Cute As a Button

Buttons.  They pile up in dresser drawers, sewing kits, junk drawers, nightstands, makeup bags, on countertops, in laundry rooms, and loads of other places.  If you’re anything like me, with the best of intentions, you remove the spare buttons that come with new clothes and set them aside.  After all, you never know when you might need them.  But then, the buttons seem to find their way to the bottom of the drawers, back of medicine cabinets, etc.  Seriously – the cosmetic tray in my ensuite looked like some sort of button purgatory. 

At one point, while searching for a lipstick, I uncovered several little baggies of buttons.  They’re hideous.  Exhibit A:

Having this mess spread all over the place is just not practical or aesthetically pleasing.  So what’s the alternative?  I can put them in a jar – great idea!  (This would be a pretty pathetic blog post though if I just dumped them in a jar and called it a day.)

Grant it, the jar is definitely an improvement, but this blog is about finding more beautiful alternatives.  There must be still a better way.  And if history has taught me anything, Google will know!

I found several tutorials online for making rings with buttons.  Perfect – I love jewelry! The link below will take you to a pretty simple tutorial.  If you want to give it a go, you’ll need some basic supplies.  

Button Ring Tutorial

I did make an adjustment to my ring by adding a second button.  I liked the look of an extra layer of colour.  * A word about the marker – measure the marker against a ring you know fits your finger.  On my first attempt I used a marker that was too skinny and had to start over.   

So from a baggie in a cosmetic tray to a snazzy little ring – not bad!  I do find it a bit frustrating when I’m trying to make something new, and it was a bit tricky to keep the wire round enough to look like a ring.  But, there’s a certain satisfaction in knowing you’re wearing something that you made yourself.  My advice if you’re going to try this little project – go slow, be patient with yourself, and do at least one ‘test-run’ with buttons other than your favourites.  As for the rest of my buttons, they could stay in the mason jar, but I’m thinking that these little rings might be a simple way for me to make a contribution to our church bazaar fundraiser.   

~ Shannon