about this card just pop over to my blog Pink Lemonade…enjoy your day!

vintage flower garden card

0

Quick pony tail holder with buttons

We have a ton of plain colored pony tale holders around the house. This is fine for me, but for my little princess, sometimes a plain ponytail just isn’t enough. Instead of buying a ton of different decorated rubber bands, make them yourself using buttons with the loophole in the back. It’s easy, quick and gives you the opportunity to customize the look of your little hair pieces. (This would even be great for grown up princesses, using some pretty shiny or elegant buttons ~ wink).

Ponytail holder made with a button

Ponytail holder made with a button

Make a ponytail holder using buttons

Make a ponytail holder using buttons

Pink flower button ponytail holder

Pink flower button ponytail holder

The best part about these button ponytail holders is that I can change the buttons to make a whole new look at any time. There’s no glue or cutting… just pulling the rubber band through the button back and voila! You could add more than one button if you’d like, but I think you’d need a little bigger rubber band. I used a small 1.5″ diameter rubber band for this example. This would also be a fun project for kids to make!

What quick and fun projects do you like to use buttons for?

1

How do you store your buttons?

I love the look of buttons. The variety of sizes colors and shapes are just fun to look at without doing anything with them. So, when I store my buttons, I like to put them out on display. I found some great jars I like to keep them in. I can see them and enjoy them as they are but I can also easily find them when they are stored like this.

Store buttons in fun glass jars

Store buttons in fun glass jars

I think it’s fun to use different storage containers.

You can use jars, bowls, bags… keep them in the packaging you bought them in, whatever you like. Put them in bags and in a drawer so you can see them all when you need them but they are tucked away nicely when you aren’t using them. I also have a plastic compartment box I use and I separate the buttons by color. However, my favorite button storage solution is looking for interesting glass at the thrift shops. Some of my smaller buttons fit perfectly into little vintage spice jars – so cute! I keep everything on a couple of shelves, out in the open to see and it works great for me.

Jars of buttons

Jars of buttons

How do you store your buttons?

0

Pin It to Win It – Contest Reminder- Closed

Pin-it-to-win-it-The pin it to Win It Contest ends on Friday and we would not want you to miss out on great inspiration, and a chance at being a GUEST DESIGNER or winning a prize.

We are celebrating spring and what better way to do it than with Pinterest.  The site makes our hearts swoon— we use it as a creative kick-start, to figure out what’s for dinner, and to get inspired by gorgeous color combinations for our own projects.

Now we’d like to turn the spotlight on YOU & your creativity. Show us your BUTTON-inspired pinboards!!  At the end of the contest we will send the Pinterest user with our favorite pin collection a tote bag filled with fabulous & inspiring crafting supplies. If you are the creator of our very favorite button project, you will receive an invitation to be a guest designer for a mutually agreed upon month at Buttons Galore & More and receive $25 worth of products of your own choosing from the Buttons Galore & More site. In addition, your creation will be featured on our website and in our newsletter — reaching thousands of crafters around the world who will turn your idea for a fabulous project into reality.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

Be sure you follow Buttons Galore and More on Pinterest.  Create a new Pinterest board entitledButtons Galore Pin It To Win It Party.

Fill that board with at least 4 pins (feel free to add more!).

-2 of the pins must be of your favorite projects from the Buttons Galore blog

-2 pins must be of your own creations featuring buttons of any kind.

 

All the pins (even those not from ButtonsGaloreandMore.com) must have a caption explaining the pin’s relation to the party.Is it your favorite color mix? An awesome project? A card created by you? Your favorite scrapbook page? Tabletop decor?

All the pins (even those not from ButtonsGaloreandMore.com) must be hashtagged with both #buttons and #pinitparty.

Once your party pinboard is complete, enter the contest by posting a link to the pinboard in the comments section of April 2nds post Titled Pin it to win it starts TODAY.

This contest launches on April 2, 2012, and will run through 5 p.m. April 27, 2012. The Pinboards will be judged on originality, creativity, adherence to the contest rules, and a general sense of style, appreciation for all things interesting, authentic, and fun.

Note: You must be a member of Pinterest.com to enter, and you must be following ButtonsGalore. If you do not have a Pinterest account, you can sign up for one here or request an invitation in the comments section.

The Buttons Galore Party Pinboard Contest (the “Contest”) is sponsored by Buttons Galore and More (“Sponsor”).

ONE (1) GRAND PRIZE:  A gift bag filled with craft supplies approx. retail value $75.

ONE (1) FIRST-PLACE PRIZE:  approx. retail value $25

All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply; void where prohibited.  PRIZES MAY BE SUBJECT TO TAX; ALL APPLICABLE TAXES ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNER.

ELIGIBILITY: The Contest is open only to individuals, eighteen (18) years or older at time of entry, who are legal residents of the United States and Canada, excluding the Province of Quebec. Employees and Creative Team Members of Buttons Galore and More, their immediate families (defined as parents, children, siblings, spouse and grandparents), and those domiciled with any of the foregoing are not eligible.

ENTRY:  All entrants must submit a Pinterest board entitled Buttons Galore Pin It Party, containing at least 4 pins, 2 of the pins must be of your favorite projects from the Buttons Galore blog and 2 pins must be of your creations featuring buttons of any kind.

