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Author Archive | Nancy Nally

We’re blog hopping with Poppy Stamps!

Poppy Stamps blog hop

Today, we are excited to share that we are blog hopping with Poppy Stamps!

Don’t miss all of the fun ways that designers are sharing to mix these beautiful stamps with our buttons! Also, there’s special discount codes and a giveaway to enter too! Start hopping to get all the details!

Happy Hopping!

Michele K. Henderson

May Flaum

Jeanne Jachna

Lorrie McCullers

Marybeth Lopez

Anaya Whye

Nancy Penir

Connie Mercer

Jennifer Svare

Kelli Stradling

Robin Tharaldson

Rebecca Keppel

Poppystamps

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Announcing…New 28 Lilac Lane Premium Collection Sequin Tins!

We have an exciting announcement today for fans of our beautiful sequins: New 28 Lilac Lane Premium Sequin Tins by designer May Flaum are available now on our web store! This new collection of six sequin tins includes fun sequin options for fall and winter holidays, as well as for vacation and everyday.

First, let’s take a look at Bon Voyage…a red, white and blue mix that includes 5 different kinds of sequins and features blue stars and white hearts! Use it for patriotic projects, scrapbooking trips to national monuments, and many other things!

28 Lilac Lane LL318 Bon Voyage sequin tin

Next up is Mermaid Tale! In beautiful shades of turquoise blue, Mermaid Tale features pretty leaf shapes and stunning white sequins with blue tiger stripes. This mix is perfect for those beach or pool themed projects. (Or mermaids, of course!)

LL319 Mermaid Tale sequin tin

Pet lovers will love the new “Happy Place” sequin tin! This new sequin mix features red heart sequins, large gold sequins and a mix of brown sequins. Happy Place will be perfect for your pet projects, celebrating your love of autumn, or sending greetings to your favorite guy!

LL320 Happy Place sequin tin

Halloween is coming fast, and we’ve got the Haunted House sequin tin for that! In a trendy purple and silver palette for Halloween, its clear and silver stars are paired with several shapes and sizes of purple sequins to create a mix that will give your projects the perfect spooky touch!

LL322 Haunted House sequin tin

Of course, before we know it the Christmas tree will be going up…and you’re going to love the Retro Holiday sequin tin! This festive Christmas sequin tin features red and green hearts, clear stars, green sequins, and pink sequins (this year’s hot Christmas color!).

New 28 Lilac Lane LL321 Retro Holiday sequin tin

But just one holiday collection isn’t enough, so we’ve also got the shimmering Festival of Lights! This mix includes three different star sequins (silver, blue, and clear), clear flowers, and two types of blue sequins (large clear and deep blue metallic). This mix is perfect for many winter holidays (such as Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s Eve).

New 28 Lilac Lane LL323 Festival of Lights sequin tin

All of these new premium sequin tins come packaged in a brush metal tin containing 30 grams of sequins, and are available now from our online store. Don’t miss out!

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Announcing…the new Buttons Galore Design Team!

We’re so excited today to be able to share with you the members of our new Buttons Galore & More design team!

We’d like to thank all of the fabulous designers who applied. It was an honor to review your applications.

In the end, we selected six designers for the team, all immensely talented ladies who work in a variety of different crafts and styles. We look forward to sharing their work with you in the next few months, and hope that you love them as much as we do!

2017 Spring Buttons Galore Team

So, without further ado…here they are…your Spring 2017 Buttons Galore team!


 

Aimee Davis

Aimee Davis

Aimee says: “I come from a long line of women makers. I sleep under quilts that my grandmother made, my head rests on pillowcases that my aunt embroidered, and my memories are full of time spent watching my mom and grandmother create. The majority of my sewing and embroidery skills are self-taught, and I’d like to think there is a little bit of genetic love seeping through.”

Follow Aimee at her blog, her instagram, and her Pinterest to learn more about her!


Anaya Whye

Anaya Whye

Anaya enjoys designing jewelry, paper crafts, and home decor items embellished with colorful buttons. In 2007, she started YanaDesigns.com to share her love for fun projects and creative craft ideas.

Follow her at her website, her Facebook, her Instagram or her Pinterest to learn more about her.


Connie Mercer

Connie Mercer

Connie says: I am a wife and a mom. I am also “Nini” to six beautiful “grands”. I have been a crafter for over 30 years and still love the creative process. Looking forward to getting crafty with Buttons Galore & More.

Follow Connie at her blog, her instagram, or her Pinterest to learn more about her!


Katie King

Katie King

Katie King is a DIY blogger, who believes that crafting should be simple, fun, and unique! She started her blog, Running with a Glue Gun, in order to share her DIY projects and to meet other people who loved to craft! On Running with a Glue Gun she shares DIY tutorials, writes craft product reviews, and shares crafting tips. Her overall goal is to spread the word that you don’t need a ton of money to create an awesome, one-of-kind project!

Follow Katie at her blog, her Facebook page, her instagram, or her Pinterest to learn more about her!


Kelli Stradling

Kelli Stradling

After studying Culinary Arts in Portland Oregon, Kelli went back home to the sunny South West where she decided she wanted to do different kinds of Art. This busy mom of three spends all of her available free time creating in her Craft Shack “she shed” where she can be found burning wood, repurposing old stuff, crafting, sewing, and painting just about anything she can get her hands on.

Follow Kelli at her blog, her Facebook page, her instagram, and her Pinterest to learn more about her.


Lorrie McCullers

Lorrie McCullers

My name is Lorrie McCullers and I am an avid crafter. I have loved crafting with paper since I was a kid — who knew that making collages from magazine cut-outs and playing with stickers would lead me to my life-long passion? I am an AFCI Designer Member and currently serve as a brand ambassador for several crafting companies. In addition to crafts, I love to travel, read, and geek out to several sci-fi TV shows.

Follow Lorrie on her blog, her Facebook page, her instagram, and her Pinterest to learn more about her.


Congratulations again, and welcome to the new Buttons Galore team! We look forward to seeing their work on the blog in June!

3

Embellish a Fiesta Birthday Card!

We’ve got birthdays on the brain around here in May. 28 Lilac Lane designer May Flaum was inspired to make her celebration a fiesta, with a card that features a watercolor pinata and a shower of 28 Lilac Lane embellishments!

Fiesta Birthday Card

Wondering what supplies May used? Here’s a look at her list:

This fiesta birthday card by May is so fun and easy to make – for the complete how to, check out her video tutorial below!

Did you notice that something was missing from the video? Here’s May’s explanation for that step that you don’t see in the video…

I did add the pink splatter you see here after filming. Intentional? Not quite… I was cleaning up spilled a bit then said oh to heck with it and went wild! Just a reminder you can always make it work.

Yes, even the fabulous May Flaum has crafting accidents! But as she proves with this cute fiesta birthday card, you can go from “whoops” to wonderful if you just are flexible and think creatively.

Fiesta birthday card close-up

This fiesta birthday card uses the pink and orange tones of the “Fruity Fun” embellishment bottle. But with a change of background cardstock and by using different colors of watercolors, you could make this design work with almost any of the 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles. How about the pink and green of Savannah Stroll, or the red, turquoise blue and green of the appropriately named Fiesta? Pick your favorite colors and make May’s fiesta birthday card your own!

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Happy National Scrapbook Day!

It’s National Scrapbook Day and we are sure celebrating here at Buttons Galore!

Everything’s on Sale!

First up, don’t miss our fabulous sale in our online store! We’re giving 25% off storewide when you use coupon code “NSDFREE” – plus as always on our website you’ll get free U.S. shipping on orders over $30.

NSD Sale Graphic

This means you can stock up on our colorful new mason jars, get those Button Bonanzas for summer kids projects, or score some beautiful new 28 Lilac Lane for your mixed media projects – all at great prices and with free shipping (over $30).

The sale runs through tomorrow (Sunday) but don’t delay – grab your favorite item before it sells out!

But wait….there’s more!

It wouldn’t be National Scrapbook Day without a giveaway…so make sure to stop by and follow our Facebook and Instagram accounts so you don’t miss out, because later today (Saturday) we’ll be running a giveaway on each of those sites!

Need some ideas of what to do with your new buttons, sequins and charms? Make sure to check out our Pinterest page to get loads of great 28 Lilac Lane and button project ideas!

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Quick Flower Banners for a Girl’s Room

Buttons are a great way to add detail to home decor projects. This flower banner project uses them to finish off the flowers and banners that make a plain valance into a pretty accent for a girl’s room.

Flower Banner

Supplies:

My daughter’s room has had this simple white valance since I first designed her nursery before she was born. She’s nearly 14 now, and it seemed time to change it up a bit. She loves everything with flowers, so I thought a flower banner would be an easy and fun way to add some more color to her room.

Flower Banner-1480

To make this flower banner, cut the number of triangle banners you think that you’ll need from burlap or cotton fabric. Die cut the flowers from felt and  hot glue them to the front of the banners. Hot glue a button into each flower center to finish it.

Cut a length of jute twine that is long enough for your window. Fold over the top of each banner, lay the string into the crease, and hot glue the fold down. Once all of the banners are glued onto the string, finish each banner with two buttons.

Flower Banner-1478

If you are decorating on a budget – or even if you aren’t – this is a great way to add some style to a simple valance. And because it isn’t permanent, it can be easily removed for washing the valance, or redecorating. Make one today!

2

A Crazy Bird Told Me…It’s Graduation Time!

Graduation season is here! Just because the big day is a formal affair, that doesn’t mean that the cards can’t have some fun. Our 3D buttons dress up this bird so he’s ready for the walk across the stage!

Crazy Bird Graduation Card

Supplies Needed:

This card uses our 3D buttons as accessories for some crazy stamped characters! This character gets a whole new dimension – literally – with a fun button graduation hat and his own button diploma.

To make this card, select a card base in one of the graduate’s school colors. (You’ll want to choose the darker of the two school colors for the card base.)

Cut a 3.75″ by 5″ piece of watercolor cardstock and adhere it centered on the cardfront. Use watercolors in the lighter of the two school colors to paint a block along the bottom of the paper. Stamp the sentiments at the top and bottom in waterproof ink, and then stamp the bird in the middle.

Crazy Bird Grad Card close-up

Use the watercolors to paint in the bird. (I used the yellow school color for the bird’s wings to hold the diploma.) Then cut the shanks off of the graduation hat and diploma buttons, and adhere them to your bird.

This bird will put a smile on the face of your special grad while bringing your good wishes to them! Happy Graduation, Class of 2017!

Easy Graduation Card using 3D buttons from www.buttonsgaloreandmore.com

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Celebrate True Love with a Wedding Shaker Card!

Shaker cards aren’t just a way to celebrate birthdays…they can also be a beautiful way to celebrate a more formal occasion like a wedding! This wedding shaker card pairs a sparkly shaker mix with a doily and die cut heart to celebrate the love of a special couple.

Wedding Shaker Card

Supplies Needed:

  • 28 Lilac Lane “Rose Garden” Shaker Mix
  • Crate Paper “Chasing Dreams” 6×6 paper pad
  • Die Cut machine
  • Sheet protector (or Fuse Tool & Fuseable Pouch)
  • Foam Adhesive Tape
  • Red Liner Tape
  • Colorbox Gold Pigment Ink
  • My Sentiments Exactly “handwritten sentiments” stamps
  • 6×6 card base (made with 6×12 cardstock)

This shaker card features our versatile 28 Lilac Lane “Rose Garden” Shaker Mix that is a mix of gold, clear, pink, and green sequins, pink beads, and pink buttons to create the perfect shaker mix! Use this mix for occasions like weddings, to welcome a baby girl, or for a special birthday message.

28 Lilac Lane Rose Garden

Making this wedding shaker card is simple. Just die cut the doily for the card front, and then die cut the same heart shape out of both the doily and green layer of the card so they can be layered to create the card front with the shaker window. Glue the two pieces together and flip them over.

Using either a scrap of page protector or a Fuseable Pouch and Fuse tool, create a pouch that is slightly larger than the shaker window opening. Fill it about 1/2 full with the 28 Lilac Lane “Rose Garden” Shaker Mix, and then seal it with red liner tape or a Fuse Tool. Then use red liner tape to attach it to the back of the card front so that it shows through the shaker window.

Wedding Shaker Card

To finish the wedding shaker card, attach the pink paper to the card base. Then use foam tape to attach the shaker card layer on top of the pink layer. Finally, cut a 1/2″ strip of paper and stamp the sentiment on it. Snip the ends into a banner and attach it with foam tape for dimension.

Wedding Shaker Card

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Sew a DIY Button Headband for a Pretty Accessory!

Adding buttons is a beautiful way to add some color and detail to just about any clothing item. On this button headband that I made for my daughter, the buttons create a pretty pink contrast to the turquoise and add some shine and texture.

Button Headband

Supplies Needed:

This project is a great way to use up scraps! To begin, I cut a 14.75″ x 4″ piece of quilt fabric. Then I cut a 13.5″ x 3″ piece of the interfacing. I then took them to my ironing board and followed the package directions to fuse the interfacing centered onto the back of the fabric. Before turning my iron off, I folded the piece in half along its length and ironed that fold in place as well.

Button Headband

Then I returned to my sewing table and got out my ruler and a fabric marking pencil. I marked dots 3″ from the ends of the interfacing on each side, and marked a .75″ wide measurement centered in the middle of the interfacing’s narrow end. Then I used these markings to draw lines to follow to create the taper on the ends of the headband. I also made some markings to show where my sewing should stop on the long edge that isn’t folded, so that the headband could be turned right side out.

Button Headband

Next I measured around my daughter’s head and figured out how much elastic it would take to make the headband fit her nicely. To figure this out, I took the measurement of her head and subtracted the length of the interfacing (which would be about the finished length of the headband). That gave me the distance that the elastic needed to cover. Then I added about a half inch to that number and cut my elastic to length.

I laid my elastic inside the folded fabric with the ends sticking out between the two lines that I had drawn. I then pinned it into place to hold it securely into position while I sewed.

Button Headband

I then sewed on the lines I had drawn and across the end of the headband, reversing across the elastic a few times to make it extra secure.

Then, I pulled the fabric so it was bunched up on one end of the elastic, positioned the other end of the elastic, and pinned it in place to sew.

Button Headband

When I was done, I was left with a fabric tube with a hole in the side that was being gathered up by the elastic inside of it.

Button Headband

I used the opening I had left to turn the headband right side out, and after a bit of pressing, was able to fold under the raw edges of the opening and pin them together.

Button Headband

To seal the opening and make the edges of my button headband lie nice and flat, I topstitched around all the way around the edges on my headband. My headband was done…but very plain!

So to fix that, I sat down with a container of the “Strawberry Cheesecake” Color Blend buttons. These shades of pink range from bubblegum to barely there, but all are gorgeous! They are perfect for projects for little girls (and big girls) of any age. I got out a needle and thread, and one and a time sewed a row of buttons along the length of the headband. Yes, by doing this step last the sewing will show on the back side of the headband, but it won’t be visible while being worn. And doing the sewing after the headband is finished makes it easier to ensure the buttons end up exactly in the center, which is a detail that will be seen.

Button Headband

This button headband project is slightly time-consuming but definitely worth the effort! My daughter doesn’t want to take off her beautiful new accessory, and buying a similar one in stores would be much more costly. DIY a button headband for someone special today!

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Make a Pretty Button Flower Card for Mother’s Day!

The spring flowers are in bloom, and Mother’s Day will be here before you know it! So why not combine the two to make a pretty button flower card for mom for Mother’s Day?

Button Flower Card for Mother's Day

Supplies Needed:

This 5″ by 7″ button flower card is super simple to make but so cute! And it’s so easy to make that it would make a great kids’ project for the holiday.

To start this card project, cut a 10″ by 7″ piece of white cardstock and fold in half along the 10″ edge to create your card base.

Cut a 2.5″ by 7″ piece of cardstock from the scraps of the white sheet. Select buttons from the Glam Girl Button Bonanza to make your button flowers with. Then, using the PPA Matte Adhesive, adhere the buttons in place using dots of glue. Set the flower strip aside to dry.

While the glue dries, cut a 1.5″ by 7″ strip of paper for the top of the card, and a 2″ by 7″ strip of paper for the bottom. Adhere them in place along the top and bottom of the card front.

Stamp “Happy Mother’s Day” on a yellow cardstock scrap in dark blue ink. Trim the cardstock to slightly larger in size than the sentiment.

After the glue on the flowers is dry, adhere the flower strip in place across the card front. Glue the sentiment block down on the right side of the card front, over the seam between the flower strip and the bottom patterned paper.

Button Flower Card for Mothers Day

This card design is so versatile! Just by changing the sentiment, the design could also be used for a thank you card, or for a birthday, or for a variety of other occasions. It’s a classic that you can use over and over! To create a smaller card, just use smaller sizes of buttons. With theGlam Girl Button Bonanza bag, you can make this beautiful button flower card over and over!

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Say Congratulations with a Button Balloon Card!

This time of year means graduations, and all sorts of other occasions for which congratulations are in order. Running out of time to make cards for all of them? Just dive into your Button Bonanza bags and dig out some of the largest buttons to make balloons!

Congratulations Button Balloon Card

Supplies:

I used the “primary” Button Bonanza bag for this but the beauty of a simple design like this is that you could use any color scheme that works for your occasion. For a graduation or sports-related occasion, use school colors! Recent graduate got a new job? Make your balloons the recipient’s favorite colors or their new employer’s corporate colors. With our huge palette of Button Bonanza colors, the options are endless!

Button Balloon Card

To make this card, select the buttons that you want to use and arrange them to make a row of “balloons”. Before you glue them down, nudge them up just slightly to get a pen in to draw your “string” lines and bows. Then use clear drying adhesive like PPA Matte Adhesive to glue the buttons down so that it looks like the strings are tied to their bottoms.

For the final step, get out a handwritten sentiment stamp (or a pen if you are braver than I am) and use black ink to stamp the sentiment in the lower right corner of the card front.

Button Balloon Card

Send some button balloons to someone special!

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Announcing the Buttons Galore Spring 2017 Design Team Call!

Do you like to make things with pretty buttons, beads, and sequins? You might be the perfect match for the new Buttons Galore design team!

Design Team Call

Our new design team members will be working with our traditional and practical Buttons Galore brand products as well as our trendy 28 Lilac Lane line. We’ll show your creations to the world via our blog and social media channels. You’ll get exciting free products and programs to earn cash bonuses, as well as the possibility to develop partnerships for teaching and other professional opportunities.

We’re looking for four designers  (crafters of all kinds are welcome) with great blogs and engaged social media followings who want to share their talents using beautiful buttons, beads, sequins, and other embellishments! Successful applicants should have versatile craft skills, photograph projects well, be able to follow instructions, and be prompt with deadlines.

Responsibilities:

  • Serve a 6 month term (6/1 to 11/30)
  • Create 2 projects with accompanying articles per month for our blog
  • Link on your blog to our blog (design team member blog badge provided)
  • Share your Buttons Galore projects on your social media

Benefits:

  • Receive a monthly product shipment – including product you choose yourself!
  • Participate in our affiliate program with a special commission rate
  • Submit your work for publication with our products and earn cash bonuses through our design team pay-for-publication program
  • Earn by selling us your original projects to use for display at trade shows and events
  • Display your profile and blog link on our blog
  • Plus many more possible opportunities!

Application deadline is Midnight eastern time on April 30th, 2017.

To apply for the team, send the following information via email to nancy@nallystudios.com with subject line “BGM Team Spring 2017”:

Name:
Address:
Email:
Blog Address:
Facebook Account:
Instagram Account:
Twitter Account:
Pinterest Account:
Current Design Teams:
Previous Design Teams:
What Types of Crafts You Do Regularly:
Tell us about yourself:

Notification of new team members will be made on or about May 8th, and the new team will be announced on or about May 12th.

We look forward to working with our new team members!

4

Use Trendy Circles for Making an Easy Birthday Card!

Circles are trendy right now – and they are a perfect match for buttons! This five minute card project pairs circles, buttons and a retro style patterned paper to create a look for an easy birthday card that is quirky and fun!

Button Circle Easy Birthday Card

Supplies Needed:

To make this easy birthday card, select a blank card base and use black ink to stamp a sentiment in the lower right hand corner. I chose a birthday sentiment for my card, but this card design is really suitable for a variety of occasions: hello, cheer, thank you, and many others. Simply choose a sentiment suitable for your desired occasion!

Cut a piece of paper to 5 1/2″ by 3 3/8″. Get out your circle punches and punch about a half dozen random holes in it. Adhere it across the card front, just above the sentiment.

Select buttons that fit in each of the circles and glue them down with a clear drying white glue such as PPA Matte. Try to pay attention to color balance when selecting your buttons – don’t choose too many large buttons the same color or use too many buttons close together in one area of the card that are the same color.

Button Circle Easy Birthday Card

When the glue dries, your card is ready to be put in an envelope and delivered! This easy birthday card project would also be great for doing with kids to make teacher thank you cards for the end of the school year, And the color scheme possibilities are as endless as our Button Bonanzas…check them out and get inspired!

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Easy DIY Flower Placemat for Easter & Mother’s Day

Spring means lots of special occasions! This flower placemat design is great for Easter, Mother’s Day, or for making a birthday girl feel extra special – and it’s super quick and easy to make!

Easy DIY Flower Placemat

This flower placemat uses supplies from the popular 28 Lilac Lane “Tropical Twist” kit. You can tell that it’s definitely one of my favorites since many of the supplies are used from it! Although the name of this kit, and its themed charms, are definitely summer themed, this project is a great reminder to look at your kits not just as themes but as color palettes as well.

Easy Floral Placemat color palette

Supplies Needed:

To start making this flower placemat, get out a large needle. Thread it with the baker’s twine from the Tropical Twist kit, and stitch around the outside edge of the placemat. (I recommend doing this is several short lengths to avoid abusing your twine and for efficiency.) To make more than one placemat, use embroidery floss for this step as the kit only contains enough twine for one.

Next, use a flower die to cut flowers out of felt (or hand cut your own). Use scissors to hand cut the leaves.

Easy Floral Placemat close-up

Position your flowers, and select buttons from the Tropical Twist kit to create their centers. Stitch through both the buttons and the flowers with a needle and embroidery floss to attach the flowers to the placemat. Use a needle and thread that matches the felt to stitch the leaves in place under the edges of the flowers as well.

Easy Floral Placemat close-up

Whether the occasion is Easter, Mother’s Day, or something else…this flower placemat will definitely brighten your spring table!

Flower Placemat graphic

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You’ll Love This Button Heart Pillow!

Buttons are a great embellishment for home decor projects – especially pillows! On my button heart pillow project, I used some gray buttons to create the third shape in a trio of hearts.

Button Heart Pillow

Supplies Used for Button Heart Pillow:

  • Buttons Galore “Silver Gray” Button Basics
  • Canvas Fabric – 17″ x 36″
  • Cotton Fabric Scraps – approximately 10″ x 10″ and 6″ x 6″
  • 16″ Pillow Form
  • Die Cut Machine (optional)
  • Therm O Web HeatnBond UltraHold Iron-On Fabric Adhesive (optional)
  • Fabric Marking Pencil
  • Needle & gray thread
  • Sewing machine (optional but preferred)

This button heart pillow project utilizes on of our versatile Button Basics bags of buttons. These bags contain approximately 150 two and four hole buttons between 1/2″ – 7/8″ in size, and come in a variety of colors. The beautiful color used today is Silver Gray, a lovely neutral shade of medium gray.

How to Make a Button Heart Pillow:

To start your button heart pillow, cut a piece of canvas fabric to 17″ by 36″ in size to serve as your pillow cover. This pillow cover is made using the envelope method, so it is removable to wash, clean, or to replace the pillow form.

Next select two fabrics, one for the large heart and one for the small heart. Cut the fabric to the sizes indicated in the supply list. Then, following the package instructions, iron the Therm O Web HeatnBond to the back of the two pieces of fabric. (Skip this step if you are going to hand cut your hearts and then sew them onto your pillow)

To cut out the heart shapes, there are two options. One is to create the hearts on your electronic die cutting machine and cut them out of the fabric that way. (That is what I did.) The other option is to draw them and cut them out by hand.

Place the hearts so the design they create is centered approximately vertically and horizontally on the canvas fabric. Iron them to adhere with the iron on adhesive. (Or pin in place and then sew them on if you are using that method.)

Next, draw or die cut and trace a third heart shape to serve as the outline for the button heart. Using a fabric marking pencil, trace that heart onto the pillow cover. This heart will serve as the lines to follow for placing buttons.

Hand sew buttons along the line of the heart design, keeping them centered on the traced line. Use smaller buttons at the angled parts of the heart, to avoid the buttons being too close together and making the lines indistinct.

After the buttons are completed, fold over and hem the short sides of the fabric so that the raw edge of the fabric is on the side away from the hearts. Lay the fabric out with the design facing up. Measure 15.5″ across the front of the design on the long axis of the fabric, centering the measurement on the design. Put a pin in the fabric on each side of the design where the 15.5″ extends to.

Using the pins as your fold lines, fold the long edges of the pillow in over the design to make a square. They should overlap, forming the opening that will let the pillow form in and out. Pin and then stitch a 3/4″ seam along the raw edges.

Clip the four corners, and turn the pillow cover right side out. Insert a pillow form and you are done!

(If you need more instruction on how to assemble an envelope pillow cover, there are plenty of great tutorials available for searching on Pinterest.)

Button Heart Pillow

This simple design can be adapted to plenty of decor styles and colors! In bright colors, it would be perfect for a teenage girl’s room. Do it in Valentine’s Day colors for a seasonal look. What will you heart doing with a button heart pillow?

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Spring & Easter Project Round-Up

Springtime is a great time for crafting! There’s so many occasions to craft for, and spring flowers are so inspiring. Here’s a sampling of some of our favorite past spring and Easter crafts from the blog to get you inspired!

Spring Crafts Round-Up

Flower Embellished Tote

This mixed media tote by designer Melony Bradley uses dyed cotton strips to make flowers and then finishes them off with buttons! There’s no mistakes, or right or wrong way to create this beautiful spring garden that will earn compliments wherever you take it.

Button Flowers Wall Decor

Pretty little blooms button flower picture by Jen Goode

If you are looking for a way to bring some bright spring flowers inside without bringing sneezy pollen with them, try some buttons! These pretty little blooms by designer Jen Goode are easy to make and oh-so-springy!

Spring Zip Pouch

You can travel in style with your essentials in the button embellished zip tote that I made from bright spring colors using a simple pattern. It also makes for a wonderful gift for mom or a new graduate!

Vintage Garden Card

Spring flowers don’t have to mean bright colors…designer Keri Lee Sereika used gold buttons to create flowers for a beautiful vintage look on this handmade card! Send this card for a touch of more formal cheer on any occasion.

Easter Table Display

Bunny in a Button Jar

Speaking of vintage, do you have vintage (or vintage looking) Easter figurines that you would like to keep little fingers off of? Designer Dana Gustafson’s mason jar displays filled with buttons in the bottom are the perfect way to display them beautifully and safely!

Easter Egg Treat Pouches

Mini felt Easter Egg treat pouches

Designer Jen Goode has a fun way to decorate those special Easter treats – and these felt Easter treat pouches are so easy to make that the kids can help, too. Use them year after year and make a new family tradition!

Whatever spring craft that you choose, don’t forget to stock up on all of your favorite colors of buttons before you start!

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Embellish an Easter Egg Card with 28 Lilac Lane

Embellishing an Easter egg card is a great reason to get out your 28 Lilac Lane embellishments and go crazy with color. The flat back pearls and buttons in our embellishment bottles will have your Easter egg card shining like a jewel!

Easter Egg Card

supplies needed:

One of the great things about having a large selection of 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles on hand is the ability to mix and match them to create colorful projects like this Easter egg card! By combining small amounts from five different bottles, I was able to create a jeweled effect on my Easter egg that allows the egg to stand as the entire design of the card.

How to Make An Embellished Easter Egg Card

Locate a decorative Easter egg design in your die cut machine software. (If your machine doesn’t have this particular design, it will certainly have a similar design that can be embellished in the same manner. Look for a design with lots of straight lines or wide spaces that can be filled with embellishments.)

Cut the Easter egg design out of cardstock scraps, and assemble with glue. Then glue the assembled Easter egg to the front of a coordinating blank card base.

Using 28 Lilac Lane embellishments that coordinate with each area of the Easter egg card design, add rows of embellishments to the card with a liquid adhesive like PPA Matte.

Finish the card with a sentiment sticker in the lower right.

Easter egg card

This is a great project for kids and grown-ups to do together….make the cards and then let the kids do the decorating!

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Embellish a Spring Butterfly Card with 28 Lilac Lane

It’s officially spring, so let’s use some 28 Lilac Lane to create a butterfly card to send some spring greetings with!

Butterfly Card

Supplies needed:

  • 28 Lilac Lane “Love Story” embellishment kit
  • PPA Matte Adhesive
  • card base
  • smooth cream cardstock
  • foam adhesive
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Abandoned Coral, Weathered Wood, & Peeled Paint
  • Graphic 45 “Nature’s Sketchbook” 6×6 paper pad
  • Hero Arts “Many Everyday Messages” stamps
  • Hero Arts “Newsprint Butterfly” stamp

This butterfly card uses the “Love Story” kit by 28 Lilac Lane. With cream ribbon, heart charms, and embellishments in shades of red, pink & white, this kit is as versatile as it is gorgeous! Although at first glance this kit is a Valentine’s Day, wedding, or “I love you” themed kit, projects like this one are a great reminder to look at the kits for the colors of their contents as well as their themes.

28 Lilac Lane Love Story embellishment kitTo start making this butterfly card, cut a piece of green patterned paper to 4.25″ by 5.5″, ink the edges, and adhere it to the card base.

Cut a piece of blue patterned paper to 3.75″ by 5″ and ink the edges. Tie the ribbon ends together, and then secure the ribbon around the back side of the blue patterned paper. Adhere the blue patterned paper panel to the card front.

Butterfly Card close-up

Stamp the butterfly and card sentiment on cream cardstock. Cut out the butterfly. Trim the sentiment into a 5/8″ wide strip, and snip the ends to make a banner.

Adhere the sentiment banner to the top left of the card front, and glue a button on top of it.

Squeeze a strip of glue down onto the body of the butterfly, and then layer seed beads on top of it. Once the glue is dry, use foam adhesive to attach the butterfly to the card front.

Butterfly card

And your butterfly card is all finished, except to choose someone special to send it to!

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Embellish Some Watercolor Spring Flowers with 28 Lilac Lane!

Spring has sprung. Watercolor spring flowers embellished with beautiful touches of 28 Lilac Lane are a perfect home decor project.

