Here are just a few ideas of what can be done with our handcrafted buttons:

Scrap Booking
This craft is taking the world by storm at the moment. Flat, interesting and topical things are used to make the pages in your albums fun and interesting. Adding buttons can be a blast! Pick a theme or just add them to fill a space. Ceramic buttons are perfectly safe to place near your pictures as they won’t hurt your photos in any way. All our ceramic buttons are flat and have no shanks so they will fit well into your album. Create a layered look by cutting out windows in some board and placing the buttons inside like a ‘shadow box’. This not only adds three dimensional attractions but you can also place a photo in some of the windows too. Use the buttons to secure the photos to a page, stick your torn fabric on your page, weight it down with a few buttons and then place your photos on too. Creating a three dimensional page is always loads of fun…..

Picture frames
Next time you are looking for a simple project to do or want to keep the kids busy, try decorating picture frames. Hot glue guns are a bonus with this project but if you are worried about getting burnt, try a quick drying craft glue. Frames are easy to decorate as they are usually flat and sometimes very boring. A cheap frame can become something quite unique by simply picking a theme and adding some buttons to match. After taking the kids to a water park, the photos were fun and bright. Adding a dolphin button and a tropical fish to the opposite corner, my cheap little blue frame became part of the fun. My grand mother loved being amongst the flowers and so when I put her photo in the frame I covered it with all sorts of flower buttons.

If your buttons are the plastic variety and have shanks on them (so they won’t glue flat) then simply hold them still on a chopping block and using a sharp knife, cut the shank off. Now they will glue flat. If you can’t get the shank off then glue two flat buttons, the depth of your shank, to your frame and then glue the shanked buttons onto the top of them after inserting the shank down between the two of them.

For a fun addition you can also glue a small pretty button over the top of a plain larger button. This gives you a three dimensional appeal. Have fun and enjoy making your own special frames.

Dress up shirt the easy way
Pick a theme for your shirt. Hearts are always popular. Cut several different sized and shaped hearts out of some different good quality fabrics. Using a fabric bonding medium stick the hearts onto the yoke or pockets of your shirt. Using a blanket stitch either by hand or machine, stitch the hearts down. Pick your favourite heart buttons out of the range and scatter them amongst the fabric patches. Other theme suggestions are 'gardening, 'Noahs ark', or whatever you favourite hobby may be.

Gift Cards
Next time a sewing or crafty friend has a birthday make them a gift in a card. Using either a plain card or make your own out of some cardboard, glue a happy piece of fabric to the front of the card and then attach a button to match. Stamping a design is another way of decorating the card. By attaching the button your friend now has a gift in the button that you are giving them as well as a card that is easy and fun to both make and receive.