Button Swap Blog Hop Time

Some time ago I mentioned that I was participating in a button swap hosted by Cindy Wimmer over at Sweet Bead Studio... now what do we do with all those buttons? Well I decided to make some jewelry.  My partner was Christine Stonefield over at Sweet Girl Design. She sent me some wonderful buttons to play with. Our challenge was to use at least one of them in a creation of some kind and it didn't have to be jewelry.

Here is what she sent. Don't you just love the large ceramic one... How did she know that I love leaves and all things trees. My first thought was to make a journal and use one of the buttons for a closure and I may still do that but I really had to so something with that vintage lovely at the back.

This was the first piece and I knew I wanted to make a ring and this is the perfect button for that added flash  for when we go out in the evenings.

This next piece just kind of created itself. My first thought was to make some of my signature wire leaves and dangle them off the bottom but when that didn't look good I moved it to the top and added gemstone beads of jade, malachite and unikite as dangles at the bottom. Since I felt it still needed something I tied a bit of sari silk in the middle and used the remainder to hang around my neck. Yep the perfect pendant.

I am so going to wear this today as my mother and I are going shopping for Mother's Day.... okay we really don't have to have a reason to go shopping but since I couldn't get the guys to agree to a picnic up on Mt. Rainier, we will just have to suffer through.

So if you would like to blog hop around and see all the other fantastic button works of art, here are the participants and their partners.

Enjoy and Happy Mother's Day!

Alice Peterson  and Kim Bender

Angie Blasingame and Billi R.S. Rothove

 Billi R.S. Rothove and Angie Blasingame

 Birgitta Lejonklou and Pam Farren

 Bonnie Coursolle and Tania Hagen

 Brenda Salzano and Hope Smitherman

 Cat Kerr and Heather Powers

 Cece Cornier and Jeannie Dukic

 Celeste Thurston and Christine Damm

 Christine Damm and Celeste Thurston

 Christine Stonefield and Dana James

 Cilla Watkins and Lori Bowring Michaud

 Cindy Wimmer and Mimi Gardner

 Cynthia Machata and Julia Johnson

 Cynthia Riggs and Lori Finney

 Dana James and Christine Stonefield

Diana Ptaszynski and Erin Prais-Hintz

 Emma Thomas and Rebecca Anderson

 Erin Prais-Hintz and Diana Ptaszynski

 Erin Siegel and Sharon Borsavage

 Heather Powers and Cat Kerr

 Holly Westfall and Sally Russick

 Hope Smitherman and Brenda Salzano

 Jayne Capps and Kim Dworak

 Jeannie Dukic and Cece Cornier

 Jenna Meyers and Kristi Harrison

 Jenna Tomalka and Karen McKillip

 Jenny Davies Reazor and Sandi Volpe

 Julia Johnson and Cynthia Machata

 Kalaya Steede and Kylie Dickman

 Karen McKillip and Jenna Tomalka

 Karen Mitchell and Renetha Stanziano

 Karla Morgen and Mary Govaars

Kay Thomerson and Shannon Chomanczuk

 Kim Ballor and Laurel Steven

 Kim Bender and Alice Peterson

 Kim Dworak and Jayne Capps

 Kim Roberts and Partner unable to participate at this time.

 Kristi Harrison and Jenna Meyers

 Kylie Dickman and Kalaya Steede

 Kym Hunter and Lynda Moseley

 Laurel Steven and Kim Ballor

 Linda Djokic and Patty Gasparino

 Line Labrecque and Teri Baskett

 Liz DeLuca and Lorelei Eurto

 Lorelei Eurto and Liz DeLuca

 Lori Anderson and Niky Sayers

 Lori Bowring Michaud and Cilla Watkins

 Lori Finney and Cynthia Riggs

 Lynda Moseley and Kym Hunter

 Marianna Boylan and Tracy Statler

 Mary Govaars and Karla Morgen

 Mary Harding and Stacie Florer 

 Maureen Baranov and Tracy Bell

 Melissa Martin and Theresa Fosdick

 Michelle Hardy and Peggy Johnson

 Mimi Gardner and Cindy Wimmer

 Nicole Valentine Rimmer and Niki Meiners

 Niki Meiners and Nicole Valentine Rimmer

 Niky Sayers and Lori Anderson

 Pam Farren and Birgitta Lejonklou

* Pam Ferarri and Stefanie Teufel (will share their reveal on a later date)

