Wordless Wednesday

via etsy here

Wordless Wednesday

Button Lady - Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, Copenhagen

Ted Baker Changing Room Tags

I was doing a mad dash through House of Fraser earlier this week, and out of the corner of my eye, spotted these changing room tags at the Ted Baker concession - I had to stop and take a photo of course!

It's a great interpretation on showing how many items you have taken in with you, rather than the usual printed letters, on plastic disks - anyone else spotted them yet?

Wordless Wednesday

© Renee East / Pixoto

Collecting Small Things

This photo is of a friends collection of fabulous tiny toy sewing machines (the oldest was made in 1898) & equally fabulous Emma Bridgewater tiny teasets - I would just love to have a little sewing session trying all the machines out! My favourite is the teeny tiny one on the 2nd shelf, next to the little black & white tea set - which is yours? Anyone else collect little things? Other than buttons of course...

Alison Campbell Ceramics

Born in Canada, Alison Campbell is a potter and jeweller who travelled the world before finally settling on the edge of the Pennines in the UK. Alison works entirely in porcelain and her love of its density, strength and texture play a central part to the development of her work.

I adore these particular pieces of work - with ultra smooth surfaces, which have been polished to within an inch of their lives - the vases are high-fired, which means they are vitrified and watertight. Not only are they beautiful stand alone pieces, they can also be used a fully functional vessels.

Gorgeous Gerties

I have recently taken the bold step of renting some space at a fabulous little vintage craft cafe, 'Gorgeous Gerties' that opened last week, in Dorking, Surrey. With a vintage tea room, olde worlde sweet shop, creative workshops and an eclectic mix of independent retailers all under one glorious 15th century roof, they have created a modern day vintage department store where gift wrapping, charm and good old fashioned 'service with a smile' come as standard.

I had an old wooden cabinet, bought on a whim last year, which was subsequently shoved in the shed, as I kinda fell out of love with it - so decided to get it out and give it a little makeover, to use it as my display cabinet at Gorgeous Gerties. I was lucky enough to have some Farrow & Ball Green Ground paint and some Barbara Hulanicki wallpaper - which were the perfect colour match! 

This is what the cabinet started off looking like - partly-painted and not particularly attractive... 

 ... a couple of coats of paint, cubby-holes lined with paper and I fell in love with it again! 

So wish me luck - I have rented the space for the next three months, so here's to lots of sales of my vintage buttons and the very best of British luck to Gorgeous Gerties and all it's sellers!

Wordless Wednesday

with permission via here

Wordless Wednesday

via here

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

image via etsy here

May the Fourth be with you!

here

Pinch, Punch, it's the first of the Month!

In England, there is a funny old tradition to greet the first day of each month. 

You say: "Pinch, punch, it's the first of the month", then give someone a small pinch
and a light punch on the arm! Thankfully, mostly people only say it now,
without the follow-up actions.

image via here

If you follow this by saying "White Rabbit", it means the receiver
of the pinch & the punch can't return the saying and 'pinch punch' back!

Wordless Wednesday

here

Just Potters

Are you thinking what I'm thinking...? 

via Apartment Therapy here

I love this little inventive piece by Just Potters - it's such a clever way of converting a jar to a bud vase. It's not a button I know, but it looks like one at first glance and I bet if you had a sew-thru' button large enough - it would do 'just the job'!

Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester

I have been lucky enough to eat at a few Mitchelin-starred restaurants over the years, but never had the opportunity (nor the funds!) to go to Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester Hotel in London. As much as I would like to go for the sublime food, I would also love to have a little peak at the ‘Salon Privé. This cosy private dining room, within the restaurant, seats up to 12 guests and has a wall covered in 40,000 silk buttons!

Taylors Buttons, a little treasure trove in the heart of London, were commissioned to supply and manufacture the 40,000 silk covered buttons in 2007, to adorn the walls of the refurbished restaurant. From the initial enquiry to the final delivery, took as little as 6 months - and all the buttons were individually handmade. No mean feat indeed!

So, if anyone fancies treating me to lunch one day - I know just the place! As an aside, it's a good job, they don't let children under 10 years old in the restaurant - I can just see my 4 year old picking those buttons off the wall! I wonder if anyone has ever picked any off as a little souvenir..?

