Wild Animal Print Buttons

Our animal print beads and buttons are our best sellers and even though we try to have a large supply on hand  it seems we are always running out.  We finally got around to making some new buttons in various shapes and sizes and listed them in our Etsy shop as well as in our ArtFire studio.

Starburst Buttons

We finished off some new large buttons in our usual jewel tone colors.  They have a metal shank and a large crystal embedded for added bling.  You will find these and a few more listed in our ArtFire studio and Etsy shop as well as a more complete selection of our buttons on our website.

Kamloops Craft-a-Fair 2011

We are gearing up and getting ready for our Christmas shows again.  The first one to kick off the season is the Craft-a-Fair at the Interior Savings Centre in Kamloops which is a fundraiser for the Royal Inland Hospital.  We will be in the same spot as last year which is upstairs on the concourse -- (turn left when you go in the main entrance and you will find us). 

We especially look forward to this event because of all the good that comes from money raised for our local hospital.

Clash City or Matchy Matchy?

I finally got around to making some new buttons for a navy colored sweater I purchased some time ago.   I used my "Mini Mokume" technique that I share in my Clay Color System tutorial.  Each cane slice fits perfectly to create each individual button.

The color combination I used here was Navy (recipe # 9-7), Olive (recipe # 7-8, GoldenYellow (recipe # 6-2) and the avocado recipe I shared with you in a previous blog post (click here).


We are off to see a wholesale customer so I thought I would whip up some new jewelry pieces to wear in the same color combination.

And here are my matching pieces:  Bracelet, Earrings, Pendant Necklace and Buttons.

Which brings me to a question.  Do you prefer matching sets of jewelry pieces or do you prefer pieces that don't match but sort of go together?  I've always preferred having my clothes and jewelry matching or coordinating as much as possible.  What do you think?

New Goodies to Play With!

Our clay supply was getting low and had to order more.  It is so nice to have an excellent supplier of Kato clay available right here in Canada.  Shades of Clay not only has fair prices but great service as well.  Whenever we order clay I like to order a few extra "goodies" to play with and use to create new pieces.

I had to order several of Helen Breil's latest texture plates as they all have such unique patterns.  I saw "button" designs in them immediately and here are some new ones we created:

And have you seen some of Wendy Orlowski's latest textures and CaBezels?  I've been having fun playing with these and have a few fun tips to share with you later on in the week.

New Scrap Art

Alice Stroppel of Polymer Clay Etc., shared a fun way to use up scrap clay pieces by arranging it into what she calls the Stroppel cane.  As soon as I saw it I couldn't wait to give it a try and I  just happened to have a pile of cane scraps (lol!) on my table ready to use.  It was tempting to use them all but I wanted to see what would happen if I used pieces only from a selected color pile and was happy with the results.

And here is a shawl pin I made from the cane.  I really love this new technique and this shows that when working with polymer clay, there really is no such thing as "scrap clay".

Buttons in Turquoise and Copper

Here is a sampling of a few different button styles all in the same turquoise and copper combination.

The hole placement for sewing is determined as to the style of the button and how it will be used such as providing balance and stability.  Some button designs are best suited with two large holes where others are better with four.  At times I find the button holes would detract from the overall look so I prefer to add a shank to the back instead.  My  experience with sewing helps me in designing my buttons for various types of projects.

My pdf e-tutorial "Making Beautiful Buttons", contains 20 pages of clear photos and instructions on how to create buttons that are more professionally finished.  I have provide instructions on how to make your own wire shanks and attach them to the back without the need for any glue.    Also included are templates you can copy and use as hole placement guides so your holes are properly spaced and centered every time.

Click on the above photo to read more about our tutorial that is for sale in our ArtFire studio.