Collecting Buttons

I have a small collection of buttons. My favorites are the carved mother of pearl but I have a lot of glass ones too. They fill up several boxes and jars. I also buy buttons to use on craft items that I sell at shows and I like to buy the more colorful ones for that purpose. Sometimes though, they just don't work so I've ended up with lots of odds and ends. Last weekend I got out my bingo cards (I admit, not an original idea) and started to lay out buttons. I had made one of these a while ago and tried to get one button in every square but that soon went by the wayside. Sewing the buttons on the cards was not as easy as I thought it would be - some of the buttons didn't come out in the correct position and some flop a bit due to their weight. But overall a fun, easy project. I had a vintage tobacco tin and the bingo cards fit perfectly. A vintage metal flower frog works great as a display stand.

Tiny mother of pearl buttons in every square

Blue themed

Shades of red

Pinks and purples

More mother of pearl buttons - belt buckles too!

Mixed bag

Buttons displayed in a vintage tin. The pin cushion was purchased from Etsy shop Namolio

Patchwork Long Beach Part 2

Since the Patchwork shows are always busy, I like to walk around before the show starts to see everyone's booths and to do a little shopping. Here are some of my favorites.

Spiral bound notebooks made from vintage book covers by Brown Bag Books (of course, I was attracted by the vintage suitcases!)  You can check out their blog here.

 

 Accents had a great looking booth (with more suitcases!) full of vintage looking bow ties, scarves and pocket squares. Check out their shop here.

I really liked the packaging from Wildflower Botanicals. In addition to bath and body products, they also sell candles. Check out their shop here.

Whimsical original artwork and art dolls were offered by Little Sage Creations. There's lots more to see in her Etsy shop here.

Being a pottery lover, the ceramics of Lizbeth Navarro really caught my eye. The little pot on the right went home with me! Check out her website here.

Patchwork Long Beach

The last two Sundays were spent at the Patchwork festival. Here are a few pictures of my booth in Long Beach on June 2.

 

I'm getting quite a collection of vintage suitcases. They make excellent displays and I can pack everything up inside for transport and storage.  A trip to Home Depot gave me an easy and inexpensive way to hang my tote bags. A few bungee cords, plastic chain and some carabiners make an easy display.

I have new zip pouches to go with my tote bags. I printed the pouches on my letterpress from some of my linoleum blocks. Now I just have to photograph them and get them in the shop!