Wordless Wednesday

available here

Earth Day 2013

In celebration of Earth Day today, I just had to share these absolutely beautiful Button Globes by the very talented artist, Robin Ayres. The globes are approx 12" and each and every button is hand sewn. To see more of Robins work, head over to her Pinterest page here.

Button Macrame Plant Sling

As a kid, I clearly remember every home never being complete without a macrame plant pot holder. They came in all shapes, sizes and colours, with some being huge complicated affairs holding not only pots but had their own little glass table inset too! Given the resurgence of all things retro, I have to say I am quite glad these have not quite come back - yet!

Martha Stewart has a easy to follow tutorial on making a plant pot holder here, which harks back to the glory days of macrame, but is thankfully a little more subtle!

Wordless Wednesday

available on Etsy here

A Whole Lot of Lovely

I love colour, and in my day job as a graphic designer, I get to constantly select beautiful colours for the design work I am creating for my clients.  But... when it comes to making a decision on colour in my own home - I am useless! It takes me ages to make a decision and then when I finally do, I always tend to 'play safe'.  I have been slowly working through my home, giving it a much needed paint job and went down the trusty Farrow & Ball route - a combination of String & Cord - it's nice, but after living with it for the last few months, it's starting to feel decidedly dull and I feel like I want to add some colour.

I recently came across the blog, 'a whole lot of lovely' and their associated shop, The Shop at Number 57 and was blown away not only with the charcoal walls but their fabulous products (I want nearly everything in it!). I'm very pleased to add that they have a little thing about buttons too.... they have some magnificent oversized porcelain buttons. Oh my, I want, want, want!

Update: I've had this post sitting in my drafts folder for the best part of a year and you'll be pleased to know that i finally add a dark grey wall, to break up the overall 'taupe' feel of the house - still have not got any of these beauties tho'...

The 'Even Bigger' Big Cardigan

Teacher and artist, Jean Westbrook knitted the original Big Cardigan in 2009 as a concept project based on 'The Elephant in the Room'.  

The idea of an 'elephant in a room' would be impossible to overlook; thus, people in a room who pretend the elephant is not there have chosen to avoid dealing with a looming issue or problem. It is often, an important issue that is too difficult or uncomfortable to be talked about, and although ever-present and known by the people in the room, it is often ignored. Our defense mechanisms ignore difficult issues and we hide behind masks and disguises or wear our favourite clothes (or a big cosy cardigan in this case) to make us feel safe.

Jeans' attempt to enter the Guiness World Records by making the world's biggest cardigan was foiled, when officials classed her entry as a jumper - not to be deterred, she then embarked on another EVEN BIGGER cardigan, and called on local Macclesfield residents for help. When finally complete, the HUGE cardigan was exhibited at the 2010 Barnaby Festival in Macclesfield.

 

And what does a giant cardigan need? Giant buttons of course!
Jean recruited local wood turner, Jane Cummins to make the eight 18" wide wooden buttons.

Pillow Fight Day 2013

'We Love Cushions' by Martin Wiscombe

Did you know it was World Pillow Fight Day today? Nope? Me neither!
If you fancy a feathery fracas today, then check the website for your nearest venue!

Collecting Treasures

People have collected all nature of treasures since the dawn of time.  From early man collecting flint to form knifes; to Egyptian dynasties collating manuscripts for the Library of Alexandria; to 16th century scholars collecting unusual items to create 'cabinets of curiosities' - the collecting hobby today, is no different to what our ancestors had been doing for centuries.

 all images via panini america

Whatever we collect, be it ceramics, ephemera, cameras or buttons - the principle of collecting seems to lie in trying to capture a piece of history that we want to treasure or remember. I know very little, (in fact nothing at all!) about baseball but I do love these baseball trading cards produced by Panini America Inc. There is a whole series which features Baseball 'National Treasures' with a piece of game-used fabric and a button - I also love the fact that we can surreptitiously turn hardened baseball fans into button collectors too!

Wordless Wednesday

via deviantart here

Wordless Wednesday

via deviantart here

Wordless Wednesday

via deviantart here

Wordless Wednesday

via deviatart here

Wordless Wednesday

via deviantart here

Wordless Wednesday

via deviantart here

Would you like some sellotape with that?

My 4 year old daughter is OBSESSED with sellotape - 

anything left lying around is 'taped up' to within an inch of its life - 

as well as managing to get through a roll of tape a week, she is also always delving
into my buttons boxes... this is what i found this morning...