The greatest poem ever known
Is one all poets have outgrown:
The poetry, innate, untold,
Of being only four years old.
/Christopher Morley, To a Child

Mom's button collection

As I sat silently sewing green buttons to a knitted sweater my mom went into her sewing room several times. She came back with bags and boxes. She filled the table with her ever growing button collection. She emptied a plastic bag that she thrifted for next to nothing this summer. It was filled with brown, black and metal buttons. They spread on the decoupaged tray. Mom was in a mood for sorting. For a while even my dad was there, looking through, picking up and putting down. I took out my camera, what else?

Mom's button collection

Buttons fascinate because there are so many variates on one theme. They come in different sizes, materials and colors. I think we like them because a jar of buttons is intertwined with our childhood collector. Like tiny treasures they can be sorted in a thousand different ways. You can play games with them, trade them, display them in glass jars on a shelf or use them in practically any craft project! Any project you ever do could be better if you add a button. Sew it to fabric, glue it to wood.

Mom's button collection
Some buttons look like candy or sea shells.

Mom's button collection
Men’s hardware boxes are perfect for women’s button collections. Screw (don’t nail) the meant intention, see the possibilities!

Mom's button collection
Same size and color in plastic zip-lock bags.

Mom's button collection
It’s easy to thrift black buttons, but what I want is a collection like this of red, green and pink buttons!

Mom's button box
Order in mom’s button box once again.

Yellow I had to play some with the buttons too. I lined up a couple by color. A yellow set. A purple one. My favorite buttons are the more heavy glass buttons. Transparent and shimmering. I even created little button bracelets but I’ll post my photos of those tomorrow.