Submissions to the Contest must be received by April 27 2012 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) in order to be eligible; entries received after that date will be deemed ineligible to win.  Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, inaccurate, incomplete, damaged, illegible, or misdirected entries.

Each entry must be submitted on an individual basis (i.e., no team, joint, or corporate entries) the entries created by the contestan must be the original creation of the submitting participant.

Entries may not contain profanity, nudity, pornographic images, violent images, anti-competition messages, illegal material, or material that violates the rights of third parties. Entries may not include confidential information, trade secrets, trademarks or copyrighted material belonging to any person or entity other than the entrant absent a suitable license or permission agreement, proof of which is required. Entries containing any forbidden matter or material otherwise deemed by Sponsor to be inappropriate will be disqualified.  Online entries will be deemed submitted by the authorized account holder of the email address submitted at time of entry.  One entry per person; multiple entries will be disqualified.

JUDGING:  The Creative Team members and editors will select the winning entry based equally upon the criteria of originality, creativity, adherence to the contest rules, and a general sense of style appreciation for all things interesting, authentic, and fun.

By entering, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules, and that the decisions of the judges are final and binding in all respects.  Judging will be completed by April 30, 2012, and potential winners will be notified by Pinterest comment on or before May 1, 2012.  Sponsor reserves the right not to select any winning submissions based upon the quantity or content of submissions.

If required winner announcement is not in contact with Buttons Galore within seven (7) business days of notification, or if notification is returned as undeliverable, any prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner will be selected.

PRIZE AWARDS:  Prizes will be awarded within sixty (60) days after winner verification.  No prize substitution or transfer is permitted, except that Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value for any reason.  Sponsor is required by law to report prize values to taxing authorities; all taxes and any other incidental expenses on prizes are the sole responsibility of each winner.

For GENERAL RULES & LIMITATIONS please read this post.

1

Mixed Media Canvas Collage

Today’s Internet Inspiration is from a product partner Helmar.  Their Designer Trudy made a darling mixed media canvas collage.

Mixed Media Collage Canvas

This is a quote from Trudy about our products.

“I love buttons and am excited to share my mixed media canvas with you. I used lots of buttons form our prefered partner company Buttons Galore’s – Candy Apple Green mix and a few from some of their other beautiful assortments.”

You can see the post HERE

0

Tween Baking Party Favors with Buttons

While I love throwing birthday parties for my children, I often struggle to think of fun party favors that are also useful.  With the popularity of baking-themed parties for the tween girl set, layered jar mixes are a perfect complement to the theme, and won’t become clutter later.

Layered Jar Baking Party Favors using buttons

I focused on the Ebony & Ivory Trim Collage Kit to create most of this layered cookie jar, along with some bright pink fabric and the cake button from the Sweet Treats collection.  There are 12 yards of ribbon in this collage kit, so I could make several coordinating jars from one kit.

Materials:

Ebony & Ivory Trim Collage Kit
Sweet Treats Buttons
Precision Diagonal Craft Cutters
Pint canning jar with ring & lid, layered cookie mix (instructions found online try www.recipegolmine.com)
Bright pink fabric remnant (approximately 1-4”square and 1-12×1.5” strip for each jar)
Polyester fiberfill (or cotton balls)
Liquid glue
Fabric scissors
Computer printer or white cardstock and black pen
Black and white patterned paper
Black cardstock

  1. Cut circle of fabric approximately 4” diameter.  Place small amount of fiberfill (or 1 slightly pulled apart cotton ball) onto lid, and cover with fabric circle.  Add ring and screw on tightly.  Trim away excess fabric.
  2. Cut 1 length of striped ribbon, approximately 10” and glue around lid ring, trimming away excess.
  3.  Cut 2 pieces of striped ribbon and one piece of stitched ribbon long enough to fit around the jar, approximately 10.5 inches, and glue into place.  Trim excess ribbon.
  4. Accordion-fold and glue a strip of pink fabric in a circle to create 2.5” diameter folded rosette.  Glue striped ribbon and button rosette from kit to center of pink fabric rosette.
    Layered jar cookie mix party favor with button decorations
  5. Remove shank from cake-shaped button using Precision Diagonal Craft Cutters.  Glue black and white pattern kit button to top right, and cake button to bottom right of rosette, and glue embellishment cluster to ribbons on jar base.
  6. Print cookie baking directions onto 1.5” square tag.  Mat directions onto patterned paper (I used my own design) and black cardstock.  Punch hole in tag corner.  Thread ¼” pink ribbon through punched hole, cross through holes of small white button, and thread back through punched hole.  Tie ribbon around jar ring to attach directions.
    Layered jar  mix party favor tag with button decorations

These baking jars are easy to make assembly-line fashion, and are a fun way to send an activity home with guests after a party.  Paired with a fun apron party craft, they make wonderful, useful party favors!

0

BaZooples Card with hidden gift card holder idea

BZ100

Gertrude and Friends - BZ100

 

Handmade cards are extra special when they contain a gift cardI had some fun with the butterfly from this cute set of BaZooples novelty buttons. I paired it with a BaZooples image from Inky Antics that I colored with pencils and gamsol.

