The Impulse to Collect is Basic to the Human Psyche.
Are you smiling? Did you feel a rush of relief when you read the above quote? Good, then as a collector (of anything) you will fully understand and be comfortable with what you are about to view and read.
Learning that collecting was basic to my psyche, the button collection came out of the closet, and my Button Bin Bingeing began. Relief was short lived when I learned that many of my treasured vintage buttons were SICK.
I felt terrible....who knew that a Mason Jar would act as a petri dish when mixing metal and plastic buttons together. My prized celluloids....by now surely had a bad case of asthmatic-celluloiditis All those years stored in closed glass jars or sealed Ziploc bags when they should have been in an open container so they could breathe.With 'Button Wellness' a top priority, the sorting and bin bingeing brought on a Button Brainiac Marketing strategy. The past marketing strategy was an obvious 'Button Bust' when $20 designer buttons marked down to $4 were not selling in a 'Junktique Mall Booth'.
I started with trashing the old plan...literally! Trash baskets overflowed with old cards touting European countries like Italy and Spain with names like LeChic and LaMode. 'Old School' marketing would not cut it in today's 'E'commerce and Social Media markets...yes, even on the Social Media Sites, you can panhandle just about anything...why not Buttons!
My 'New School' Marketing Strategy for Old School Designer Buttons?
Declaring them ART!
By Famous Artist from
ITALY....Toulouse LeChic
SPAIN...Pablo LaMode
GERMANY...Ernst Streamline
HOLLAND...Vincent VanBuTon
I loved your Vintage Button Collection. Collecting things is therapeutic ,isn't it? :)
ReplyDeleteYes, it is therapeutic. I guess that means I have been in therapy my whole life.
DeleteHi Sue - I love looking at buttons, threads, etc in haberdasher shops ... and then antique shops specialising in collections ... cheers - great A-Z .. Hilary
ReplyDeleteSo glad to see you here, Hilary. You made my day with your signature 'Cheers'. I want a haberdashery shop!
Deletebuttons are not only colorful but feel good to the touch. Neat collection
ReplyDeleteHow they 'Feel' is not only part of their charm, but their function as well. We can all button our shirts without looking. Then there is how a button can save your life if you ever find yourself without water....pop a button in your mouth...it generates saliva/moisture...just don't swallow the button.
DeleteI've never been tempted to collect or keep buttons. However, as a child I always enjoyed going to the fabric store with my mother and selecting buttons to go with whatever she bought that day. I am surprised to read that buttons can get "sick." Who knew?
ReplyDeleteWendy
Jollett Etc.
I imagine your Mom enjoyed the time spent with you at the fabric store. It's a good time to pass on the love of sewing and picking out buttons.
DeleteI never knew buttons could get "sick", either. I have a few ones squirreled away from my mother. I probably destroyed them. Alana@RamblinGarden from
ReplyDeleteRamblin with AM
Usually it is the very old ones made of celluloid that deteriorate. After the 1950's most buttons were made from the NEW plastic and we all know it is a forever product. I bet your Mom's buttons are still in good shape.
DeleteOne of memories is when I was little at my grans, I used to love just playing with her box of buttons. Even now I have my own, it's so therapeutic just running them between my fingers :) New follower :)
ReplyDeleteSuzanne from
Suzannes Tribe
Yep, it is good therapy. Thanks for stopping and following.
DeleteYou know, I don't have much of a button collection. Mine just sortof piles up slowly as I get extras on clothing items, etc. But it looks like you ahve some cute ones, and your artist names are hilarious :)
ReplyDeleteI wondered if anyone would catch the Art Connection. I thought it funny, too!
DeleteI recently bought a $1 mason jar full of buttons and have it on display at work. It strikes me as a piece of art in its simplicity.
ReplyDeleteI do like how you have organized them but some in my stash are still attached to their original cardboard backings they were sold on.
Wow...$1 for a Mason Jar would be a steal...and with buttons...a treasure jar! Most of my buttons were on their original cards and stored in bags. Finally I gave it up and reorganized.
DeleteYour buttons are so organized!
ReplyDeleteI have a big button jar it used to be full but over the years we have used them on projects. Last year I was at an antique shop and they had bags of buttons for only $2 each so I bought five bags and now my big button jar is full again.
My kids have always enjoyed playing the the jar of buttons, there's just something about putting your hand in a big jar of buttons that's fun.
I'm visiting from the A to Z Challenge.
Shelly @ http://hangryfork.com
You hit the jackpot...$2 a bag...good for you. I still have several big jars of buttons...it is fun to sift through them.
DeleteA child of collectors, a collector myself, I love your button post. I can't find a place to FOLLOW you. Help? If you have time and an interest in hotels and inns, come join me.
ReplyDeleteI am the third generation of button collectors. It was very special to add my grandmother's and mother's buttons to my collection. I kept them separate and made memory boxes of theirs. I really enjoyed your hotel post. Thanks for stopping by and following on G+.
DeleteMy mother used to have a large collection of buttons. As a child I pawed through them often enough that they never had the chance of getting sick. Though now I'm wondering how they're holding up, it's been twenty years since I saw the collection last, and as far as I know she hardly does anything with them any longer.
ReplyDeleteA Joyful Chaos
I bet you will be checking out your Mom's buttons in the near future. I imagine they are still in good shape.
DeleteI'm not an avid seamstress but do enjoy sewing... and inherited my grandmother's button collection. ~ www.merriehansen.com
ReplyDeleteVery special to have grandmother's buttons. I have mine, and have made a memory box of her sewing things and buttons.
DeleteI can't imagine owning a button collection - but I'm grieving a little for those poor antique buttons that had been suffocating in plastic bags! I'm from a family of collectors so this was interesting to read!
ReplyDeleteLeanne @ cresting the hill
Oh, it only takes a few buttons to be a collector. Mine is pretty small compared to serious collectors who search high and low for rare buttons. They can be very pricey, too.
DeleteI have a box of buttons. Can't bear to throw them out after seeing what buttons cost.
ReplyDeleteYeah, you never know if you have one that is a collector button. Buying them today is more expensive than ever. I never discard clothing with the buttons left on.
DeleteI have lots of buttons too but I am not really a collector. I use them for my scrapbook projects and had them on hand for all the school projects the kids needed growing up.
ReplyDeleteButtons are great for scrapbook decorations and for actually holding things in place. I use them for all kinds of projects.
DeleteYou are a cuckoo! But a creative one. I remember Mama had one tin in which she kept leftover buttons for just in case something needed a button. I loved opening that tin, sorting the buttons, playing and pretending with them.
ReplyDeleteRevisit the Tender Years with me during the #AtoZChallenge at Life & Faith in Caneyhead!
What can I say...it takes one to know one? Somehow...I knew your mother, like mine, had a button tin.
Delete