Tag Archives: family stories

50 Button Crafts: idea #11 – repurposed button charms

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Repurposed Button Charms from ECT TV

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:

Here is another twist on using buttons for charms. If you have other family memorabilia or maybe just the odd piece of “junk” why not mix it in with your buttons to add more history and interest to the project? This also give more room to make the charm more masculine with some hardware from grandpa’s nuts and bolts stash. Here is the tutorial video.

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 #10 – chunky bracelet

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chunky button bracelets from FunkyTrend.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 like the recent trend to large chunky bracelets, this is the perfect idea for you. What a fun way to make a fashion statement and honor your ancestor at the same time. I have no idea how the bracelets above were made. I think I’d start with some wide elastic and sew the ends together and then stitch the buttons on the elastic. While I was searching for a tutorial on the above photo, I found the bracelet below, an actual example made in the 1960’s by this artist as a teenager by raiding her mother’s button box. In this example she used crocheted elastic with a button and loop closure. What a great example of this idea.

Grandmother’s City Lights Button Box Bracelet from Artfire.com

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 #9 – button cats

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button cats by Gatti Bottonuti via Facebook

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:

The moment I saw these whimsical cats I knew I had to share them. They are amazing. No idea how they were made. The Facebook page is in Italian and I’m not too good and getting Google Translate to work. But they are inspiring. It looks like one of the keys is the ears. This person used heart or triangle-shaped buttons. Not sure my stash has any of those but you could add some contemporary buttons or use something else. It would be so much fun to figure out how to make lab puppy button figure. I would probably have to use something besides buttons for their ears. I’m super excited about this. Hope it inspires you too.

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 #8 – button hair ties

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button hair ties from DreamPatch

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 a super simple way to re-purpose a special button. Love this idea. You could let a little girl pick out her favorite button from the stash and in no time at all transform it into a hair tie. Another possibility would be to make covered buttons like the one in DreamPatch’s photo from some special fabric or piece of clothing.

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 #7 – button headbands

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button headband from SugarBeeCrafts.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:

These button headbands are such a sweet idea. Mandy of SugarBee (photo above) adapted the tutorial from LittleMissMomma (photo below) to make it more kid friendly. This is a great project to teach kids about their grandmother, especially if you are using her buttons, and some really basic sewing skills at the same time. Perfect for a girls and granny day or the sleepovers I did with my nieces when they were young. Little Miss Momma has two version of her button headband. The second one is a no sew project. Click on any of the photos for step by step instructions.

button headband from LittleMissMomma.com

no sew button headband from LittleMissMomma.com

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 #6 – button heart pillow

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button heart pillow from MayArts.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:

Valentines Day snuck up on me again this year. There are lots of fun ideas incorporating hearts and buttons that I pinned on my button crafts board but I choose this was for my post today. Not sure way but maybe two reasons, the simplicity of the design and its versatility. I can imagine this with multicolored buttons or with white buttons on a dark background. If you button stash is like mine there are lots of small rather nondescript white buttons that would work great for this. Click on the photo above for a step by step tutorial.

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 #5 – button flowers

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button flowers from craftandfun.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:

This is a really fun way to use buttons. Makes me want to grab some scraps of yarn, a crochet hook and buttons and try this out. The website linked above is in Italian but the step by step photos are very clear. Plus you can use Google to translate if you need to. I go to our local elementary two days a week to listen to a couple of third grades read. I think they might just like some button flowers too.

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.

Family Photo Books and Blurb Discount Code

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I got an email from Blurb.com that I thought I’d share. Along with a 20% discount code “MYVALENTINE” (no minimum and up to $50 off – good through January 31st 2015 local time) They had some good ideas on making family photos books. Here are a few of their favorite ideas:

If you have an epic tale to tell, do it in a custom family history book. Do a little research (you don’t have to be a historian—just be curious) and share your family’s story.
Lucky enough to have a large family? See how you can make a family yearbook (just like a school’s yearbook) to get everyone into the picture.
Time flies, babies become toddlers, and before you know it they’re out of the nest. Simple photo books documenting their growth likewise become treasured reminders—use pre-designed templates or create your own layouts.
Not sure where to start?
Watch our series of short, handy Book Camp videos and see how to put your book together, from organizing your photos to hitting Order.
You can even check out our step-by-simple-step tutorial about how to make a family photo book.

50 Button Crafts: idea #4 – button bookmarks

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button bookmarks from iheartnaptime.net

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:

A big chunk of the button crafts I’ve found are jewelry so I thought this idea would be a nice change of pace. Plus it is super simple. All you need is buttons, paper clips, hot glue and some scraps of felt. Click on the photo above for I Heart Nap Time’s tutorial. If you have buttons from someone who loved to read these bookmarks would make the perfect opportunity to share a story about that person’s favorite book. I might just make a few of these for the kids I tutor in reading at the local elementary school. I think they would love them.

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 #3 – simple button bracelet

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button bracelet by Hope Studios

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:

This button bracelet would be so much fun to do at a family gathering. Have the supplies gathered and enjoy some storytellling, chating and bonding while everyone creates a one of a kind bracelet with ties to their family through the buttons and memories of making them together. Click on the photo for Hope Studios’ step by step tutorial.

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.