Handmade hippo card

Handmade hippo card

The card is a little larger than usual and has a mini card on top. Notice the “LIFT HERE” pennant? When you lift that, you have a space for a gift card! I didn’t have a gift card,yet.   So I placed a post it note just so you can see where that gift card would go. Inside the main card, there’s a panel of patterned paper, and plenty of room for a nice note. The sentiment reads “Just wanted to let you know… Love you tons!” Isn’t that the perfect sentiment for a Hippo card?

 

close up lift here

close up lift here

 

The gift card portion of the card was created using circle and scalloped circle dies from Spellbinders Paper Arts. The paper is from Authentique, and is accented with bling from Want2Scrap and some flowers from Creative Impressions. I used some additional buttons from my Buttons Galore jar for the flower centers.

inside close up gift card

inside close up gift card

close up flowers and buttons

close up flowers and buttons

I finished off the handmade card with a quick bow using some ribbon from my local craft supply. Sheer ribbon is so pretty and easy to tie.

Thank you for stopping by today!

1

Internet Inspiration

Browsing the internet can provide so much inspiration, and when we found this site we hit the jackpot!  The Paper Players blog not only did a challenge using buttons, they also have a section for their readers to share their creations.  Check out their site http://thepaperplayers.blogspot.com/2012/03/challenge-87-cas-with-buttons-from.html . This card below is one of the many fantastic creations they have for your viewing pleasure.

Paper Players Card with Buttons

Paper Players Card with Buttons

The card Annie made is crisp, clean and full of sparkle.  What is not to love?  Check back here again.  There is so much inspiration from crafters who use buttons in their projects.

Don’t forget we are holding a Pin it To Win It Contest too!

 

 

0

Upcycled Spring Floral Bouquet – An Earth Day Project

Upcycled Spring Floral Bouquet

Burlap and buttons make a great wrap for a bouquet that will last longer than a week. I love fresh flowers, but they do not love my budget. A more budget friendly idea is the tin can that I repurposed.

Tools and Materials:

Sizzix Tattered Florals and Leaf  Die Cut

Beacon Adhesive – FabriTac

Jute Cording,  Burlap, Styrofoam, Krylon Spray paint, Westcott Scissors and kraft knife.

Buttons – Tangerine Tango, Class

Directions:

Clean and dry tin can. Spray paint can. Let dry and repeat.

Use Krylon to Paint Can

Place floral foam inside can.

Place Floral Foam inside

Cut burlap to fit. Adhere burlap with Quick Grip.

Cut Burlap to Fit Can

Slide buttons on to jute cording. Wrap cording around container. Adhere buttons into place. Add a second layer of buttons where desired and glue into place.

Recycled Can - Earth Day Project

Add flowers into container.

This recycled tin can vase will work for any type of flowers, fresh or hand made.

3

Sketch Create Share – Sketch 1

Greetings fellow crafters!  A member of our Button Bevy, Carla Schauer has created a sketch to give you a little inspirational kick. I know that my mojo sometimes runs a little low and I look to the internet for help.   Sketches can be a great way to get the mojo flowing.  Save this pin to your PINTEREST account and create a Sketch board.  There will be more inspiration to come.  If pinterest is not you thing, you can save it to your computer or even print it for your sketch note book.  Check out her project with the sketch.

triangle-banner-tag Sketch

triangle-banner-tag Sketch

How you choose to use this sketch is completely up to you.  We would love to see what you create.  We are pretty social and there are so many ways to share your creativity with us.

Share it with us on twitter.  You can start a conversation by including #sketch1

Leave us a link to your blog here in the comments section or even pin it on your pinterest boards and tag us with #buttonsgalore.

Post it on Facebook – tag us in the photo or share a link to your blog on our page.

0

Homemade Button Garden Markers

HomemadeGarden Markers, Pea Marker

It’s spring time and that means planting time! All the gardeners I know are pouring over seed catalogs and dreaming about their summer crops. Today I have a super quick, super fun homemade project that will help you remember which pot you planted lettuce in and which pot has the peas: Button Garden Markers!

The fun thing about this project is that it really inspires creativity. I used orange buttons for carrots, green buttons for peas and lettuce, and red buttons for tomatoes. But the possibilities are endless.  Purple buttons for bunches of grapes, yellow for squash. What else can you dream up? The possibilities are only limited by the size of your garden!

Homemade Button Garden Marker SuppliesSupplies:

  • Unfinished, small wood plaques.  (Mine measure 3″ x 2″)
  • Craft paint or markers
  • Buttons – Check out some of Buttons Galore and More’s Button Candy Bags for inspiration and match them to whatever you are planting!
  • A wooden dowel 1/4″ diameter by 12″ longHomemade Carrots & Lettuce Garden Markers

Directions:

Decide which veggies you need to mark in your garden and gather up the appropriate buttons. For this tutorial, I’ll tell you how I made the Carrot Garden Marker.

  1. Paint the wooden plaque in light white wash using white paint. Allow to dry.
  2. Lay-out 3 orange buttons on the plaque. Use a small, medium, and large button to give the tapered appearance of your carrot. Glue them in place.
  3.  Using paint or permanent markers, add some green leaves to the top of your carrot. You can also draw a black decorative border around the edge of your plant marker and write the name of the crop if you wish.

See? I told you it was easy. Now – a word to the wise. This is a crafty project and it looks really cute, but remember if you are using these outside, they will need to be protected. I would recommend using paint and glue that you know can stand up to sun, heat and rain, or sealing them with a waterproof sealer.

