2.08.2011

Buttoned up

I have a tendency to collect buttons. I don't exactly mean to but it happens. I think that I might use them later. That all the buttons on my shirts and jackets are going to mysteriously disappear and that I will need those back ups. But the truth is, they never do. And even when I do lose a button, I never bother to replace them.


I mentioned wanting to do something cool with all these buttons to my grandmother and she gave me a ton of antique buttons.

Score.

These are way better than my leftover Gap and Banana Republic simple black and tortoise. These were big, small, crystal, green ones, flowers, you name it.

I have forgotten along the way where I got this idea – I could have ripped it straight from the pages of Pottery Barn, I have no shame along with no memory. Either way, it's simple and fairly low cost. You could probably replicate something similar with things from your house.



My grandmother also gave me some old frames, but if you're like me, you have frames that for whatever reason don't have glass but you never threw away. (Or that's just me.) If you don't, I see them all the time at flea markets.


I also had a piece of leftover canvas. This could be substituted with any plain fabric (or mostly plain).

I sketched out an 'M.' The easiest way is to print out a large single letter or enlarge it. (I think it was around 165 point font) I used a pencil very lightly then started laying out buttons, making sure to spread out small ones and large ones, keeping colors from touching and spreading out the interesting ones.



And then I hot glued the buttons in place. I planned on going back and stitching them down, but I didn't. I'm lazy.

5 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh I LOVE that! And I really love the striped walls. Our walls are heavily textured so I'm afraid clean lines would probably be impossible

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  2. Kristy- Our walls have orange peel texture (kind of medium in the realm of texture) and ours seeped a little. When I first posted the stripes someone told me that you should lay down the tape then paint with the lighter color to seal the tape (this color will 'ooze' down) then do the darker color. I've also heard using glaze-which is what we did, but it didn't work that well.

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  3. OH MY LORD!! I love love this idea - I am toootally going to do this for my living room - but with small sea shell pieces (which I have 2000 billion of) and my Last name letter - R - I LVOE THIS - sooo creative - original and gorgeous!!! LOVE THIS!

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  4. Very cool! We can make one when I come to run the LR marathon! Maybe your craftiness will rub off on me!

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  5. what a great idea. i love that it's right on top of that dresser you so geniusly redid.

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