Just lately I’ve had a bit of a thing for buttons. It started when I had a bit of an idea and bought a couple of bags of buttons. Then I bought some more. Then some more. Soon I had a mountain of buttons and decided I needed some way to store them, so I made a button box. I found a raw wooden box at the Reject shop that had a glass lid and a removable partitioned tray. I painted it, added some self adhesive ribbon (the scrapbooking sort) and glued on a few beads. I was quite pleased with how it looked and once I sorted the beads into colours and put them in the box it looked fantastic! When I showed it to my friends they all wanted to go out an make one of their own!
What have I been doing with all these buttons? Well mostly just looking at them! LOL Oh and sorting them. I have started to incorporate them into my work though – I’ve used them for clasps on necklaces, I’ve sewn them on to tea cosies, I’ve set them in resin to make pendants, I’ve glued them together to make brooches and at the moment I am making button earrings (for pierced ears).
There is something rather comforting about buttons. They are like beads in a lot of ways – they come in lots of colours, shapes and sizes and it’s nice to just sit and look at them! I’m even toying with the idea of making a colour wash collage for my wall (a bit like a patchwork quilt but with buttons!). But then, that would use a lot of buttons, I’d probably have to go out and buy some more. Mmmm I kinda like that idea!
Sharyn
Just come back from the Sydney Bead and Gem Show and it has taken me three days to catch up on my sleep! So, you can probably guess I had a good time. There is nothing quite like going away with like minded people and spending four days just doing what you love. I had a great time. I spent far more than I had planned (as you do), met some great people and generally just wallowed in beady goodness. My classes went well and all my students were delightful.
One of the things I love about the Bead and Gem show is seeing the wide variety of people who attend - young and old, business and hobbyist, people from all walks of life – but all have a common interest. ‘People watching’ at the shows is always fascinating, especially for the jewellery that is worn, I know I spend a lot of time thinking about what I will wear and it seems a lot of other people do to. Another nice thing is you can feel comfortable pulling up a stranger and commenting on their necklace or bracelet, even asking for a closer look. Most people are not offended and usually delight in telling you about their piece.
I can’t say I saw much that was new and exciting at the show, which was disappointing, however, being able to see products up close and hold them in your hands is so good (so much better than peering at a computer screen!). This is especially good with things like gemstones, which can vary greatly from strand to strand and Artisan Lampwork where each piece is unique.
I stayed in an apartment with a few other beady friends and we had a great time, lots of laughs, lots of sharing and inspiring. On Saturday night we went out for a Beading forum dinner and that was great too. Food was delicious, company great and the best part was the jewellery that was passed around for everyone to look at, there were some magnificent pieces.
Now it’s back to the real world. It’s a bit hard to settle back into the day job after all that excitement. Still I have a few things coming up that I need to focus on – next week I am off to Cudal (a neighbouring town) for a day to teach wire crochet necklaces to a group of local women and then a couple of days later I have a stall at the local high school fete. No rest for the wicked!
Cheers
Sharyn
PS - I’ll try to get a photo or two of my show purchases over the weekend to show you.