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Tropical Flowers – Mahalo means Thank You!

Tropical Flower Buttons - item $033

Tropical Flower Btuttons #4033

I played with Tropical Flowers buttons this week. I used them as an accent for my stamped image, and as part of my card’s sentiment, Mahalo. Mahalo means THANK YOU!

Directions:

Make card black card base to 6×6.

Adhere pattern paper from My Little Shoebox to card base.

Begin card by die cutting a two circles using dies from Spellbinders Paper Arts.

Embossed the yellow circle. I added some stripe to make a lantern.

I embellished the flower in the little girl’s hair (Image – Greeting Farm) and on either end of the beaded sentiment, Mahalo.

Mahalo Card.

Mahalo means thank you.

Mahalo means thank you.
0

More Handmade Button Rings…”variety is the spice of life”, right?

Well I hope you enjoyed my ring tutorial yesterday. I really enjoyed putting it together. I especially love when people try out my tutorials and then let me know how it worked for them! :)

Today I just have a quick post to share with you. Here I wanted to show you a few more button rings I have made. First I will show you all three, then I will expound on them just a bit for you.


Here you can see that you can use buttons of all shapes and sizes. There’s no “right size” button for making a ring!

When I found the first one on the left in the Gold Bulk Button Pack I was thrilled that it wasn’t GOLD! LOL I was so excited to see it was silver because I am generally a “silver/copper/bronze” kinda gal… the only gold I typically wear is my wedding band and engagement ring. This button measures almost an inch and three quarters at the widest part!!! Suuuuch a fun “cocktail ring” size.

Here it is on my hand. Fun right??

Well then I thought I would also make one from the sweet dainty little Cameo Button in the Genuine Vintage Button Tin. It’s just so little and cute compared to the ginormous one in the picture above, isn’t it?
I have some really cute colored buttons that I plan on doing another ring soon with…I hope you will come on back to see them! Please be sure to comment with a link to your button ring creations. I would love to see what you have done either on your own or using the tutorial I created! Have a great day!

P.S.  Be sure to check out our “Pin it to Win it Contest” that runs all the way through April 27th!!!

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Handmade Vintage Button Ring Tutorial with Step by Step Photos

Good Morning! Today I thought it would be fun to bring you a tutorial on how to create a wire wrapped ring using a button from the Genuine Vintage Button Tin as the focal piece. In addition to the button you will also need:

  • Ring Mandrel
  • Nylon Hammer (or rawhide – non marring hammer)
  • Wire Snips
  • Chain Nose Pliers
  • 18 Gauge Artistic Wire® By Beadalon in Gun Metal Bronze

Supplies needed for an assortment of rings

Begin by cutting a 20" length of wire. Run it through the shank on the back of the button, centering the button in the middle of the wire. Bend the wire into a gentle "U" shape.

Place the center of the button onto the ring mandrel one full size larger than you need for the finished ring size. Here you can see that I need a 7 1/2 ring so I am beginngin at a size 8 1/2 on the ring mandrel.

Wrap the wire around the top and bottom of the button the mandrel so that you have four wraps around the mandrel.

Pull the ends of the wire perpendicular to the mandrel and pull tightly to draw the wrapped sections to the center of the button.

Begin to wrap the wires clockwise around the shank of the button. Wrap until you have atleast four wraps around the bottom, keeping pressure and tension on the wires at all times.

Again holding the wires perpendicular to the mandrel, remove the ring from the mandrel.

Pinch the button and the wire wraps between your nondominant thumb and forefinger.

Using your dominant hand, wrap the end of the wire under the four wraps, then back up and around the wraps.

Continue to wrap three or four more times, pulling tightly each time. Make sure to keep the four wires flat against your index finger for a more comfortable fit.

Using wire snips, clip end of wire close and press clipped end down using chain nosed pliers. Repeat wrapping on other side of ring.

Place wrapped ring back on mandrel and being to hammer ring down mandrel. Remove ring, flip it and hammer it back down toward thick end of mandrel to make sure both sides are fully formed.

Tap around entire ring from side of button to side of button to work harden wires and make sure that the wires are going to lie flat.

Finished Vintage Button Wire Wrapped Ring

I hope you have enjoyed my first button jewelry project here on the Buttons Galore & More Blog! Be sure to add us to your reading list or subscribe so that you don’t miss out on the next one I have planned. It’s one that you will not want to miss!!! :)

K

P.S. Don’t forget to enter our PIN IT TO WIN IT CONTEST! 

 

8

Button Craft Ideas – Internet Inspiration – Ryann Salamon

feeling-better-soon -Ryann Salamon - Fresh Squeezed

feeling-better-soon -Ryann Salamon - Fresh Squeezed

While scouring the internet for Tuesday Internet Inspiration, I cam across Ryann Salamon.  She is not, new to us as an artist.  We noticed her adorable business cards with handmade accents, while at CHA.  They were wrapped with twine and adorned with a button.  What is not to like?   After visiting her blog  a mental note was made, that she must be featured.  So many of her fabulous handmade cards have buttons as accents.  She creates cards with simple embellishments, crisp stamped images and minimal amounts of material and they look stunning.  She makes CAS ( clean and simple) handmade cards that are awesome.

So when you have a moment, please peruse her site.  You will not be disappointed.  For more information about the card above visit this handmade card post.