Watercolor Spring Flowers Frame

Supplies:

  • 28 Lilac Lane Tropical Twist Kit
  • PPA Matte Adhesive
  • 5×7 watercolor paper
  • Stampendous “Cling Daisy Mix” stamps
  • Tim Holtz “Flower Garden” stamps
  • embossing ink
  • clear embossing powder
  • waterbrushes
  • watercolors

This watercolor spring flowers project uses tangerine colored flat back pearls and sequins from the 28 Lilac Lane “Tropical Twist” embellishment kit. Tropical Twist is a summery blend of yellow, orange and green citrus shades, with some delightful flamingo pink accents! With all of the seed beads, pearls, sequins, buttons, trim and charms, Tropical Twist is sure to have the perfect touch to make your project hot, hot, hot!

28 Lilac Lane Tropical Twist Kit

This project looks complex but is super easy to make thanks to a shortcut: stamps. To create this design, simply use flower stamp sets to stamp your desired design in clear embossing ink on watercolor paper. Then heat emboss the design with clear embossing powder.

Once the design is embossed, you have a virtually foolproof way of making your own watercolor painting! Simply use a fine detail water brush to color in the design with your watercolors, following the embossed lines as a guide. Any color that gets on the embossed lines can be simply wiped away to keep them clean!

After filling in the design of your watercolor spring flowers, switch to a large water brush to fill in the background with some watery color.

watercolor spring flowers

For the finishing touch on your watercolor spring flowers, add some 28 Lilac Lane embellishments to the center of them with a clear drying glue like PPA Matte adhesive. Using flat back pearls or sequins as “tiles” to fill a small area of a design is a great way to get some extra pop on a project. Our kits and embellishment bottles come with plenty of sequins and pearls, so there’s no worry about running out mid-project, either!

This winter has dragged on too long. Get out those watercolors, stamps and embellishments and craft it away with some watercolor spring flowers! (And don’t forget the Tropical Twist, too!)

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Wear a Hemp & Button Bracelet for Spring Break!

It’s spring break time in a lot of places and that means time to head for the beach! Let’s make some fun vacation jewelry just for the beach – a fun hemp & button bracelet!

Hemp Button Bracelet

Supplies:

  • Buttons Galore “Vacation” Button Tote
  • Hemptique “Sea Glass” Hemp Cord Assortment

This hemp & button bracelet uses one of our Buttons Galore Button Totes that is called (appropriately) Vacation.  It’s a fun mix of fuschia, turquoise, light orange, and light green.

Vacation Button Tote

Making this button bracelet is super fast and easy!

To start, choose a large button for the center of your bracelet. Select two coordinating medium sized buttons with four holes for the sides of your bracelet, and set them aside.

Cut two long lengths of hemp. Thread one length of hemp through one of the holes in the large button, and pull it through until the ends are even. Pull one end of the hemp tight, and start tying half knots around that strand with the other strand. Stop at ten knots, or adjust for your desired bracelet length. Repeat this process for the other side of your bracelet.

Place the smaller buttons onto the bracelet by threading each of the threads on each side through two of the holes in a button. Pull the button tight against the knotted section.

Finish your hemp & button bracelet by creating slipknots to create an adjustable and removable bracelet band, or just tie your bracelet on permanently until vacation is done!

How to Make A Hemp & Button Bracelet

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This Easy 3 Step Mixed Media Canvas is Fruity Fun!

Our fabulous 28 Lilac Lane designer May Flaum is at it again, showing us all the beautiful things that can be done with her exciting new 28 Lilac Lane products that were announced at Creativation in January! This time, it’s a mixed media canvas with a profusion of pink flowers that will brighten your day – especially if winter is dragging on a little longer than you’d like!

Fruity Fun Mixed Media Canvas by May Flaum

This surprisingly easy mixed media canvas project can be made in only three easy steps, with just a few supplies, and is easy to customize o a theme or color scheme for your home or occasion.

May’s project uses her fun new 28 Lilac Lane “Fruity Fun” embellishment bottle that features an assortment of shades of (what else?) fruity pink! These brilliant shades bring to mind summer berries, watermelon, a cool glass of punch, or  even flamingoes. It’s great for summer themes, flowers, and oh-so-many things!

28 Lilac Lane Fruity Fun

To see more of this mixed media canvas project – and get the full 3 step instructions – visit May’s blog. Also, don’t miss the challenge on the mixed media challenge blog this month that is based on this project! (Did I mention that there is a giveaway?)

Mixed Media Canvas close-up

Our “Fruity Fun” embellishment bottle is just one of six new 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles that are shipping now from our online store: Fruity Fun, Queen Bee, Fiesta, Gemstone, Stormy Skies, and Farmhouse. Get them all!

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Make an Altered Notebook Travel Journal

Travel journals are hot, and altering notebooks with mixed media is a great way to make them. In a recent journal project, 28 Lilac Lane designer May Flaum showed how her embellishment kits can make mixed media beautiful!

28 Lilac Lane travel journal by May Flaum

For this project, May used one of her brand new 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits that was just unveiled at the Creativation show in January. “Let’s Go” is a beautiful combination of turquoise, brown and butter yellow with a few touches of gold mixed in – plus a gorgeous camera charm!

lets go embellishment kit

To see how to make this travel journal cover, visit May’s blog, or watch May’s video below to see the step by step techniques that May used!

With beads, sequins, pearls, and buttons, 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits are a great match for mixed media techniques. Whether it’s a journal cover, a canvas, a scrapbook page, or another project…you’ll find just what you need in one of our handy embellishment kit boxes!

28 Lilac Lane travel journal by May Flaum

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Make a Button Mosaic Sun for Your Walls!

Today we’re sharing another project from our booth at Creativation. This button mosaic sun that I created brought a little bit of my home in the sunshine state to the show floor in rainy Phoenix!

Button Mosaic Sun

This sun looks yellow, but we call it….mango! It’s made with our “Mango Madness” color blend of buttons. This blend of delightful shades of orange and yellow is perfect for sunshine-y projects of all kinds.

Mango Madness Color Blend

Although they don’t look at first like they are at all the same color palette, I combined the Mango Madness color blend with a 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottle called “Candy Corn“. I only used seed beads. flat back pearls, and sequins from the Candy Corn bottle. Used in small doses with these tiny items, the colors work well together.

candy corn embellishment bottleButton mosaics (or collages) are such a fun way to use buttons, and this one creates a beautiful piece of wall art home decor when you are done!

Button Sun Mosaic Construction

To get the full tutorial on how to make this piece of sunny wall art (or learn how to adapt this technique to make your own design), visit my website Craft Critique.

Sun Button Mosaic

This project can be adapted to a lot of different shapes…how about an apple for teacher? Or a heart or flower for a tween room? The possibilities are endless! What will you make?

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Scrapbook by Embellishing Pre-Designed Paper with 28 Lilac Lane Kits!

There’s many papers available for scrapbooking that are pre-designed to look already partially “done” as a layout. But how do you take those from looking flat to looking fantastic? The secret to fabulous scrapbook layouts is embellishing pre-designed paper with your 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits! And I’m going to show you exactly how to do it with this easy scrapbook layout from my recent trip to Paris.

Paris Scrapbook Layout

Supplies:

I started with a pre-designed background paper from DCWV. It is designed to look like a piece of ledger paper that has florals and several vintage elements layered on top of the left edge to frame it.

Because this paper comes from a paper stack, I was able to create practically the entire layout using pre-coordinated items from the stack. All of the paper items on the layout are cut from sheets in the same stack.

pre-designed paper background

That large brown vintage receipt ephemera was white space that was just begging to be filled! It was the perfect place to put my Eiffel Tower stamp, stamped in dark brown pigment ink to continue the vintage theme.

eiffel tower stamp on paris scrapbook layout background

But of course, a stamp is still flat – and I wanted to add some dimension to this area. So I grabbed my 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits, which are perfect for embellishing pre-designed paper! A few buttons and flat back pearls from the “Love Story” embellishment kit (along with a strip of tissue tape) were the perfect addition to finish off the area where I’d just stamped my Eiffel Tower.

At the very top edge of the page, I dabbed clear glue in the center of a few of the pink flowers and dropped a few pearl sequins on them to add a bit of shine and dimension to the flowers.

embellishing pre-designed paper

On the other side of the layout, I cut and arranged all of the paper elements. I stamped the Paris stamp with Shimmer ink, and used black pen to write my journaling (leaving room to put the charm on).

Once all the paper elements and the photo were in place, I tore and stuck down two pieces of tissue tape along the edges of the large pink block. These pieces served as grounding for my buttons.

I used button shank removers to cut the shank off of the large white filigree button from the Attic Findings kit, and glued it in place at the bottom of the layout. Then I selected a cream colored button from the same kit and adhered it at the top of the layout. Finally, I glued the heart charm from the “Love Story” kit onto the journaling block.

embellishing pre-designed paper

Having a selection of 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits on hand makes it so easy to scrapbook by embellishing pre-designed paper. Select a paper, grab the kit in the coordinating color scheme, and in minutes you can have a beautiful layout!

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Make a Button Heart Chicken Wire Memo Board!

It’s time to share more of our Creativation booth projects! Chicken wire is so trendy right now and, paired with a button collage, it makes a gorgeous memo board!

Button Heart Chicken Wire Memo Board

This bright and fun button collage memo board is great decor for a kid’s room or nursery, a craft studio, or for displaying old family photos at a wedding or baby shower!

Bubblegum Button Bonanza

To make this heart memo board, which is about 17″ tall, it only takes two bags of our “Bubblegum” Button Bonanza buttons! This fun mix includes several shades of pink from pastel to brilliant fuchsia mixed with some white buttons. It’s perfect for everything from little girl projects to spring flowers – and of course, hearts!

The shades of pink in “Bubblegum” make a beautiful button collage on this heart memo board. The shades create a wonderful visually textured look on the frame – and there’s no worry about color matching since the shades are already pre-coordinated!

Button Heart Chicken Wire Memo Board close up

This memo board was created completely from scratch, starting with a piece of 1/4″ birch plywood. But it’s easier than you think to make, with only a few basic tools and techniques. To get the full tutorial, click here!

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Don’t miss our Creativation Booth Projects!

One of our favorite things about attending shows is the chance for our staff and some talented craft designers to show off in our booth the beautiful range of possibility that can be created with Buttons Galore products. So today, for those who weren’t at Creativation, we’re going to give you a peek into our booth at the show to see all of the gorgeous inspiration we shared!

Buttons Galore Creativation 2017 booth

It may have been warm in Arizona, but inside the convention center it was snowing a blizzard in our booth! These snowflakes, created by Buttons Galore staff, show that buttons make gorgeous snowflakes of all sizes from tree ornaments to wall art.

Button Snowflake Wall Art

This American flag wall art piece, also created by Buttons Galore staff, combines our bulk buttons with our 3D decorative star buttons. It’s perfect for holiday decor for occasions like July 4th, or leave it up all year round for a patriotic touch of homespun decor.

button flag wall art

Speaking of special occasions, our decorative button grab bags are a beautiful and affordable option for creating decor for events like showers and weddings! This button cake, created by designer Jen Goode, is perfect for decorating a buffet table.

Button Cake Decorations

Love to entertain? Our decorative 3D buttons will make your tea time, cocktail hour, or coffee break oh so elegant! This tray project, by Buttons Galore staff, is quick and easy, too!

Button Tray

And let’s not forget our furry family members! Our booth went to the cats and dogs with these fun frames to display your favorite picture of your pet cat (by me) or dog (by 28 Lilac Lane designer May Flaum). For the instructions for the cat frame, click here.

Button Pet Picture Frames

If you’d rather hang your pet photo on the wall, try out this dog bone wall art project by Buttons Galore staff!

This button monogram is easy to make and perfect for a nursery or kids room! (Click here for instructions.) Or create an ombre heart wall art piece for someone special to remember you by. (Click here for instructions.)

Button Wall Art

It seems everyone is in love with butterflies this season, and we agree! Our wall art butterfly, made by Buttons Galore staff, is great decor for a kid’s or teen’s room.

Button Butterfly Wall Art

Text as wall art is very hot in home decor, and our staff decided to pay tribute to the greatest sentiment of all: love! These easy to make letters could be made in any colors to coordinate with the decor of a nursery or a shabby chic home decor.

LOVE button wall art

Our buttons are fabulous for working in mixed media, and designer Maura Hibbitts took them to canvas for us! This whimsical sea monster is full of texture and color!

button sea monster wall art

Last but not least, 28 Lilac Lane designer May Flaum shared her take on the 3D paper flower trend in our booth. Accented with a center of buttons, this flower will bring color and pattern to your walls or your party decor!

Flower Wall Art

We hope that you enjoyed this peek at some of our booth projects from Creativation! Thanks to all of you who visited to see them in person!

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28 Lilac Lane fun with May Flaum & Ellen Hutson!

We’re very excited to share today that Ellen Hutson is featuring our 28 Lilac Lane product line by May Flaum this month in their monthly Mix It Up Challenge, pairing their favorite products with their own Essentials by Ellen products!

As part of the challenge, 28 Lilac Lane designer May Flaum has shared two new fabulous projects on her blog that use her gorgeous new 28 Lilac Lane Unicorn Shaker Mix:

28 Lilac Lane Rainbow Unicorn Shaker Mix

May’s quick and fun cards pair watercolors with 28 Lilac Lane embellishments to send love for Valentine’s Day (or any day). The first one uses sequins to add “pop” to an Ellen Hutson flower stamp.

You're So Sweet Card by May Flaum

You’ll really “heart” the fun simplicity of her second card – a hand watercolored heart that is embellished with sequins! It’s a little bit artsy, a little bit whimsical, and a whole lot of fun. It’s easy enough that the kids can do it – but the grown-ups will want to as well!

To see the finished cards, instructions, and supply lists, check out May’s blog for all the details! And don’t miss the chance to enter the challenge on the Ellen Hutson blog – entries close on February 14th.

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Say “hello” with an Embellished Butterfly Card!

Today is “send a card to a friend” day. What better way to celebrate someone special in your life “just because” than with a sparkly embellished butterfly card?

Embellished Butterfly Card

Supplies:

One of my favorite things about creating with the 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles is that they come in an entire rainbow of colors. This means that there is always the perfect bottle for whatever paper collection I’m in love with at the moment. For this new Graphic 45 collection called Nature’s Sketchbook, I reached for “Birds of a Feather”. It’s a perfect match for the blue tones in the papers, and a great way to add pops of colorful sparkle to my metallic butterfly!

Embellished Butterfly card close-up

This metallic butterfly was created with a glue and metallic flake stamping technique from Indigo Blu. It creates an opaque image even on dark paper, perfect for creating visual pop.

The butterfly is gorgeous on its own but it needed some more color to make it coordinate better with the chipboard. Also, it needed more dimension so it wasn’t overwhelmed by the chipboard elements. The blue sequins and seed beads from “Birds of a Feather,” along with the white pearls, provide just the right touch to take the butterfly from simple to gorgeous!

Embellished Butterfly card detail

A few buttons from the bottle finish off the holes on several of the chipboard elements, and the whole thing is tied together beautifully! By mounting the black background on a blue card background, it keeps all of the embellishment contained and coordinated.

Embellished Butterfly Card

Who do you know that would love a blue and gold butterfly greeting? Flutter an embellished butterfly card their way!

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A Peek at Buttons Galore’s Creativation 2017!

It’s show time! This past weekend, our staff traveled to Phoenix, Arizona to exhibit at the annual trade show put on by the Craft & Hobby Association (which is now called Association for Creative Industries). Thanks to everyone who stopped by to see us at Creativation 2017!

Buttons Galore Creativation Booth

Our booth in aisle 12 was stuffed with colorful sample boards featuring our numerous button lines, such as Button Bonanzas, Button Basics, and of course our 3D buttons!

28 Lilac Lane Creativation 2017

And of course an entire section of the booth was devoted to the beautiful 28 Lilac Lane collections designed by May Flaum.

Button Mason Jars

Plenty of our new products were on display. Our new Button Mason Jars, which we sneak peeked last week, were on display in a rainbow of button color!

Sequin and Bead Mixes

Over on the 28 Lilac Lane wall, we showed how you can organize our cute new Sequin & Bead Mixes in a nailpolish organizer!

28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles

May’s six new embellishment bottles full of bright colors looked fabulous on a shelf in the booth!

28 Lilac Lane Shaker Mixes

The new 28 Lilac Lane shaker mix cubes really show off the shimmering sequins, buttons, and beads inside of them!

Tammy Tutterow demo

Our booth wasn’t the only place that you could see Buttons Galore buttons at Creativation! Designer Tammy Tutterow was doing a make & take event in the Spellbinders booth on Saturday morning that combined her signature collection’s dies with our buttons to make beautiful clips for your planner!

Creativation Spellbinders Demo

Our pastel Button Bonanza buttons looked great with Tammy’s felt flowers!

Thanks to all who visited the booth at Creativation! We really enjoyed spending time with all of you, and look forward to seeing you again soon!

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CHA Sneak Peek: Button Mason Jars

Today we are back with one last CHA sneak peek for the Creativation trade show this weekend. This sneak peek is from our main Buttons Galore line – and what could be a more perfect combination than buttons and mason jars?

Screen-Shot-2012-08-17-at-3.14.43-PM

Our brand new Buttons Galore Mason Jars are filled with over 200 assorted buttons in a rainbow of colors that are perfect for your sewing, crafting, and mixed media projects. They come in 15 trendy color assortments, and retail for $5.99. Look for these in stores in mid-February 2017!

Greenery Button Mason Jar by Buttons Galore

Our first color is “Greenery”, one everyone is buzzing about for 2017! This color will add an of-the-moment touch to your sewing, papercrafting, and home decor projects!

Lemon Twist Button Mason Jar by Buttons Galore

Yellow is also a hot color for this year and our beautiful “Lemon Twist” will make you long for sunshine and tall glasses of cool lemonade! Equally at home in fun kids’ projects and trendy fashion, this citrus shade is as versatile as it is cheerful.

Tidewater Button Mason Jar

Dive right into “Tidewater”! These turquoise blue tones will have you longing for a Caribbean beach – and is a great unisex color for a variety of mixed media, scrapbooking, and sewing projects!

Our new Buttons Galore Mason Jars come in fifteen different color assortments, and retail for $5.99:

  • Big Apple
  • Lemon Twist
  • Open Seas
  • Sweet Mango
  • Sour Grapes
  • Greenery
  • Pink Grapefruit
  • Sunrise
  • Bali Blue
  • Tidewater
  • Leafy Green
  • Smokey Greys
  • Antique White
  • Cocoa
  • Periwinkle Garden

Visit us in booth #1227 at the CHA Creativation show in Phoenix this weekend to see the whole collection of new Buttons Galore Mason Jars, as well as beautiful samples using a variety of products from our whole product line!

If you can’t attend the show, please watch our social media (links in sidebar) for posts from the show and links to blog articles with projects featuring our latest products! And watch for all of our new products in your local stores in mid to late February!

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CHA Sneak Peek: 28 Lilac Lane Sequin & Bead Mixes

Today is our fourth and final CHA Creativation Sneak Peek for 28 Lilac Lane. (But stay tuned tomorrow for our final Buttons Galore sneak peek!) They’re cute, they’re colorful…they’re 28 Lilac Lane Sequin & Bead Mixes!

28 Lilac Lane is designed by May Flaum for Buttons Galore & More

The twelve new 28 Lilac Lane Sequin and Bead Mixes retail for just $2.99, and are packaged in 20ml “nailpolish” style bottles. these special blends combine seed beads and round sequins with fun shaped sequins to create beautiful projects!

28 Lilac Lane Citrus Fun Sequin and Bead Mix

Easy to store on a shelf or in a drawer, these pretty bottles contain just the right quantity of sequins and seed beads for cards or mixed media projects!

28 Lilac Lane Citrus Fun sequin bead mix

The refreshing palette of “Citrus Fun” features crisp shades of orange and yellow paired with crystal beads. The highlight, however, is the large yellow sequins that will add a floral sparkle to your shakers or mixed media designs!

28 Lilac Lane Puppy Paws sequin bead mix

Of course, we can’t forget our furry friends! The brown shades and white sequin accents of “Puppy Paws” are definitely man’s   – and woman’s – best friend in the craft room! And for the shaped sequin in this kit, what could be better than a heart to honor our furry family members?

28 Lilac Lane Stars and Stripes sequin bead mix

Americana is an oh-so-trendy for 2017, and of course May has given 28 Lilac Lane its own interpretation of it. “Stars & Stripes” sparkles with a mix of blues and red, accented with gold stars. Use it for patriotic shaker cards or to accent that American farmhouse style project!

Whatever your need, there’s a new 28 Lilac Lane Sequin & Bead Mix for every occasion. Collect them all:

  • Wisteria Hues
  • Citrus Fun
  • Stars & Stripes
  • Puppy Paws
  • Spring Blooms
  • Blues Mix
  • Black Tie
  • Pretty Pinks
  • Winter Whites
  • Aqua Dreams
  • Forest Gems
  • Metallic Mix

Visit us in booth #1227 at the CHA Creativation show in Phoenix this weekend to see the whole collection of new 28 Lilac Lane Sequin & Bead Mixes, as well as beautiful samples using the whole 28 Lilac Lane product line!

If you can’t attend the show, please watch our social media (links in sidebar) and May’s blog for more reveals! And watch for these in your local stores in mid to late February!

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CHA Sneak Peek: 28 Lilac Lane Shaker Mixes

Today we are bringing you yet another 28 Lilac Lane CHA sneak peek – our newly repackaged 28 Lilac Lane Shaker Mixes by designer May Flaum!

28 Lilac Lane is designed by May Flaum for Buttons Galore & More

The 28 Lilac Lane Shaker Mix product line isn’t exactly new – eagle eyes may have noticed that it received a stealthy launch via our web store a few months ago. But now it’s getting the spotlight with brand new packaging – a clear storage cube that makes it easy to see the beautiful sequins, buttons and seed beads inside! These larger mix packages now have a retail price of $5.99.

This blend of embellishments is especially designed to make perfect shakers for all of your cards and other craft projects, but you’ll want to use these gorgeous blends on all your designs!

28 Lilac Lane Rainbow Unicorn Shaker Mix

With white buttons blended with blue, pink and green sequins and a sprinkling of beads, “Rainbow Unicorn” will take you on flights of fancy! This is perfect for princess projects, welcoming baby, or whatever else tickles your fancy!

28 Lilac Lane Rose Garden Shaker Mix

Winter blues got you down? Our “Rose Garden” is in full bloom, with lush pink buttons and embellishments paired with gold sequins. It’s warm, elegant, and oh-so-pretty!

28 Lilac Lane Safari Sunrise Shaker Mix

In shades of orange, yellow, and gold, “Safari Sunrise” will transport you to an African Savannah – or sunset at your favorite beach.  Perfect for birthdays, mixed media projects and travel scrapbooking, these brilliant colors will light up your projects with color!

The first six themes in the Shaker Mix collection are:

  • Sunflower Sky
  • Deck the Halls
  • Safari Sunrise
  • Sea Glass
  • Rose Garden
  • Rainbow Unicorn

Visit us in booth #1227 at the CHA Creativation show in Phoenix this weekend to see the whole collection of new 28 Lilac Lane shaker mixes, as well as beautiful samples using the whole 28 Lilac Lane product line!

If you can’t attend the show, please watch our social media (links in sidebar) and May’s blog for more reveals! And watch for these in your local stores in mid to late February!

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CHA Sneak Peek: 28 Lilac Lane Embellishment Bottles & Sequin Tins

Today we are continuing our week of sneak peeks for the CHA Creativation 2017 show at Buttons Galore with more 28 Lilac Lane previews! Today we’ve got two sneak peeks of new products to share with you from 28 Lilac Lane designer May Flaum.

28lilaclanelogo

Our first sneak peek is for lovers of our immensely popular 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles! May has designed six fabulous new bottles, to join the beautiful palette of 18 that are already available.

28 Lilac Lane Farmhouse embellishment bottle

Do you yearn for the smell of fresh plowed dirt, grandma’s plaid dish towels, and berries picked fresh off the vine growing on the fence at the bottom of the yard? Then our “Farmhouse” embellishment bottle, a mix of Americana reds and blues paired with antique brown and creams, is just what your projects are looking for!

The full list of new 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles that are shipping to stores February 10th are:

  • Fruity Fun
  • Queen Bee
  • Fiesta
  • Gems
  • Stormy Sky
  • Farmhouse

The 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles include a blend of buttons, sequins, seed beads, and pearls, and retail for $5.99.

But wait…there’s more! We’ve also redesigned and added to our 28 Lilac Lane sequin tins!

Our popular sequin tins are still in the same great round tin packaging with a transparent lid. But now (instead of being a single round size) our new sequin tin mixes features a blend of 3mm, 4mm, 6mm and 8mm round sequins along with special shaped sequins. And the best part is the price – our new sequin tins are priced at only $3.49.

28 Lilac Lane Lady Luck sequin tin Are you ready for the wearing o’ the greenery? Lady Luck is! This new 28 Lilac Lane sequin tin blends shades of green sequins with white sequins, along with fun golden stars!

28 Lilac Lane Seaside Holiday sequin tin

Tired of shoveling snow? A “Seaside Holiday” is just what you need! With Caribbean blues and golden sand sequins, accented with large seashell sequins, you can almost hear the waves and feel the sand between your toes!

The new sequin tin mixes debuting at CHA Creativation 2017 and shipping February 10th are:

  • Denim Blues
  • Spring Butterflies
  • Fairy Sparkle
  • Lady Luck
  • Violet Blossom
  • My Valentine
  • Not So Heavy Metal
  • Mixed Berry
  • Redwood Grove
  • Seaside Holiday
  • Grandma’s Roses
  • Party Time

Visit us in booth #1227 at the CHA Creativation show in Phoenix this weekend to see the whole collection of new embellishment bottles and sequin tins, as well as beautiful samples using the whole 28 Lilac Lane product line!

If you can’t attend the show, please watch our social media (links in sidebar) and May’s blog for more reveals! And watch for these in your local stores in mid to late February!

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CHA Sneak Peek: New 28 Lilac Lane Embellishment Kits

Today, we are starting five days of sneak peeks for new product releases for the upcoming CHA Creativation trade show that starts later this week! We’re kicking off these CHA sneak peeks today with some brand new 28 Lilac Lane products from designer May Flaum.

28lilaclanelogo

If you loved the first twelve craft embellishment kits that May designed for CHA Winter 2016, then you’ll love the six new kits that she’s designed for 2017! Here’s some sneak peeks of a bit of what you have to look forward to…

28 Lilac Lane Pirates Life kit

Ahoy matey! This treasure chest of pirate booty will shiver your timbers! Created in blood red and skull & cross bones black, the dastardly plunder of Pirate’s Life will make your lair’s party decor, invitations, and scrapbook layouts overflow with pirate character.

28 Lilac Lane Tea Time kit

Tea and crumpets, anyone? Tea time, a collection of greens and blues paired with lace, a crown and a cameo, will have you pinky up and passing the finger sandwiches! This collection is perfect for card makers, vintage mixed media, and even travel layouts!

28 Lilac Lane Lets Go kit

Click! Snap! Are you the wandering type? “Let’s go” then! It’s collection of turquoise, brown, and buttery yellow, along with touches of gold, will take you from sunrise to sunset and from sea to shining sea.

Above is just a preview! The full list of six new 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kit themes coming for CHA Creativation 2017 are:

  • Pirate’s Life
  • Tea Time
  • Let’s Go
  • Stardust
  • Sew Crafty
  • Victoria

The new 28 Lilac Lane craft embellishment kits retail for $8.99, and include buttons, charms, sequins, pearls, seed beads and trim in a divided plastic box – an all-in-one solution for embellishments that works beautifully for scrapbooking, card making, mixed media, sewing, and a variety of craft projects. The new products will be shipping to stores by February 10th.

Visit us in booth #1227 at the CHA Creativation show in Phoenix this weekend to see the whole collection of new embellishment kits, as well as beautiful samples using the whole 28 Lilac Lane product line!

If you can’t attend the show, please watch our social media (links in sidebar) and May’s blog for more reveals! And watch for these in your local stores in mid to late February!

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Winner: Season’s Givings Blog Hop

It’s time to share who won the Season’s Giving Blog Hop!

seasonsgivingsimage

And the lucky winner is….Cindy H!

Cindy will get to enjoy a prize pack of 28 Lilac Lane embellishments:

Seasons Givings prize

Thanks for reading the Buttons Galore blog and to everyone who entered our giveaway! Make sure to come back later today for sneak peeks of new CHA products!

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Craft a Button Collage Heart to Send Valentine’s Wishes!

I love making button collages on small items – you may remember my button collage apple on my teacher tag awhile back. Collaged die cuts are a fun and simple way to add some dimension and detail to a design. Today, I’m falling in love with a button collage heart for Valentine’s day!

Button Collage Heart Card

Supplies Needed:

  • Buttons Galore Strawberry Cheesecake Color Blends (online store, Amazon)
  • 28 Lilac Lane Pretty Princess embellishment bottle (online store)
  • PPA Matte Adhesive (online store)
  • Simple Stories “Love & Adore” 6×6 paper pad
  • white cardstock
  • white card base
  • Cricut Explore machine
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Picked Raspberry
  • Crate Paper “Heart Day” stamps

I started this card by cutting my 3″ high heart out of plain white cardstock on my Cricut Explore using the software’s basic shape tool. Then, starting in the upper right corner, I gradually spread white liquid adhesive (PPA Matte) over small areas and filled them in with the Strawberry Cheesecake buttons.

Constructing Button Collage Heart

While my glue was drying on my button collage heart, I cut my background paper to the size of the card front and adhered it. Then I stamped the sentiment on a strip of the white cardstock. Once the ink was dry, I snipped the ends to create a banner look for the sentiment strip.

The button collage had white spaces showing through between the buttons after the glue was dry. To fill these in, I dropped spots of glue on them, and pushed seed beads from the Pretty Princess bottle down into them. Some of the white edges also weren’t entirely covered, so I ran beads of glue along those areas and pressed beads into there as well.

Button Collage Heart Card

After all the glue was dry, I simply attached my heart and my sentiment strip to the front of the card. This simple design has a lot of “pop” from the color contrast and the button detail. I can’t wait to share it with someone special!

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5 Easy & Affordable Button Storage Ideas for Crafters

There are as many ways to store buttons as, well, we have buttons! But how do you know what one is right for you? Here’s our five favorite ideas for button storage so that you can always find the ones you need quickly and easily.

Mason Jars

Grandma had the right idea…”Grandma’s button jar” is a great way to store buttons functionally as well as beautifully. Mix them all together, or make a rainbow of jars to choose from for your projects.

