I wiped away the weeds & foam. / I fetched my sea-born treasures home... Ralph Waldo Emerson







Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Who's Got the Buttons?



Hi everyone!

I recently received a wonderful box from my blogging friend Peggy! Inside was a vintage Christmas box with a stack of charming hankies and a bag of assorted buttons. And a handknit heart! I felt like it was my birthday!

I don't know much about buttons but I buy them anyway.


I got this big box and tin of buttons at a winter flea market.  $8.00 for all!


Took me quite a while to sort them all out, lots of treasures here!


Jelly beans?


...no, the best "keepers" that I gleaned out.


And here are some pretties up close...


Are they Bakelite?


I think so , or very vintage plastic....


Here's a batch set aside for my new springtime white hearts, coming soon-ish....


And these are my most favorite, the old mother of pearls....


This buy yielded a nice handful of the Victorian/ Edwardian eras' large carved mother of pearl or shell buttons.


I have to admit I rarely use these or sell them, I treasure them, I guess I can say I collect them, in a very unfocused way....

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I love them! Imagine a world where a button is carved by hand from a large river clamshell!


There were some of these beauties in the box from Peggy.  She says she has a giant pretzel jar full. Oooh! I need a big ...huge...jar. Or two. Later she confided that she loves them too...and had a hard time giving any of her buttons up!


I know just how she feels but I am putting a big box of these goodies and some special oldies on etsy and eBay.


You know...so the craft cupboard doesn't explode?

What do you all collect? Or, (gasp, do you watch TLC's Hoarders? )...well, hoard...?



love

            lizzy


gone to the beach