2

Pirates, Princess and Projects…Oh my! Blog Hop

How is that for a title of a post?  Today we are having a blog hop to showcase the Buttons Galore and More buttons that coordinate with Laura Kelly Pirate Island and Princess fabrics.  The fabric is manufactured by General Fabric and is available through Hancock Fabric both in stores and online.  The Laura Kelly button blends are custom dyed to match the fabric.

What Is A Blog Hop? New to Blog Hops? Here’s the low-down on how they work.  A blog hop is a list of blogs sharing a similar theme.  The blog “host” lists of links to other blogs on their page, along with the Blog Hop rules.  As the reader, you hop from blog to blog looking at fun projects.

Rule to this hop – Visit each blog, leave a comment if you want.  Come back here to the main blog.  Leave a comment on this post saying what is your favorite project and  if you would want the BOY prize or the GIRL prize.  It is that simple.

These are the blogs participating in the hop

Laura Bray www.katydiddys.blogspot.com

Cristal – www.blueyecicle.blogspot.com

Keri Lee – www.pinklemonade.typepad.com

Niki- www.nikimeiners.wordpress.com

Jen- http://www.100directions.com

Allie –http://welltrainedpaper.blogspot.com/

Ann – http://www.creativitystirsthesoul.com/

Elise – http://mamacowcreations.blogspot.com/

Now for a quick project using fun material and Buttons Galore and More  buttons by Laura Kelly

If you are not a fan on Facebook please “LIKE”  us.  We have so much button craft ideas to share.  We also have  a PIN IT TO WIN IT CONTEST  going through April 27.

If you are interested in obtaining the material you can check out Hancock fabric stores or click the links below for online purchases.

Pirate Fabric

Fleece Pirate Fabric

Princess Fabric 

***Contest now closed  *** Two winners will  be announced by 5pm April 11, 2012 on this site.

19

Happy Frog with Buttons Wall Art

Sometimes a few buttons can finish off a piece perfectly. This month is National Frog Month, so I thought it would be fun to create some wall art with one of my printable images… a frog, of course! I found some cute little flower shaped buttons in my green button bonanza which I thought would be a perfect fit for this project.

Happy Frog and Fly wall decor with button accents by Jen Goode

Happy Frog and Fly wall decor with button accents by Jen Goode

Materials you need:

Tools and other supplies:

  • Cardstock, scissors, craft glue, coloring materials

Steps to make your own Happy Frog and Fly wall decor with button accents

  1. Print out, color and cut out the Happy Frog and Fly image and adhere to background paper/s.
  2. Cut ribbon to size and adhere to edges of picture card.
  3. Tie embroidery thread on each button, trim and glue on each corner of picture card.
  4. Frame as desired.

Print, color and adhere frog art on background papers

Print, color and adhere frog art on background papers

Add ribbon and buttons to edge of art card

Add ribbon and buttons to edge of art card

Finished Happy frog art with cute flower buttons

Finished Happy frog art with cute flower buttons

 

This same wall art can also be created as a greeting card, just leave out the frame and adhere to a blank card. You can turn your pretty colored art into super cute decor with a few fun accents. Buttons add dimension and interest. Find interesting button shapes and add them to your craft projects for an added touch.  If you are looking for more button craft ideas you can check us out on Pinterest and while you are there enter our Pin it to Win it Contest

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Handmade Little Boy Card – Pinterest Inspiration

Pinterest Inspiration

Pinterest Inspiration

Browsing for little boy card ideas is not an easy task.  There are tons of  little girl cards, teen girl cards and feminine cards to be found almost everywhere.  Handmade masculine cards start appearing around graduation and Father’s Day, but handmade little boy cards that are designed well are few and far between.  WeeInklings.blogspot.com has this adorable card pinned on pinterest and I love it.  It is cute, creative and perfect for a little boy.  Her pin board is http://pinterest.com/source/weeinklings.blogspot.com/ and she has some fun stuff.

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Button Embellished hand painted Bunny Characters

Depending on what part of the world you’re living in, it may or may not seem like Easter is right around the corner.  Where I live, Mother Nature has been up to her old tricks: there have been days where I’m not sure if it’s time for Christmas OR Easter, but I’ve had it on the brain, so Easter Craft is WHAT I’m sharing with you today, these adorable hand painted bunny characters.

Beautiful buttons from Buttons Galore & More, Rose Garden, button tote collection, was such a splendid influence, so with a little help from some seasonal friends, and some re-purposed tin scraps, I met the Easter Bunny and his gal pal, halfway down the bunny trial: CHECK IT OUT!

The thought of our standard Easter display feels a little out of date, these days.  Since I’m crafting with SUCH extraordinary buttons from Buttons Galore & More,  I decided to conjure some images of Peter Cotton Tail, to make something “keepsake” and classic feeling, created with my own two hands.  It all started with some sketching…

And then CUTTING!  Scissors indicated for metal, cut this material easily.  Using a standard, crafting felt pen, I made my marks, that could easily be removed by rubbing.  From 5 individual squares of 4 x 6″ galvi/tin, I cut bunny body parts…  To be ENJOYED, not harmed! {!}

These individual pieces will be joined with simple brads, with long shanks, once painted and embellished.  Careful planning in the early stages is the best way to ensure a great results to your seasonal {and ANY!} craft decor project.