 Patty Gasparino and Linda Djokic

 Peggy Johnson and Michelle Hardy

 Rebecca Anderson and Emma Thomas

 Rebekah Payne and Sue Kennedy

 Renetha Stanziano and Karen Mitchell

 Rose Binoya and Shanti Johnson

 Sally Russick and Holly Westfall

 Sandi Volpe and Jenny Davies Reazor

 Shannon Chomanczuk and Kay Thomerson

 Shanti Johnson and Rose Binoya

 Sharon Borsavage and Erin Siegel

 Shirley Moore and Veralynne Malone

 Stacie Florer and Mary Harding

* Stefanie Teufel and Pam Ferarri (will share their reveal on a later date)

 Sue Hamel and Terry Carter

 Sue Kennedy and Rebekah Payne

 Tania Hagen and Bonnie Coursolle

 Tania Spivey and Teresa Gagne

 Teresa Gagne and Tania Spivey

 Teri Baskett and Line Labrecque

 Terry Carter and Sue Hamel

 Theresa Fosdick and Melissa Martin

 Tracy Bell and Maureen Baranov

 Tracy Statler and Marianna Boylan

 Veralynne Malone and Shirley Moore

Weekend Show

This weekend DH and I are demonstrating at the West Seattle Gem & Mineral Show. This is our first show of the year and I prepped for days getting everything ready. I never know how much to take or what to take to certain shows. Since this is more of a rockhound type show I wanted to take more gems and minerals but didn't know what I would demo. DH is demo'ing gem trees so I decided to do wire work, even packed my torch and soldering supplies just in case I wanted to get a little bit fancy.

Well we were so busy I didn't get a chance to get the torch going but did have fun playing with my wire. Here are a couple of different pieces. Sorry picture is a bit blurry as I used the camera in my phone.

Hand formed copper bangle with Sari silk and then wrapped with more copper wire and a few danglies of crystal. I love this look and it is so comfortable to wear.

I had in my mind to create some sort of book mark so I did this long swirly piece of copper and tied some silk at the bottom.. didn't like it so I wrapped the silk back up the copper piece and wrapped it with more wire. Much better. It works to insert your book page through the swirl to mark your place. I think I'll try a different style tomorrow that has the dangle off the edge of the book.

We sold lots of gem trees so DH will be frantically making more tomorrow as we have another show (NW Federation Show) in the Tri-Cities area of WA next month.

These are my wonderful buttons I received from Christine for the Button Swap. I'll be using a couple of these in an upcoming jewelry design and I think one of them is going on one of my art journals... fun fun. Don't you just love that tree (upside down) button? Right up my alley don't you think.

Well, it's going to be another busy day tomorrow at the show. If you live in Western Washington or are in the area come check out the West Seattle Gem and Mineral Show. Here is the link: http://www.westseattlerockclub.org/gemshows.htm.

A Button Swap

I've had this fascination with buttons for a long time. I use them frequently now in my sewing and art work. I have even created a button tree sculpture with them. Well I joined a button swap hosted by Cindy Wimmer and on a recent trip to our antique store here in town I found a ton of cool buttons and they were cheap. I think a small bag was only $1.95 with the larger one at $3.95. So, I got all these lovelies for under $10.00. Now my swap partner doesn't know what I'm sending her but at least two of the buttons will come from this stash.

These are the coolest metal buttons. Love the windmill one. Wish I knew how old they were.

Not sure if these are old but they came out of the same metal stash at the antique store, they are metal (probably brass) edges with a plastic button inside. Love the little heart motif.

This button was so unusual, it is plastic but has all these symbols on it. Good size for a clasp on a bracelet I think and since they look Egyptian, I have just the charms to put with it on that bracelet.

Another cute little button, looks like a robot to me.

This didn't come from the antique store but was in my stash and I just had to share. This is my favorite special button that I will probably treasure forever and never use just because.

I hope everyone had a great Easter if you celebrate. We had a huge dinner at my mother's with lots of family and friends and great food. If you want to see what I've been up to in the ART world, check out my blog Basically ART.

Here is a sneak peak: