Button Blog

More Unusual Handmade Jewellery

butt0njewellery — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 11:00:42 +0000

As well as my button jewellery site, which, as you might imagine, exclusively sells jewellery made from buttons, I have another web shop which has a broader range of necklaces, bracelets and earrings created using found objects. The Unexpected Boutique has some button jewellery, but also features accessories made with dice, jigsaw pieces, safety pins and beads. The latest addition is this jigsaw necklace, which is made with jigsaw pieces that have been hand painted. I did this because although they came from a rather uninteresting part of the jigsaw puzzle, I liked the shape of them and thought it would be a shame for them to not be uesd just because the colours weren’t interesting enough.

There are also jigsaw puzzle earrings available, plus lots more quirky jewellery, all made by hand in the UK.

This site also has its own range of button jewellery that is slightly different from the collections on my main button jewellery site, so if you’re looking for things made with buttons, there are plenty of these to choose from too.

Buttons for Tea

butt0njewellery — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:38:54 +0000

A while ago when I was wandering around the centre of York I saw a little teapot which was covered in button print! It was in a shop called Ness, which had just opened. Ness used to be purely a mail-order company, but now they have a couple of physical shops, too. I couldn’t find the teapot on their website, unfortunately, but I thought it was worth a mention because they do have some really nice things (these brooches are sweet).

Upon searching the web for a button teapot, I found that Bloomsbury & co. sell not only the teapots, but an entire set of button-print ceramics!

Button Charms, Button Beads

butt0njewellery — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 11:00:12 +0000

I recently blogged about my own button charm bracelets, which are based on traditional silver or gold charm bracelets, but with all the charms replaced with buttons. To twist the idea around the other way, it’s possible to buy sterling silver button charms for a traditional charm bracelets, too: on the left is a button charm by Links of London.

(If you feel that one is a bit out of your price range at £45, there is a budget alternative at 925 Silver Charms, for a mere £8.50.)

Trollbeads Button Charms

On to a different kind of charm – a Trollbeads bracelet or necklace charm which is encrusted with tiny sterling silver buttons:

This Trollbeads button charm was designed by Mette Saabye and is available at an online designer jewellery outlet called Fabulous Collections. My favourite thing about this is that the buttons are “stitched” on with tiny sterling silver threads.

There is incredible detail in many of the Trollbeads, right down to the clasps that hold the bracelets and necklaces together which are almost charms in themselves. There are clasps made in all sorts of designs: elephants, fish, flowers, trees, lace and precious stones, and I think my favourite is this swan, which holds the bracelet or necklace closed with its own neck.

Further Adventures of the Button…

butt0njewellery — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:52:20 +0000

As regular readers will know, I mainly use this blog for posting news about my own products – but recently I’ve spotted some button products made by others which I thought were worth a mention. Since I started making button jewellery, I have become slightly button-obsessed. As well as the range of jewellery that I make, buttons appear in a lot of my own personal craft projects (e.g. my new button shoes, which I’ll be blogging about very soon…). People buy me button-related gifts for my birthday (vintage chocolate buttons, anyone?). If it weren’t for the fact that I don’t exactly have 20:20 vision, I’d claim to be able to spot something with buttons on it at thirty paces. But I won’t.

Anyway, I thought I’d make a series of blog posts featuring button products other than the ones I make. To get things going, here’s the Betsy Brown handbag from fair trade website The Travelling Souk.

This is made by a fair trade company called Revampt & Recycled, and it uses all vintage buttons, on a bag made from a combination of new and vintage dressmakers’ offcuts. So all the materials are re-used, upcycled, or made from something that would otherwise be used for rags or possibly even thrown away – a concept that I aspire to use as much as possible in my own work. I love the combination of all the different browns (I am, frankly, a huge fan of brown), and the fact that the bag looks a bit like a button-up skirt.

Another piece on the Travelling Souk that caught my eye was this Soizite Greens bracelet – featuring just one pretty button as the centrepiece. When I make jewellery I usually use buttons as the main material, but this one is mainly made from different gemstones, with the button as a contrasting focal point:

I’ll be back with more buttons very soon…

Button Charm Bracelets

butt0njewellery — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:40:56 +0000

These are the latest addition to buttonjewellery.co.uk – a series of four delicate charm bracelets made with small buttons for a simple, elegant look.

They’re available in a mixture of greens (Forest), earthy tones (Earth and Stone), muted mixed colours (Vintage), and the ever-popular bright multicoloured (Sweet Shop).

All of these button bracelets are available to buy online, from buttonjewellery.co.uk.

New Pink Button Necklaces

butt0njewellery — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 17:53:16 +0000

Looking around the shops recently I’ve noticed that pale pink summer dresses are definitely in fashion this year – so I’ve made a pale pink button necklace to match them:

Pale pink button necklace from buttonjewellery.co.uk

This is available to buy now from my shop at buttonjewellery.co.uk, and you can also, as ever, order matching bracelets and earrings to go with it.

I think this necklace would be great with a little pale pink dress for a summer garden party. I realise I’m being a bit optimistic about the weather and temperature, as it’s still only March and a bit chilly for this outfit that I’ve made (below) – but it definitely helps to plan ahead…

Summer Pinks

Custom Bracelets

butt0njewellery — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:43:37 +0000

These are my latest commission – the red and white button bracelets were made for supporting a sports team who played in red and white – I think that’s the first time I’ve ever made jewellery specifically for cheering people on!

Orange button bracelet

Red and white button bracelet.

I very much like the bracelet made in orange buttons, so may make a few more and add them to the button jewellery site in future. In the meantime, if you’d like an orange (or any other colour) button bracelet, send me a message and I’ll make on for you!

Stud Button Earrings!

butt0njewellery — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:08:34 +0000

For ages I’ve been intending to make some stud button earrings – but wanted to really get them right before putting them on the site. I’ve had quite a few requests for them, so have been gathering materials in preparation

So I had the materials sitting there all ready, and had made one experimental pair but not really got round round to making any more, when a man rang me up the other day asking if I could make three pairs of button studs for his girlfriend’s birthday. So, spurred into action, I made some for him and some for the site as well.

I can now present you with stud button earrings on buttonjewellery.co.uk. Fanfares please!

They are currently available in green, blue and hot pink, and you can buy them in matching pairs or as single earrings to mix and match different colours. They’re tiny, cute 9mm buttons, and they have a pearly sheen to them.

Hot Pink Button Stud Earrings

Green Button Stud Earrings

Blue Stud Button Earrings