5 easy & affordable button storage ideas for crafters

Plastic Zip Bags

They’re affordable, easy to get in a multitude of sizes, and everyone knows how to use them! It’s easy to see what you have inside clear zip bags, and best of all – they are easily portable for crafting on the go!

Hardware Drawers

Hardware drawer units aren’t just great for nuts and bolts – they’re great for small items like buttons in the craft room, too. So go ahead, raid the garage. We won’t tell where that hardware drawer unit went! (photo credit: May Flaum)

5 easy & affordable button storage ideas for crafters

photo credit: May Flaum

Resealable Plastic Containers

Looking for a button storage solution that is lightweight and unbreakable, but still stackable? Resealable plastic food containers might be the answer for storing your buttons. They are available in plenty of sizes, and in either disposable or heavy duty weights, depending on your budget. Try your local dollar store for budget options!

Compartment Boxes

These come in different types and no matter what you call them – jewelry storage, tackle boxes – there’s no argument that small compartmentalized boxes are great for button storage and for storing other small items, too. Easy to tuck in a drawer or a craft tote, these boxes are an easy way to keep your button stash organized.

5 easy & affordable button storage ideas for crafters

What is your favorite button storage method? Please share in the comments to inspire other readers with your ideas!

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Seasons Givings | Thank You to…YOU! [Giveaway]

seasonsgivingsimage

Welcome to the Seasons Givings blog hop at Buttons Galore! Today, we are joining with a group of industry companies and bloggers to start 2017 off by saying a big “thank you” to the people that make us possible – YOU!

To say thank you, we’re giving away a goodie bag of 28 Lilac Lane products that will make your Valentine’s Day and spring scrapbooking and cardmaking simple and a joy! Your treats include one of our BRAND NEW 28 Lilac Lane Shaker Mixes, called Unicorn Rainbox – a mix of buttons, beads and sequins that is perfect for making shaker cards (and lots of other things, too).

Seasons Givings prize

One lucky winner will receive:

How To Enter: All you have to do to have a chance to be the lucky winner is leave a comment on this blog entry before 11:59PM US eastern time on Friday night, January 6th, 2017. Make sure you include your email address in the line reserved for it on the comment form (for your own protection, don’t put it in the text of the comment, where it will be visible to the public – just in the line labeled “email” in the form where only Buttons Galore staff can see it). We will need it to notify you if you are a winner. Winners will be drawn by random drawing from all eligible entries. One entry per person. Sorry, US delivery addresses only.

Thanks for visiting – and now, on with the blog hop!


Don’t forget to follow us Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest!

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Best of our 2016 Button Projects!

2016 is coming to an end, and it’s time to take a look back at the best of our button (and sequin) projects for the year. We hope you enjoy taking a look at the year’s highlights, and find some things you missed – or forgot how much you loved the first time!

Button Monogram

A monogram is just the thing for baby’s room, and buttons add just an extra touch of cute to one. Use traditional pink or blue, or choose a color to coordinate with baby’s nursery for home decor style.

Button Monogram Wall Art for Baby's Room

Button Title by Becki Adams

Guest artist Becki Adams used primary colors to create a giant title out of buttons and sequins on an adorable layout about her children reading. Paired with a bold black and white color scheme, the colors really pop!

Becki Adams Read to Me layout

Buttoned Up Dress Form by Candy Rosenberg

Guest artist Candy Rosenberg used buttons to dress up her signature design icon – a dress form. Using a palette of neutrals along with pale green and peach, Candy created an eye popping “dress” that is at once vintage and modern. This beautiful lady will be at home in your home decor or decorating an art studio!

Button Decorated Dress Form

Sunny Sequin Card

A little sparkly sunshine is always seasonal! This simple sequin collage card using our 28 Lilac Lane sequins will have someone special looking on the bright side of life, and let them know you are thinking of them.

Bright Side Sequin Card

Resin Button Tray

Buttons make a big impact in a big collage. Encase them in resin, and you’ve got a surface that is both practical and pretty. Creating a collage of ivory and pearl buttons gives a gorgeous vintage look to this wooden tray, creating a project that will decorate your party or wedding.

Button Tray

Mixed Media Locket

Our 28 Lilac Lane embellishments are so pretty, you’ll want to wear them – and you can, in this mixed media locket project! Layer charms, buttons and beads to create a one of a kind piece of jewelry. The options are as endless as our 28 Lilac Lane color palette!

DIY Holiday Gift Jewelry close-up

Button Rainbow Card

What is cheerier than a rainbow? Creating this bright button rainbow card to bring some cheer to someone you care about is surprisingly easy. Learn how we did it!

This happy button rainbow card is perfect to bring cheer for any occasion.

Glam Girl Button Frame

With our huge selection of colors, a button collage can be customized to any decor. This project utilized our trendy new Glam Girl Button Bonanza to make a button collage frame that is perfect for a kid’s room – or a grown-up room, too.

Button Frame with Glam Girl Buttons by Buttons Galore

We hope you enjoyed our walk down memory lane of the best of button projects of 2016! We can’t wait to share more beautiful things – and products – with you in 2017!

Best of Button Projects 2016

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Make a Geo Heart Valentine Card for Someone Special!

Are you feeling the love? It’s time to start thinking Valentine’s Day! This geo heart valentine card is trendy, fun, and best of all…oh so easy to make!

Make a golden geo heart Valentine card for someone special!

Supplies:

  • 28 Lilac Lane “Love Story” embellishment kit
  • Simple Stories “Love & Adore” 6×6 paper pad
  • white smooth cardstock
  • white card base
  • Neat & Tangled “Heart of Gold” stamp set
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Black Soot & Embossing
  • Ranger Super Fine Detail Gold Embossing Powder
  • embroidery floss
  • foam adhesive

Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to use our 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kit called “Love Story”. This kit is packed full of beautiful rose and white buttons and seed beads, along with gold and rose pearls and sequins. For those extra-special greetings, there’s even a few charms and some ribbon, too. Love Story will make loads of valentines for the ones you love!

28-lilac-lane-love-story

One of my favorite things to do with my 28 Lilac Lane embellishments is to customize my stamps with them. I love stamps, but it can be difficult to create different looks using the same image repeatedly to get value out of it. Adding buttons, sequins, pearls, or beads over an image can help make it look like an entirely new design!

This clean and simple geo heart valentine card design is very quick and easy to make with only a few basic supplies. It truly is only a ten minute project! Or it can turn into twenty minutes if your cat gets up on your work table and knocks over your entire container of beautiful “Love Story” embellishments so you have to clean them up. (Let’s not talk about how I know that…)

How to make a geo heart valentine card:

To make this geo heart valentine card, I cut my floral paper to the size of the card front. Then I glued it down to the blank white card base. I cut the heart print paper a half inch smaller each direction, and glued it centered on top of the floral paper. To finish preparing the card base, I stamped the sentiment in black ink on the center of the bottom of the card front.

I stamped the geo heart design on white paper with embossing ink, and then heat embossed it with gold embossing powder. I used fine pointed scissors to cut out the heart. Don’t worry if your hand cutting skills aren’t the best! Since this heart doesn’t have super smooth curves, it’s quite easy to hand cut.

To embellish the heart, I glued a few gold sequins at the intersections of lines in the geo heart. Then I chose a nice big rose button for a big pop of color, and then tied it off with matching embroidery floss before gluing it down. Finally, I used foam dot adhesive to attach the heart to the card front.

embellish a geo heart with 28 Lilac Lane

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Make A Christmas Village Gift Box to Enjoy & Give!

It’s a gift box…it’s Christmas decor…it’s a Christmas album! Today, we are closing out our Christmas projects with a Christmas Village Gift Box that is beautiful holiday decor while it hides a few secrets!
Christmas Village Gift Box by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

Supplies:

This project is based on an “explosion box” by DCWV. Take the lid off, and it opens up to hide a small gift inside  and also show a few mini album pages!

All of the sides of the box are covered in fun patterned papers that were applied decoupage style with white glue. Once the glue dried, embellishments were added. The “door”was cut from black cardstock and glued on, along with a button handle. The wreath sticker had sequins added to it before it was attached with foam dot adhesive to give it depth. And on the rear, a sticker announces the house as a gingerbread bakery!

Christmas Village Gift Box by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

The roof top of my Christmas village gift box was left blank when the papers were decoupaged on the rest of the house. The blank white surface gives the appearance of snow, but was pretty boring. A collage of white buttons, interspersed with white glitter glue, gives the roof some fun texture! I used a combination of several of our most popular white and ivory button assortments to create my roof, but any one of them would work fine by itself.

I applied the buttons only to the two large surfaces of the roof, and then dripped the glitter glue like icicles down the sides onto the two small edges. I also dripped the glitter off the rear edge of the house. The great thing about this technique is that there is no “wrong” way to do it, since it is supposed to look messy and random.

Christmas Village Button Roof

This fun little Christmas village gift box with buttons up on the roof top will decorate your holidays long after it is opened! Have a happy holidays, everyone!

Christmas Village Gift Box

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28 Lilac Lane | Easy Home Decor Canvas by May Flaum

Whether you are looking for a last-minute gift idea, or to brighten your home decor for the new year…this mixed media wall art project by 28 Lilac Lane designer May Flaum is just the thing for your walls. It’s an easy home decor canvas that can be completed in just a few minutes, but packs a visual punch!

easy home decor canvas

easy home decor canvas by May Flaum

Only a few basic supplies are needed for creating this project:

The mixed media technique for this easy home decor canvas is messy and random looking – and therefore very forgiving and difficult to screw up! Just smear the shades of paint in one direction across your canvas – and remember to make sure it is nice and thick for a beautiful textured look.

Next, use your palette knife to smear a shape into the paint. Use liquid adhesive to add your embellishments and gold leaf on top of the smeared shape. Finally, spritz with gold mist for an extra touch of shine!

easy home decor canvas

easy home decor canvas by May Flaum

It’s that simple to create beautiful wall art! And don’t forget that May’s mixed media technique on this easy home decor canvas can be adapted very simply to many color schemes and shapes. Try the 28 Lilac Lane Hello Sunshine bottle with shades of yellow and white paint to create a beautiful moon for a nursery wall. Or create a heart in shades of pink using Pretty Princess to add a touch of artsy elegance to a dorm room. The possibilities are as endless as our color palette of 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles!

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Last Minute Modern Christmas Gift Tag – with Buttons!

Think buttons aren’t a match for modern style? Our 28 Lilac Lane “Winter Wonderland” embellishment bottle, paired with washi tape, makes a quick and easy modern Christmas gift tag that will add sparkle and style to your special gift this Christmas!

Modern Christmas Gift Tag

Supplies:

To create the tag base, cut the 6×6 pad in half to create a 3×6 piece. Snip off two corners to create the top of the tag, and then use a hold punch to create the hole.

Lay a strip of the gold washi tape across across the tag about 2/3 of the way down from the top. Cut two more small strips and position them one to each side closer to the top.

Select buttons to create a row across the tag along the bottom of the washi tape. Adhere the buttons using white glue or a hot glue gun.

From the white cardstock, cut a 5/8″ strip. Write the to/from information for your gift on it, and then snip the pieces off of the strip. Adhere them using paper adhesive.

Cut a length of yarn. Loop it through the tag’s hole and tie it off to attach your gift.

This modern Christmas gift tag only takes a few minutes to make, but will definitely brighten up your Christmas wrapping for someone special!

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Decorate a Felt Christmas Tree Ornament with Buttons

Looking for an activity to entertain the kids this Christmas? Our felt Christmas tree ornament project is quick and easy, and perfect for kids of all ages! Better yet, it’s a great (and affordable) activity for doing with large groups for parties and class activities.

Felt Christmas Tree Ornament with buttons

Supplies:

Any felt will work for this project, but I chose to use the heavier Eco-Fi Plus because it stands up better to the weight of the buttons than thinner felts and hangs better as a result.

Constructing these tree ornaments are fast and simple. They are created from two simple shapes cut by hand from felt and/or burlap. Older children can draw and cut their own shapes, and the shapes can be pre-cut for younger children.

Felt Christmas Tree Ornament assembly

Assembling the tree parts (and adhering the buttons) can be done with hot glue or with a clear drying white glue, depending on the age of the kids making the ornaments.  The hot glue will dry faster, if the ornaments need to be moved or hung quickly. Or, to make the project even more educational, practice some sewing skills and sew everything together!

The Merriest Button Bonanza

Choosing different buttons will make each kid’s felt Christmas tree ornament look unique! For a fun country Christmas look, I decorated my felt Christmas tree ornament with buttons from our new Button Bonanza called “The Merriest”.

To complete your ornament, it needs a hanger. I made a loop of twine and attached it to my ornament with hot glue. Ribbon or yarn could also be used.

This easy and fun felt Christmas tree ornament will provide fun for the whole family, and the kids will love creating their own personal design for it! These ornaments would also make beautiful custom gift tags (with the addition of an address label sticker on the back for writing on) for grandparents that can be saved and treasured for years to come.

Felt Christmas Tree Ornament for kids of all ages - easy and fun! Great for family parties or class activity. | www.buttonsgaloreandmore.net

Are you going to button up your Christmas tree this year?

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Get Extra Life from your Stamps with Embellishments!

Stamps are a great investment because they are a tool that can be used over and over again. However, using them over and over again can quickly get boring…so how do you spice things up and put the fun back in your stamps again? 28 Lilac Lane has the answer!

Snowflake Happy Holidays Card

Supplies Needed:

  • 28 Lilac Lane Cotton Candy Embellishment Bottle
  • PPA Matte Adhesive
  • My Mind’s Eye “Sugar Plum” 6″ x 6″ paper pad
  • White cardstock
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Iced Spruce, Victorian Velvet, and Embossing
  • Ranger White Embossing Powder
  • Stamper’s Anonymous by Tim Holtz “Simple Sayings” stamps
  • Stamper’s Anonymous by Tim Holtz “Christmas Blueprint” stamps

One of my favorite ways to make my old stamps look new again is to embellish them! And with the 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles, I have the choice of seed beads, sequins, flat back pearls, and buttons to embellish my stamps.

Cotton Candy Embellishment Bottle

I chose the Cotton Candy bottle because it matched my paper pad. [The 28 Lilac Lane “Cotton Candy” embellishment bottle is available at the our online store, Scrapbook.com, A Cherry On Top, Ellen Hutson, Simon Says Stamp, Create for Less, and others, or check your local retailer].

To create this card, I first made a card base by folding a half sheet of letter sized cardstock. Then I cut a 3.75″ by 5″ piece of the blue plaid paper, and inked the edges in Iced Spruce before adhering it in the center of the card front.

Next I used embossing ink to stamp the snowflake design on the top of the card front, and heat embossed it with white embossing powder. Once the heat embossing was cool, I selected embellishments from the Cotton Candy bottle and adhered them with small dots of clear drying white glue.

Embellishments on stamped image

The sentiment on the bottom of the card front was created by first stamping the label outline in Victorian Velvet on the pale turquoise patterned paper. Then I cut out the label using scissors, close to the edge of the stamped label. I stamped the sentiment in Iced Spruce, and adhered the label to the card front.

get-more-life-from-your-stamps-with

What stamps do have that could be given new life with embellishments?

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It’s a 28 Lilac Lane Christmas Project Round-Up!

What’s sparkly, shiny, and shimmery all over? It’s a 28 Lilac Lane Christmas, of course! Here’s a round-up to all the projects that you need to make your Christmas a 28 Lilac Lane Christmas!

No 28 Lilac Lane Christmas would be complete without a tree! This little wooden Christmas tree bought from a craft store got a touch of alteration – including some 28 Lilac Lane button bling – from designer May Flaum to make it extra special.

Altered Christmas Tree

But why stop at a tree? Deck the halls with buttoned up banners that are fun and easy to make!

Holiday Banners

The gifts that go under the tree need their own sparkle too, and with 28 Lilac Lane, your gifts will look festive and gorgeous! A clean and simple understated look to your gift box is easy when you top it with charms and buttons:

Blue Christmas Gift Box

Or go for a more luxurious look, with a button and jewel encrusted top like this one by 28 Lilac Lane designer May Flaum that is rich and feminine! This is one gift box that won’t be going in the trash after the gift is opened!

button-collage-gift-box

Since not everyone can get our Christmas wishes in person, how about some Christmas cards?

Pink 28 lilac lane Christmas Card

Heart 28 Lilac Lane Christmas Card

To see a video on how to make these two beautiful cards, and get information on a free card making class at Scrapbook.com that uses 28 Lilac Lane, visit May Flaum’s blog!

Or, if bright retro is more your style…try our funky paper pieced trees card:

Retro Merry Christmas Card by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

A button border makes any project a little more special. The 28 Lilac Lane one on this Happy Howl-idays card is spiced up with pearls and sequins for some extra bling!

Dog 28 Lilac Lane Christmas Card

Have you made a 28 Lilac Lane Christmas project? Please share a link in the comments! We’d love to see it!

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Button Up an Ugly Christmas Sweater Card!

Nothing’s more fun at Christmas than an ugly Christmas sweater. So why not send one to a friend in the form of an ugly Christmas sweater card for the holidays?

Ugly Christmas Sweater Card by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

Supplies Needed:

  • Buttons Galore “The Merriest” Button Bonanza
  • PPA Matte Adhesive
  • White cardstock
  • Pinkfresh “Oh Joy” Stamp Set
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Ink
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Twisted Citron
  • Ranger Embossing Powder in Clear Super Fine Detail, Gold, & Red Tinsel
  • Black pen
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Marker in Candied Apple (optional)

This card’s technique is simple – just creating two strips of paper by stamping the sweater knit stamp over and over, alternating the color and embossing it. The Twisted Citron ink is embossed with clear embossing powder, and the red is clear embossing ink that is heat embossed with Red Tinsel powder. The strips need to alternate to create the effect on the front of the card.

Ugly Christmas Sweater Card construction

Doing all that stamping and embossing while changing colors takes a bit of time, but the result is a great effect!

Once strips are made, they can be adhered to a card base. Start by attaching the one on the right side of the front. Position it, glue it down, and then trim off any excess. The front is layered, with the left side overlapping the right panel, so there’s no need to worry about how wide the panel is on the card front.

To emphasize the layered effect and create bulk in it as if it really is a sweater placket, adhere two inch wide strips of paper underneath the right edge of the left panel before attaching it to the card front. This will slightly raise the area under the buttons up, creating depth and shadow that look like a true sweater! For a little extra shadow, run a dark red pen or inkpad along the paper edge where the pieces overlap as well.

Ugly Christmas Sweater Card by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

Now that your sweater has a placket, it needs buttons to fasten it! “The Merriest” Button Bonanza has red and green shades that match the card base. Adding in the the pink and blue shades that are also in the assortment looks a bit random on top of all of that red and green, and is the perfect way to “ugly” up your ugly Christmas sweater card. Glue your buttons down with a clear drying adhesive like PPA Matte Adhesive.

The finishing touch is the “patch” that has the sentiment on it. Just stamp and emboss the sentiment, and then draw stitching lines around it with a pen. Adhere it at a jaunty angle to your sweater’s “front” and you are done!

Who do you know that needs an ugly Christmas sweater card? Send them one today!

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Pretty Pastel Christmas Tree Card with Buttons & Stamps!

Christmas isn’t just green and red anymore…pink and blue are also becoming more part of the palette. Today, I’m going to show you how to create a beautiful pastel Christmas tree card with our versatile new “Coral Reef” Button Bonanza bag!

Pretty Pastel Christmas Tree Card

Supplies Needed: 

This card uses our new “Coral Reef” Button Bonanza to create a fun pastel blue and pink Christmas look that is super trendy and oh-so-pretty! The shades of pale blue, soft rose pink, and white are perfect for a retro pastel Christmas tree card look.

Coral Reef Button Bonanza by Buttons Galore

Making this card is fast and easy, but with the gorgeous patterned papers and the pearly button accents, it looks anything but plain!

To begin your card, cut the pink background for your card base to 4.25″ by 5.5″. Then cut the garland paper to 4″ by 5.25″, and adhere it on top of the pink base. Next, get out a blank card base and adhere the layered background to the front of it.

Stamp the Christmas tree in brown ink on blue text pattern paper, and then add the star in gold at the top. Trim closely to the tree in a rectangle shape. Adhere the tree block on top of the pink striped paper, and trim it to leave a small border around the edges of the tree.

Pastel Button Christmas tree Close-up

Select buttons from the Coral Reef collection, and use PPA Matte Adhesive (or other clear glue) to adhere them to the tree. Once the glue is dry, attach the tree block to the card base, angled in the upper left corner.

Stamp sentiment on green patterned paper, and trim to size. Adhere in lower right corner.
Pretty Pastel Christmas Tree Card

This pastel Christmas tree card design could be used to create seasonal trees all year round – pretty spring blossom colors mixed with bright green, fall colors, or all white for a snow covered winter tree! What season’s tree will you button up?

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DIY Holiday Gift Ideas with Buttons

Nothing says you care at the holidays like a handmade gift! These DIY Holiday Gift Ideas with buttons will help you create a gift that matches everyone on your list.

diy holiday gifts

Mixed Media Locket

DIY Holiday Gift Jewelry close-up

With a few jewelry findings and one of our 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits, you can make a one-of-a-kind locket for a special woman (or girl) in your life. Make it sweet, or make it dramatic…you decide and choose the embellishments!

Button Collage Frame

Button Frame with Glam Girl Buttons by Buttons Galore

A button collage frame is so easy to make the kids can do it…but with the right color choices, it can be perfect for any decor from farmhouse to graphic. This one, made with our Glam Girl Button Bonanza, will fit in a tween room or a country decor. An all white version (like the tray below) could go shabby chic, or try shades of pink for a cute girl’s room accessory!

Button Tray

Button Tray close-up

A simple wood tray becomes a beautiful accessory for decor or entertaining with a button collage and some resin.  For a shabby chic look, choose the Ivory/Pearl Haberdashery buttons, or for a more rustic or beachy feel for poolside entertaining, try the Natural Haberdashery.

Button Charm Bracelet

gold button charm bracelet

How about a little button bling? Pair some of our Gold/Silver Haberdashery buttons with a chain link bracelet and you’ve got a retro Button Charm Bracelet. It’s a great piece to accessorize all of those trendy 70’s looks with!

Mason Jar Sewing Kit

Mason Jar Sewing Kit

Looking for something pretty and practical too? This mason jar sewing kit will make it easy and fun for your college student or newlywed to replace that missing button. And it is decorative while it is waiting to be used!

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Tis the Season to make a Christmas Cat Card!

We’re cat owners at our house, and as anyone who owns a cat knows…it makes Christmas decorating extra, well, interesting. We decorate, the cat un-decorates. So today, my project is a Merry Christmas cat card that celebrates that annual feline-human war of December!

Christmas Cat Card by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

Supplies:

  • Buttons Galore “Tis the Season” Button Bonanza
  • PPA Matte Adhesive
  • watercolor paper
  • Tim Holtz for Stamper’s Anonymous “Crazy Cats” stamps
  • Tim Holtz for Stamper’s Anonymous “Simple Sayings” stamps
  • Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Crayon in Vintage Photo
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Vintage Photo
  • Water brush
  • Black Pen
  • Tim Holtz idea-ology “Yuletide” paper
  • 26 gauge German style wire (antique brass)
  • Cream colored cardstock

This Christmas cat card has a very simple design. It’s featured embellishments are Christmas ornaments made from buttons from the “Tis the Season” Button Bonanza that is brand new for this holiday season. Featuring deep red and green tones that are accented by a light sage green shade, “Tis the Season” is a versatile button mix for almost any holiday craft project.

Tis the Season Button Bonanza by Buttons Galore

Instructions: 

Cut a piece of watercolor paper to 4.5″ by 6.5″. Use Archival ink to stamp the Crazy Cat.

Use a ruler and the black pen to draw the line across the bottom underneath the cat. Don’t draw through the cat’s paws!

Scribble on a scrap piece of watercolor paper with the Distress Crayon. Using your waterbrush, pick up some of the color and use it to watercolor the cat.

Cut a piece of patterned paper to 5″ by 7″ and ink the edges. Adhere the watercolor paper centered on it. Cut a piece of cardstock to 7″ by 10″. Fold in half to make a 5″ by 7″ card, and adhere card front to it.

Cut a strip of patterned paper 1/2″ wide. Stamp the sentiment on it, and trim the ends. Adhere to bottom right of card.

Select three buttons to serve as your “ornaments”. Thread the holes on the buttons with German style wire. Use the tail of the wire to create a loop for the ornament’s “hanger” before snipping off the excess wire.

Use liquid glue like PPA Matte Adhesive to glue the button ornaments in place.

Since it mostly relies on bulk supplies like buttons and tools like stamps to make, this Christmas cat card could easily be made in quantity. Simply substitute cardstock or a variety of patterned paper for the paper used for the matted background and the sentiment strip. and you can make this card over and over with a Button Bonanza and your stamp! And since it is fast and easy to make, your cards will be done in no time!

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Send a Retro Merry Christmas Card Wish!

Tis the season to be jolly! Today I’m here to show you how to combine two of our holiday products that have a turquoise toned blue in their palette to make a fun retro Merry Christmas card!

Retro Merry Christmas Card by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

Supplies Needed:

  • patterned paper
  • washi tape (or patterned paper)
  • red ink
  • Merry Christmas stamp
  • white cardstock
  • clear drying glue (such as PPA Matte Adhesive)

This project pairs seed beads from our beloved 28 Lilac Lane “Let It Snow” embellishment kit with buttons from our new “Cool Winters” Button Basics. With similar tones of blue, these two coordinate together beautifully to add a pop of trendy color to holiday projects of all kinds.

Winter Flurries Button Basics

This card is 5″ by 7″, so to start my retro Merry Christmas card I cut the snowflake background paper to that size.

Next, I cut a 5″ wide strip of white cardstock that was a few inches tall. I stamped “Merry Christmas” on it with red ink, centering the image near the bottom. Then I used scissors to cut the top of the sentiment block into a wavy design.

To create the beaded edge, I started by spreading a bead a white glue along the edge. Then I sprinkled seed beads over the glue until it was covered, and set the sentiment block aside to dry.

Cutting the trees is easy! I simply used three scraps of paper and cut them into various sizes of triangles. The tree “trunks” are made from washi tape (but could also be made from strips of paper). Some of the tree triangles hung over the edge, so I just snipped them off. Once those elements were adhered in place, then I used liquid glue to adhere three buttons as toppers for the trees.

Once the glue holding the seed beads was dry, then I adhered the sentiment block across the bottom.

To finish my card, I used white cardstock to make a blank card and then adhered the finished card front onto it.

Retro Merry Christmas Card by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

I hope this cheery little retro Merry Christmas card greeting will help you brighten the holidays of someone special!

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Decorate a Faux Pallet Christmas Tree!

Welcome to the Handmade Holidays blog hop at Buttons Galore! We’re sharing a faux wood pallet Christmas tree to decorate a desk or tabletop…but this tree is hiding a very useful secret!

Faux Pallet Christmas Tree

This fun little pallet Christmas tree is equally at home in a dorm room, or a farmhouse style decor. But at 17″ wide and more than two feet tall, it’s a challenge to store after all the gifts are opened. Or is it?

Velcro Assembly for Pallet Christmas Tree

By using Industrial Strength Velcro to assemble the pallet Christmas tree instead of glue or nails, I made it able to be completely disassembled! Just pull apart the Velcro and instead of a big awkward tree, you’ve got a small bundle of wood that can be much more easily packed in an ornament box!

Disassembly also allows the flower pot – which is deliberately not seasonally decorated – to be used year round for flowers or other seasonal decorations when it isn’t being used for the tree.

Supplies Needed:

I started by cutting the craft wood into the following lengths: 6″, 9″, 12″, 14″, 16″ and 17″. Then I trimmed the 1″ x 2″ pine board to 26″ in length.

Pallet Christmas Tree Pieces

I used the Americana satin paint (made by DecoArt) in multiple thin coats applied with a foam brush to get a nice smooth finish on the boards.

Painting Pallet Christmas Tree

After the paint was dry, I laid out my boards in the arrangement for the tree. Then I started decorating my tree! I used Button Shank Removers to cut off the stems from the Haberdashery buttons, and filled in around them with buttons from the 28 Lilac Lane bottles and kit. Tiny green sequins from the Yuletide Greetings bottle added nice little sparkly highlights around various areas of the tree, too!

Decorating Pallet Christmas Tree

When it was all glued down, I was left with this! Notice how I hung some of the button “ornaments” off the edges of some of the wood branches to add some interest.

Decorated Pallet Christmas Tree

Attaching the branches to the stem was super easy with the Velcro. First, I cut 1.25″ squares from the Velcro. Then I measured and placed a mark at the center of the back of each “branch”. I peeled one side of the Velcro and adhered it centered vertically on the branch, using the center mark to get it centered left to right.

Then I peeled the second side of the Velcro and pressed the branches into place on the tree’s “trunk”. Once they were in place, I glued a big gold button to the top of the trunk as my tree’s top.

Pallet Christmas Tree with Trunk Attached

Painting the pot is fast and easy! I just dipped a paintbrush in water and then into the white chalk paint. This diluted the paint and when it spread, it created a whitewash effect. In areas that it didn’t spread as much as I would like, I just dipped the brush in water again and used the water to dilute the paint a bit more.

To create a second layer of paint for a mottled effect in the whitewashing, I repeated the technique with the more cream colored chalk paint. This time I just dabbed the paint instead of trying to fully cover the pot, and it created the textured look below.

Whitewashed Clay Pot for Pallet Christmas Tree

The base is part of what makes the pallet Christmas tree collapsible. I trimmed the foam so that it fit nicely into the pot, and then carved a hole down the middle of it for the tree trunk. To make the fit nice and snug, I wrapped the trunk in a strip of felt. This method makes the fit adjustable as wear and tear erodes away the foam base!

For the finishing touch, to hide the foam, I covered it in a layer of moss.

Base of Pallet Christmas Tree

This faux pallet Christmas tree is the perfect decoration for a buffet table, an office, or a kid’s bedroom! There’s so many places to use it…where will you put yours?

Faux Pallet Christmas Tree

Now, it’s time to get hopping to see more holiday decor ideas. But before you go…how about a giveaway? Here’s a peek at the huge assortment of prizes that are up for grabs!

handmade-holidays-hop-prize-image

Use the Widget below for your chance to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to all of our fellow sponsors!

  • Clearsnap
  • Hydrangea Hippo etsy shop
  • Hepp’s Salt Co. (food)
  • The Twinery
  • Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L
  • Stencil1
  • DecoArt, Inc.
  • Walnut Hollow
  • Graphic 45
  • Iron Orchid Designs

Now…click here to visit the next stop on the hop – or click below to see the entire hop list:

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Make a Watercolor Card with new Coral Reef embellishments!

