50 Button Crafts: idea #33 – button spiders

Posted on August 31, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

buttons spiders from bethapalooze

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 Halloween is still almost two months away but this little button spiders caught my eye today and I couldn’t resist. I’m actually afraid of spiders. Not so bad that I can’t function around them as long as I know exactly where they are and there is no danger of them ending up on me. But if you are having a family gathering for Halloween, these would be so much fun for the kids to make or you could put together a kit and send them off to far away families. You could also make some up and add a pin on the back and send them as gifts. It would be especially fun if your family has stories or traditions centered around Halloween or spiders. We lived next to a sugar cane field when I was little and the cane spiders made an indelible impression on me. These little button spiders would be a fun way to share memories of those times.

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.

50 Button Crafts: idea #32 – button clouds

Posted on August 24, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

button clouds by TheButtonzBoutique on Etsy

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:

Not sure why I chose to feature these buttons clouds this week but they spoke to me so here they are. I know I’m drawn to the simple white button crafts and I love this song. I even picked it as the ring tone for my “time to fix dinner” alarm on my phone. I think I might make a version of this for my husband for his birthday this year.

Family Tree: 50 family trees

Posted on August 11, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

family tree from http://www.grillyourgranny.com

Looking from some interesting and decorative family tree? The Paper Tree at GrillYourGranny.com might be just what you are looking for. They have several family trees that you can order printed copies of plus they have a CD you can order with 50 family tree images that you can print your self or take to your local print shop.

8 generation fan chart from GrillYourGranny.com

50 Button Crafts: idea #31 – button rings

Posted on August 10, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

vintage button rings from holy-craft.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:

If you have some one of a kind buttons this idea would be a great solution. Click on the photo above for a step by step tutorial using a few basic supplies like 28 gauge wire and wire cutters. I can imagine pairing the ring with a photo and a story of the ancestor would make a priceless gift.

Family Tree: Metro Map Style

Posted on August 4, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

If My Family Was a Metro System by Colville-Andersen

Here is an interesting variation on how to represent your family tree. I love the idea! Here is what the creator said about this project:

So I was thinking. What if my massive family was a metropolitan transit system? What would the map look like? Well… here it is.

Family trees are a tricky thing to make. They have a specific structure that is difficult to avoid. It took a good 16 hours to finish this design. Most of it was spent working out the system of how to represent the different lines – as well as the many quirky variations like different dads for two kids from the same mum, etc.

The symbolism is interesting and I haven’t figure what all of it means yet but it is a brilliant infographic on a very complex family structure. Many family structures are not straight forward and simple and I really like this solution. How would your family metro map look?

50 Button Crafts: idea #30 – button wreath

Posted on August 3, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

vintage button wreath by victorianpetals on etsy.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’m coming to realize that I’m drawn to these ideas that use a bunch of white buttons. Why? Maybe because I figure everyone’s stash has lots of white or neutral colored buttons. Anyway, I think this is a really elegant look and timeless too. And what a wonderful way to honor an ancestor or ancestors by re-purposing their buttons. Make sure you document as best you can where the buttons came from. It will make the wreath have more value to your posterity if they understand the significance of these particular buttons.

50 Button Crafts: idea #29 – button & wire pendant

Posted on July 30, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

Rebecca Clampton's button and wire pendant

Rebecca Compton’s button and wire pendant via Flickr

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:

What an elegant way to accent a single button and make it into a beautiful pendant. Who wouldn’t enjoy getting something like this featuring the button of an ancestor along with a story or a bit about that person. Such a great idea. It would probably take a bit of practice to learn to shape the wire but it would be well worth the effort.

Family Tree: word art family tree

Posted on July 24, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

personalized family tree art by KinAndCaboodle on Etsy.com

Love this family tree made up of names. KinAndCaboodle on Etsy.com will custom make one just for your family or if you have the right skills you could probably create your own, it should be doable in software like Adobe InDesign. I want to try this sometime, partly because I’ve never done anything like this before. If you are in the market for a word art style family tree check out KinAndCaboodle they have several styles to choose from.

50 Button Crafts: idea #28 – button & cross-stitch Christmas ornaments

Posted on July 20, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

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.

50 Button Crafts: idea #27 – button resin bracelet

Posted on July 13, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

button resin bracelet from resinobsession.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:

As a teenager I played around with resin and had lots of fun with it, so when I saw this button resin bacelet it took me back a bunch of years. Most of my creations were with sea shells, I never thought of using buttons or making a bracelet. This could be a fun project to do with a small group and teach them the craft of working with resin and sharing stories and memories of those whose buttons you are using or ancestors who also enjoyed crafting with unusual materials. Have you ever worked with resin? Click on the photo above for a step by step tutorial.