Mixing a desired shade of “bunny” creamy brown, I gave each piece two coats of paint.  Bunny “details” were added, as desired. Once dried, they were then painted with clear, crystal adhesive, then dried completely.  When dried, the edges were sanded.  More adhesive added where desired.

Once pieces were dried, they were assembled using a “metal friendly” punch, and then fitted with a brad.  Once in place, the brad was lightly smashed with a craft hammer to give a more vintage feel.  I’m hoping these guys will grow old with my family, so I need them to stay sound.   With the character’s parts, functioning, buttons were added to embellish and complete a classic flavor to these Easter Characters.  Adhered with Beacon’s 3 in One Craft Glue, with careful storage, these fabulous details should last for years!

I’m rather smitten with lil’ Easter Girl!

But SHE appears smitten with Peter Cotton Tail!

Aren’t they the cutest pair!

I hope they have inspired YOU to look at your personal inventory of “leftovers”, toss in some incredible buttons from Buttons Galore & More, and make a seasonal treasure for you and YOUR family to enjoy for years to come!   It was a pleasure to share this fun button embellished spring project with you!   Have a splendid day!

Buttons Galore & More Products Used:

Rose Garden Button Tote – HB104

Class Button Tote – HB108

3 in 1 Craft Glue

Cross Promotional Items –

Loden Colored Twine

 

 

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Guest Designer – Melony Bradley

Buttons Galore and More is pleased to start a new segment featuring Guest Designers.  Not only do we have a fantastic Creative Team working diligently behind the scenes to bring you fabulous projects, we are bringing in some extra talent too.  I hope you will enjoy their creativity, crafty ideas and be as inspired by them as I am.  Our first Guest Designer is Melony Bradley, her work has graced the covers of many crafting and lifestyle publications.  Please enjoy her post below.   If you would like to check out more of work visit her blog or her etsy shop.

Finished Bracelets

Finished Bracelets

 

 

I am loving all the adorable versions of this throw back craft from my childhood I am seeing all the web these days. When I got a stash of Granny’s Button Box stitched buttons from Buttons Galore and More in the mail last week, I knew I had to give this old craft a new try and incorporate these adorable buttons.

 

Wood sticks and buttons

wood sticks and buttons

The concept is rather simple. Wood can be manipulated when soaked in water since it tears down the wood fibers. So, grab some jumbo craft sticks and lets get started.

Boil craft sticks.jpeg

Boil Craft sticks

First, bring a pot of water to a boil. Turn off the burner, Insert the craft sticks and let them soak for about 10-15 minutes. Put a few more in the water than you will think you need. I broke a few not being patient while trying to bend them.

Broken sticks.jpg

broken sticks

Once the sticks are soaked. Grab some appropriate sized glasses or plastic cups and patiently work them into the glass. Work slowly if you don’t want to end up with a lot of broken sticks like I did. It takes a little patience to get the hang of it

Sticks and glasses.jpg

sticks and glasses

These have to set up for 24 hours to completely dry. While they are drying, go ahead and grab some acrylic paints and pattern papers to coordinate with the buttons. I used Americana Acrylics by DecoArt and some older random simple printed patterned papers.

Paint and buttons,jpg

Paint and Buttons

Here is another step you can do while waiting for the sticks to set up, On the wrong side of the patterned paper, use a pencil and a jumbo craft stick to trace it.

Make a template

Make a template

 

Make a template 2.jpg

cut out the template

Use a pair of scissors to cut the paper out.

Cut out papers.jpg

cut out papers

Once the bracelets have dried, gently remove them from the glasses.

Paint bracelets

paint bracelets

Paint the bracelets in the colors of your choice.

Collage pauge

Collage Pauge

Use a decoupage medium like collage pauge and a foam brush to apply the papers to the front of the bracelets. Allow the medium to dry and gently sand the edges of the papers even with the wood.

Now comes the fun part! Glue some rhinestones in the center of the stitched buttons using a tacky glue like Aleenes Original Tacky Glue.

Glue the buttons to the front of the bracelet and let dry.

Finished Bracelets

Finished Bracelets

My bracelet’s didn’t turn out as snug as I wanted them to be, so I used some chain and jump rings to pull them a little closer in. I can still fit them over my hand without using a closure such as a lobster clasp but that still be another option. Learning from this, make sure you use a glass or cup that is slim enough if you want to skip this step!

Live Life Creatively,

Melony

 

 

3

Welcome Spring with Pastel Button Wall Art

Good morning! It’s official…SPRING HAS SPRUNG!  So why not create a fun wall hanger to match the season?  I don’t know about you, but I could use some spring colors in my house.

SpringHanging2

For this seasonal wall hanging, take a sheet of 12×12 acrylic, and trim it down to 6×8.

Then using your die cut machine or even a good punch, create your border with 2″ strips from patterned paper.

Adhere the border to the acrylic using the Beacon Zip Dry Adhesive (my favorite for acrylic and paper).

Grab a beautiful Buttons Galore & More Button Bonanza Pastel Pack and alternate buttons, complementing the edges of the frame. Then adhere a gemstone to the top of each button using Beacon Gem Tac. (I used pastel blue and purple buttons with pastel green gemstones).

SpringHanging4

After that, hand cut or use your die cut machine to cut 5 flower layers. I used double-sided patterned paper and alternated sides.