A few weeks ago we introduced you to our six new 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles. Candy Corn, Winter Wonderland, Yuletide Greetings, Savannah Stroll, Through the Woods, and Coral Reef embellishments bottles are currently shipping, just in time for holiday projects and stocking stuffers!

new 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles for fall 2016 from Buttons Galore & More!

Today, I’m here to show you an up close look at a project by 28 Lilac Lane designer May Flaum! This project uses the gorgeous and versatile 28 Lilac Lane Coral Reef embellishment bottle, a blend of coral pink and shades of green that is seasonal year round.

28 Lilac Lane Coral Reef embellishments

The delicate tones of Coral Reef are perfect for using with watercolors. With its natural floral color palette, Coral Reef works beautifully for watercolor floral cards! In the video below, designer May Flaum shows how she paired her 28 Lilac Lane Coral Reef embellishment bottle with a stamp to create a quick and easy floral greeting!

Here’s a closer look at May’s finished card…just a sprinkling of Coral Reef embellishments takes this card from simple to simply fabulous! It’s simple, quick, and easy to do, but makes all the difference in the finished card.

Watercolor Flower Card by May Flaum for 28 Lilac Lane

Check with your Buttons Galore local retailer or visit our online store to get your 28 Lilac Lane Coral Reef embellishments today!

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Bling up a Holiday Gift Tag with Buttons and 28 Lilac Lane!

It’s November and that means…the leftover trick or treat candy has been eaten (at least at our house)…and it’s time to jump full on into Christmas trees and snowflakes and all things Christmas! For our readers that like to personalize their gifts, today I’ve got a holiday gift tag that will be remembered long after the holiday is over!

DIY Holiday Gift Tag

Supplies:

The background on this tag was created by inking a craft mat with the four shades of blue Distress Ink, spritzing it with water, and then dragging the tag through it. A heat gun helped to speed the drying process. The nice thing about this technique is that if you don’t like the effect that you get, you can add and remove color by spritzing the tag with water, or adding another layer of color, until you get just the effect that you are happy with.

DIY Holiday Gift Tag close-up

Once the background was thoroughly dry, I stamped the snowflake stamp with clear embossing ink and heat embossed it with white embossing powder. Since the stamp was not as tall as the tag, I made sure that I started the stamp at the bottom of the tag. Using the PPA Matte Adhesive to glue a line of buttons across the area where the snowflakes stop disguised the transition area from snowflakes to plain background.

Next, I stamped the poinsettia stamp in Archival ink on watercolor paper,  and colored it in with watercolors and a waterbrush. Finally, I trimmed it to a size that would work on the tag.

It’s not very visible in the photos, but I used Stickles to create a border around the outside edge of the poinsettia square to add a little extra glint of sparkle to the tag. I also used various colors of seed beads from both of the embellishment kits to create some dimension in some areas and create the flower’s center. (The seed beads in our kits adhere beautifully with the PPA Matte Adhesive, which is what I used here.)

DIY Holiday Gift Tag close-up

The trickiest part of assembling this holiday gift tag is getting the loops of silver string and the poinsettia layered and adhered. I laid down a pool PPA Matte Adhesive in the middle of the tag, and created my string loops by passing the string through the glue area repeatedly. Then I pressed the poinsettia block down on top of it and when it dried, everything was adhered together!

At first glance, it looks like the snowflake charm is looped through the string but if you look closer…it is not. I simply glued it on with the loop laying over the string. This helps everything lay a little more flat and stay adhered better.

The final touch on my holiday gift tag are the two phrase stickers I added in the bottom corner. If you didn’t want to put the to and from information on the reverse side, these strips could have it instead.

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DIY Holiday Gift | Mixed Media Locket with 28 Lilac Lane

Christmas shopping time has arrived…and so has Christmas gift crafting time! A custom piece of jewelry is the perfect DIY holiday gift for a friend or family member…and with 28 Lilac Lane embellishments, a surprisingly easy one!

DIY Holiday Gift Jewelry

Supplies:

This locket is built using a very simple process. Fill the bottom of the locket with a single layer embellishments. Start with the large items (the buttons) and then fill in around them with the small items like the beads and pearls. Vary the color and placement of the items. Select a charm but don’t place it in the locket just yet!

Once you are satisfied with the placement of your bottom layer of embellishments, get out your Ice Resin. Following the directions on the package, use the Ice Resin to fill in a layer of epoxy on top of the layer of embellishments. Stop filling when the layer is just slightly covered. Before the resin dries, press the charm that you saved earlier into the top of the epoxy. It should just be slightly embedded, protruding out the top of the epoxy layer.

DIY Holiday Gift Jewelry close-up

To create the ribbon embellished chain, thread a large needle (or a knitting darning needle) with the ribbon. Then weave it in and out of every other link the chain so that it is threaded into it. Tie the ribbon off to the chain at each end.

The fun thing about these DIY holiday gift lockets is that they can be created for any theme or color scheme, to perfectly match the recipient it is intended for! To see a different interpretation of this project in a pink color scheme, check out our previous mixed media locket article.

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Embellish Your December Album of the Holidays with Buttons!

In only a few weeks, December will be upon us! For many scrapbookers, that means recording our December holiday celebrations in special page-a-day pocket scrapbooks. Our 3D buttons are a fun and simple way to add embellishment to your December album!

December Album Cards

Most of us using pocket scrapbooks for our December album will have at least a few 4×6 cards in our album to highlight important topics or days. This journaling card could hold very large number stickers to put focus on a special date (such as #25) or the kraft colored tag could be used for journaling space!

December Album 4x6 card

Supplies:

To make this card, I cut a 4″ x 6″ piece of patterned paper. Then I stamped “Merry Christmas” on the bottom right and embossed it with clear embossing powder. After I die cut the tag from cardstock, I looped ribbon through the hole, and secured it with a staple. I adhered the tag in place and laid the sticker in place on top of it.

The buttons were the final touch. These buttons are shank buttons, so I had to use button shank removers to give them a flat back. Before gluing them down, I used a pen to draw “strings” from the top of the card to the locations of the baubles that I wanted hanging. Then I glued all three buttons down on top of the drawn strings, and also added the Christmas tree in the bottom left corner.

December Album 3x4 card

Supplies:

I also started this 3×4 card by stamping the sentiment in the upper part of the white box. Then I added the washi strips in the bottom part of the box, trimming them so they fit the decorative shape of the bottom corner. I die cut the small holly leaves and adhered them, adding small red buttons as berries. Finally, I cut the shanks off of two 3D present buttons and glued them down in the bottom right corner using PPA Matte adhesive.

Whether you are using a kit or doing it yourself, we’ve got the perfect buttons for your December album. Visit the Christmas category on our website, or our new section to see our latest releases to find great options for your album!

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Make a Scaredy Cat Halloween Tag with a Beaded Twist Tie!

Halloween is coming fast! But there’s still time to make a few more Halloween projects – like this fun scaredy cat halloween tag! It makes a great decoration on a spooky tree or a fun goody bag attachment.

Scaredy Cat Halloween Tag by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

To make my scaredy cat halloween tag, I started with the middle tag below. This is a set of three tags that I made using Distress Spray Stain. I sprayed the three colors of stain on my craft mat in a triangle arrangement, and pressed the first tag into them. That created the tag on the left below. Then I added some water to the mat using my Distress Sprayer, and swiped a tag across my mat again, which got me the tag in the middle that I used for this project. Finally, I took a third tag and swiped it through the color mix that remained on the mat. By that time, the three colors were mixed together enough on the mat that it produced a more brown color, giving me the tag on the right.

Fall Tag Backgrounds

Decorating this tag started with a lot of stamping! I stamped the cat in black and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. Then I stamped the pumpkin in brown, coloring in the part of the blueprint stamp that I wanted to use and stamping it. To make them look wispy, I used silver ink to stamp the spider webs to fill the top of the tag area.

Once the stamping was done, I stuck down the phrase stickers and the letters to spell “Boo!”

Scaredy Cat Tag close-up by Nancy Nally for www.buttonsgaloreandmore.com

Next I got my PPA Matte Adhesive liquid glue to start adding some beautiful embellishments! Well, first I added a scary one…I cut the shank off of a spider button using button shank removers and glued it onto the spider web on the upper left of the tag. In that spot it looks like the cat is looking at it!

To make the cat’s eyes look really bugged out, I selected two dark colored seed beads from the 28 Lilac Lane “Paws & Pets” embellishment kit and glued them on top of the stamped dots in the cat’s eyes. It makes the cat look even more scared!

28 Lilac Lane candy corn embellishment bottle by Buttons Galore

Finally, I dumped the new 28 Lilac Lane “Candy Corn” embellishment bottle (pictured above) into a craft tray, which is a great way to contain all of the small embellishments while you are looking for just what you need.  With it all spread out I selected several small sequins to glue on to the spider webs, and glued some small seed beads, sequins, and a button onto the bottom of the pumpkin to give it some orange coloring.

Beaded Wire Tie using 28 Lilac Lane embellishments

To really look finished, my tag needed some ribbon through the hole. I selected some gray and some black and strung them through the hole. But instead of tying them off, I made a seed bead “twist tie” to fasten it. I cut a piece of wire several inches long. To start, I looped the wire through and around a pair of beads and twisted it together, clipping one of the ends off. then I began threading seed beads onto the wire in a random pattern until the tie was the length I wanted. To finish the wire off, I once again created a loop with two beads in it and twisted the wire together below that loop. I made sure to cut off the ends very close to the twist and turn them under so no sharp points stick out!

The seed bead twist tie was then wrapped around my ribbon to cinch it tight (similar to a ponytail holder). It brightens up the ribbon and brings something shiny to the top of my scaredy cat halloween tag.

And now my scaredy cat halloween tag was ready to hang on my halloween tree with my other tags! (To see the other tags in the collection, check out the Spooky Halloween Tag and the Fall Pumpkin Tag).

Supplies:

Do you make tags? What occasions do you make them for? Tell us in the comments! 

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Announcing…New 3D Winter Holiday Buttons!

October is flying by, and that can only mean one thing…that chill in the air is going to bring snow soon – and Christmas!

Today we’re excited to be announcing new 3D buttons that are perfect for your winter and Christmas crafting. We’ve got snowmen and snowflakes perfect for all of your project needs.  (And don’t miss the peek at the end of even more new holiday goodness!)

3D Holiday Buttons

Adorable snowmen are a holiday must-have, and we’ve got two versions – a bright one and a more rustic one. No matter what your style…we’ve built the snowman for it!

3D Snowman Buttons

If you are dreaming of snow…snow…snow…in your winter holidays (and your winter craft projects), we’ve got a huge new selection of 3D snowflake buttons!

Our new 3D snowflake buttons come in three different styles that are available in several sizes and shades of blue. Packaged in five different assortments, there’s a perfect one for your needs no matter what your project!

3D Snowflake Buttons

All of these buttons, except for the snowflakes on the far left above, have shank backs for sewing them on to projects. But for crafters who prefer flat backs, the shanks can be easily removed with scissors or a button shank remover. (The set of snowflake buttons that doesn’t have shanks has a flat back and holes that can be used for sewing it onto projects.)

In addition to our snowflakes and snowmen, we’ve also got a great selection of new 3D Christmas designs such as gingerbread men, Christmas trees, stars, adorable holiday icons, and more!

holiday buttons

All of our new holiday 3D buttons are available now on our website – click to see the entire selection!

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Embellish a Christmas Gift Box with Buttons & More!

October is half over and that means it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in most crafter’s work spaces! Today, we’re going to share a few ideas of how to embellish a Christmas gift box with buttons to make your gifts look extra special.

Christmas Gift Boxes with 28 Lilac Lane embellishments

All of these boxes are created from paper maché boxes that are painted with white acrylic paint. Then the tops of the boxes were splattered with spray ink or paint to add some color, before buttons and other embellishments were added.

The large rectangle Christmas gift box is created with embellishments from the 28 Lilac Lane “Let It Snow” embellishment kit. To create this embellishment collage, I started by laying down a pool of white glue in the middle of the lid. Then I placed the large items first, creating the arrangement of the buttons. I filled in around the buttons with the small embellishments like the sequins and beads, creating a feeling of an explosion of embellishment spreading across the lid. For the final touch, I glued the snowflake charm from the “Let It Snow” kit on top of the button collage.

Blue Christmas Gift Box

Supplies:

For the round box, I used the new “Winter Wonderland” Button Bonanza. I started this one by making the first layer of buttons. Then, once that layer had dried securely in place, I glued a second layer of buttons on top of the center of the first layer.

Christmas Gift Box with 28 Lilac Lane

Supplies:

I used the same technique on the square box, creating a two layer collage of buttons one layer at a time. The key to making the prettiest collage is to vary the size and type of the buttons that you use. Also, it helps to balance the colors. On this box, the center has one of each color, and then there is an outer ring that shows the green shades alternating with red.

Traditional Christmas Gift Box with 28 Lilac Lane

Supplies:

Grab some boxes…grab some glue…this project only takes a few minutes to make beautiful holiday gift packages. And it’s so easy that the kids can help out. What are you waiting for? Button up a few holiday gifts!

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Decorate with a Simple Glam Girl Button Frame!

We recently announced six new Button Bonanza assortments for fall – great mixes of colors that are seasonal and trendy. Today I’m here to show you a beautiful button frame project with what is probably my absolute favorite of the new mixes: Glam Girl!

Glam Girl Button Bonanza by Buttons Galore

This lovely assortment of pink, turquoise, butter yellow, and dark blue is oh-so-trendy and so versatile for a variety of projects!

This button frame project would make a gorgeous addition to the decor in a teen/tween’s room (and it’s easy enough for them to make themselves). Or it could add a pop of color to a flea market decor in a living room or bedroom!

Glam Girl Button Frame by Nancy Nally for www.buttonsgaloreandmore.net

The steps to completing this project are super simple.

To begin this project, paint the unfinished wood frame with the Pink Dogwood paint. The soft pink color provides a delicate background to fill in between the buttons in the collage, and coordinates beautifully with the shades of the Glam Girl buttons.

How to make a Glam Girl Button Frame by Nancy Nally for www.buttonsgaloreandmore.net

Once the paint is dry, then it is time to start the button collage! My tip for doing this is to work in sections laying down an inch or two long section of the white glue and filling it in with buttons. Once it is dry, then start the next section. This technique prevents a huge mass of buttons that are sitting in still-wet glue from accidentally being shifted as you work your button collage into place.

Button Frame with Glam Girl Buttons by Buttons Galore

The key to a nice balanced button collage is to spread out the larger buttons, and to try to avoid placing the same colors next to each other too much. With only four colors, it’s not possible to avoid it entirely, but I mostly managed to avoid more than two that were connected to each other of the same color.

Creating a button frame collage like this can be a bit time-consuming, but also a relaxing and fun project! And the end result is a button frame that will be enjoyed for years to come!

Supplies:

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Top 6 Halloween Crafts to Make with Buttons!

The calendar is about to turn October, and most of us are in full-speed Halloween crafting mode! In case you are still in need of some Halloween crafts inspiration, here’s a round-up of our favorite Halloween crafts using our favorite crafting embellishment – buttons, of course!

Top Halloween Crafts for Halloween using buttons from Buttons Galore

Our autumn frame is super easy to make with no sewing, and will make a great addition to your home decor or your buffet of candy treats. And it’s a great way to use up those fabric scraps!

Autumn Frame

Whether you are planning a hospitality gift for your party hosts, or dropping some fresh baked pumpkin spice brownies at the neighbor’s, this fall pumpkin tag is a warm and friendly way to say “hello” to someone special!

Fall tag

When it comes time to hand out candy, our spooky button eye bags will be the talk of the neighborhood or your kids’ classroom! They are so simple to make that the kids can help!

Spooky Button Eye Ghost Bags - great for Halloween Treat Bags

Pumpkins are seasonal decor that can go from early fall all the way through to Thanksgiving. This decorative pumpkin will add a beautiful touch to your home or porch all season!

Happy Fall pumpkin

Halloween wouldn’t be complete without some bats! These button bats are more cute than spook, and will look great hanging from the ceiling, staked into a plant, or stuck to a wall.

Halloween Button Bats

If you aren’t quite ready to give up all the color in your world for the browns of fall, we’ve got the perfect card for you! This fall card brings nice bright pink and orange to a cheery “happy fall” sentiment.

Happy Fall card

Looking for buttons for your Halloween projects? Don’t miss our brand new Scary Button Bonanza, Trick or Treat Button Basics, and Fall Festival Button Basics!

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Tis the Season to Embellish Some Christmas Cards!

We’ve got Christmas cards on the brain here at Buttons Galore! Since World Cardmaking Day the first weekend of October is the unofficial launch of the holiday card making season, we’re sharing another card idea today to help your Christmas card planning. Our buttons, sequins, and beads are the perfect easy and affordable embellishment to use for making loads of Christmas cards.

Christmas cards with buttons

Supplies:

Creating this Christmas card is quick and easy with buttons, and pre-coordinated paper and embellishments.

Start by cutting a piece of plaid paper that is 5″ by 3.75″. Ink the edges with the green Fluid Chalk and adhere it in the center of the front of the card base.

Cut a triangle from the gold paper, and adhere it in the upper left corner of the plaid paper block.

Adhere the large chipboard piece in the upper right corner of the card. Adhere the “Tis the Season” tag layered on top of it, using foam adhesive dots for the end not on top of the chipboard.

To create the bottom text strip, cut a 1/2″ strip of cream cardstock. Use the Shimmer ink to stamp the sentiment twice across it, leaving room in the middle for a button. Adhere across the bottom of the card.

Christmas cards with buttons

Using the PPA Matte Adhesive, place small dots of adhesive on the stamped strip and the sentiment tag. Press sequins into them and allow to dry. Also use the Matte Adhesive to adhere the buttons on the corner frame and the chipboard embellishment, and allow to dry.

Tis The Season Button Bonanza by Buttons Galore - Perfect for vintage Christmas Cards!

Tis the Season” Button Bonanza is perfect for vintage color schemes, and if brighter is more your style, don’t miss “The Merriest” Button Bonanza, with bright green, bright red, and pastel pink & blue! We’ve got your Christmas cards buttoned up!

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Use 3D Buttons for a Quick Snowflake Card!

World Cardmaking Day is coming soon, and that means lots of crafters will be starting to think about making Christmas cards! Today’s holiday card idea uses 3D buttons to create dimension on a snowflake card that only takes minutes to make!

Snowflake holiday card

Supplies:

The key elements of this card’s design are very simple – a snowflake background stamp, stamped with acrylic paint, and 3D snowflake buttons. Layered together, these elements create a design this is simple, elegant, and dimensional.

To begin your card, cut a 5.5″ x 4.25″ background for the card from dark blue cardstock. Then cut a 5″ by 3.75″ layer of the light blue cardstock. Paint the snowflake stamp with the acrylic paint dabber, and stamp it onto the light blue cardstock. One dry, adhere the light blue cardstock layer on top of the dark blue layer.

Snowflake card layersFor the sentiment strip, cut a 3/4″ strip of white paper. If you stamp in the middle of that strip and then adhere it before snipping off the ends, it is easy to get your sentiment perfectly centered on the card front. Then you can arrange the red accent buttons around the edges of the sentiment strip and they will also be perfectly spaced!

assembling snowflake card

For the final touches on your card, remove the shanks from the 3D buttons using a button shank remover. Then adhere the the snowflakes with liquid glue in random places on the card front. You can choose to place them to accent a specific stamped snowflake (as I did in the upper right of my card) or randomly in open areas between the stamped designs.

Snowflake Card

This holiday snowflake card is quick and easy to make. If you’d like to produce this card in volume for your holiday card list, these pearl snowflake buttons are also available in bulk via custom order from our customer service department.

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Cute Ghost Ornaments to Make in 15 Minutes for Halloween!

Spooky trees are a fun way to decorate for Halloween. To keep it from getting too spooky and scaring my daughter, I’m decorating mine with some cute ghost ornaments that only take 15 minutes to make!

Make cute ghost ornaments for Halloween in only 15 minutes! | Nancy Nally for buttonsgaloreandmore.net

Supplies Needed:

To begin making these, I first had to raid my kitchen for a 10″ dinner plate to use as a circle template! I laid the plate out on the white fabric and drew around it with the fabric marking pencil. Then I cut the circles out, just inside the lines I had marked.

Make cute ghost ornaments for Halloween in only 15 minutes! | Nancy Nally for buttonsgaloreandmore.net

Next, to find the center of the ghost ornament, I folded the circles into quarters. I threaded a needle with white embroidery floss. Then I stitched up through the center of the fabric and back down, leaving a loose loop. I tied the threads together on the reverse side. (The side with the knot became the inside of the ghost.)

To create the pouffy head of the ghost, I balled up some fiberfill to about the size I wanted. Then I gathered the fabric around it, centering the hang loop at the top. I wrapped some embroidery floss around it to tie it off, leaving a small (about a half inch or so) opening so that it isn’t gathered too tight.

The final step was to sew on the buttons for the ghost’s eyes. I threaded my needle with black embroidery floss and used the opening at the center of the fabric gather to pull my needle through when I needed to sew from the underneath side.

Make cute ghost ornaments in 15 minutes! | by Nancy Nally for buttonsgaloreandmore.com

Whether you make just one or a whole tree full, these cute ghost ornaments are a 15 minute treat that will make your Halloween extra festive!

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Make a Spooky Halloween Tag with Trick or Treat Button Basics!

Today we’re taking a walk on the creepy side of Halloween, with a spooky Halloween tag that makes a great attachment for a treat bag or can be a unique holiday greeting by itself!

Spooky Halloween Tag by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

Supplies:

1. Create the background of the Halloween tag by spraying the three colors of Distress Spray Stain in a triangle arrangement on a craft mat and then dragging the tag across the ink. Allow to air dry, or dry with a heat gun.

2. Ink the edges of the paper elements with matching ink to hide the white edges, and glue them in place.

3. Using Archival ink, stamp the creepy cat on top of the background and paper elements.

Tip: If the stamp image is incomplete where the paper layers meet, use the fine point end of the Distress Marker to fill it in!

4. Draw a line for the spider web in the upper right corner using the brush end of the Distress Marker and a ruler.

Spooky Halloween Tag close-up

5. Thread black embroidery floss through the green button and tie off.

6. Use a button shank remover to cut the shank off from the back of a spider button.

7. Glue all of the buttons into place using the PPA Matte Adhesive. (Make sure to center the orange one over the hole in the tag.) Let dry.

8. Thread twine from the back through the button and ending at the back again, to tie off the tag.

9. Enjoy your Halloween tag!

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Make a Wicked Halloween Card with 3D Bat Buttons!

That September chill is in the air, and that means pumpkin spice, apple cider…and Halloween on the horizon! Our 3D buttons make great accessories for your themed cards, and I’m here today to share an idea you can make with bat buttons from our Halloween Value Pack.

Halloween Value Pack by Buttons Galore

Our Halloween Value Pack includes approximately 50 assorted buttons. The buttons range from 1/2″ to 7/8″ in size and include shank and sew-through buttons. Designs include fun options like pumpkins, monsters, spiders, bats, and everything you need for your Halloween-themed projects!

Wicked Halloween card with bat buttons by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

Supplies:

  • Buttons Galore Halloween Value Pack
  • PPA Matte Adhesive
  • Tim Holtz idea-ology “Materialize” 8×8 paper pad
  • Tim Holtz idea-ology “Curiosities” Ephemera
  • Tim Holtz idea-ology Small Talk Occasions stickers
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Pumice Stone)
  • Blank Card Base
  • Embroidery floss (black)

To create the base of the card front, cut a 4.25″ by 5.5″ piece of the black and orange paper. Adhere to the front of the card base. Cut a 3.75″ by 5″ piece of the text paper, and adhere it centered on top.

Select the bingo card and wicked flashcard from the ephemera pack, and adhere them angled in the corners of the card front. Adhere the skeleton ephemera on top of them.

Wicked Halloween card with bat buttons by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

Tie embroidery thread through the large black button from the Halloween Value Pack and glue it on top of the bingo card using PPA Matte Adhesive. Use the PPA Matte Adhesive to also attach the bat buttons from the Halloween Value Pack on top of the “wicked” flashcard.

To finish the card, select some sentiment stickers from the Small Talk sticker set and stick them down in the upper left corner underneath one of the bat buttons.

This quick and easy card is a fun way to say “boo!” to someone for Halloween! Who do you want to send a friendly scare to this year?

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Make a Halloween Card with Fall Festival Button Basics!

This week, we’re introducing you to six new Button Basics assortments! One of the new assortments is a vintage fall palette called Fall Festival, perfect for making fall, Halloween, and Thanksgiving projects.

Fall Festival Button Basics by Buttons Galore

Fall Festival is a mix of brown-tinged tones of green, orange, and yellow, along with coffee shades of brown.

I decided to pair Fall Festival with Graphic 45’s new Halloween in Wonderland collection to make a retro fun Halloween card!

Trick or Treat halloween card by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

Supplies Used:

trick or treat halloween card close-up

I used tiny orange buttons from Fall Festival, to visually “attach” the faux bookplate that is printed on the label from one of the cut out sheets in the Graphic 45 “Halloween in Wonderland” collection.  The buttons highlight it as the sentiment block for my card, and Fall Festival’s color tones coordinate beautifully with the paper collection.

All of my buttons on this card are attached with PPA Matte adhesive, my favorite liquid adhesive for working with buttons and embellishments. It’s just the right consistency – thick enough to hold an embellishment in place, but not so thick that you can’t move it around to get it where you want it. It holds securely, and dries perfectly clear so there’s no need for anxious moments it a little spreads out from underneath your embellishment!

trick or treat halloween card construction

When making a project like a card, I frequently like to start with the most important elements of the design first, and then build around them. That means that I often am starting with elements that will be on top – like this sentiment block – and then working down in my design as I fill in around it. To do this, I lay pieces out without adhering them as I work.

I started by creating my background, and then putting in place the sentiment and the border that I wanted to anchor it. This of course, left me with a lot of open area made up of that super busy tiny checkerboard pattern. It overwhelmed my sentiment so I needed to tone it down.

trick or treat halloween card 2

To fix this, I cut a block of a lighter, larger pattern and inserted it behind the sentiment block. Then I used a piece of decorative chipboard from the “Halloween in Wonderland” collection to fill a bit more of the space and add some color. A purple striped corner frame sticker completed the design.

I did all of that without adhering anything except for the purple sticker! So what do you do when you have everything arranged just how you want – but nothing is adhered? I grab my phone and just snap a picture like the one above. Then I can take the design apart to glue everything down, and use the photo as a guide to get everything back how I wanted it! It’s just another way we can turn the camera that is always in our pocket into a creative tool.

Halloween card with Fall Festival buttons and Graphic 45 papers | by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

 

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Introducing…New Button Basics Collections for Halloween & Christmas!

The new product introductions keep coming! Today we’re introducing 6 new colorways of Button Basics, our button candy bags that are just the right size for making fun projects. The new additions to the Button Basics line-up include two seasonal offerings for fall and Halloween, two blue assortments for winter and Christmas, and two new trend-based color groupings.

Button Basics Family

First, let’s take a closer look at Fall Festival! This beautiful assortment of browns, leaf green, rusty orange, and mellow yellow will have you yearning for a cup a cider and the crunch of leaves under your feet.

Fall Festival Button Basics by Buttons Galore

For Halloween, we think you’re never too old to love to Trick or Treat! Shades of light orange and green combined with pops of bright purple make this the perfect collection for the cutest Halloween projects on your block.

Trick or Treat Button Basics by Buttons Galore

Blue is a hot color for Christmas, and we’re bringing it to you with Cool Winter! This mix adds a sophisticated shade of red to a cool mix of pale blue and white to create an elegant mix that will work for cards, ornaments – and even holiday party wear.

Cool Winter Button Basics by Buttons Galore

Are you “blue” this Christmas? Then Winter Flurries is the collection for you! Not content with just on shade of blue, this collection gives you an entire range of shades from deep midnight to pale ice to choose from so you’ll be able to find exactly the shade you need for your festive Christmas or winter project.

Winter Flurries Button Basics by Buttons Galore

If you are a fan of heathered pastels – especially the colors of the year for 2016 – then you’ll love our new trend mix Bohemian Style. With rose pink, blue, and a pop of sunshine yellow, this trend mix matches well with current home decor, fabric and fashion color trends so you can create up-to-date looks.

Bohemian Style Button Basics by Buttons Galore

And finally, we have Party Time! This bright and happy combination of teal and bright pink with touches of white is perfect for parties, fashion, and everyday papercrafting projects.

Party Time Button Basics by Buttons Galore

Which of the new Button Basics is your favorite? You can get all of these new Buttons Basics on sale for $1 off from now until September 10th. That’s a great deal at $5.99 each! Why choose just one? Get yours now!

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Make A Thank You Card with new 28 Lilac Lane Fall Mix!

This week, we’re introducing a special Limited Edition 28 Lilac Lane “Fall Mix” embellishment kit by May Flaum! This kit is only available from the Buttons Galore online store – and stay tuned to the end to learn how to get a special introductory discount!

28 Lilac Lane Limited Edition Fall Mix

With jewel tones, soft green, brown – and gold! – this color mix by 28 Lilac Lane designer May Flaum is perfect for embellishing gorgeous fall projects that aren’t quite right for the traditional rust and orange tones of fall.

Here’s a peek of a thank you card that May created with the new 28 Lilac Lane Limited Edition Fall Mix, using a stamp from Tammy Tutterow:

Thank you card by May Flaum using 28 Lilac Lane Limited Edition "Fall Mix" from Buttons Galore & MoreFor the full how to tutorial about the card, check out the video below!

And finally, here’s May’s finished thank you card. The stamp is pretty by itself, but embellished with a few sequins, buttons and charms, it is extra special! This beautiful card makes the perfect thank you for any occasion.

Thank you card by May Flaum using 28 Lilac Lane Limited Edition Fall Mix from Buttons Galore & More

The new 28 Lilac Lane “Fall Mix” designed by May Flaum is a limited edition, so make sure to get it while it lasts! Use coupon code “LL400” until 11:59pm eastern time on Friday to get $1.00 off. Better yet, this coupon can be stacked with the Beat the Clock sale going on sitewide now through Saturday. The sooner you order, the more you save!

And don’t forget that orders over $30 get free U.S. shipping! We’ve got the entire collection of 28 Lilac Lane embellishments in stock, as well as six fabulous new Button Bonanza collections (including seasonal blends for Halloween and Christmas) as well as our perennial favorites like our Button Basics, 3D buttons, and Haberdashery collections. Stock up now for Halloween and Christmas projects and save!

