in the studio: making buttons......

So now buttons you say and I say why not?  I am on a never ending journey to learn new things and with the help of  YouTube the possibilities are endless!!!!  I am currently working on my own version of smash book which is a new craze on YouTube. 

My girlfriend Tania got me a smash book for Christmas and I have starting using it for a list of art supplies I have and want to have. It really comes in handy when I want to buy something and I have forgot if I already purchased it.  Do you have this problem too?  To many craft hobbies I guess.  I have to give credit to her for the idea since she came up with it first. Thanks Tania great idea and I have used it already while shopping. 

So lets begin with the buttons.....I was watching videos on smash books and saw someone using a chipboard button inside a silk flower and of course the light bulb went on! Why not make my own.  I love the challenge of making something from nothing and having it turn out just as cool as the purchased ones not sure why but I do, so the challenge begins.....

The first step is to cut out circles and I used a punch that was 1 1/2 inch.

Next glue down the circles on medium weight chipboard.

After you glue all the circles down next cut them all out. 

As I was cutting the circles out an IDEA came to me......why not stamp images on first!!!!

I just loved the idea!  The reason I chose the bee was because I thought it would look like the bee was getting pollen when glued on the flower neat right?   Also, one paper had some glitter already on it so I thought I would see how that worked too.  I used the StazOn brand pad in black.

The stamps I used here are Inkadinkado clear stamp for the bee, Inkadinkado rubber stamp for the script (this is a large stamp), and Hampton Art rubber stamp for the lady (I only used part of this stamp.  I has 15 thumbnail images on this stamp and is large too).  I believe you can get them all from either JoAnn's or Micheals.

I choose to antique my edges just to give it that finished look.  I used sandpaper for this and I sanded the edges all the way around including the back side.

Then I used my walnut stain from Tim Holt's Distress Ink pad and made sure I covered all the sanded areas and the edge.

I used my dial a punch to make the button holes in the center.

Next would be the embossing part and here are the supplies I used.  Clear embossing powder and Versa Mark watermark stamp pad.  I am not sure if this is the right pad to used but it seemed to work.  Also, I am using very old embossing powder so it make not work as it should.  Does this get old?

I pushed down the button to make it all sticky on the decorated paper side then added the embossing powder. 

When you pour the embossing powder over the button really over do this part so it covers well.

Here it is before I used the heat gun.

BE CAREFUL WHEN DOING THIS PART!!!  The button can and will sometimes move while heating so the trick is to try to stay directly over the top of it.  I also used a tweezers in one of the holes to keep it in place and that seemed to work.  By doing this you won't burn your fingers!!  I do the embossing step twice but it is really up to you.

My buttons have some divots in them and that is where it might be from using over 10 year old powder and not an embossing pad.  Some did this and others didn't.  I guess I will buy some new powder/pad and see how that turns out to compare.

Overall I was really happy with the turn out and will make many more and even different shapes too!!!

I thought if you want to personalize it why not write on it!!  I used a black sharpie and that seemed to work just fine.  Cute huh????  The flower was originally a different color but I painted it white with acrylic paint.  It does take a few coats but I like the artsy way it felt and looked.

Here is the button used with a silk flower I got at the dollar store.  I purchase flowers by the size and style knowing I will used them in my books and they will kinda need to lay flat when used.  I loved this green flower and with the red button it just stands out perfectly.

This bee button is my favorite and this is what it will look like when I finish it.  I do sew the button to the flower before I glue it on the page so make sure your sewing needle is big enough for the string and the size hole you made in the button.  But for now I will just have the buttons in a container until I use them and then at that point decide what kind of flower will go with it.  The white string used was from the

#5-Strung Avery shipping tags you get at Staples.

Here is my first button I made and is smaller then the 1 1/2 inch ones I just did.  I added the button to layers of pedals and attached it to one of the pages in my smash book.  Isn't it just stinking cute?!!  The vintage lady with the coffee cup is from a recipe card purchased from Micheal's last year.  When I glued it down I only put glue on three outer edges so that the top was left open for tags.  The "sprout a little smile" stamp is from Pinkpaislee's 2012 Spring Jubilee collection which I purchase online thru them.  I just love it and can't wait to make some more buttons/flowers.  So now that you know how they are made go have some fun and see what you can come up with.  Thanks for joining me today in my studio where there is always something creative going on.

xo

barbara lynn