Layer flowers using foam pop dots, and then adhere 2 more Bonanza Pastel Buttons and one more gemstone right on top.

SpringHanging3

Adhere flower to corner of frame, and then add Lime Green Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon underneath the flower and also use as hanger behind frame. And that’s it! Beautiful and perfect to bring in spring and lighten your room!

SpringHanging1

I hope you found some inspiration from the post today!

Pinky: Buttons Galore & More Design Team

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Pin It To Win It Contest (contest closed)

Pin-it-to-win-it-

We are celebrating spring and what better way to do it than with Pinterest.  The site makes our hearts swoon— we use it as a creative kick-start, to figure out what’s for dinner, and to get inspired by gorgeous color combinations for our own projects.

Now we’d like to turn the spotlight on YOU & your creativity. Show us your BUTTON-inspired pinboards!!  At the end of the contest we will send the Pinterest user with our favorite pin collection a tote bag filled with fabulous & inspiring crafting supplies. If you are the creator of our very favorite button project, you will receive an invitation to be a guest designer for a mutually agreed upon month at Buttons Galore & More and receive $25 worth of products of your own choosing from the Buttons Galore & More site. In addition, your creation will be featured on our website and in our newsletter — reaching thousands of crafters around the world who will turn your idea for a fabulous project into reality.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

Be sure you follow Buttons Galore and More on Pinterest.  Create a new Pinterest board entitledButtons Galore Pin It To Win It Party.

Fill that board with at least 4 pins (feel free to add more!).

-2 of the pins must be of your favorite projects from the Buttons Galore blog

-2 pins must be of your own creations featuring buttons of any kind.

 

All the pins (even those not from ButtonsGaloreandMore.com) must have a caption explaining the pin’s relation to the party.Is it your favorite color mix? An awesome project? A card created by you? Your favorite scrapbook page? Tabletop decor?

All the pins (even those not from ButtonsGaloreandMore.com) must be hashtagged with both #buttons and #pinitparty.

Once your party pinboard is complete, enter the contest by posting a link to the pinboard in the comments section of April 2nds post Titled Pin it to win it starts TODAY.

This contest launches on April 2, 2012, and will run through 5 p.m. April 27, 2012. The Pinboards will be judged on originality, creativity, adherence to the contest rules, and a general sense of style, appreciation for all things interesting, authentic, and fun.

Note: You must be a member of Pinterest.com to enter, and you must be following ButtonsGalore. If you do not have a Pinterest account, you can sign up for one here or request an invitation in the comments section.

The Buttons Galore Party Pinboard Contest (the “Contest”) is sponsored by Buttons Galore and More (“Sponsor”).

ONE (1) GRAND PRIZE:  A gift bag filled with craft supplies approx. retail value $75.

ONE (1) FIRST-PLACE PRIZE:  approx. retail value $25

All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply; void where prohibited.  PRIZES MAY BE SUBJECT TO TAX; ALL APPLICABLE TAXES ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNER.

ELIGIBILITY: The Contest is open only to individuals, eighteen (18) years or older at time of entry, who are legal residents of the United States and Canada, excluding the Province of Quebec. Employees and Creative Team Members of Buttons Galore and More, their immediate families (defined as parents, children, siblings, spouse and grandparents), and those domiciled with any of the foregoing are not eligible.

ENTRY:  All entrants must submit a Pinterest board entitled Buttons Galore Pin It Party, containing at least 4 pins, 2 of the pins must be of your favorite projects from the Buttons Galore blog and 2 pins must be of your creations featuring buttons of any kind.

Submissions to the Contest must be received by April 27 2012 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) in order to be eligible; entries received after that date will be deemed ineligible to win.  Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, inaccurate, incomplete, damaged, illegible, or misdirected entries.

Each entry must be submitted on an individual basis (i.e., no team, joint, or corporate entries) the entries created by the contestan must be the original creation of the submitting participant.

Entries may not contain profanity, nudity, pornographic images, violent images, anti-competition messages, illegal material, or material that violates the rights of third parties. Entries may not include confidential information, trade secrets, trademarks or copyrighted material belonging to any person or entity other than the entrant absent a suitable license or permission agreement, proof of which is required. Entries containing any forbidden matter or material otherwise deemed by Sponsor to be inappropriate will be disqualified.  Online entries will be deemed submitted by the authorized account holder of the email address submitted at time of entry.  One entry per person; multiple entries will be disqualified.

JUDGING:  The Creative Team members and editors will select the winning entry based equally upon the criteria of originality, creativity, adherence to the contest rules, and a general sense of style appreciation for all things interesting, authentic, and fun.

By entering, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules, and that the decisions of the judges are final and binding in all respects.  Judging will be completed by April 30, 2012, and potential winners will be notified by Pinterest comment on or before May 1, 2012.  Sponsor reserves the right not to select any winning submissions based upon the quantity or content of submissions.

If required winner announcement is not in contact with Buttons Galore within seven (7) business days of notification, or if notification is returned as undeliverable, any prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner will be selected.

PRIZE AWARDS:  Prizes will be awarded within sixty (60) days after winner verification.  No prize substitution or transfer is permitted, except that Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value for any reason.  Sponsor is required by law to report prize values to taxing authorities; all taxes and any other incidental expenses on prizes are the sole responsibility of each winner.

