Lately, I’ve become totally addicted to making button art. I think I’ve found my perfect craft! Why?
1. Organizing and sorting my buttons makes my OCD side VERY happy;)
2. You really can’t go wrong, and there is room for mistakes. This is an activity where I can truly give my perfectionism a holiday. It is not needed, and I think taking a more relaxed approach leads to a more creative and successful result. Definitely not the case with sewing, by the way.
3. I find the repetitive task of adding and layering buttons is very relaxing, almost meditative if you will.
4. Best of all, this simple little pastime has had a ripple effect, allowing me to give back to my community and strengthening an already close friendship.
With regard to the latter, I have been attending a weekly ladies’ sewing night in my community for over a year, which is funded by a great program called Ladysmith Family and Friends (LaFF) . I had so many people interested in my button art, that I took a friend’s suggestion and decided to host a button art class at a recent LaFF sewing night. I purchased canvases, paint, buttons, and brushes at the dollar store. I typed up a brief tutorial on the steps involved in making a button animal. Since a few of the participants were new to crafting, I created animal templates for them to trace using poster board. I charged $10 per person to cover the cost of supplies and to allow me to make a donation to LaFF at the end of the evening. I got great feedback from all the ladies. It was nice to see how others used different techniques and made different colour and style choices than my own. Everyone’s projects turned out great, as you can see below. I made the zebra, which was a custom order.
The best thing, is that my good friend Anna is now as hooked on button art as I am! She and I get together regularly to craft. She is very talented and I’ve learned a lot from her style, which is bolder and more colourful than my own. I look forward to seeing many more creations from “Anna-Rama Art”! This shared interest has become a major topic of conversation between us, and I think we’ve grown closer because of it. Recently, we took a toddler-free trip out of town for a weekend of shopping, dining, gabbing, and a few drinks. It was fabulous! We even found some treasures at a button store, recommended by another good friend, Marcy.
Finally, I’m very excited to announce that Unicorn Crossing and Anna-Rama Art will have a table at the Ladysmith Spring Fair on May 3rd and 4th!
Hope to see some of you there:)
Unicorn Crossing 