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Create A Christmas Ornament Full of Festive Buttons

The days are ticking down to the start of the holiday season! Today, we’re going to kick off the holiday crafting  season with a fun Christmas ornament full of buttons!

Christmas Ornament Full of Buttons

Supplies:

To make this ornament, I started with a clear acrylic Christmas ornament from a local craft store. These sorts of ornaments are widely available during the holidays and have removable tops because they are designed to be filled. The one I chose to work with was round, flat, and about 3/4″ thick.

For my buttons for this project, I had three beautiful new holiday Button Bonanzas to choose from! I chose “The Merriest”, a delightful combination of pastel blue, light pink, lime green, bright red and white. These colors will have beautiful pop against the dark green branches of a Christmas tree!

The Merriest Button Bonanza

Making my button filled Christmas ornament was super simple! I started by filling the ornament with a selection of small buttons from “The Merriest” and replacing the top.

To decorate the top, I first wrapped a small piece of silver ribbon around the neck of the cap and secured it with my hot glue gun. Then I made a bow by looping another length of the ribbon, and secured it with the hot glue as well. Finally, I used hot glue to attach a button to the center of the bow.

This cute Christmas ornament is just a pretty decoration – it also doubles as a fun little gift for a crafter! After it’s done being decorative for the season, the recipient can just remove the top of the ornament to empty it out and enjoy using all these gorgeous button colors year-round.

Who do you know that would love a buttoned up Christmas ornament this year?

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New Product Reveal: Seasonal & Trendy Button Bonanzas

Today we are thrilled to share with you some gorgeous new products for crafting and sewing – six new seasonal and trendy Button Bonanza color mixes!

New Button Bonanzas for Fall & Christmas 2016 from Buttons Galore

Our six new Button Bonanza totes, available today, include two new trend mixes, a Halloween mix, and three new Christmas and winter holiday mixes! Let’s take a closer look!

First up is Coral Reef, full of beautiful heathered blues and pinks that are reminiscent of this year’s colors of the year. Also, there’s a touch of white for some neutral to pair them with.

Coral Reef Button Bonanza by Buttons Galore

Coral Reef is great for baby projects, of course…but also so much more! These on-trend tones are great for stylish fashion projects, coordinating with many of the latest paper crafting collections, and so much more.

Up next is Glam Girl. This collection combines several very hot color trends into one gorgeous color palette that will make your projects look girly and glamorous! Navy, the neutral of the moment, anchors a palette of yellow, aqua, and rose pink to create Glam Girl. Yellow is THE home decor color at the moment.

IMG_7031

This palette of trend forward colors will work well year-round for all sorts of projects. Glam Girl is especially perfect for quilting, papercrafting, and feminine fall fashion projects!

Now, let’s talk holidays! The weather may still be hot, but cooler days are coming soon and with them the fall holidays. We’ve got the perfect new Button Bonanza for all of your Halloween crafting: Scary! It’s a mix of seasonal orange shades, with some black thrown in for extra scare!

Scary Button Bonanza by Buttons Galore

The Scary collection will take you from fall to Halloween to Thanksgiving with a perfect shade of orange for every project. Whether it’s treat bags, table decor, or a scrapbook page of your adorable trick or treater – it’s got to be Scary!

Christmas will also be here before you know it! Our three new Button Bonanzas for Christmas cover a wide range of popular color schemes for winter holidays.

Our Tis the Season Button Bonanza is a classic holiday color scheme – rich reds and deep greens, with a few contrasting lighter green shades to create perfect Christmas greenery!

Tis the Season Button Bonanza by Buttons Galore

This versatile combination is great for making ornaments & cards, wrapping presents, festive sewing projects…Tis the Season!

Blue, red, and white is also a popular winter color scheme and for fans of that palette, we bring you Winter Wonderland! Two different shades of blue – one light and one dark – paired with deep red and topped off with white and brown neutrals make Winter Wonderland perfect for everything from cute Christmas projects to winter snow scrapbooking!

Winter Wonderland Button Bonanza by Buttons Galore

Winter Wonderland is a really versatile addition to your embellishment collection – when the winter is over, use the red, white and blue buttons for patriotic projects!

Finally, we have what may be The Merriest collection of all – a mix of pink, pale blue, lime green, and cranberry with white neutral. This fun combination is a great match for kids’ projects and for many of season’s more whimsical papercrafting collections. It’s a lighthearted alternative to the more traditional shades of green and red.

The Merriest Button Bonanza by Buttons Galore

All of these new Button Bonanza products are available today in the Buttons Galore online store (and for wholesale order as well for our retail clients). We can’t wait to see what you all make with them!

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Use Resin to Create a Beautiful Button Tray

Most of what we do here on the Buttons Galore blog are simple, fast projects. But occasionally, we like to bring you a more complicated project that really shows how amazing – and beautiful – buttons can be. Today we’re sharing one of those projects, a vintage-look button tray that will look perfect in a farmhouse, shabby chic, or vintage french country style decor.

Button Vintage Tray

Supplies:

To start my button tray, I painted the unfinished tray with two coats of chalk paint. I sanded with fine grit sand paper in between coats, and also after the top coat.

The next step is tedious work, but one I actually enjoy because I find it a very zen process. I dumped my various packages of buttons out of the surface of my work table and painstakingly began selecting ones to fill in the bottom of the tray. It’s like putting together a jigsaw puzzle that you don’t have a picture for!

Note that this step is just a “dry fitting” process with no adhesive involved. (Make sure that kids and pets are kept at a safe distance where they can’t disturb your work!) The buttons will be held in place by the epoxy resin.

Button Vintage Tray collage in process

To seal the buttons into the bottom of the tray and provide a flat cover over them, you’ll need an epoxy resin product. I used EnviroTex Lite Pour Over. It comes in two bottles that are poured together into a mixing container and stirred to make the resin, which is then poured over the tray. I used the 16oz package size and used almost all of it to fill my tray to the bottom of the handle cut-outs.

EnviroTex Lite

The trick to getting a perfect surface on your resin is to use a handheld kitchen torch to pop the bubbles that come to the surface of the resin as it hardens in the early stages. (The bubbles are caused by the mixing of the resin.)

Popping Bubbles in button tray epoxy

After that, it just takes some patience to let your resin harden and after about two days you’ll have a beautiful button tray that can be used for serving or display!

Button Tray

In this close-up look, you can see how the resin floats over the buttons and provides a solid glass-like surface in the bottom of the tray. I poured the resin to the bottom edge of the handle cut-outs. A few buttons shifted from the pouring of the resin, and one was even sticking up though the top of the resin. I just used a disposable chopstick to nudge them back into the correct position.

Button Tray close-up

I used a combination of our “White” Button Bonanza“White Wash” Button Basics, and “Ivory/Pearl” Haberdashery Buttons (pictured below) to fill the bottom of my tray. As long as you mix them throughout the project, it doesn’t matter if you mix the different products together to fill your button tray. And don’t feel limited to white in your color palette – this project would look great in a variety of colors, from pastels to holiday brights!

Haberdashery buttons

This button tray project is a bit time consuming but will bring years of beauty to your home! If you’ve made something with epoxy and buttons, we’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Button Tray using Buttons embedded in epoxy resin | by Nancy Nally for www.buttonsgaloreandmore.com

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Celebrate Fall with Painted Leaves on Slate!

School is starting in many parts of the country, and that means that cooler temperatures – and changing leaves – can’t be far behind! Today’s project is a piece of slate wall decor with painted leaves that will bring fall colors inside so you can enjoy them where it is warm!

Painted Leaves on Slate

Supplies:

(For my paint selections, I used Delta Ceramcoat “Ranchero”, Delta Ceramcoat Select “Light Foliage Green”, Folkart “Cardinal Red” and “Daffodil Yellow”, and Martha Stewart Crafts Metallic Acrylic in “Rust”. But the exact shades aren’t as important as getting a light green, a red, an orange, a yellow, and a metallic.)

Cosmetic Sponges

The paint effect looks complex, but the technique is actually really simple. The secret to it is using disposable make-up sponges to apply the paint with a “dabbing” motion, instead of a brush. It’s so simple that even young children can do it!

Leaf Stencil

Taping down the stencil, and using tape to cover all of the nearby open areas that I don’t want to paint, helped to ensure that I got a perfect impression from my stencil.

Painted Leaves in progress

I started with the light green color of paint, using one of the cosmetic sponges. I dabbed one of the end edges of the sponge into the paint, and then dabbed most of the paint off on the palette that I was using. I then used the damp sponge to dab blotches of color onto the stencil. I repeated this process with each color (except the metallic), filling in the whole stencil area.

Then I used the metallic color and dabbed it heavily over the top of the stencil, but not filling in quite completely. I wanted small areas to peek out from underneath. Then I repeated a layer of the light green paint, but not quite as heavily as the metallic.

Sometimes when applying new paint over paint that is still wet your colors might mix and blend a bit. As long as the sponges aren’t too wet, the colors shouldn’t shift too much.

Painted Leaves

The finished effect will look something like this – a mix of metallic and green with hints of other colors like red and yellow peeking through. Just like with leaves in nature, no two painted leaves will come out the same!

Painted Leaves on Slate Tile

The painted leaves are pretty on their own, but the slate doesn’t really look finished without some dimension on it. I wrapped jute string around the bottom of the slate and secured it on the back with hot glue. The string provides “ground” that the leaves are falling to. Then I made a bow by twisting some string and attached it with some hot glue. I attached a button to hide the hot glue making the bow. Buttons are great concealers for glue and seams! Then, finally, in the bottom corner, I attached three more buttons. I like the repetition of the three leaves as three buttons for balance, and it provides a visual anchor for the other end of the string.

Argyle Button Tote

The buttons I used are from our “Argyle” Button Tote. With deep reds and greens, trendy navy, and neutral cream and black, the Argyle mix is a great selection to have in your creative toolbox for the holidays in the last part of the year! What will you use Argyle for?

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Send an Extra Big Thank You Card!

It’s always a good idea to have some thank you cards on hand to share your gratitude with others. This big thank you card featuring 28 Lilac Lane products will make an impact at a full 6″ by 6″ in size!

Big Thank You Card

Supplies Needed:

When I was making this, I knew that I wanted a button to decorate the center of this design but wasn’t sure what until I saw this rosette button in the “A New Leaf” kit while I was creating my card. It’s very ornate, but it matches almost perfectly the mum design! The visual repetition that it creates is perfect. I could also have taken a regular button and tied it on with contrasting thread for some pizzaz.

I also like using sequins that are the same color as the background that I place them on as an embellishment! This technique adds a bit of shine and dimension to the design without the sequins being too garish. On this card, I used the sequins to create a sun kissed circle of highlight around the center of the flower.

To begin making your extra big thank you card, cut a piece of white smooth cardstock that is 6″ x 6″. Center the stencil on the cardstock. Holding firmly, begin to scrub the lighter color of ink (squeezed lemonade) into the design with the ink blending tool. A circular motion blends best.

Work the Squeezed Lemonade into the center half of the design and then switch to the darker color (Mustard Seed) for the outer half of the design. Once all of the design has been inked, switch to a clean blending foam and begin to rub in a circular motion to blend the colors together where they meet.

Once the ink is dry, trim the white cardstock so that it is just slightly larger than the stenciled mum design. Cut a piece of matching patterned paper that is 6″ x 6″ in size. Adhere the stenciled design on top of the patterned paper and attach them both on top of a card base. (The card base can be made by folding a 6″ x 12″ piece of paper in half.)

Stamp the sentiment in the bottom corner of the card. Cut the shank off of the featured button and glue it into the center of the stenciled design with PPA Matte adhesive. This adhesive is great for working with our buttons – it will hold the button in place but will dry clear and invisible if it leaks out around the edges of the button or through the holes in the button!

For the finishing touch on your big thank you card, select a few yellow sequins from the assortment in the 28 Lilac Lane “A New Leaf” embellishment kit, and glue them onto the design around the center of the flower using PPA Matte.

Floral design cards are great for many occasions. Instead of “thank you” consider substituting sentiments for birthdays, housewarming, or other occasions. This easy card will bring a smile to someone’s face!

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Make A Pretty Button Basket for a Teacher Gift!

It’s that time of year to think about a teacher gift! Today’s project will show you how to take an inexpensive basket available at any craft or discount store, and turn it into a beautiful back-to-school teacher gift.

Teacher Gift Basket

Supplies:

The basket that I used was a simple wood woven one that started out as unfinished wood. It cost less than $3 at a local craft store! It was the perfect size to hold a 15 ounce potted plant from the local home center.

woven basket

Start your teacher gift basket project by using a paint brush to apply the wood tint or stain to the basket. Be sure to use the brush to push the stain down into the cracks in the weaving so the basket’s original color won’t show through! Wipe off any excess tint and leave to dry.

While the basket is drying, select from your Button Bonanza bag a grouping of buttons that are approximately the same size and that will fit around the front edge of the basket. (You only want to do the front edge of the basket so that the handle will still be able to be put down.)

Once the basket is dry, use a hot glue gun to adhere the buttons around the top edge of the front of the basket. (Make sure to leave clearance for the handle to go up and down!)

A beautiful bow is the final touch to make your basket special. Tie a bow using some ribbon and snip off the ends at an angle. Use the hot glue gun to adhere the bow to the front of the basket.

Your completed teacher gift basket can be used to deliver a wide variety of gifts to teacher: a small plant, an assortment of snacks or school supplies, or useful goodies like hand sanitizer and wet wipes.

Teacher Gift Basket with Plant

Change up the color scheme a bit (such as by trying red buttons with green ribbon) and this basket will make a great way to deliver a small gift for Christmas or another occasion!

What occasion will you make a button gift basket for?

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Wear Your Buttons with a Beautiful Mixed Media Locket!

Think our 28 Lilac Lane buttons are too beautiful to hide at home in your craft room? We do too! That’s why I made this this beautiful locket that showcases some of my favorite elements from the collection. This mixed media locket is a fun and eclectic piece of button jewelry that will let me show off my love of crafts in a fashionable way.

Mixed Media Locket

Supplies needed:

This mixed media locket is created by encasing 28 Lilac Lane embellishments in Ice Resin, a clear drying epoxy that is available in single use syringe dispensers. It’s a fast and easy project that can easily be completed in an hour or so, except for allowing dry time for the epoxy.

Mixed Media Locket

To make my design, I started by arranging the large colored items – the buttons and the flat back pearl – inside the locket. Once I was happy with how they looked, I gently filled in around them with the seed beads. This part of the process requires patience, as sometimes it means placing the beads one at a time.

Once the bottom layer of embellishments is placed, I selected a charm to place on top and set it aside.

Working with the epoxy was something I’d wanted to do for awhile but I was, I admit, a bit intimidated to try it. It turned out to be very easy – just push the plunger down to get the amount that you want, and stir! Once the epoxy was mixed well, I poured it over the bottom layer of embellishments to cover and hold them in place in the locket. Then I quickly pressed the charm down on top of the epoxy, so that it was just barely embedded and stuck out from the top. (Be very careful to not get your fingers in the epoxy! I suggest dropping the charm in and then using a toothpick or other tool to nudge it into place.)

mixed media locket

Once the resin is dry, you can add a chain to your locket. Then you can wear and enjoy your mixed media locket masterpiece to share your love of crafts – and 28 Lilac Lane – through fashion!

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Make a Fun Giant Clothes Pin Photo Holder

As summer vacation winds down, why not make a craft with the kids that will help them display their favorite summer memories? This giant clothes pin photo holder is fun and easy to make with only a few supplies!

Giant Clothes Pin Photo Holder

Supplies Needed:

To get started, paint your giant clothes pin (mine is about 6″ tall) with water-based acrylic paint or wood tint. I used Plaid Ultra Dye in “Pucker Up”. Using a wood tint or stain is easiest, since it will wipe easily off of the metal parts of the clothes pin. Acrylic paint will also wipe off of the metal while it is still wet, but not quite as easily.

The next step is to decide on the buttons that you would like to use to place across the front of the clothes pin. If you choose buttons with shanks like I did, you’ll need to remove the shanks. I prefer using a Button Shank Remover for safety and because it leaves behind a more flat back on the button.

The next step requires the use of hot glue, so to be safe, make sure you help out younger kids. Place pea sized drops of hot glue on the spots where you want your buttons, and then push the buttons into place on top of them. (If you choose buttons that have holes in the center, beware of hot glue coming back up through the holes!)

And that’s it…now your giant clothes pin photo holder is ready to enjoy with one of your favorite photos! As well as being a great summer kids’ craft, this project would also make a great seasonal project to display memories of past holidays – just used holiday themed buttons!

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Make a Lemonade Button Shaker Card

Shaker cards are a fun and easy way to make fast cards that look way more complex than they are. They pack a big visual punch, but are surprisingly simple to make!

Lemonade Shaker CardSupplies:

This shaker card is based around Jillibean Soup’s matching dies, stamp sets and shaker box inserts that make mason jar shakers. They are a great size for filling with buttons, sequins, and seed beads – the contents of our 28 Lilac Lane embellishment bottles!

For this card, I used the “Hello, Sunshine” bottle to make it look like this jar shaker was filled with lemonade. The sequins in the mix add a nice extra bit of sparkle to the shaker!

Filling this mason jar with a rainbow assortment of buttons would turn it into grandma’s button jar for a more generic sentiment like “thank you” or a new home welcome card.

Shaker Card with Buttons

Don’t forget that if you are giving this card to a crafter, our 28 Lilac Lane embellishments aren’t just functional – they also make the card a fun little bonus gift! After the party is over, the recipient can recycle the card, open the shaker box, and save the embellishments for using on a project of their own!

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DIY Wedding Chalkboard Table Number

Summer is wedding season for a lot of families, and a DIY wedding is a great way to save money on the cost of getting married. As our DIY Wedding Chalkboard Table Number shows, DIY can also be beautiful – and a great way to personalize your wedding.

DIY Wedding Chalkboard Table Number

Supplies:

This table number is very simple but oh so pretty! Small chalkboard easels like this are available at most craft stores. They make great table numbers, or menu display boards for weddings and showers. And at the end of the night, they can go home with guests as party favors!

DIY Chalkboard Easel

To start the project, paint the bare wood with white chalk paint. Use a small brush along the sides of the chalkboard. If you get some paint on the chalkboard surface, use a damp cloth to wipe it away while it is still wet. If you aren’t able to get it all off and a trace of it remains, don’t worry. It will just look like smudges of chalk when the project is complete.

On Lilac Lane embellishment bottle

Lay the easel flat and spread some of the glue in one of the corners of the chalkboard. Fill in some buttons, varying colors and sizes and leaving small spaces in a couple of places. Fill the small spaces in with small items from the embellishment bottle such as seed beads, sequins, and flat back pearls. Repeat for each corner of the blackboard. Allow to dry.

DIY Wedding Chalkboard Table Number

I chose to work with the “On Lilac Lane” embellishment bottle for this DIY Wedding Chalkboard Table Number, but this project could be adapted to any wedding color theme by selecting another of the embellishment bottles (or even one of our Button Bonanza bags). Our embellishment bottles include popular wedding colors like Mint, Yellow, and Pink.

The last step before using your DIY Wedding Chalkboard Table Number is to use a piece of chalk to prime the board. Place the side of it on the chalkboard and rub all it all to cover the board. Erase the chalk and the board is ready to use!

What other uses can you think of for this decorative chalkboard easel?

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Clean & Simple Baby Boy Card

A handmade card is the perfect finishing touch to a gift for a new baby. With the Buttons Galore 3D “Baby Hugs” collection of buttons by Vicki Schreiner, it’s fast and easy to make cards like this simple baby boy card! The only supplies needed are paper and buttons and a pen.

Supplies for Baby Boy Card

Supplies Needed:

That looks like a long list, but it’s really just a package of buttons, two sheets of cardstock, and some glue. I used a sentiment stamp for adding “it’s a boy” but it could easily be added with just a marker.

Simple Baby Boy Card

Assembling this card is simple – and fast! Just cut a piece of white cardstock sized 8.5″ x 5.5″ and fold it in half to make a card base. Cut a piece of yellow patterned paper that is 4.25″ x 5.5″ and glue it to the front of the card base.

Cut a 3/4″ strip on the leftover white cardstock to make the sentiment strip. Use scissors to snip the ends of it to create a banner. Write or stamp the sentiment on it, and glue it about 2/3 of the way down the front of the card.

Simple Baby Boy Card

For the final step, use scissors or a shank remover to cut the shanks off of the 3D buttons. Glue the buttons down with a white glue like PPA Matte Adhesive or Aleene’s Tacky Glue.

This quick and simple baby card can be make in less than 10 minutes. This simple design can be adapted to many other occasions (like birthdays and weddings) as well with the help of our other 3D button collections such as Sweet Delights or our wedding collection.

Simple Baby Boy Card using 3D buttons by Nancy Nally for ButtonsGaloreAndMore.com - great quick baby shower card or to welcome baby!

 

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5 Great Summer Kids Craft Ideas

July means hitting the beach, blooming gardens – and stir crazy kids bored with all their summer vacation free time! Here’s our top five ideas for kids crafts projects to turn bored kids into busy kids!

Top 5 Summer Crafts with buttons by Buttons Galore

This project is great for even the youngest of kids! This button covered treasure box is an easy to make project using blank paper board boxes available in local craft stores. For the young ones, simple shapes like rectangles and square boxes are available. Older kids may want to try their hand at more challenging shapes like stars, or circles. To keep the kids busy for longer, let them add a coat of acrylic paint as a base before adding on their buttons.

ButtonsFlowerPotandBox

If you are worried about hearing hours of “are we there yet?” from the back seat, Road Trip Bingo may be the answer for you! Let the kids make their tin themselves before the trip, or surprise them in the car. To keep the kids from fighting over whose markers are whose, use a different color for each set (or use 3D buttons to create fun themed sets). Don’t forget to pack a stash of a few extra markers in case of lost ones!

Road Trip Bingo Tin close-up

This project will remind the kids to make the most of the last of their summer vacation by having them get ready for back to school! An upcycled can turned into a pencil holder makes a useful decoration for a homework desk, or a fun kid-made teacher gift. If you don’t have any fabric scraps, use contact paper or gift wrap for this easy project.

upcycled can to pretty pencil holder

Dollar stores are a great place to find an endless supply of simple items just waiting to be made beautiful. These basic photo clips, paired with a package of 3D buttons, can be easily turned into a fun themed display for favorite photos from any occasion with our wide range of shank buttons.

customize a photo holder with theme buttons

Thanks to the rubber band bracelet craze, many kids have a rubber band loom stashed that they’ve gotten bored with. Bring new life to that old crafty friend of theirs by showing them how to use 3D shank buttons to make charm bracelets!  Use themed buttons to make bracelets for special occasions, or use basics like flowers for every day wear! (This project also makes a fun take home activity for a girls birthday party or sleepover!)

Finished Rubber Band Bracelet

These are just a few of our favorite kid crafts for summer! For even more, ideas of great projects to keep kids busy (and learning) with crafts, visit the Kids Crafts section of the blog.

SUMMER CRAFTS

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Make a Flower Pot Pencil Holder for Teacher!

On Tuesday, we shared a tag that is perfect for giving a back-to-school gift to your new favorite teacher. Stumped for an idea for a gift to attach it to? We’ve got the perfect gift idea – an easy to make Back to School Flower Pot Pencil Holder that is a pretty as it is useful!

Back to School Flower Pot Pencil Holder for teacher gift or classroom decor. | Nancy Nally for ButtonsGaloreAndMore.com

Supplies Needed:

This flower pot pencil holder is made from a basic small clay flower pot, available at any home center or craft store, that is painted with chalkboard spray paint. To spray paint items like this, I use a scrap of 1×2 board left over from a project and turn the pot upside down onto the end of it. Then I can take the item outside, hold it extended arm’s length away from me, and rotate it while spraying. This gets me good coverage with minimum mess and clean up, and I can get all the edges. To let it dry, I just prop the stick up against something with the pot still on top of it.

Once the painting is complete (I recommend two light coats) and dry, the rest was super fast and simple! Just grab a hot glue gun and get to work gluing the buttons around the top rim of the pot. Cut the shanks off of the apple buttons, and insert one of them periodically. Make sure to use enough glue that they are attached securely!

Back to School Flower Pot Pencil Holder for teacher gift or classroom decor. | Nancy Nally for ButtonsGaloreAndMore.com

Finally, rub the bottom area with the side of a piece of chalk and then clean it off to “prime” it so that it can be written on. I chose to write the teacher’s name but you could also write instructions like “please return”. That’s one of the best things about using the chalkboard paint for this design – it’s not just classroom themed, it’s also useful!

The flower pot pencil holder will likely have a small drainage hole in the bottom of it. If you are concerned about things falling out through the hole when the pot is moved, cut a small circle of cardboard (such as from a recycled cereal box) and glue it into the bottom of the pot.

School will be here before you know it! Grab your 3D Apple Buttons and Primary Button Bonanza and start crafting your flower pot pencil holder for a beautiful classroom!

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Hit the Books with a Back to School Tag!

With July 4th gone, that means for many of us the summer is officially half over. It’s already time to start thinking about back to school! Our cute back to school tag is perfect for teacher gifts, first day of school lunches, and decorating backpacks!

Back to School tag with button collage | Nancy Nally for ButtonsGaloreAndMore.Net

Making this tag is so quick and simple – the kids can help! Die cut the tag base and hole reinforcer out of patterned paper, and glue them together. Attach tab and alphabet stickers across the bottom of the tag. (Instead of “hello”, you could substitute a name, or the year if you’d like!)

To make the button collage on our back to school tag, use a die cut machine (I used my Cricut Explore) to cut an apple shape out of red cardstock that matches the “Red Hot” buttons. Spread a nice thick layer of the PPA Matte Adhesive all over the fruit of the apple. Begin to fill it in by carefully selecting various sizes of the buttons to fill as much of the space as possible. Push the buttons down into the glue to make them really secure!

Teacher Tag for Back to School | Nancy Nally for buttonsgaloreandmore.net

Once the glue is dry on your apple collage, glue it in place on your tag! For the finishing touch, slip a piece of ribbon through the tag’s hole and secure it with a staple.

To make this back to school tag double-sided, select a double-sided paper (like this one) for your tag base. Or cut a second tag from the die and glue them back-to-back.

Whose back to school are you going to make awesome with an apple button collage tag?

Supplies Needed:

  • Buttons Galore “Red Hot” Button Basics
  • Bella Blvd “Tiny Tots” Alphabet Paper
  • Bella Blvd “Simply Spring” Eggstravaganza (plaid paper)
  • Bella Blvd “Tiny Tots” Treasures & Text stickers
  • Momenta kraft alphabet
  • Red Cardstock
  • Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations “Tag & Bookplates” die
  • Cricut Explore machine & apple cutting file
  • PPA Matte Adhesive
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Button Magnets are Fast & Fun Decor!

When you think of button magnets, you probably think of cute, brightly colored accessories for a classroom or a sewing room. But with the right button selections, button magnets can also be sophisticated accessories for flea market or farmhouse vintage style home decor.

Button Magnets

Supplies needed:

Button magnets are so simple to make! Start by selecting buttons to create a coordinated set. Don’t forget to make sure they are all at least a little bit larger than the magnets that you plan to use! Next, cut the shanks off any that buttons that need it. (The buttons will attach more securely if you get the backs as flat as possible, so it pays to give some attention to detail on this step.) Glue the buttons to a round magnet using adhesive or a hot glue gun, pushing the buttons nice and flat on the magnets. Once the glue is dry, your button magnets are ready to use!

The trick to achieving a sophisticated look with button magnets is in the color and button selection. This “Wedding” Button Bonanza is full of creams and gray tones that are the perfect complement to many currently trendy home decor paint colors. They are subtle, and understated. Combine them with the metals of the Haberdashery set, and you have created an effortless  collection that looks like grandma’s random button bag yet is perfectly coordinated.

Button Magnets

These button magnets will look fabulous on a variety of surfaces – magnetic chalkboard, galvanized metal (see above), white board, even your fridge! They are an affordable way to create DIY wedding decor (hang up reception table assignments with them) or to add some style to a functional office board. What will you use them for?

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Sew a Quick & Easy Needle Book!

Needles are easy to lose, and not the sort of thing you want to find accidentally in your sewing box (or on the sewing room floor). Our pretty and easy to make needle book will keep your needles safely organized and ready to use any time that you need them!

Needle Book cover

Supplies:

This needle book can be make in any size that you would like! Cut 2 pieces of felt the same size for the interior pages, and then cut a piece of fabric that is slightly larger than the felt to make your cover with.

Needle Book interiorStart construction by working on the piece of felt that will make the inside of the cover (mine is pink).

Use pinking shears to cut a small pocket and sew it to the upper left side of the piece (inside the front cover). This will serve as a pocket for needle threaders! To keep them from falling out, cut a flap of felt and stitch it over the top of the pocket.

Needle Threader Pocket

Below the pocket, draw a shape with a fabric pencil. I chose a heart. Use a needle and thread to sew seed beads onto the shape using backstitch.

IMG_6290-2

When the inside of the front cover is done, center the pink felt on the reverse side of the cover fabric. Pin in place, and machine sew using zig zag stitch or by hand.

To create the center page, cut 4 small strips of felt slightly shorter than the width of your pages. (My strips are 1″ high.) Pin them so two strips make a “sandwich” of the page, and one set of stitching will attach both strips. These strips will allow you to put needles on the book’s pages without them going through to the other side.

Needle Book center page

Lay the center page on top of the cover and stitch up the middle to bind your needle book.

For the final touch, finish your needle book’s cover by die cutting a piece of felt to make a flower. Use the flower and buttons from the 28 Lilac Lane “Hello, Cupcake” kit to embellish the cover. Attach them by sewing them through only the fabric layer of the cover so the stitching won’t show through to the inside.

This needle book is a great way to use your scraps, or to make a gift for a sewist or quilter! Putting pockets on all of the pages would allow it to hold packets of machine needles. Sewing in strips of Aida cloth instead of felt to slide the needles into would turn this into a great organizer for cross stitch and embroidery needles!

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Simple Mixed Media Tag with 28 Lilac Lane

Our 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits designed by May Flaum make the perfect finishing touch for projects like this mixed media tag! This tag thinks “outside the box” with our Paws & Pets kit, using its lovely brown tones as the perfect partner for some vintage style Tim Holtz products.

Mixed Media Tag by Nancy Nally featuring 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits

Supplies:

To make this tag, begin by cutting the dapper man out of the patterned paper sheet. Then flip the sheet over and cut the tag base out of the Tim Holtz paper and glue down the hole reinforcer.

Paint and stamping on mixed media tag

Using the Distress Paint dabber, stencil the harlequin design across the middle of the tag. Once dry, glue the dapper man on top of it. Stamp the clock image with Ground Espresso ink, allowing it to bleed off the edge of the tag.

