Button Hop

The button is one of the humblest of all things. It serves to fasten. It is utilitarian. It is one of the first skills that you master as a young child and feel a great sense of accomplishment about. It is a common thing, usually made of plastic, and yet one of those things that you hate to lose.

Buttons connect two things, keeping them together and bringing closure. And while this tiny bit of usefulness is often overlooked and neglected until hanging by a thread, it is so much more than just a way to ensure that your clothes don't fall off and you show too many of your private bits.

And they have been doing that for over 5,000 years.

I love to see what treasures a swap like this will bring me. If there are participants who are overseas, I always offer to be paired with someone new. Yes, it may cost a bit more to send something overseas, but I weigh that with the fact that I will now have a new friend in a faraway place. And it is like being a button... fastening yourself, connecting yourself to another person half a world away. It is amazing what the humble button can do.

{Look at the loot! I love the little diagram from Saskia. I am keeping that as a remembrance of the fun.;-) Shout out to Saskia...thank you for all the treasures!}

For this button swap I was paired with Saskia Kaffenberger of Germany. Check out her blog Perlendistel. Getting mail from overseas is fun, and I love to see the stamps from other countries. The inside of the package was wicked cool... it is an envelope that is recycled from maps. I am tucking that away for another project some day.

Saskia was so kind to write in English and provided me with a sweet little diagram of the beads that were in my package with notes on what they were and where they came from. She included a few vintage brass colored buttons still in their original packaging, a Murano-style glass button with a shank that looks very old, a plastic button that looks vaguely nautical, some little silver toned flower spacers and the most amazing beaded button that Saskia made herself! There were also puzzle pieces (great for mixed media)and a shell from her last trip to France.

I have to say that you seed beaders make some truly awesome things. It would never occur to me to take a simple plastic button and embellish it with dozens of tiny seed beads. I love it. And I knew that I wanted to use this special beaded button that Saskia made just for me in my design.

I call this piece 'Spring is Sure to Come' because this week I have had a hard time believing it with the snow storm that just hit. But I need to have faith that it will!

I secured a yellow jonquil Swarovski crystal bicone and a silver daisy spacer using black waxed linen cord. I then knotted the chord at random intervals with blue goldstone faceted rondelles (note to self: buy more of these totally awesome beads! Look at that flash of blue!), more of the yellow jonquil Swarovski bicone crystals, and the three silver flower spacers from Saskia. At different points I added a jump ring with two different Czech glass flowers for some movement.

{Spring is Sure to Come.. isn't it?}

The patterned link chain came from Hobby Lobby from a line I love called Metal Gallery. And I dug out a toggle bar and used the ring in the chain for a perfectly integrated clasp.

{This treasure for your neck is available on Etsy}

"No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow."

~Proverb from Guinea

Be sure to stop by all the wonderful designers in the swap. And our hostess, Miss Michelle Mach, is going to count every comment that you make on the hop at all the stops along the way as an entry in a drawing she is holding to give away buttons. Lots of buttons! There are 25 participants, so that means you can have up to 25 chances to win (and it is open to anyone)! I wish the lottery were that easy ;-)

Have fun hopping!