Friday, August 30, 2013

Vintage Button Bracelet




I have a "thing" for buttons.  Whenever I'm in an antique store or flea market I subconsciously look for them...here are just a few from my collection...


 so, putting them on a chain and wearing them made perfect sense to me:) 


YUM.

When I saw some of the cool images that came in our August Kit from ARTChix I was immediately drawn to the moon.  I'm kind of a night owl...mixed with "early riser" syndrome.  I guess I don't sleep  much, I never have.  It runs in my family.  Me and Mr. Moon hang out a lot. He was my INSPIRATION  for creating this vintage bracelet.

I cut him right out and decided to adhere his bright shiny face to a metal charm I had in my stash.


I wanted him to feel "at home" with my vintage buttons, so I added some Distress Ink from my Tim Holtz Walnut Ink Pad.


Below is the tag set I pulled the (Tim Holtz) charm from.  You can find it here. But, I actually think I bought mine at Hobby Lobby.  I used the one that says "ARTFUL."  

Next, I grabbed a chain from my jewelry stash similar to the one below. (also found at Hobby Lobby)

I cut the chain to fit my wrist using wire cutters.

Next, with a pair of needle nose pliers, I added each button (in shades of brown), attaching them with large jump rings. *You can find all of these simple jewelry making tools at Hobby Lobby or Michaels.

I added a simple clasp similar to this one below, although the one I used is just a plain hook...but cost close to the same...about $1.


I adhered the inked up image to the Tim Holtz charm with my favorite matte medium that Tina included  in our July Kit.  



Then added Glossy Accents on top.






You can see in the picture above that I need to go back in and "fully" close the jump ring for Mr Moon.

I love to look at each button and imagine what it's original home was...housecoat, shift dress, school uniform, bell bottoms, Easter coat...

Hope this inspires you to create simple jewelry using the creative images found in our monthly Frog Dog Kits! They are kits that will last for many many different projects!  Such great value:)

I really love "hanging out" with you,

Creatively Yours,

sue











3 comments:

  1. Such a cool idea Sue - I love buttons too and have stacks of them AND I love charm bracelets so this is perfect thanks for the inspiration

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  2. Thanks for reading and for this kind words! It's so rewarding to connect with fellow "creatives" through blogging! I learn so much:) What do you do with your buttons?? If you're into journaling, I learned a cool use for buttons in a class I took from Ingrid Dijkers...If you'd like to learn about it go to my blog 1arthouse.wordpress.com to see a pic of the journal page I did with added buttons wired to the outside edge. The post is titled "More from Create"

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  3. Whoa, buttons! Now I know how I can make use of the ones that accidentally detached from my clothes. It’s such a waste to throw them (especially the stylish ones) when I can’t sew them back the cloth. Thanks to your creativity, I think I could turn them into a charming chain like this one. Leslie @ Mesa Verde Southwest

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