Mixed Media Tag detail

Lay down an area of glue in the bottom right corner of the tag and spread a random assortment of buttons and seed beeds throughout the area. (In addition to the Paws & Pets kit, I used one ivory button from the Vintage Findings kit.)

Mixed Media Tag close-up

Lay down another area of glue in the upper left corner and spread another assortment of seed beads in that area. Loop a short length of the Melissa Frances ribbon through the tag’s hole, and stitch a button through it to keep it in place.

To finish off the mixed media tag, select some phrase stickers from the Small Talk set and place them over the dapper man. I selected phrases that reflected the man’s confidence and effortless sense of personal style.

Our pre-coordinated 28 Lilac Lane kits are the perfect quick & easy embellishment for all your mixed media projects. Don’t forget to look past the name to the color scheme, and “think outside the box” about all the wonderful things that they can do!

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Send an Easy Quilt Thank You Card!

This quick and easy quilt thank you card is perfect to send to your favorite quilter, or create a set to give as a gift!

Quilt Thank You Card

Supplies:

To make this card, first cut a 3″ x 4″ piece of white cardstock. Cut 1″ squares out of two different patterned papers for the quilt squares. Arrange and glue them to cover the white cardstock backing.

Attach the quilted piece on top of the light pink patterned paper and trim to mat it with a small border.

Cut a 4.25″ by 5.5″ sized piece from the dark pink patterned paper. to use as the background of the card front. Attach the quilted piece to the card background, leaving a slightly wider border at the bottom.

Stamp the sentiment across the bottom of the card front. Fold a piece of cardstock to make a card base (or use a pre-made card). Attach the card front to the card base.

Select six small buttons from the “Summertime” Button Bonanza. Tie embroidery floss through the buttons, and adhere with glue.

This card design could easily be adapted to a variety of occasions. Change out the color scheme for blue and yellow, or pink and yellow, and you have a “welcome baby” card. And quilts go great with a fall chill in the air…made in browns and oranges, your quilt could wish someone a “Happy Fall!”

What occasion will you make a quilt card for?

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Inspirational Mixed Media Canvas with 28 Lilac Lane

This time of year sees a lot of people we love embarking on new adventures, headed off soon to new schools, or new jobs. Wouldn’t it be nice to send a piece of ourselves, and a positive message, along with them? This inspirational mixed media canvas using 28 Lilac Lane products will remind them to reach for their dreams!

Inspirational Mixed Media Canvas by Nancy Nally using 28 Lilac Lane

Supplies from Buttons Galore:

Other Supplies:

  • Blank 8″x10″ canvas
  • Plaid Milk Paint (Lexington Blue)
  • Quick Quotes “Farmhouse” Paper Collection
  • Plaid FolkArt Stencil (Single Rose)
  • Plaid FolkArt Sencil Creme (Rainbow)
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Antique Linen, Broken China, Ground Espresso)
  • Stamper’s Anonymous Rubber Stamp “Always Move…”
  • Prima “Say It In Crystals” embellishments
  • Wilton Doilies (4″)
  • Tim Holtz idea-ology Small Talk Stickers
  • Tim Holtz idea-0logy Jute String
  • Embroidery Floss
  • Manila Tag
  • Sizzix Big Shot Machine
  • Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations “Tiny Tabs & Tags” Die

To get started on your inspirational mixed media canvas project, paint the front and edges of the canvas with the blue Milk Paint. Let the paint dry.

Tear the floral “Farmhouse” paper and adhere it to the front of the canvas using the PPA Matte Adhesive. Use a baby wipe or damp paper towel to smooth down the edges of the paper and adhere them firmly. (This will have the effect of also distressing the milk paint finish on the canvas.)

Once the paint and glue is dried well, use the stencil and stencil creme (in orange) to apply a rose design to the lower right hand corner of the canvas, over the paper.

Stenciled Rose on Mixed Media Canvas

In the upper left hand corner, glue down a doilie on top of the patterned paper. When the glue is dry, smudge some Antique Linen Distress Ink on top of the cut outs in the doilie to highlight the design in them. Next, apply the twill ribbon from the “A New Leaf” kit across the top of the canvas.

To make the tag, die cut the tag shape out of a larger manila tag. Ink the edges with Broken China and Ground Espresso Distress Ink, and stamp the sentiment in Ground Espresso. Tie the charm from the “A New Leaf” kit onto the tag with some jute string, and glue some seed beads from the kit to the tag’s corners to finish it off. Glue the tag down.

quote tag on mixed media canvas

Apply some PPA Matte Adhesive in the corners of the canvas and embed some seed beads from the “A New Leaf” embellishment kit in it. Once that is dry, you can begin building the stickers, rhinestone and button elements in the rest of the canvas. Don’t forget to thread your buttons before adhering them so they look finished!

Mixed media canvas embellishments

mixed media canvas embellishments

This inspirational mixed media canvas is fun and simple to make…and will let someone you care about know how much you believe in them. Who will you give it to?

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Make a Quick Card with Buttons & Pocket Cards!

Looking for an easy quick card idea? Look no further than your Project Life cards and your buttons and embellishments from 28 Lilac Lane!

Creating this quick card is simple – and fast. It takes only five minutes! This project uses leftover Project Life cards as a shortcut to creating a beautiful color blocked card. Depending on the style of the kit you are using, the design could be graphic, shabby, or cute in style.

Quick Card with Buttons

Supplies:

The key to this card’s fun design is to think in threes. All of the major design elements are arranged in threes, creating repetition and harmony in the design.

Start by folding a letter sized piece of cardstock in half for the base. Then select 3 project life cards and arrange them layered, as shown in the photo above. Select three sequins that match each of the top two cards, and arrange them in a triangle on the card. (Since my cards were very geometric, I chose to place the sequins centered on design elements.)

For the final touch, choose three buttons that match the cards. I chose three that matched the circles on the top card, to repeat the design element visually and bring that color down closer to the bottom for balance in the design. Tie embroidery floss through the holes of the buttons to make them feel more finished. Adhere in a row.

Variation: If you don’t find a card in your stash that contains an appropriate greeting or sentiment for your occasion, you can substitute a strip of paper with a stamped or handwritten sentiment. Just place it on top of the pocket card in the location where my card says “hooray”.

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Frame a Patriotic Rustic Flag for July 4th!

It’s time to make another addition to our holiday frame project! This time, we’re creating a rustic flag insert for the frame that will be perfect for showing your patriotic pride for the 4th of July or the upcoming Olympics!

(For those new to the series, the holiday frame project is a 8″x10″ frame that I’m creating a series of decorative inserts for to celebrate various holidays and occasions. To see previous installments in the series, click here.)

Rustic Flag Frame

Supplies:

The hardest part of making this rustic flag project is…the math! To start, you are going to need to measure the opening on your frame, and decide how much border you want around your frame. Then use the painter’s tape to mask off the edges right up to the area that you want to paint.

Divide the remaining vertical area by 7 to determine the width of the stripes on the flag. Use painter’s tape to mark off the bottom stripe and fill in the stripe with paint. Remove the tape right away. While the stripe dries, determine how wide you want your blue area for the stars (I suggest about 40% of the width). Then mask it off with vertical strip of tape to protect it while you paint the top two red stripes. Measure down from the top to create your first stripe, lay down a piece of painter’s tape to protect the “white” stripe, and fill in the red stripe with paint. Remove the tape immediately after painting.

Letting each stripe dry before painting the next one, continue measuring and masking with tape before taping, until all 4 red stripes are painted.

Holiday Frame Flag in progress

Once all of the red paint is dry, then you can lay down painter’s tape to paint the blue area.

Holiday Frame Flag in progress

Peel the tape up as soon as you are finished painting, while the paint is still wet. Because of the open weave of the burlap, your paint will appear “patchy”, since in some places it will fill in the weave and in some it won’t. This adds to the rustic feeling of the project!

Painted Rustic Flag on Burlap

The final step is to select 13 small to medium sized white buttons from the Patriotic Mix of Button Basics. Arrange them in a random way in the blue area, and use a hot glue gun to attach them to the flag.

Flag buttons close-up

Now you’re all ready to put your flag in your frame and celebrate the 4th of July or cheer on Team USA for the Olympics this summer!

Rustic Flag frame is great home decor for the 4th of July! Created by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore.

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A Mason Jar Sewing Kit with a Button Twist!

Mason jars are so trendy and so useful. They are perfect for making fun (and affordable) little gifts, like this mason jar sewing kit with a pin cushion top. And this project has another bonus – it’s perfect for using up those fabric scraps you just can’t part with!

Mason Jar Sewing Kit

Supplies:

To begin this mason jar sewing kit project, take the ring off of your mason jar. Select buttons from the Haberdashery collection that are approximately the height of the ring. Using the hot glue gun, attach them around the ring. The trick to getting the spacing even is to start adjusting with several buttons to go – select slightly smaller or larger buttons as needed to fill in the remaining space as evenly as possible, and then space them slightly apart if needed to avoid leaving a large gap at the end.

Button Mason Jar Rim

Once the ring is done, cut out a circle of fabric that is about 4.5″ in diameter (if you are using a regular mouth mason jar). Baste around the edges of it to create a gathering stitch, and leave the thread ends hanging. Ball up a a large wad of fiber fill and compress it so it is smaller than the jar lid.

Place the fiber fill on the top of the jar lid. Place the fabric on top of it – right side up – and then flip the entire thing over. Make sure the fiber fill stays bunched in the center of the jar lid! Pull the stitches to gather the fabric. When it snugs tightly onto the back of the jar lid, tie off the ends.Insert the lid with the fabric & fiber fill attached back into the ring and check its fit on the jar. There should be no fiber fill underneath the edges of the ring to ensure the lid screws on all the way. If it fits properly, use the hot glue gun to put glue under the edges of the fabric to seal it to the back of the lid. If the ring will not seal onto the jar, adjust the fiber fill away from the edges of the lid and try again.

Pin Cushion Mason Jar Lid

The final step is to fill the jar with sewing supplies! A selection of buttons from our Buttons Galore Neutral Button Tote makes a great assortment to have on hand for replacing lost buttons on clothing. Add in a scrap of felt with some needles attached and a spool of thread, and you have an emergency mending kit with a top that will hold pins or needles!

Mason Jar Sewing Kit

This is a great gift for a bride, a student leaving for college, or someone setting up house for the first time. For a more advanced sewist, fill the jar with buttons, pins, or other sewing necessities to create a handmade gift they’ll enjoy using regularly.

 

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Embellish an Artist Trading Card with Buttons

Artist Trading Cards are a fun way to experiment with colors and techniques. They are also a great way to use up random leftovers from other projects, like I did on this Artist Trading Card wth buttons and trim!

For those unfamiliar with the concept, an ATC (Artist Trading Card) is a 2.5″ by 3.5″ piece of art that is intended to be traded with other artists. The rear of an ATC is usually signed by the artist and indicates if the card is part of a series. A wide variety of substrates are used as bases for ATC’s but popular ones include manila, watercolor paper, mat board, and ephemera like old book pages.

Feminine Artist Trading Card with Buttons

Supplies:

This ATC card was created from manila cardstock, cut from a #8 manila tag. I actually stamped the trading card background stamp on the tag first, and then cut out my card base, to make sure that I got perfect placement of the stamp on my card.

Once the base was created, I used a tag stencil with some texture paste to create a flower in the corner of the card on top of the stamped design. Rubbing some Distress Ink on top of the flower gave it a nice pink shade, and I also colored in the image that I wanted to highlight with markers.

Artist Trading Card close up

I used a scrap of crochet trim from the 28 Lilac Lane “Attic Findings” embellishment kit to fill in the area in the upper left of the card. Then I opened up the “On Lilac Lane” bottle and went to town! The pretty lady got some embellishment for her outfit (see how shiny her buttons are?) from some of the small beads and sequins in the bottle. Then I placed buttons and pearls around the card for pops of color. Some of these elements highlight certain design elements like lines in the stamp or the flower. I purposely varied the size and color shade of the embellishments that I chose to create a more random, artsy effect in the design.

The final step was to use the Archival ink pad that I had stamped with to edge the card and give it some extra “pop”.

Our embellishment kits and bottles are perfect for making Artist Trading Cards with buttons, trim, sequins, beads, and pearls. Their great assortment of embellishments will help you create a one of a kind work of art! Try one today!

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Make a Fun Thank You Shaker Card!

Shaker cards are super trendy right now, so next time you want to want to express your gratitude…why not send a thank you shaker card? This quick and easy thank you shaker card uses our “New Leaf” embellishment kit from 28 Lilac Lane to add a touch of sparkle to its shake!

thank you shaker card with 28 Lilac Lane embellishments

 

Supplies:

The base of this thank you card is created from a “thank you” card cutting file from the Cricut Design Space library. I modified the cut file by duplicating the card and using squares to slice sections of it out to create layers in different colors. When I assembled the pieces, I had the base for a colorful shaker card. The scalloped edge is actually on the back edge of the card, so it is still visible when you open the card up to read what is written inside!

Thank You Shaker Card base

The front panel of the shaker box is easy to make. I just grabbed a spare page protector and cut a piece out of it big enough to cover the window. I attached it to the back of the card front using red liner adhesive tape.

Rear of Shaker Card Window

To create the box part of the thank you shaker box, I layered a double layer of foam adhesive tape on top of the area where the red liner adhesive was used. This created a box to put the shaker embellishments into. I filled the box up with sequins, seed beeds, and buttons from the New Leaf kit. Then I peeled the backing from the foam tape and attached a cardstock “lid” to the shaker box.

thank you shaker card close-up

 

If you give this card to a crafter, this card is an extra special treat! The recipient can simply open up the shaker box and empty the contents into a small container or zip bag to use on their own papercrafting, sewing, or mixed media projects.

thank you shaker card

Thank You Shaker Card with 28 Lilac Lane embellishments

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Paint up a Patriotic Simple Pallet Flag!

The summer holidays coming has many of us here in the U.S. wanting to display our more patriotic side. This simple pallet flag will help you show your love of country while bringing some country charm to your home as well!

Easy Pallet Flag project by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

To create this pallet flag, I started by painting the entire pallet white. Then, to create my stripes, I measured the tallest height of the pallet and divided by seven (the number of stripes that I wanted) to get the width of my stripes.

Using painter’s tape to block off the areas that I didn’t want to paint red ensured that I got crisp edges on my stripes. I just measured the width I wanted and laid down a strip of tape at that mark. Then from that edge, I measured again and lay another strip of tape at that mark. That left a small open area between the two strips of tape. To protect my white paint from splatters while painting with the red, I laid down an extra strip of tape on top of the others to fill in that gap. When I was done, I had blue and white stripes like this:

Painting flag stripes on pallet

Once the tape was in place, I painted the areas that weren’t covered in blue tape with red paint. The paint below appears patchy because I peeled up the tape while it was still drying – an important step to keep the edges of your paint crisp. Once dry, the paint is much more even.

Finished flag stripes on pallet

Instead of painting the blue field for the stars I chose to use a paper background. The paper filled in the holes between the planks on the pallet, allowing for even spacing of the stars. It also allowed me to extend the paper above some of the shorter pallet planks, to the height of the taller planks. This gave me more room to work with for the stars. The paper was adhered down with matte finish white glue.

Easy Pallet Flag project by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

Before attaching the stars, their shanks had to first be removed. Placing the stars required a lot of patience. I worked in sections, letting glue dry on each row before moving to the next so that I wouldn’t push previous stars out of position placing the next row. It’s difficult to get the arrangement exactly perfect, but on a rustic pallet flag like this, that is part of the charm!

While I used silver quilted stars for this project, any of our 3/4″ or less sized stars would work (like our Texas Stars, our Gold Stars, or our Silver Star assortment, or the white stars from our Stars & Stripes assortment). If you don’t have the patience to do all 50 stars, try arranging 13 of them in a circle.

Supplies:

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Batter Up for a Baseball Father’s Day Card!

Is the dad in your life a sports fan? This baseball Father’s Day card may be the perfect way to send your love on Father’s Day!

Baseball Father's Day card

This simple Father’s Day card is based on only two main elements: a die cut and some of our fun 3D buttons!

A plain blank card takes on a baseball pinstripe look with the help of a background stamp. The texture of the blank card keeps it from stamping completely perfectly, giving it a vintage distressed look. A strip of patterned paper also helps to create a vintage vibe, which is perfect since baseball is a sport with such a strong sense of history. The die cut is cut from a red cardstock that matches to stitching on the baseball, and which creates a nice contrast to the blue. Once that is done, all that is needed is to attach the buttons. (The bat is attached with some embroidery floss, and the ball is glued.)

This baseball father’s day card could easily be themed for another sport with only a few changes. Simply change out the baseball buttons for other Buttons Galore sports themed ones such as basketball, soccer, or football, and then change the background stripes for stars!

Supplies:

  • Buttons Galore #4065 Baseball 3D buttons
  • Hero Arts Large Canvas Stripes Background stamp
  • Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Faded Jeans
  • Cricut Explore machine & cut file
  • Bazzill cardstock (red)
  • Blank card (blue)
  • Tim Holtz “Crowded Attic” Paper Stash
  • embroidery floss (brown)

 

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Wrap up a Quick & Simple Father’s Day Card!

Father’s Day is almost here, and that means time to make cards for dads, grandpas, and other special men in our lives! This quick and simple Father’s Day card is easy to make, and has a fun orange and turquoise color scheme that will make kids and grown-ups happy!

Fathers Day card

The card design is based on a preprinted journal card cut from a sheet of Simple Stories patterned paper. To keep it from looking plain as the basis of the card, embellish it with pearls that match the TV’s printed dials. The “screen” of the TV is the perfect place to hold the card’s sentiment. Stamp the sentiment on cardstock and then cut it apart to fit onto the screen. Adhere.

Next mat the TV card on orange patterned paper, and then mount it onto the card front. Finally, attach the card front to a blank card to complete the layers.

To wrap the twine, poke a hold in the spine of the card. Using the hole, wrap the twine around the card twice. Finish with the ends on the front. Thread a button onto each end of the twine, and then tie the ends together. To make the buttons lay more flat, glue dots can be attached behind them.

Supplies:

This card is perfect for any of the favorite fathers (or father figures) in your life. Who would you give this quick & simple Father’s Day card to for Father’s Day?

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Send a Happy Button Rainbow Card!

I spent the weekend creating new storage for my buttons that has them arranged in rainbow order. After playing with a giant rainbow of buttons for hours, it left me in the mood to create a button rainbow card for my project today!

This happy button rainbow card is perfect to bring cheer for any occasion.

A rainbow like this is just a simple button collage. The trick is to get the curves lined up and space correctly. I made that simple for this project by using a die cut as a basis for the collage. Because I cut the die cut from cardstock that matched my buttons as closely as possible, the cardstock background will “fill in” visually between the buttons.

rainbow

Assembling the button collage is simple. Working one row at a time, I placed a line of glue along the row for each color. Then I selected small buttons to place along the row. It helped if the buttons were somewhat alternated in position from the previous row, since then I could put a slightly larger button into the gap created by the curves. I let each row dry until it was adhered firmly before beginning the next row to make sure that I didn’t accidentally displace the previous row adhering the new one.

button rainbow in progress

Once the rainbow was completed and dry, I adhered it to a blank card after first stamping the sentiment on the card. It was important to do the stamping first since the thickness of the button rainbow could make it difficult to get the stamp in position after it is adhered.

attaching adhesive to clouds

The final step was to adhere the clouds using 3D foam squares. I lined the squares up along the bottom of the clouds so they created a line across the center of the clouds. This edge butted right against the bottom edge of the rainbow when I adhered it. The top of the cloud doesn’t need adhesive because it is supported by the rainbow.

Supplies:

I hope you enjoy my button rainbow card! It’s an easy way to send some cheer to someone you care about!

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5 Ways to Use Buttons for Scrapbooking + NSD Sale!

Happy (Inter)National Scrapbook Day! Buttons are a perfect match for scrapbooking. They are a quick and easy way to add a pop of color and dimension to any layout design!

Five ways to scrapbook with buttons

 

Today, in honor of scrapbooking’s special day, we’re going to share with you our favorite examples of the wide variety of ways that buttons can be used on layouts.

Buttons & Burlap

Buttons and burlap are always a good pair, especially on a scrapbook layout. Keri Lee Sereika paired them with bright red and crisp turquoise for this brilliant summer layout of her son.

Buttons & Burlap Scrapbook Page - Keri Lee Sereika

Brown & Blue

If you like the combination of turquoise and brown, but burlap isn’t your thing…try using brown buttons! Designer May Flaum used her 28 Lilac Lane Paws & Pets kit to make some brown elements pop out of a solid turquoise background to highlight her Scrappy pup!

Scrappy layout by May Flaum using 28 Lilac Lane

Handmade

Natural materials (like the cork letters above) are a great combination with buttons. Ashli Oliver decided to extend the natural and handmade look to the paper on her layout, pairing her 28 Lilac Lane buttons with a rustic handmade paper. The contrast between the smooth, hard buttons and the rough, wild paper is perfect!

Handmade paper and buttons layout by Ashli Oliver

My Girls

We’ve seen lots of button clusters so far, but May Flaum showed us in her My Girls layout how to use buttons scattered as 3D trinkets alongside ephemera as well. She scattered some of her 28 Lilac Lane Attic Findings and Just Peachy buttons – as well as the coordinating sequins and pearls – to prove that a few buttons can pack a design punch as well.

28 Lilac Lane with Crate Paper

Good Morning Sunshine

Guest blogger Karla Yungwirth took the scattering to a new level of delicacy! Her gorgeous pastel layout, with just a touch of one or two buttons dabbed here and there for a spot of color, shows how buttons (and sequins and pearls) can have an impact while still being subtle.

Sunshine scrapbook layout using 28 Lilac Lane embellishment by Karla Yungwirth

But wait, there’s more…a sale! We’ve got 20% off on our entire website to celebrate National Scrapbook Day! So you can save while stocking up on all the buttons and embellishments that you need to put the perfect finishing touches on your scrapbook layouts! Use code NSD20 at checkout and save now!

NSD20 FACEBOOK

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Embellish a T-Shirt for Instant Button Style!

The weather is warming up and soon it will be t-shirt season! Using buttons to embellish a t-shirt is an easy way to add some instant style to an inexpensive, plain piece of clothing without the need for a sewing machine or hours of time.

Embellish a T-shirt Neckline with Buttons

This project can be done on any affordable basic t-shirt. The only supplies needed are buttons and a needle and thread.

To coordinate with this green t-shirt, I selected our Strawberry Cheesecake Color Blend buttons, gentle shades of pink that contrast nicely to the shirt’s green tone. But this project could be made in any color combination, like school colors, which makes it perfect for special events or creating a custom piece to match that hard-to-match clothing!

Sewing buttons on neckline

Beginning at one of the shoulder seams, sew the buttons centered onto the border of the neckline. The spacing of the buttons can be measured if you’d like, but I chose to estimate my placement. The spacing distance will depend on how many buttons you’d like to use. If you want a heavily embellished look, put your buttons close together – or even touching! Spacing the buttons further apart, as I chose to, will give a more delicate look to the embellishment.

For a more interesting design, you can vary the sizes and colors of the buttons like I did. I recommend, however, keeping them small enough on a shirt with a binding like this on the neck to stay within the trim itself.

Button embellished shirt

The finished result is an embellished t-shirt that is affordable and simple to make, and an easy look that will still look “finished” around the neck if you skip wearing jewelry.

Embellish a T-shirt close-up

While you are at our webstore checking out the Strawberry Cheesecake Color Blend buttons, don’t forget to also check out our spring clearance sale section. Some items are as much as 80% off as we are clearing out inventory in preparation for moving our warehouse!

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Craft a Wood Trinket Box with Button Lid

You can never have too many pretty little places to stash mementos and accessories. This little wood trinket box with a multi-colored button lid is a great way to hold your favorite jewelry, souvenirs like ticket stubs, or even office supplies!

Wood trinket box with button lid

This wood trinket box starts with a fun ombre finish created using the brand new Plaid Ultra Dyes. These are somewhat like water soluble brightly colored wood stains, and blend. I layered several colors to get the effect shown here: Raspberry Beret and Hot Flash applied on the bottom, and the top area with several coats of Hot Pink. Then a coat of hot Pink was layered over the entire project. The end result was almost a dip dye effect.

wood trinket box with ombre Ultra Dye

To find a selection of lots of colors for my button collage for on the lid of the trinket box, I decided to pull buttons from two different button assortments. On the left is our Spring button box, with the purple buttons, and on the right is our Vacation button box, with the dark teal and peach colors. Both assortments share in common some pink and light green shades, making them well suited to work together.

Buttons to match wood trinket box

I laid down a thick layer of white glue and then went to work filling in the lid with the buttons. The key (for me anyway) to achieving a random look is to try to not have buttons touch each other that are the same color. It’s also important to make sure that too many buttons of the same size aren’t clustered together in an area.

Buttons glued to wood trinket box lid

After the glue dries clear, that buttons will appear to be floating on the lid of the wood trinket box!

Wood trinket box with button lid

This wood trinket box with a button lid is a fast and easy project for all ages – a great project for a Mother’s Day gift or for summer vacation crafts for the kids! What will you use it for?

Supplies:

 

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Holiday Frame: A Floral Welcome Frame

For those of you following along with the holiday frame project, there may be times when you don’t want a seasonal element in it. Today, I’m here to show you a welcome frame design for your frame for those in-between times of year!

Welcome frame featuring 28 Lilac Lane products by May Flaum from Buttons Galore. Easy photo frame home decor project.

This simple design makes use of beautiful elements from our 28 Lilac Lane “Attic Findings” kit, as well as 3D die cut elements. All of the paper elements are created from a single paper pad for easy coordination of colors and designs.

To create this welcome frame project, the background paper was cut to 8″ x 10″ to fit the frame opening. Then the crochet trim from the Attic Findings kit was cut to create the border and glued in place. The word “welcome” was die cut (sized to just slightly more than 5″) and the edges were inked to provide a drop shadow before adhering it as well.

Welcome frame featuring 28 Lilac Lane products by May Flaum from Buttons Galore. Easy photo frame home decor project.

The three flowers were sized to about 2.25″ in diameter, and then cut from different papers. (The stamens on two of the flowers were cut from another flower design that wasn’t used on the frame.) The edges of the pink flowers were inked, and then the flowers were assembled.

The finishing touch on the flowers were the embellishments from the Attic Findings kit. Each flower got its own touch of contrasting color. The buttons were threaded with embroidery floss and tied off before adhering to give them a finished look.

Supplies:

This welcome frame is a beautiful way to fill your holiday frame in between holidays! In case you’ve missed them, don’t forget to check out the previous installments in the holiday frame series. What holiday would you like to see added to the series next?

1

28 Lilac Lane Blog Hop: Spring Flowers

Welcome to the 28 Lilac Lane blog hop on the Buttons Galore blog! Let’s make some spring flowers! Make sure that you stay until the end today for the giveaway!

28lilaclanelogo

Spring has us all thinking of flowers! But in some areas they aren’t blooming yet, or we may not be able to have them in the house due to allergies.

The solution is simple…fabric and buttons! 28 Lilac Lane spring flowers

This project starts with fabric and interfacing. Iron heavy-duty iron-on interfacing to the back side of a small fabric scrap. Then, wrong sides together, iron another fabric scrap to the back side of it. This will create a double-sided piece of fabric, with the interfacing in the middle to stiffen the fabric.

Run the fabric through your die cutting machine to make flowers. Repeat with several different fabric scraps. If you don’t have scraps that will work for this project, visit your local quilt or sewing store and check out their fat quarter inventory for suitable fabric. Small prints work best for this project.

Fabric Flowers

Select a large button to coordinate with each of your spring flowers. With a piercer or large needle, poke holes through the flower where the button’s holes are.

Cut a length of the German Style wire about twice the desired stem length and fold it in half. Poke one end through each of the button’s holes and the flower and pull to snug the loop down on top of the button. Begin twisting the wire together under the flower. Continue until you reach the desired stem length and clip off the wire ends.

28 Lilac Lane flowers

Arrange your spring flowers in a vase, and for the finishing touch wrap baker’s twine around the neck and tie a pretty bow!

Supplies:

Don’t miss the other stops on the blog hop:

How to enter the Giveaway

To celebrate this blog hop, Buttons Galore is giving away a fabulous 28 Lilac Lane prize! One lucky winner is going to win two 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits, an embellishment bottle, and a sequin tin  – and the best part is that it is winner’s choice!

To enter, comment below and tell us which of the 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits is YOUR favorite! This giveaway is open until Midnight pacific time on Sunday, April 24th. One entry per person, and only U.S. mailing addresses are eligible to win.

Thanks for visiting the blog hop and good luck! If this is your first visit to the blog, please make sure to subscribe to the blog and follow our Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest!

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Easy Gold Button Charm Bracelet

This gold button charm bracelet project is easy to make with only a few supplies, and makes a perfect gift for the special stylish woman in your life!

Gold Button Charm Bracelet Supplies

Supplies:

I also recommend having on hand a pair of jewelry pliers (long nose or bent nose) to open and close the jump rings to complete this project more easily.

Once the supplies are assembled, select a random assortment of stem buttons from the button bag. You’ll need enough to put one button on each link of the bracelet chain.

gold button charm bracelet

Use the jump rings to attach the stem buttons to the bracelet chain. Attach one button per link in the chain, keeping all of the buttons on the same side of the links.

Vary the size and design of the buttons that you use as you go to get a good random appearance. If you look closely above, you can see that I put larger buttons in the center of the bracelet, and smaller ones at the ends, to create a taper effect and make the bracelet more comfortable to wear.

gold button charm bracelet

That’s all there is to it! This fun gold button charm bracelet gift is so easy to make, but the results are stylish!

For a different look, try making this button charm bracelet project with our Fancy Silver Haberdashery buttons, and a silver bracelet and silver jump rings.

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Top 7 Button Projects for Spring – and a Giveaway!

Top Spring Button Projects

Old man winter has been really reluctant in some parts of the country (including at the Buttons Galore warehouse) to pack it up and head back to the arctic where he belongs! So today we thought we’d share on the blog a round-up of some of our favorite spring projects to remind everyone that spring is coming after all!

Spring Button Wreath

Spring Button wreath with flowers

This fun project will brighten up any decor and bring the cheer of spring inside – even if Mother Nature isn’t cooperating outside. And the only tool required is a glue gun!

Springtime Flutterbug Medley Wall Plaque

Spring Flutterbug Medley Wall Plaque

This gorgeous frame project could be used to house a favorite picture, or a favorite seasonal quote. It’s perfect for nursery decor, or a craft room!

