Button, Button, Who's Got the Button?

Remember that? That old children’s game could provide endless hours of giggles.

I love buttons. Maybe that’s because I was raised by a dressmaker, who was raised by a dressmaker... Some of my earliest memories are playing in my Mom’s button jar. 

http://www.bijoulovelydesigns.com

I fondly remember sitting Indian-style on our harvest gold shag rug (it was the 70's after all)! If I was being really good, Mom would let me spill a big jar full of buttons on the floor of her sewing room and I would spend hours carefully choosing my favorite ones. Putting them in lovely shimmering piles of all shapes, colors, and sizes could entertain me for an entire afternoon. 


When I got a little older, I used buttons for eyes in puppets, the center of daisies, and decorated frames and Christmas ornaments. When I had a craft project that needed a little more pizzazz, I would excitedly reach for Mom's button jar! 


Not much has changed today, as I still find myself reaching into Mom's button jar to add a little flair to my art projects.  

http://www.bijoulovelydesigns.com

If I close my eyes long enough, I can almost hear the crescendo and decrescendo of Mom's sewing machine and the music playing in the background on her black weathered transistor radio as she softly hummed along. In an instant I am transported to simpler times. For sure.

 

Will you indulge me for just a moment with some button eye-candy!?

http://kraplap.blogspot.com

 Love this precious little button dress. I call it The Dressmaker's Daughter.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/RememberMeEmily?ref=seller_info

Sweet button bouquet.

http://jennaulls.blogspot.com

I'm always a sucker for letter graphics. Throw in some buttons and the result is oh so cute!

http://pinterest.com/onehappy1/bling/

The uses in jewelry making are limitless!

http://pinterest.com/onehappy1/happy-happy-holidays/

Who can resist holiday crafting with buttons?! Not I.  

Next month marks the 9th anniversary of the passing of my sweet momma. After she passed away, the thing I treasured most were not her jewels, nor the prized and rare pieces of Lladro, and not the "valuable" antiques. The thing I still look at every day is her vast collection of buttons. Not valuable to anyone else but me. 

This post was written to honor my lovely, little (4 foot 9 inches) dressmaker momma. She still inspires me.

Every. Single. Day. 

http://greenwellies.tumblr.com

Button, button, who's got the button? Thankfully, I do.  

Happy Day! xoxo Rena 

Easy-Peasy Collage Book

By Lori Gardner

I LOVE these little notes from The Paper Source. Great colors and they have envelopes that match. I opened my “notes” drawer and out spilled these 4 colors and ta-da they ended up in a little book.

Pull out your “smash” pile and some pretty ribbons, buttons, and old jewelry.  Start by punching a hole in the top all aligned.  Then glue, sew, layer, etc.  Finish up by tying a smart little bow to hold the book together.  It would make a sweet little hostess gift or tag or inspiration book.

My blog "This is me" is under construction. I hope you will visit me when it is up to snuff.
xoxo

Art Tribe

Remember that song from Sesame Street, “One of these things doesn’t belong here”.  Well, if all the art friends lined up and that song started playing…I would be the “thing” they are singing about!  

I'm a "W" in a room full of "2"s

Unlike all of these sweet and wonderful “art sisters”, I am loud, I am obnoxious, I cuss like a trucker and have very little natural artistic talent!  Does that matter to them…absolutely not!  Years ago, one of our sweet friends, Rena and I had a conversation about how important it is to belong to a “tribe”. 

My family - 

By the way - I'm Emily Mortimer (I'm the old gal in the middle - not the pretty off to the left).  I am fortunate in many ways.  I live in the house I grew up in.  My little family and I live surrounded by aunts and uncles, cousins, friends since childhood, and my siblings near by.  Add to this a community of my parent’s friends, their children, neighbors, my church congregation…and my life is full of people.  Wonderful people!  People who have influenced my life in so many ways – mostly for good ;)  As I met my sweet art friends, I added them to my “tribe”.   I LOVE these friends.  I love that we have diverse backgrounds and life situations.  I love that none of that matters.  I love that we support each other, laugh with each other, cry with each other, mourn with each other and celebrate with each other.  Shouldn’t everyone be so fortunate? 

In the past few months I’ve take some on-line courses from the lovely Terri Brush and the adorable Jeanne Oliver.  Both of these women have created Facebook pages for the class participants.  It’s been a place of sharing and encouragement for students to share their creations, ideas, tricks and tips.  I’ve been amazed at the generosity of complete strangers, and it just reaffirms to me that in this world, we all need each other.  We all need a tribe.   That’s one of the reasons I’m so excited about this blog!  We want you to join us, create with us, laugh with us, and possibly cry with us!  We want everyone to have what we have…an art tribe. 

Inspired by Jeanne Oliver's e-course

Now – on to creating!  I love metal.  I love patina, rust, chipped paint and all other manner of character on metal!  I also love jewelry.  I remember as a child scouring the Utah desert with my family - looking for beautiful rocks and arrowheads.  My father would then take the rocks to a friend and have them made into jewelry for my mother.  I treasure my mother’s jewelry, and I’m sure those memories helped develop my love of all things “earthy”. 

Leather cuff embellished with vintage door hardware

This simple bracelet is made from rusty vintage door hardware, simply wire wrapped to a leather cuff.  In the center of the hardware is a vintage earring secured in place using either resin or clear caulking.  I have had so many compliments on this bracelet…and the best thing?  It gets more comfortable each time you wear it!