Craft Ideas Using Buttons

Button Dish

Approximate Time: 1 day

Supplies:

• buttons
• glue
• clear gloss glaze (optional)
• dish or bowl
• foil

Instructions:

1. Choose a dish or shallow bowl that has a shape you'd like your button dish to match.
2. Arrange your buttons in different patterns on the dish until you figure out what pattern you like.

3. Remove buttons and line the dish completely with aluminum foil.

4. Squeeze some glue onto the foil-lined dish and start placing your buttons, starting from the center, working outwards. Keep gluing and placing buttons until you're happy with your dish.

5. Let dry overnight. Dish is done when the buttons don't move anymore when you touch gently with your finger (I gave mine about 16 hours).
6. If you use big buttons in your design (like I did), add a light coating of clear gloss glaze for more stability.
7. Remove button dish (will have foil stuck to it) and gently peel off foil.

Enjoy your beautiful and useful recycled art!

By attosa from Los Angeles, CA

Craft: Pearl Button Pin

First cut out a piece of tightly woven cotton fabric in a heart shape that is approximately 3 by 2-1/2 inches. If you wish, you might put some fray check on the edges to keep from fraying or some clear fingernail polish would work also.

Starting from the middle sew on the buttons snugly, keeping the fabric cupped so that when you are done you have a 3-D dimension. Then when all done, glue a piece of matching felt on the back and on that glue on a pin fastener. With the right jewelry findings, you could also make a necklace of it.

By Elaine from Iowa

Craft Project: Button and Fabric Wall Hanging

Approximate Time: 2 hours

Supplies:

• two sizes of round disks
• a wooden placard
• crochet thread and needle
• buttons
• raffia or ribbon
• hot glue gun
• scrap fabric
• white glue and foam brush
• fine tip felt pen
• options: paint

Instructions:

1. When you search for a placard, you can use just about any kind.
2. Test the bleed factor on the back of it to make sure your felt pen will work.
3. If you have a steady hand and good spacial recognition, you can make the "stitch mark" like on this one. If you do not, you can always paint it or leave the edges blank.
4. Write "Friends are like unique buttons. You collect them one at a time." Center it and write it on paper if you want to make sure it's right.
5. Once that part is done, you can set this aside.

6. The round disks can be found in about any craft shop, so if you can, get the 2 inch and 1.5 inch for a variety. Drill holes in them like for buttons, mixing two and four holes for variety, as well.
7. You can paint these, or do what I did. The scrap fabric needs to be prepared with glue. This makes the fabric stiff and easy to cut like paper.
8. Once they are dried, lay the disks on them and circle cut them to glue onto the disks. You will need the foam brush to make sure the fabric gets glued to the edges of the disks.
9. Weigh them down for at least 15 minutes to bond the glue. You may need to trim any excess.
10. I painted the edges of the buttons black to match the felt tip. You can leave them tan if you wish.
11. Pick some scrap buttons to match the colors of the fabric you chose. Once the wooden and fabric buttons have dried, get some crochet thread to match the colors of the fabric. If you don't have any, yarn can work or just plain thread. However, keep in mind you will need a lot of it.
12. Thread the needle and get the effect you want, tying some in front and some glued to the back.
13. Hot glue the wooden buttons to each other using 2 in the front and 2 in the back, keeping it level. Make sure not to cover the nice threads.
14. Glue the buttons onto the wooden ones, and the top if you choose. If you have raffia, use it to hot glue to the back of the outside buttons and loop around to the back of the placard for the loop.

Give as a gift to a friend, or keep and hang on your wall. This is a craft best left inside out of the elements.

Enjoy.

By Sandi from Yorktown, VA

Button Choker

Approximate Time: 15 minutes

Supplies:

• 2 yards thin hemp cord
• 21 beads from old necklace
• 21 buttons
• scissors
• super glue (optional)

Instructions:

1. Cut hemp cord to length of 2 yards.
2. Double cord and make an overhand knot at the folded end, leaving a loop large enough to fit button to be used as clasp at very end through.
3. String beads and buttons alternately, "sewing" cord through buttons in a vertical line so that one piece of the hemp goes over and through one side of the button while the other does so simultaneously; this gives the piece stability.
4. At the very end of the choker, tie a square knot before and after the button to be used as the "clasp," reinforce knots with super glue if desired; show off your new piece of jewelry!

By Brianna from Dutch Harbor, AK

Button Flowers in Salt Shaker Vase

Approximate Time: Took me longer to choose the perfect buttons than it did to make the flowers.

Supplies:

• old buttons
• floral wire
• salt shaker

Instructions:

1. Use as many buttons per flower as you want, but I found that 3 or 4 was the easiest to work with.

2. Simply thread the wire up through the buttons, one at a time, allowing enough extra wire to bring it back down through.
3. Then twist the end around the longer "stem".
4. If you want, you could wrap floral tape around the twisted wire, but I left it as is.
5. Now poke your flowers into the holes of a salt shaker.
6. Done.

*I saw this craft on several websites. This is my version*

By ~gloria from upstate NY

Using Buttons for Toys

By Marty from Knoxville, TN

Button Trees

Materials:

• small planter or clay pots
• Styrofoam cone
• glue (I used E-6000)
• gold spray paint
• assorted buttons, earrings, beads, or jewelry findings
• assorted ribbons and greenery
• florist moss

Instructions

1. Begin by gluing 2 clay post together.
2. Allow to dry.
3. Spray paint gold, allow to dry.
4. In the meantime, starting at the top of the Styrofoam cone, secure assorted flat backed buttons as close together as possible. Do not worry about spaces. You will add another layer of buttons (shank) to fill in any holes.
5. Stop approximately 1-1.5 inches from bottom.
6. Work in sections, allowing to dry thoroughly between sessions.
7. Once the cone has been decorated to your satisfaction, place a layer of glue on the "inside" of the clay pot.
8. Place a small amount of moss (allow to "hang out" slightly) and firmly push cone into the clay pot. Move moss around to cover any Styrofoam.
9. You can add additional buttons later to fill in any blank spaces.
10. Allow glue to dry.
11. You may now decorate the outside of the pot using wired ribbon and greenery.

I make several of these and display with my nativity set. They are beautiful and very unusual.

By Diana from Prospect, KY