primitive Christmas ornaments via HowDidIDoIt.com

Got a box or jar full of buttons carefully saved by your mother or grandmother? For 2015 I’m in search of great ways to put those buttons to use. Here is this week’s idea:

I know it is only July but this project will probably take more than a weekend so now is a great time to plan ahead and get started on something special for Christmas. Along with the pattern for the cross-stitch ornaments above on HowDidIDoIt.com there is a bit of history of how pioneers decorated their Christmas trees. It would be great to share some of the traditions of frontier Christmases along with a hand stitched ornament adorned with buttons from an ancestor. Also a great way to focus on family and not on the more commercial aspects of the holidays.

It would be a good idea to document where the buttons for your project came from and any relevant stories or information about that person or family. If you are looking for more button crafts, check out my Pinterest board.