Welcome Spring Sign

Welcome Spring hanging sign

This sign says it all for those who are ready to be done with winter…”welcome spring”. This light and airy look can be made in a variety of spring colors, or the text could be changed out with a child’s name for nursery decor too!

Upcycled Spring Floral Bouquet

Upcycled Spring Floral Bouquet

When there is no flowers outside yet, just make your own! This spring project brings the spring cheer and is environmental too, as it upcycles a tin can for the beautiful container the holds the handmade flowers.

Homemade Button Garden Markers

HomemadeGarden Markers, Pea Marker

Spring time means gardeners everywhere are dreaming of abundant summer garden harvests, and planting pots of seeds to get a head start on the growing season. These adorable garden markers will help you remember what that little green sprout in that pot is – peas? corn? beans? – before it makes its way out to be planted in the garden.

Spring Butterfly and Flower Card

Spring Butterfly and Flower Card

If spring has you feeling in the mind to spread some good cheer, some button embellished flowers and butterflies may be just the way to do it! This quick and easy card will put a smile on someone’s face for sure!

Button & Burlap Jar

Button flowerpot Candle hostess gift

Although it is shown on a candle jar, this spring floral mason jar project could be used for a variety of uses – even storing your buttons in your craft room! With a few color changes (such as natural burlap) it could work with any decor, too. Your creativity is the limit!

And now for the giveaway!

File Apr 11, 5 07 42 PM

One lucky blog reader is going to win a spring button prize package of a random assortment of our Buttons Galore Spring Fling 3D buttons (a sampling of the collection is shown above) that is worth $20 retail! That will make plenty of great spring projects for the lucky winner!

How To Enter The Giveaway: Leave a comment below telling us which one of the spring projects that we shared here you liked the best! A random winner will be chosen from all comments left before midnight U.S. pacific time on Sunday, April 17th. One entry per person. Giveaway open to U.S. residents only.

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Quick & Easy Sweet Cupcake Canvas

This cupcake is sweet, easy…and calorie free! Perfect for celebrating a special occasion like a birthday or for decorating a kitchen, our cupcake canvas can be customized to suit any color scheme very simply. All that is needed to customize the design is to change the fabric colors, and the options are endless!

Button Cupcake Canvas. Great home decor for celebrating a special occasion or for kitchen decor.

To start your design, iron Heat-n-Bond to the reverse of your purple and turquoise fabric following package instructions. Cut cupcake wrapper and lettering on your Cricut Explore machine following instructions in this blog post.

Cut the top of the cupcake out of cardstock to be used as a template.

Iron the fabric pieces in position following instructions on the Heat-n-Bond package. Trace around the cupcake topper template lightly with a disappearing fabric pen or pencil to create an outline of where to place the buttons for the frosting.

Wrap the background fabric around the canvas and attach to the back of the canvas using a staple gun. To create an extra neat edge, turn the raw edge of the fabric under before stapling.

Using a glue gun, adhere the buttons to create the frosting and the stripes on the cupcake wrapper.

button cupcake canvas close up

To finish your canvas, cut the stems off of a few 3D Sweet Delights buttons and use the glue gun to fasten them in place scattered around on your letters. Don’t forget to put the cherry on top of the cupcake!

Now you can enjoy your cupcake canvas, or treat someone special with it! (But don’t be surprised if you start feeling hungry….)

Supplies:

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Make A Watercolor Floral Mother’s Day Card

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and what better way to tell Mom how much you appreciate her all year through than with a handmade card?

Handmade Floral Mothers Day CardThis fun and easy watercolor floral Mother’s Day card will show mom just how much you care!

Start by stamping the flowers on watercolor paper with permanent ink. Paint with watercolors. Remove the lid from the ink spray and use it to drop ink splatters onto the watercolor paper. Finish the flowers by adding button centers to them.

Cut and fold the cardstock to make a card base. Cut a piece of patterned paper to cover the front. Attach the flower elements on it.

Cut a patterned paper strip. Stamp “with mom” at one end of it, and adhere it across the card front. Use the die cutting machine to cut out the word “mom”, and attach it over the strip. Finish it with a button covering the “o”.

Supplies:

  • Ranger Watercolor Paper
  • Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
  • Tim Holtz for Stamper’s Anonymous “Flower Garden” stamps
  • Tim Holtz for Stamper’s Anonymous “Simple Sayings” stamps
  • Ranger Dylusions Ink Spray in Melted Chocolate
  • Sakura Koi Pocket Field Sketch Box Watercolors
  • Tim Holtz “Wallflower” Paper Stash
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Ground Espresso
  • Cricut Explore machine and cut file
  • Cardstock sheets in brown and white
  • Buttons Galore Button Bonanza in Black
  • Buttons Galore “Pet Store” Button Basics
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Make a Spring Zip Pouch for Mom!

Regular readers of the site may remember this delightful zip pouch that I made last fall during the Handmade Holidays blog hop. It is from a pattern called Everyday Zips by Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree & Company, available online or at local quilt stores.

Zippered Notions Bag

Making the pouch was so simple and fun that I decided to make another one for the trade show booths in January…this time in a spring color scheme, and with a few modifications. Because you can never have too many zip pouches, right?

Spring Zip Pouch

Supplies:

For this version, I created a totally different look. Instead of vintage style neutrals, the new design used batik print quilt fabric in spring colors. The light green fabric was used for both the exterior body and for the lining. The bright pink contrast panel and the green prairie points create an impression of leaves surrounding flowers.

Instead of just a few button accents, the spring zip pouch has a whole collage of buttons decorating its front panel!

Spring Zip Pouch close up

As well as adding buttons, I also took something away from the front of the pouch. You might have already noticed that the zipper pocket isn’t on the front of the new design of the pouch. Removing it simplified the sewing of the pouch and made room for the large decorative button collage.

Spring Zip Pouch close up 2

Making the change to remove the zipper from the panel was easy. I measured what each of the three pattern pieces for this panel would be in height after the seam allowances were removed. Then I added those three numbers together, added the seam allowance to the top and bottom of it.  That gave me the new height I needed to cut my panel to. (The width is provided by the pieces for above and below the zipper.) Using those dimensions, I created the new pattern piece. The piece I ended up cutting was 3″ by 9.5″. I then simply skipped the steps in the pattern dealing with installing the pocket zipper and the pocket lining.

Zip pouches make great gifts for Mother’s Day, birthdays, and teacher appreciation! What occasion do you have coming up that a fun zip pouch gift would be perfect for?

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Clean & Simple Baby Card with a Button Monogram

Today we are continuing with the theme that we started on Monday of using button monograms for babies! Only this time, the button monogram is the central piece on a clean & simple baby card.

If elegant and simple is more your style than the typical baby cutesy, this card may be just what you are looking for. The pastel color palette and the use of the buttons add delicate touches of a baby theme, but the overall design is understated, simple, and more mature.

Button Monogram Baby Card

Supplies:

  • Buttons Galore Lt Blue/Light Pink/White Color Blend buttons
  • Simple Stories “So Fancy” patterned paper
  • White textured cardstock
  • Pink textured cardstock
  • Cricut Explore Machine and cutting files
  • Arial Black font
  • Tsukineko Memento Ink in Angel Pink
  • Hero Arts Clearly Kelly “Kelly’s Outline Alphabet” stamps

Directions:

Cut and fold a card from the white cardstock. Adhere pink patterned paper to the front.

Using the die cutting machine, cut a large circle from the white cardstock. Adhere to the top front of card.

Cut a strip of white cardstock wide enough for the alphabet stamps to fit on. Stamp name on it, trim ends, and adhere to bottom of card front. (If necessary, use two strips placed one on top of the other for longer names.)

Using Arial Black font, cut the monogram from the pink cardstock. Cover the monogram in buttons, using white clear-drying glue. Adhere the monogram to the middle of the white circle.

With the monogram and baby’s name, this clean & simple baby card would be great for a baby announcement, shower invitation, or mom’s thank you cards!

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Button Monogram Wall Art

A new baby, whether it is yours or someone else’s, is always a great reason to make something! And what could be cuter than button monogram wall art?

This fun project uses two key components – a wood monogram letter like the kind available at most craft stores, and two tins of our beautiful Sea Glass buttons. I really love these buttons – their beautiful blue/green translucence really makes me want to go down to the shore and hunt for glass!

Button Monogram wall art supplies

Supplies:

Lay down areas of glue in sections, and fill the letter in with buttons. Don’t be afraid to lay down a nice thick layer of glue so the glue will come up the button holes when the buttons are pressed down into it. When the glue is dry, this creates “prongs” that grab onto the buttons and help hold them in place more securely.
Button Monogram Wall Art construction

The areas between the buttons don’t need to be even or really tiny. While it looks uneven viewed very close up, unless a gap is extremely large it won’t look awkward when viewed from a reasonable viewing distance.

Button Monogram Wall Art close up

For the finishing touch (and to add the baby theme to the button monogram), tie a nice large bow out of the white ribbon. Attach it on top of the buttons on the button monogram using hot glue. Cut the stem off of a Ducky button, and hot glue that on top of the bow.

Button Monogram Wall Art embellishment

This button monogram project can be made in any color, and would make a great gift or baby shower decor. Hang it on a nursery wall, a bedroom door, or prop it up on a dresser top!

Button Monogram Wall Art

0

Send a Sweet Greeting with a Donut Card!

Sometimes you just want to send a card to say “hi” to someone special. This adorable donut card is a sweet way to do the job!

The new 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits are now shipping, and they are perfect for cardmakers: buttons, sequins, trim and charms. They also contain seed beads, something unfamiliar to some cardmakers. In addition to making great shaker boxes, seed beads can be combined with glue to make great shiny embellishments. On this donut card, they give the appearance of sprinkles (or nuts).

donut card

Supplies:

Instructions

Cut pink striped paper to fit card front. Adhere. Cut 1″ strip of yellow stripe and attach along fold of card.

Cut a strip of water color paper that is 1 7/8″ wide and the same height as the card front.

Using Archival ink, stamp three donuts on the watercolor paper.

Paint the donuts with the watercolors.

Donut Card gluing

Spread a thin layer of white glue (I use Artquest PPA Matte) on the donut frosting. Scatter yellow seed beads from the Tropical Twist kit in the glue. Add a second layer of glue on top of the beads (above).

donut card close-up

When dry, the glue will largely disappear. Any remnants that remain visible (as around some of the beads in the photo above) will just look like donut glaze!

Adhere the donut strip over the seam between the two patterned papers on the card front.

Stamp the sentiment in the lower right corner of the donut card front.

The new 28 Lilac Lane products are now shipping to stores! Look for them in a store near you! 

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Quick & Easy DIY Wedding Invitation

Are you hearing bells in your future – wedding bells, that is? If you are having a DIY wedding, our 3D wedding buttons can help you create a DIY wedding invitation and other beautiful items for your special day!

DIY Wedding Invitation

Supplies:

Making this invitation is easy!

Cut and fold the smooth cardstock to make a 5″ x 7″ sized card base.

Use a word processing program to create the invitation text. Print the text onto inkjet printable vellum.

Cut the patterned paper to size. Using your sewing machine, stitch the vellum onto the patterned paper.

Adhere the patterned paper & vellum combination to the card front. Adhere the buttons on top of the vellum.

Buttons Galore’s 3D buttons are available for bulk purchase. If you require a specific item in bulk to create large quantities of an item like this DIY wedding invitation, please contact our customer service department through our website for assistance.

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Put Spring On Your Walls With A Button Wreath

Do the dark days of February have you longing for spring? My spring button wreath project will put a little touch of spring green and flowers inside on your walls – no matter what the weather outside!

Green buttons

To create this project, you’ll need the following supplies:

Begin by wrapping the foam wreath in the burlap ribbon. The ribbon I chose is thin – more like fabric than canvas – which makes for smoother wrapping of the wreath and a better surface to serve as the base for the buttons. Secure the ribbon ends with floral greening pins. It may take several rolls of ribbon to complete the entire wreath.

Button wreath construction

The next step is to use hot glue to start adhering buttons on the wreath. Working in small sections, lay down hot glue and then arrange buttons in it. I highly recommend using a protector (like the hot glue gun finger  protectors make by Plaid) when you are pushing the buttons down to avoid burning yourself. Handle hot glue guns with care – even so-called low temperature hot glue will burn!

Button wreath with flowers

Once the buttons are all in place, trim the stems off of three spring floral blooms. Use hot glue to adhere them onto the wreath.

Button wreath close-up

Cut the stems off of the Spring Fling buttons, and using hot glue, adhere them scattered around the wreath. Don’t forget to add a bee on one of the flowers!

Button wreath with flowers

Hang your wreath on the wall with a wire, a wreath hanger, or with a ribbon and nail – and then sit back and enjoy the spring!

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Button Flowers Make a Cute Thank You Card!

Thank you cards are one of the most commonly used cards that we reach for, so we can never have too many on hand for when we need them! This fun and simple project combines Sakura watercolors with our bright “Fiesta” Button Bonanza bag to create a bouquet of button flowers for you to send to someone special.

Cute thank you card with button flowers

Supplies:

Our Buttons Galore “Fiesta” Button Bonanza bag is full of bright colors that are perfect for making little flowers! To start your card, pick three buttons in different colors and sizes for making your button flowers. Then set the bag aside.

Buttons Galore Fiesta Button Bonanza

Next, cut a 4.25″ x 5.5″ piece of the yellow striped paper. Adhere to front of card blank.

Cut a 3.75″ x 5″ piece of Ocean Breeze cardstock.

Using watercolors & a water brush, paint green grass and three flower stems on the cardstock. Vary the heights of the stems, but make sure to leave enough room between the tallest one and the top for adding the buttons and the sentiment!

Stamp the sentiment across the top of the card.

To make the flowers, sew the buttons on to the ends of the stems with embroidery floss. Tie the knot in the front and snip ends so they will fray a bit to make a center for the flower.

Adhere the blue cardstock on top of the yellow striped paper.

Your card is done! Now it’s time to write a message of thanks inside and deliver a bit of sunshine and gratitude to someone special!

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Love Your Pet in Our Pet Button Frame!

Saturday is National Love Your Pet Day, and what better crafty way to celebrate your pet than by creating a pet button frame to display your favorite photo of them?

Pet Frame with Buttons Galore buttons

Supplies:

This frame could easily become a dog themed frame just by changing the cork word to “woof” and using some of the dog buttons from our Pets & Pals collection.

To begin, paint the frame with the FolkArt chalk paint in Java. You may want to use some sandpaper first to prepare the frame’s surface for the paint. Don’t forget to paint the edges of the frame that will be visible!

Plaid frame painted with Java chalk paint

After the chalk paint is dry, buff the painted surface with the Plaid FolkArt Home Decor Wax to finish it.

While you wait for the paint and wax to dry, mix the microbeads to create a variegated mix that is half brown and half black. Make sure to thoroughly mix the beads together to get a random distribution of color.

Brown and Black Microbead Mix

Next it is time to apply the buttons! Working one small section at a time, spread a thick coat of clear-drying white glue on the front of the frame. Position a mix of buttons to fill in the frame. After you are certain that the buttons are in their final position for that section – and before the glue has dried – sprinkle some of the microbead mix on top of any gaps between the buttons.

Close-up of button collage gluing

The benefit of using the white glue (versus say a hot glue gun) is that its invisibility and dry time gives room for adjustment as you build each section of the collage. You can nudge a button or move it completely if necessary to make your “puzzle without a correct answer” fit together in a way that satisfies you. You aren’t committed until the glue dries, which takes quite awhile.

Button Frame

I recommend letting one section dry before beginning another. While the dry time on the glue method allows for error, it also creates error – making it easy to accidentally nudge an entire section out of place while trying to wedge a button into a tight spot. Working with only a small wet section at a time minimizes the damage that sort of incident can do.

Pet Button Frame titleThe title is a simple addition to the frame – it’s the materials that make it look fancy!

Cut the cork sheet on a Cricut Explore machine, and then ink the edges with Distress ink to create a nice shadow on it. Because the surface of the buttons is really uneven, you’ll need to adhere the cork with a glue gun even though the cork is self-adhesive.

Once the cork title is on, cut the shanks off of the buttons and use the hot glue gun to adhere them in place as well.

And that is it – your beautiful pet frame is complete! Now you can find the perfect photo memory to enjoy of your furry family member!

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DIY Wedding Frame with Button Heart

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, and that means love, romance…and proposals! So, for everyone who woke up this morning with a wedding in their future (or their family’s future), we’ve got a fun and easy project for you  – a DIY wedding frame!

This wedding frame is multi-purpose – it can serve as a wedding or shower decoration, and then transition to home decor as a treasured memory after the big day is over.

Project PlanningThe first step in this project is to select a color scheme. This project is built around a fabric background, which can really be any color. I’ve chosen a beautiful aqua, but the wedding’s theme color or a color from the bride’s home decor might both be excellent choices.

The gold iron-on material matches both the frame and a fleck that is in the fabric. Our Haberdashery button pack is variegated between cream and white, so no matter what color of wedding dress the bride chooses, the collage will work.

Wedding Frame construction

Use a fabric pencil to sketch out the area for the heart.

Measure the remaining area and create the text and other elements on your die cut machine. Cut from glitter iron-on material, and iron on to fabric following manufacturer’s instructions.

For the fabric to stand up to holding the collage of buttons in the frame, it needs to be stiffened. I used Krylon Spray Adhesive to laminate the fabric to a sheet of white chipboard as a backing.

Using white glue (I used PPA Matte by ArtQuest), adhere white buttons from the Button Basics and Haberdashery packages. Continue until the entire heart is filled. I ensured that the largest ones were spread around in a balanced fashion by laying them down first and then building around them.

Finish by removing the stem from a heart button, and gluing the heart on top of the glitter flourish.

Remove the glass from the frame, and place the cardboard sheet in place!

And now your beautiful memory of a special day is ready to enjoy!

DIY Wedding Frame with button heart

Supplies:

Congratulations to all the newly engaged couples out there, and we look forward to seeing you make our DIY wedding frame!

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A Sunny Sequin Card with 28 Lilac Lane

As a northerner transplanted to the south, I remember all too well the dark days of February in the cold part of the country. This time of year it seemed that winter would never end! So today, I’m here to bring a blast of sunshine to February, with some help from the new sequin tins from 28 Lilac Lane.

This mixed-media inspired sequin card is very simple to make. By simply changing up the sentiment stickers, it can be perfect for providing cheer on a variety of occasions.

Bright Side Card

Supplies:

  • Blank Card
  • Cardstock (yellow, orange, blue)
  • Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Cardstock
  • 28 Lilac Lane by Buttons Galore Yellow and Orange sequin tin
  • Tim Holtz idea-ology Small Talk stickers
  • Cricut Explore machine
  • Cricut Design Space cutting file
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Carved Pumpkin)
  • Ranger Dylusions Spray Ink (Vibrant Turquoise, London Blue)
  • Ranger Dylusions Mica Spray (Vibrant Turquoise)
  • Sewing Machine

Instructions:

  1. Spray the two spray inks randomly on a sheet of the watercolor cardstock. Spritz with water and blot to blend. Repeat until satisfied with color blend. (Check out this video for tips.)
  2. Trim a half inch off of each direction of the cardstock. Stitch cardstock down to the front of the blank card.
  3. Spray the card front with Mica Spray.
  4. Cut the sun element from yellow and orange cardstock on the die cutting machine.
  5. Ink the edges of the sun element with the Carved Pumpkin ink.
  6. Spread white glue on the center of the die cut, and place sequins. Let dry.
  7. Assemble two parts of sun die cut together. Adhere die cut to front of card.
  8. Adhere phrase stickers to card.

Bright Side Sequin Card

The sequins will shine on their own in this sequin card, of course, but the Mica Spray enhances the card’s overall shine and brings out the sequins’ shine. And the orange ink will make the darker toned sequins in the yellow sequin blend really pop!

The 28 Lilac Lane sequin tins will be shipping soon – don’t miss out on the entire collection of all six color blends!

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Make an Ombre Heart with Buttons!

Now that the CHA Mega Show is over, we can start sharing with you a closer look at the projects that were designed for our booth, like this ombre heart!

I designed this ombre heart wall art by combining several of our button assortments that contain great shades of pink that work together to make the ombre shift.

Ombre Heart wall art made with Buttons Galore buttons

This project is surprisingly easy. The biggest challenge is the first step working with the buttons, which is simple but can be tedious. This is a great project to do with kids, to help teach color distinction!

Step 1: Paint the wood heart base with chalk or acrylic paint.

Step 2: Sort the pink buttons into five gradual color shades.

Step 3: Measure the heart from top to bottom. Divide that amount by six to get the width of each color band in the ombre heart. Mark off the divide between each color.

Ombre Heart construction

Step 4: Begin to apply the buttons. Apply a thick coat of glue in the first color band, and begin filling with the color for that band.

Ombre Heart construction

Step 5: While the first color dries, turn the heart around and work from the other end. Repeat until you meet in the middle and finish the final color.

Ombre Heart buttons finished

Step 6: Allow the glue to dry.

Step 7: Use hot glue to attach a loop of ribbon to the rear side on the top of the ombre heart to allow for hanging.

Supplies:

Also…don’t miss our winter sale! We’ve got great deals now through January 31st on Christmas, Winter, and Valentine’s Day themed buttons!

Winter-2

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Behind the Scenes at CHA Mega Show 2016

If you follow our Instagram, you know that the whole Buttons Galore team spent a good deal of the last ten days in Anaheim, California at the annual Craft & Hobby Association trade show. It’s one of the year’s premier events to display craft products to retail buyers to make wholesale purchases for their stores, and also a great opportunity for people from all parts of the crafts industry to meet and share.

Anaheim Convention CenterThe event took place at the Anaheim Convention Center and the show floor was open for four days.

Our booth, of course was wall-to-wall buttons – about 40 feet of them in all! In the picture below, that’s me (Buttons Galore social media manager Nancy Nally) standing in front of the rainbow wall of Color Blends, Button Basics, and Button Bonanzas. There’s so many choices, and they are great for my favorite types of craft projects that use a lot of buttons!

Nancy with Button Basics

And of course we had walls of our 3D specialty button designs on display as well! This is just one small part of the huge wall to choose from.

Specialty Button DisplayMixed in with the buttons, we had lots of fun button project ideas as well. Many of these will be shared on the blog and on our social media in more detail in the coming weeks, so make sure you subscribe to the blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest so you don’t miss any of them!

Tic Tac Toe Tote

One of the projects on display may have looked slightly familiar to our blog readers….back in November I created this rag quilted patch tote in soft pastels for the Handmade Holidays blog hop. For this version, I went with bold fabric from a Lola charm pack by Quilting Treasures, and used a black Button Bonanza bag to create a Tic Tac Toe game on it. Circles win!

Booth papercrafting projects

At the entrance to the booth, visitors were greeted by our papercrafting project feature wall. Buttons are perfect for cards, tags, and layouts!

We also took part in the show’s “Open Market”. At this immensely popular event – a first for the CHA Mega Show –  attendees had the chance to purchase cash & carry product from us at discounted prices. We offered a selection of 3D specialty buttons, Button Bonanza and Button Basics bags to excited customers.

CHA Open MarketButtons Galore co-owners Dan & Lisa Hagenman were quite camera-shy in the booth but with some stealth skills I managed to get them on camera for our readers during the frenzy at the Open Market. That’s the lovely Lisa in the foreground, and her husband Dan at the other end of the table, helping customers find what they were looking for in the product selection.

Of course the biggest excitement in the booth was the launch of the 28 Lilac Lane line by designer May Flaum.

May Flaum 28 Lilac Lane

May created a huge display wall full of samples for the booth (you’ll see many of them on her blog and ours in the coming weeks) and a beautiful demo table where she spent hours showing visitors what they can do with 28 Lilac Lane embellishments.

28 Lilac Lane display wall 28 Lilac Lane demo table

Of course, there had to be sample boards to show off the gorgeous color palette of the new kits and bottles! For the embellishment kits, embroidery hoop collages showed the entire contents of each kit. The hoops were even finished off with the ribbon or trim from the kit!

Love Story hoop For the bottles, a color board shows the entire rainbow selection of all the kits’ schemes in one place:

28 Lilac Lane bottle colors

28 Lilac Lane bottles

We’re so appreciative of how many people stopped by the booth to visit us and see May demo her 28 Lilac Lane collection! It was such fun hosting you all and sharing the new products!

May Flaum demo 28 Lilac Lane

May Flaum demo 28 Lilac Lane

Here’s a peek at some of the friends that dropped by to talk all things buttons in the booth at CHA!

Scrappycampysisters stopped by and got a video tour of the booth from May personally:

Scrappycampysisters

And I finally got to meet Erica of Clique Kits when she dropped by!

Erica Clique Kits

And last but not least…who can forget the Periscope of a Periscope that created an internet black hole with Cathy Zielske and Sandy Allnock? (And then we Instagrammed it too, for good measure!)

Cathy Zielske periscope

CHA was so much fun we’re taking the show on the road again in less than two weeks! European retailers will have a chance to catch Dan and the fabulous Buttons Galore buttons – including 28 Lilac Lane – at Creativeworld in Frankfurt at the end of the month. We’ll be located in Hall 4.2 Booth G50, across from the Creative Impulse awards display. Please do stop by and visit if you are at the show!

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CHA Sneak Peek: Full Reveal of 28 Lilac Lane by May Flaum

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for – the CHA Sneak Peek with the full reveal of the new Buttons Galore line by signature designer May Flaum called 28 Lilac Lane that we’ll be showing in Anaheim at the CHA Mega Show 2016. We’re so excited to share this with all of you!

28lilac

There’s actually three parts to the 28 Lilac Lane collection being shown at the CHA Mega Show 2016!

Let’s start with the biggest element…embellishment kits! Each item in these themed kits has been painstakingly hand selected by May to be perfect for creating beautiful designs for paper crafters, mixed media, collage, fabric crafts, and a wide variety of creative projects.

French Quarter embellishment kit by 28 Lilac Lane from Buttons Galore

The kit pictured above is called “French Quarter”. The initial release of 28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits will include twelve themes:

  • Adventure At Sea
  • Attic Findings
  • Autumn Afternoon
  • French Quarter
  • Hello, Cupcake
  • Holly Jolly
  • Let it Snow
  • Love Story
  • New Leaf
  • Party On
  • Paws & Pets
  • Tropical Twist

The kits include buttons, shimmering pearl accents, seed beads, trim, sequins, and charms. Some kits also include felt shapes and/or novelty buttons. The embellishment kits will have an MSRP of $8.99.

Below (clockwise from top left): French Quarter, New Leaf, Love Story, Adventure At Sea

28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits from Buttons Galore

Below (clockwise from top left): Hello Cupcake, Party On, Paws & Pets, Attic Findings.

28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits from Buttons Galore

Below (clockwise from top left): Tropical Twist, Autumn Afternoon, Holly Jolly, Let It Snow.

28 Lilac Lane embellishment kits from Buttons Galore

We couldn’t stop with all of that fabulousness though! You can never have too many basics like buttons, pearls, beads and sequins – versatile and useful embellishments for crafters of all kinds. So, May created a collection of additional decorative embellishment jars in color mixes especially designed to coordinate with and extend the embellishment kits!

28 Lilac Lane embellishment jars from Buttons Galore

These jars include 3 oz of buttons, 50 Pearl Accents, 10 grams of seed beads, and 10 grams of sequins, and have an MSRP of only $4.99.

The decorative embellishment jars come in twelve color themes:

  • Birds of a Feather
  • Cotton Candy
  • Dragon Fire
  • Hello, Sunshine
  • Just Peachy
  • Minty Fresh
  • Oh Christmas Tree
  • On Lilac Lane
  • Pretty Princess
  • Pumpkin Spice
  • Toasted Graham
  • Winter Blues

Below (left to right): Cotton Candy, Hello Sunshine, Dragon Fire

28 Lilac Lane Embellishment Jars from Buttons Galore

Below (left to right): Pumpkin Spice, Toasted Graham, Winter Blues

28 Lilac Lane embellishment jars from Buttons Galore

Below (left to right): Minty Fresh, Birds of a Feather, Just Peachy

28 Lilac Lane embellishment jars from Buttons Galore

Below (left to right): Oh Christmas Tree, On Lilac Lane, Pretty Princess

28 Lilac Lane embellishment jars from Buttons Galore

Now that is a lot of embellishment goodness to play with. But before we go…there’s one more thing. How about some sequin tins?

The final piece of the 28 Lilac Lane collection for the CHA Mega Show is a group of tins containing sequin mixes for those projects that need an extra bit of sparkle! These color mixes coordinate with the jars and kits above, so you can mix and match to create the perfect look for any project.

Below (clockwise from top left): Reds, Yellow, Pastels, Neutrals, Bold & Bright, Blues

28 Lilac Lane sequin tins from Buttons Galore

The tins contain 40 grams of sequins, and will MSRP for $2.99.

All of these fantastic 28 Lilac Lane items will ship to stores from Buttons Galore in February 2016!

Stop by our booth (#1809) at the CHA Mega Show 2016 to see the products anytime during show hours. May Flaum will be doing demos with the 28 Lilac Lane products on Sat/Sun/Mon from 10-11:30am and 4-5pm.

28 Lilac Lane custom CHA button mix

A few lucky attendees of May’s demos are going to take home a CHA exclusive 28 Lilac Lane button mix…don’t miss your chance to be front and center for her demos in booth #1809!

Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook to get live updates from the show, including booth project photos and a peek at May’s demos!

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Video Sneak Peek of 28 Lilac Lane

Dying to know more about the new 28 Lilac Lane collection that is coming from designer May Flaum at the CHA Mega Show next month? Well, she’s here via video to tell you some more about it!

We hope that you enjoyed a peek behind the scenes at May’s studio and the new line! Keep your eyes open soon for the full reveal of the collection!

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Announcing…28 Lilac Lane by May Flaum

Today we are excited to share with the craft world that the Buttons Galore family is expanding! Well-known designer and instructor May Flaum is partnering with Buttons Galore to design a signature line of products, which will launch at the CHA Mega Show in January 2016.

may flaum headshot

May runs a popular blog and education website called Craft with May, and has worked as a designer with many major craft industry brands. She’s authored two books, Scrapbook Workshop: The Best Techniques From Your Favorite Craft Bloggers and Paper + Pixels, and appeared on several seasons of the PBS television series Scrapbook Soup. Prior to the launch of her own site, May was known to many crafters as a successful instructor at Big Picture Classes, where she taught more than 25 classes.

It’s fitting, May says, that her first product line is centered around buttons.