GENERAL RULES & LIMITATIONS:  By entering, you represent that: (i) your entry is your own original work; and (ii) you own or have the rights to convey any and all right and title in any material submitted as part of your entry into the Contest.  By entering, you grant to Sponsor a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to edit, publish, promote, republish at any time in the future and otherwise use your submission, along with your name and likeness, in any and all media for any purpose, without further permission, notice or compensation (except where prohibited by law). By participating in the Contest, you agree to release Sponsor and its parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, employees, directors, officers, and agents from any and all liability, claims or actions of any kind whatsoever for injuries, damages or losses to persons and property which may be sustained in connection with the receipt, ownership, possession, use, or misuse of any prize.  Sponsor is not responsible for technical, hardware or software failures, or other errors or problems which may occur in connection with the Contest, whether computer, network, technical, mechanical, typographical, printing, human or otherwise, including, without limitation, errors or problems which may occur in connection with the administration of the Contest, the processing or judging of entries, the announcement of the prizes, in any Contest-related materials, or that may limit prize fulfillment or a participant’s ability to enter the Contest.  Sponsor reserves the right to amend these official rules and to disqualify permanently from the Contest any person it believes has intentionally violated these official rules.

 

************ the winners are Teresa Godines and Alicia Hatch****************

16

Regal Wall Art-Pin of the week

Wall Art it its most regal

Wall Art it its most regal

Are you a fan of the Monarch?  If not surely you can appreciate that time and the talent that went into this regal creation.  The creator of this piece also designed a Union Jack that is pretty complex too.

Check out this pinboard on Pinterest 

1

Button Loads of Fun! Spring Gift Basket

With spring in the air and Easter approaching it’s that time of year to make baskets and give sweet little gifts.What crafter would not want a basket filled with Buttons Galore & More buttons!  Forget the candy, give her buttons. I made this basket from cardstock, and found a pattern online. You can find patterns from the simple pattern you hand cut by hand, to the elaborate patternthat you cut with your machine.

Layering Buttons

To layer the buttons take 3 buttons from the Button Bonanza Pastel Pack

Tie twine into the smallest button, then hot glue buttons on top of one another.

With Bonanza logo

After you layer buttons adhere to basket using hot glue again.

Then carefully adhere buttons randomly along bottom edge for added flair.

Pour rest of Pastel Button Bonanza into basket and make someone’s day bright and happy!

I hope you have fun with this project- Pinky- Buttons Galore & More Design Team

0

Button Craft Ideas – Internet Inspiration

Tuesdays Button Craft Idea is a handmade card from Made in a Muddle.  When I came across her handmade cards the clean lines, bright colors and placement caught my eye.  Her blog has a nice blend of crafts, food, repurposing and humor  Her cute as a button card and supplies she used can be found here.

 

http://madeinamuddle.blogspot.com/ Cute as Button

http://madeinamuddle.blogspot.com/ Cute as Button

0

DIY A Simple spring tablescape with buttons

Hello there!  Today I am bringing you a super simple tablescape idea for spring using buttons, ribbon and clear glass jars…a “button-scape” if you will!  I’m willing to bet we all have a hodge podge of glass containers around the house (mason jars are one of my favorites) along with small spring and Easter themed nic-nacs.  Why not pull them together and make them a cohesive tablescape with the unifying ingredients of buttons, jars and ribbon?

Materials from Buttons Galore and More:

Other items needed:

  • various glass containers/jars/vases
  • spring themed collectibles
  • silk floral picks
  • pink/white gingham ribbon

Are you ready for the super complicated directions????  Just kidding, this process is simple.

  1. Partially fill jars with a single color of pastel buttons
  2. Add a figurine to the jar on top of the buttons
  3. Tie a ribbon around the top of the glass jar
  4. Arrange in a pleasing way on your table or display area

Check out the various items I used in my tablescape…

I loved the glass domed effect of the jars on my little treasures and the buttons are just the perfect pretty stage to show them off with!

Thank you for hopping by my post today!  I hope it inspires you to put your buttons to work this spring!

4

Fun button art with scraps from your stash

I love to make new fun with old scraps and recycled do-dads. Buttons are a perfect addition to any mix and match project because you can get buttons in a million different colors and sizes so you’re sure to find something that fits what you’re doing. Next time you’re looking for a little creative project that’s quick and easy, pull out your fabric stash and some buttons and make a pile of these mini art pieces.

Mini button art from craft scraps and buttons

Mini button art from craft scraps and buttons

You can either stitch everything together or use fabric glue, whichever you prefer. Mix in some paper, embroidery thread, fabric and whatever else you’d like to add. You can turn these mini button art pieces into pins to wear, keepsake gift tags or even frame them for a truly unique piece of decor.

make cute button art with fabric and buttons

make cute button art with fabric and buttons

The flower button in this project was one of the special crafter buttons called Start Ups. You can color them to make your own unique look so I put mine in some Rit dye along with some fabric scraps to get the vibrant new colors out of old drab fabric. You can also color the Start Ups with alcohol ink markers.

make your own cute button art

make your own cute button art

I used denim, linen and cotton fabric along with a variety of individual buttons, some Start Ups and embroidery thread. Any kind of extras would work. So the next time you find yourself wondering what to do with some of your craft scraps, grab a bag of buttons and make yourself some fabulous mini art pieces. They make great gifts and are simple enough that your kids can help too!

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