Crafting is all about the details for me. From a light splatter of color to a trio of little pearls, a seemingly random scatter of sequins to a cluster of buttons I love adding my own touches to my projects. As a kid, my favorite spot to hunt for treasures was a set of drawers at my grandma’s house. She had everything from vintage costume jewelry pieces to tiny figurines to buttons. Here in my studio, my own set of creative treasure drawers dominate my work desk and it is always my favorite part of the creative process when I get to dig in and search for the perfect finishing touches to whatever I’m making. Scrapbook layouts to mixed media canvases, décor project to playing with the kids I love using the bits & pieces that I’ve collected over the years.

The one item that dominates my collection is buttons. Small or big, fancy or simple, I adore the versatility and universal usability of buttons. When Buttons Galore approached me about working on a line with them, I thought about my creative process and style, and how the details are my favorite part! Thinking about all of my favorite embellishments, and beginning this collection for them has been a true labor of love. I am inspired by all of the colors and happenings in my own world, and I’m excited to bring this collection to you in 2016.

The new May Flaum signature collection for Buttons Galore will be sold under the brand name of 28 Lilac Lane. The 28 Lilac Lane release at the CHA Mega Show in 2016 will include embellishment kits as well as custom button mixes specially created by May.

“Buttons Galore & More has been my main supplier of buttons for over a decade, and I am really excited to be working with them on 28 Lilac Lane,” May says. “Their button quality and variety is unmatched, and they have been wonderful to collaborate with in bringing 28 Lilac Lane to life.”

28lilac

 

Buttons Galore is excited to have found in May the perfect collaborator for its longtime goal of creating an embellishment line, says company president Daniel Hagenman.

“May is an incredibly talented designer who is very passionate  about her work. Working with May has enabled us to bring to market a product line that has  been in the planning stages for several years. It has been our goal, at Buttons Galore to develop a line of embellishments that complement our vast array of buttons. May has provided the knowledge and insight to make this goal a reality. Her attention to detail and knack for selecting pieces and colors that work perfectly together make these embellishment kits special.”

In the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing more details about the products here on our blog and on our social media. Wondering what they’ll be like? Here’s a hint from May: “I am so excited to dig into these buttons, pearls, charms, and more and get creative. From card making to mixed media, sewing projects to scrapbooks – this is a line of embellishments that will allow you to create in your own way, and in your own style. The finishing touches that bring that special something to your projects.”

For our readers who will be attending the CHA Mega Show, don’t miss your chance to see the products (and May) in person in booth #1809. May will be in the booth demonstrating and answering questions about the new product line during the hours below.

  • Saturday: 10am-11:30am and 4pm-5pm.
  • Sunday: 10am-11:30am and 4pm-5pm.
  • Monday: 10am-11:30am and 4pm-5pm.

For an appointment outside of those hours, please contact Nancy Nally at Nancy [at] nallystudios.com.

Thanks for joining us for the “See You At CHA” blog hop!

seeyouchablogbadge

Make sure to visit the other participants in the hop today, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway below to win a $500 Visa gift card!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Christmas Photo Frame Project

Remember that Autumn photo frame I shared awhile back? Well, it’s past time to decorate it for Christmas! This rotating seasonal decorative frame is so easy to to decorate to bring a seasonal spark to your home decor.

Christmas seasonal photo frame

Supplies:

Instructions:

Cut an 8″x 10″ piece of the background fabric. Iron Heat n’ Bond to it to stabilize it.

Use die cut machine to cut tree and phrase out of glitter iron-on. Iron in place on on background.

IMG_2626

Carefully remove shanks from snowflake buttons using scissors or a button shank remover. Adhere on Christmas tree in random pattern using hot glue gun.

For an brighter look than the gold and white theme, try making ornaments out of bright red buttons!

red button ornaments

Trim off any excess interfacing around the edge of the fabric.

Insert the sheet into the frame, and enjoy your Christmas photo frame!

Christmas photo frame

I’ll be back in January with a seasonal Valentine’s addition for your frame! In the meantime, we’ll have plenty of exciting things going on here on the blog as the Craft & Hobby Association in early January gets closer…starting with a big announcement tomorrow (Monday) here on the blog! Don’t miss it!

CHA News promo

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Handmade Holidays | Beautiful Tote Bag

Welcome to the Handmade Holidays on Buttons Galore! We’re joining in by sharing ideas for handmade Christmas gifts using – of course – buttons!

HANDMADE HOLIDAYS hop - HORIZONTAL

Today’s gift is both practical and pretty! You can never have enough tote bags, and today our gift is a nice sized one that is made gorgeous using an easy rag quilting method.

Rag Quilted Tote

Supplies:

  • 15″ x 15″ tote bag
  • 18 – 5″ charm squares
  •  Buttons Galore Button Bonanza in Bubblegum & Ocean Blue

This bag is quilted using convenient 5″ charm squares. I originally cut these to use on another project but when I switched fabrics for that project, these charm squares went unused. It took 18 of them to quilt this tote: 9 for the front of the squares, and 9 for the backside of them (to help create the bulk in the visible seams).

Charm Pack

Laying out the pattern is the first challenge. I inserted a piece of cardboard in the tote to help make it nice and flat while I worked on the layout.

Tote in progress

Once your layout is arranged, the next step is to prepare the edges that won’t be quilted of the squares.

On the backing squares, each edge that won’t be part of a rag quilted seam should be trimmed by 5/8″.

On the front (visible in the finished product) squares, press under a 1/2″ seam on each edge that won’t be part of a rag quilted seam. Miter corners where pressed edges meet for best results.

Stack the backing squares on the front squares, folding the pressed edges over the backing squares. Make sure that the raw edges for the rag quilted seams are aligned. Pin together.

Rag Quilted Tote SquareAssemble the 9 blocks into a square by using rag quilted seams. (For easy instructions on assembling rag quilt blocks, see this wonderful article by Deby at So Sew Easy.)

Once the squares are all attached together, the block must be attached to the bag by sewing around the outside edge. This seam must be sewn one block at a time, without passing over the rag quilted seams. So it requires a lot of stopping and starting of your machine. Careful pinning is the key to success in this step.

Rag Quilting ToteThe final step is to adhere buttons in each square. This project is a great way to use all of those really large buttons in your Button Bonanza bags! The buttons aren’t just decorative – they also serve a purpose as well, by helping to anchor the squares to the bag.

Tote close-upAnd that is it! Your tote is ready to hit the street – or be wrapped for under the tree! The rag quilted seams will soften and fray as they are used and washed into an even more beautiful fuzzy fringe.

Rag Quilted Button ToteNow, did I mention there are fabulous prizes?

Handmade-Holidays-2015-Prize-Pack-1600-wide

We are having a giveaway of over $600 in craft supplies to help you make this holiday handmade! Enter to win using the widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Many thanks to all of the sponsors of the hop and giveaway!

 

HANDMADE HOLIDAYS SPONSORSThanks for stopping by, and make sure to use the widget below to visit the other hop participants!

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Thanks for joining us for the three days of the Handmade Holidays blog hop! Make sure you don’t miss day one and day two of the hop, too!

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Handmade Holidays | Button Embellished Scarf

Welcome to Day 2 of the Handmade Holidays blog hop on Buttons Galore! HANDMADE HOLIDAYS hop - HORIZONTAL Today, we’re buttoning up a fashionable accessory that will keep someone you love warm and stylish this winter! This project started with an inexpensive store bought scarf, but some embroidery and buttons turned it into a one of a kind keepsake that is practical too! Hand stitched scarf Supplies:

The fun thing about Button Bonanzas is that they are, like your grandmother’s button jar, full of an assortment of random sizes and styles of buttons. I love finding little treasures in them that have sparkles and other special designs. This scarf highlights several”fancy” buttons that I found in my Pastel Button Bonanza bag and turns them into feature elements on the scarf. Scarf close-up The design is fairly simple – the flowers are backstitched and the buttons are stitched in the middle of them. But how did I get my flowers the right size and shape? That’s where my secret weapon – my Cricut Explore – came in. Cricut Design Space First, I created the three flowers in Cricut Design Space, using files from the Cricut library. Then I used one of my Cricut pens to draw them onto some tracing paper. Once the flowers were sketched out onto the tracing paper, I cut them apart. One at a time, I attached them to the scarf with pins. Then I backstitched on the lines, through both the scarf and the paper. scarf construction Once the stitching is done, the paper needs to be (carefully) removed. I used a combination of delicate tearing and a craft knife to tear the paper away from both sides of the stitching. The stitching holes serve as a sort of perforation that aid in the tearing away of the paper, but some effort is still required.

The final step is to use a few quick stitches through the holes to attach the buttons. And then you are ready to wear – or wrap! sweater with scarf

I recommend hand washing for this completed project, no matter what the recommendation is for caring for the scarf that is used for the base.

And now…it wouldn’t be a blog hop without fabulous prizes! Handmade-Holidays-2015-Prize-Pack-1600-wide We are having a giveaway of over $600 in craft supplies to help you make this holiday handmade! Enter to win using the widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Many thanks to all of the sponsors of the hop and giveaway! HANDMADE HOLIDAYS SPONSORSThanks for stopping by, and make sure to use the widget below to visit the other hop participants! horizontal-line

And don’t miss our contribution to day one of the hop….a practical and pretty zip pouch for the sewer or traveler in your life!

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Handmade Holidays | Zip Pouch

Welcome to the Handmade Holidays on Buttons Galore! For the next 3 days, we’ll be joining in by sharing ideas for handmade Christmas gifts using – of course – buttons!

HANDMADE HOLIDAYS hop - HORIZONTALOur handmade gift project today is a handy little zippered notions bag that is perfect for the sewing enthusiast or frequent traveler in your life! It’s made from a pattern called Everyday Zips by Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree & Company that is available online or at a local quilt store (which is where I got mine).

Zippered Notions Bag

Supplies:

One of the most underestimated tasks in the success of a sewing project may be the selection of fabric. Just choose colors you like, right? Not exactly. Color, pattern, and other choices can make the difference between a project you are happy with and one that just isn’t satisfying.

Notions tote under construction

On this project, the pattern called for the body of the bag to be a neutral colored lightweight canvas. But I had found this neutral background vintage sewing themed quilt fabric that I was in love with at my local quilt store. This project seemed like a great excuse to use it! Plus, since this is a “notions tote”, the fabric would reinforce the theme.

I also chose a light color for the interior (not seen here) – an ivory tone on tone chevron design.

For the contrast panel, I chose the black rulers to pull the black out of the background and reinforce the sewing notions theme. That left me the prairie points to decide on. Red, white and black is a classic vintage color scheme, and so it seemed the natural answer here.

But as you can see above during construction, the red is incredibly stark against all that neutral. To me, it made the design look off balance. That’s where the buttons come in! By putting a row of red buttons above the zipper, it balances out the red prairie points and mutes their visual aggressiveness somewhat. And, as a bonus, the buttons add to the sewing theme!

Sometimes color choices make practical sense too. The pattern called for the strap to be the same color as the prairie points but I thought that would be too bold. The best alternative was to use the black ruler fabric, as it is the least likely of the fabrics that I was using to show dirt from while I was handling it.

Even the zipper color choices can make a night and day difference. I really could have used black or natural for either of the zippers. I could have positioned them so the zipper contrasted with the surrounding background, or so that the zipper blended with the background. But I’m well aware that sewing zippers isn’t my most proficient sewing skill. By choosing zipper colors that blend with the fabric around the zipper, I provided a bit of camouflage for any wonky sewing of the zippers. Choosing a contrasting color for the zippers would have the opposite effect: highlighting any errors on the zipper.

One thing that I made sure to avoid on a project like this that had tons of straight seams? Fabric that had stripes or other straight lines in the pattern (such as dots arranged in neat lines) was a no-no. Straight lines in the fabric would only highlight any errors in getting my pieces cut square or sewn straight. The ruler fabric does have straight lines but they are somewhat rough and not continuous so the pattern was workable.

Since the project is mostly just straight seams, sewing the zippers are the most challenging parts of making this tote. While I admit that zippers aren’t my best talent, I do have one secret weapon:

Zipper Foot

This is the zipper foot on my sewing machine. While it is possible to sew zippers without them, the zipper foot makes it infinitely easier. Having the right tools is often half the battle in producing a quality result. If you are going to sew a zipper, I highly recommend that you invest a few dollars in a zipper foot for your machine. You won’t regret it!

Now, to the blog hop…

Did I mention there are fabulous prizes?

Handmade-Holidays-2015-Prize-Pack-1600-wide

We are having a giveaway of over $600 in craft supplies to help you make this holiday handmade! Enter to win using the widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Many thanks to all of the sponsors of the hop and giveaway!

 

HANDMADE HOLIDAYS SPONSORSThanks for stopping by, and make sure to use the widget below to visit the other hop participants!

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New Buttons Galore Products for Fall Quilt Market 2015!

It’s time for the Fall Quilt Market trade show, and that means new products from Buttons Galore!

This fall, we’re debuting products that fit perfectly with one of the hottest trends in the craft world: pet-themed projects. Buttons Galore is going to the dogs – and cats – with our new “Pets & Pals” collection!

Buttons Galore pet buttons

These buttons come in a variety of assortments and individual design packs.

Buttons Galore pet buttons

With shank backs, these fun 3D buttons are perfect for sewing projects or craft projects!

Buttons Galore pet buttonsThese new products can be seen now on our website, or if you are at Quilt Market in Houston this weekend you can stop by our booth #562 to check them out in person!

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Stampendous and Buttons Galore are Blog Hopping!

Welcome to the Stampendous and Buttons Galore blog hop!

stampendous blog hop

Our contribution today is a fun card with some great Stampendous stamps, Cling Daisy Mix, and their matching dies. They pair perfectly with buttons!

stampedous flower card

Supplies:

This card is super simple to create!

First, splatter some of the gold spray ink on one corner of the blank card.

Stamp the flower on watercolor cardstock. Stamp the leaves on green cardstock. Use the matching dies to cut out all of the stamped pieces. Using scissors, cut a stem for the flower from the remaining green cardstock. Ink the edges of the stem.

Scribble some Gelato on a scrap of watercolor cardstock. Use the water brush to transfer it to the stamped flower and color it in, shading as you go.

Stamp the sentiment phrase on orange paper. Use scissors to trim around it, extending the piece on the end of the sentiment. Ink the edge of the completed piece.

Adhere all paper pieces to background. Thread buttons with embroidery floss and tie. Adhere to card with adhesive dots.

If you’d like to see more ideas on how to use Buttons Galore and Stampendous together, be sure to visit the blog hop at Stampendous!

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Wire Heart Embellished Christmas Gift Tag

Christmas is coming faster than it seems – there’s only 73 more days left! It’s time to start thinking about crafty holiday projects like cards, gift wrap, and home decor if you don’t want to be scrambling at the last minute.

This Christmas gift tag will make a festive addition to any package or bag. With plenty of room on the back to write a message and the recipient’s name, it’s practical as well as pretty. The wire heart is finished off and brightened up by a button, which also serves as a convenient anchoring point for the embellishment.

Embellished Christmas Gift Tag by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore & More

Supplies:

  • Buttons Galore Button Basics in Red Hot (available at AC Moore)
  • Beadalon 20 Gauge German Style Wire
  • Authentique Paper “Tidings” collection (paper & stickers)
  • Sewing Machine
  • Jewelry Pliers
  • Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations Tag & Bookplates Die
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Tea Dye & Bundled Sage
  • Aleene’s No-Sew Fabric Glue
  • Hot Glue Gun
  • Embroidery Floss & Needle
  • Sequins
  • Brown Ribbon
  • Crochet Lace Trim

To begin the tag, use your die cutting machine to cut tags and hole reinforcer from the two different papers.

Trim the top off of the brown patterned tag to turn it into a rectangular panel. Stitch the edges of the panel with your sewing machine.

Ink all edges. Glue down the hole reinforcer and the stitched panel.

Glue crochet trim to bottom of tag. Thread small buttons and glue on top of trim.

Christmas Gift Tag with wire heart

Create the wire heart using wire and jewelry pliers. (Grab wire with tip of pliers and twist to create loops.) Anchor wires together at “v” of heart by threading them through holes of a 4 hole button.

Use hot glue gun to adhere the wire heart to the tag, using the button as the anchor point.

Adhere word and letter stickers on tag. Glue sequins randomly around the wire heart.

Thread ribbon through the tag.

The kraft, plaid, and buttons give this Christmas gift tag a cozy Christmas look. Pair it with a generic red or kraft bag or gift wrap to dress up a basic package!

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Celebrate Fall with a Festive Holiday Frame!

Welcome to our new Holiday Frame series! This is the first in a series where I will be creating interchangeable inserts for a photo frame to provide year round seasonal decoration for any room in your home!

This 8″ x 10″ frame can stay out all year round, and the interchangeable inserts can be easily filed away when the seasons change until it is time to use them again.

Our first design, with the word “Autumn” and pumpkins, can take you through the fall season and both the Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays.

Autumn Frame

Supplies:

  • Burlap Sheet
  • Cotton Quilt Fabric (green and orange)
  • Heat-n-Bond Ultra
  • Glitter Iron-on
  • Cricut Explore machine
  • Chipboard Sheet
  • Button Bonanza in Natural
  • Kraft thread or twine
  • 8″ x 10″ frame

Instructions:

  1. Trim burlap sheet to 8″ x 10″ size to fit frame.
  2. Adhere Heat-n-Bond Ultra to reverse side of fabric by ironing. Cut out pumpkins with Cricut Explore machine.
  3. Cut strip of green fabric for the bottom of frame. Snip ends of it to look like grass.
  4. Autumn Frame close upCut the word “Autumn” from glitter iron-on material.
  5. Iron all of the cut pieces onto the background.
  6. Stitch buttons onto the pumpkins.
  7. Remove glass from photo frame. Insert the completed burlap sheet, backed with a sheet of chipboard to replace the thickness of the glass.
  8. Display and enjoy!

The buttons provide dimension to the design, as well as providing some brown that ties the design to the frame.

Come back in mid-November for the next installment in the series – for Christmas!

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Have a Happy Fall with a Button Card!

Even thought it’s still hitting temperatures close to 90 degrees at blog central here in Florida, Labor Day passing means fall will rapidly be settling in at Buttons Galore headquarters in New Jersey. And fall means a chance to pull out some colors and designs that many of us haven’t used all summer!

How about the Buttons Basics in Caramel and Outlandish Orange?

Caramel and Outlandish Orange by Buttons Galore

Add a nice holdover from summer – some deep pink from the “Summertime” Button Bonanza – and you’ve got a great mix of fall leaf colors!

Fall leaf button mix

Fall brings many occasions that call for dashing off a quick note to someone. Let’s make them pretty – and festive!

Happy Fall card by Nancy Nally for Buttons Galore

Look for Outlandish Orange, Caramel, and the Summertime mix at AC Moore!

Supplies:

  • Pink & Main stamps: Directional Borders, Tab Alpha
  • Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Brushed Corduroy, Spiced Marmalade & Worn Lipstick
  • 8.5″ x 11″ Cream Colored Smooth Cardstock
  • Embroidery floss and needle
  • Adhesive dots
  • Buttons Galore Button Basics in Caramel & Outlandish Orange
  • Buttons Galore Button Bonanza in Summertime

Instructions:

1. Cut paper in half longwise and fold to make a card base.

2. Starting near the fold, use the stamp set to stamp the arrow border once from each side, leaving a gap in the middle to place a button. Work your way down the card, changing colors as you get closer to the bottom.

3. Use the alphabet stamps to create the phrase “Happy Fall,” aligned with the right edge.

4. Thread buttons and tie them using embroidery floss and needle.

5.  Attach buttons in border gaps with adhesive dots.

This versatile button card design could work for any season or holiday, simply by changing up the color scheme and the sentiment that is stamped. Try the bright primary colors in our Primary Button Bonanza (also available at AC Moore) for a birthday card, or red, white, and blue for a patriotic theme!

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Make a Headband with Buttons & Ribbon

So, what can you do with some button basics and a pretty piece of ribbon?

buttons and ribbonAdd a plain satin headband to the mix and you can make a headband that is fabulously perfect just for the young style diva in your life!

Button Headband headshot

Making this headband is easy! Here’s what you need:

  • Satin Headband
  • Satin Ribbon
  • Buttons Galore Button Basics in Blush (available at AC Moore)
  • Embroidery Floss & Needle
  • Aleene’s Fabric Fusion glue
  • Hot Glue Gun

Headband close-upInstructions:

1. Glue ribbon to satin headband, turning under raw ends to finish them before gluing. If your ribbon is very thin or sheer, attach using dots of glue in locations that will have buttons over them, so the glue won’t show.

2. Thread buttons with floss and tie off to finish them.

3. Hot glue buttons to headband on top of ribbon.

That’s all it takes to get a beautiful custom accessory!

headband display

This headband is easy to make for any occasion or season – just switch up the color scheme and you have an instant accessory for Christmas, Halloween, or even school spirit! What occasion will you make a headband for?

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Quick & Easy Button Pillow Box

It’s easy to whip up a pillow box on my die cut machine to hold a small gift, but keeping it closed is not so easy. Adhesive will do the job – permanently, leaving the box difficult to open and not reusable. But a little bit of ribbon and a few buttons will provide a solution: a pretty string tie! This box is perfectly sized for presenting a gift card, a difficult item to wrap creatively.

Button Pillow Box

To make this box you need:

  • Buttons Galore Bubblegum Button Bonanza (also available at AC Moore)
  • Kraft cardstock
  • Small doily
  • Cricut Explore machine & digital cutting file
  • 7/8″ wide gold ribbon
  • Needle & Thread
  • Jute Twine
  • Double-sided adhesive tape

Instructions:

1. Cut out and assemble your pillow box. Adhere doily on top of box.

2. Cut ribbon slightly longer than needed to wrap around long dimension of pillow box. Turn under ends.

Gift Package Supplies3. Sew buttons loosely onto ends of ribbon.

4. Tie piece of jute string around the thread holding one of the buttons, between the button and the ribbon.

5. Wrap the ribbon around the pillow. Fasten the ribbon band by wrapping the string in a figure 8 around both buttons (similar to fastening a string clasp envelope).

Pillow Box with Button BandThis gift wrap could be great for any holiday or occasion. Changing the colors of the ribbon band and buttons could make it seasonal for any holiday, or match the decor of any event (such as a wedding).

What gift do you plan to tie up with a button-fastened ribbon band?

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Send Some Halloween Love with Buttons

Even though summer is in full swing, Halloween is sneaking up on us (boo!). Today’s project will show you how to use some Halloween products without having to wait for Halloween – and how to kick it up a notch with buttons!

Halloween love card

You won’t have to wait until Halloween to give someone this card! With it’s message of love, it can be delivered anytime during the Halloween season.

The buttons are a critical element in this design. They add a pop of color that breaks up the dark purple, but more importantly they add dimension to a design that would otherwise be entirely flat.

Supplies:

  • Patterned Paper (all patterned paper from Graphic 45’s “Rare Oddities” collection – 6×6 & 8×8 pads)
  • Cricut Explore machine & Cutting Files
  • Inkpads in black, purple, green and brown
  • Adhesive dots
  • Black thread & needle
  • cream cardstock
  • Buttons Galore “Vacation” button pack

1. Cut a 3.5″ by 8″ piece of background paper for the card base. Ink edges. (While this is a non-standard card size, it will fill in a standard business sized envelope.)

2. Use die cut machine to cut out vine and flowers. Ink edges of all pieces.

3. Cut sentiment block from patterned paper. Ink edges and mat on patterned paper.

4. Adhere all pieces to background.

button flower centers

5. Sew thread through buttons and tie off. Adhere buttons on the center of the flowers.

6. Cut an 8″ x 7″ piece of cream cardstock to use as cardbase and fold. Adhere card front to base.

Who would you like to send a bewitching message of Halloween love to this season?

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An Easy All Occasion Gift Bag with Washi & Buttons!

Pre-designed gift bags can easily run $5 or more, and it’s not always convenient to run out and buy one at the last minute. What to do? Craft up a solution, of course. Keeping a stash of blank bags in your craft supplies means that with a few minutes of creativity, you always have the perfect gift bag on hand!

all occasion gift bag

To make this gift bag, all you need is:

  • a blank gift bag
  • assorted washi tape rolls
  • Vacation button assortment (HB107)
  • embroidery floss & needle
  • 7/8″ sheer ribbon
  • hot glue gun
  • die cut machine
  • white vinyl & transfer tape

Making this bag is super easy:

1. Start by tearing off some strips of washi tape and attaching them to the bag as stripes, varying the colors.

2. Using embroidery floss, sew thread through buttons and tie it off.

3. Attach the buttons to the top few rows of washi tape in random positions, using a hot glue gun.

washi tape and buttons4. Using a die cut machine, cut out the words “for you” from vinyl. Use transfer tape to attach it over the bottom layers of washi tape. (I used the Cricut Explore machine for this project.)

vinyl sentiment on gift bag

5. Tie a bow from sheer ribbon around one side of the handle.

And there you have it…five steps to a fabulous all-occasion gift bag! While my bag is a generic theme, this bag design could be customized for any holiday by selecting washi tape and buttons that are themed and colored appropriately (such as red and green for Christmas).

What occasions do you use gift bags for?

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Upcycled Tin Can Storage Containers

Lisa Fulmer visited us this week to share a project! We hope your enjoy her immensely creative interpretation of storage using the Farmhouse Button Bonanza! 

With the right type of can opener that leaves no sharp edges, you can turn any tin can into an adorable storage container!

upcycled tin cans lisa fulmer

I used the Buttons Galore Farmhouse Button Bonanza in creams, blues and greens, along with some adorable scrapbook papers, to embellish these tin cans that used to hold mandarin oranges. A trio of these little tin can storage containers would be perfect for your desk or craft table.

Supplies:

upcycled tin can suppliesDirections:

  1. Trim a long strip of scrapbook paper to fit the height and circumference of the can. Wrap it around the can and secure with glue.
  2. Cut a circle from the paper to fit inside the top of the can lid and glue in place. Punch a small hole through the center of the lid with a hammer and nail (place on top of a piece of cork or wood).
  3. Glue a narrow contrasting strip of paper around the center of the can, if desired.
  4. Glue an assortment of buttons around the can. Try nesting smaller buttons on to larger buttons for color contrast.wiring button knobs
  5. To make a knob for the lid, thread a folded length of wire down through one large button and two small buttons and twist the wire to secure. Poke the wires down through the hole in the lid and spread each wire to one side, flat against the underside of the lid. Secure with a small piece of duct tape.
  6. Lining the inside of the can or lid with more paper is optional. Keep your storage containers in a dry area to prevent rusting over time.

upcycled tin can storage lisa fulmerWhat would you like to store in these containers? They’d be perfect for storing buttons!

Lisa Fulmer is an artist, crafter, teacher, writer, on-air talent, as well as a marketing consultant. She’s also the author of two books – Craft Your Stash and Stylish Craft Foam Projects – and has worked with brands such as Spellbinders Paper Arts, Ranger Ink, DecoArt, SmoothFoam and Plaid. She’s currently a columnist and blogger for Bella Arts Quarterly magazine. To learn more about her work, visit her website

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Make Rubber Band Charm Bracelets with Buttons!

Buttons can bring new life to all sorts of crafts – and a rubber band loom is no exception! This project uses pink flower buttons with a shank from the Bazooples collection as charms on a rubber band charm bracelet.

Rubber Band Charm Bracelet suppliesPictured above is the entire supply list for the rubber band charm bracelets that I’m showing you today:

Bazooples Pink FlowersThese beautiful Bazooples flowers aren’t the only buttons that can be used as charms for this project. Try it with the Fun in the Sun collection for a rainy day project for the kids during a beach vacation, with the Happy Halloween collection for festive wear, or with Sweet Delights as a birthday party make-it-take-it.

Buttons on LoomUsing the buttons with your loom is easy – just thread the buttons onto the rubber bands and then weave your loom as usual. For this bracelet, I placed 2 empty rubber bands as spacers between each rubber band with a button to ensure that the buttons weren’t overlapping when the bracelet was complete.

Rubber Band Threaded ButtonA properly threaded button will have a loop of rubber band on each side  of the button shank. Just pull those loops and place them over the loom as usual.

Finished Rubber Band Bracelet

The finished bracelet will have the buttons sitting up on top of it, with the shanks down in the weaving.

 Finished Rubber Band Bracelet

Has the bloom worn off of summer vacation, and bored kids are asking you what to do? Visit our 3D button selection, dig out that rubber band loom, and set them to work creating rubber band charm bracelets with buttons!

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Make a Thank You Card with Tutti Fruity Buttons!

When I got my hands on this gorgeous Tutti Fruity Button Bonanza pack, it just called out for some card making. The beautiful yellow, orange, pink and mint green palette is so summer-y and happy!

Tutti Fruity Button Bonanza

Probably the most frequent card I reach for out of my card stash is a thank you card. Paired with some burlap and a few other supplies, some orange buttons from the assortment give me a thank you card that is perfect for just about any occasion: baby, wedding, or everyday. It’s bright, a bit rustic, and very on trend with the burlap!

Thank You CardSupplies:

  • Tutti Fruity Button Bonanza
  • Burlap Sheet
  • Flower Die
  • Patterned Paper
  • Cardstock Scraps
  • Card Base
  • Brown Baker’s Twine
  • Brown Thread
  • Sentiment Stamp (sample is from Pink & Main)
  • Brown Ink Pad
  • Green Pen

A button makes a great cheat to perfectly finish off a wrap of baker’s twine – no more messy bows that just aren’t quite right, or knots that look messy! And a button is always a great substitute for the center piece of a flower.

The tiny square button on the sentiment block actually serves two purposes. It completes a visual triangle of orange highlights that lead the eye across the card, and it also “anchors” the text block to the background visually.

What kind of card are you inspired to make by Tutti Fruity Button Bonanza?

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Button up a Patriotic Picnic for July 4th!

The Fourth of July is right around the corner, and for many of us that will mean taking our food outdoors for a party!

A $1 bucket can be a practical and festive way to hold your party’s utensils, with the addition of some jute ribbon – and of course, buttons!
Patriotic Button Utensil Bucket

Patriotic Utensil Bucket rear

Buttons used in this project came from the Buttons Galore Patriotic Value Pack.

Constructing this project is easy:

1. Cut a length of ribbon that will fit around your bucket. Sew patriotic themed buttons from the Patriotic Value Pack along the middle 3/4 of it. Use adhesive dots to adhere the ribbon around the bucket.

2. Cut another length of ribbon, and tie into a bow. Sew star buttons to the end of the bow’s streamers.

This concept could be adapted for plenty of holidays just by changing button theme pack. Need a utensil holder for that holiday buffet? Try the Christmas Button Grab Bag instead. Or make it a holder for Halloween candy with the Scary button assortment. The options are as limitless as our button selection!

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