Fun Holiday Craft: Vintage Button Wreath Ornaments

by Angela Price of Eden Condensed

To thank you, B-blog readers, for allowing me to share a bit about my life as an urban farmer, garden designer and winter crafter, I have a special giveaway to offer!  A $50.00 gift certificate to D.L. Rhein.  To enter, either post a comment below, on Bamboo's Facebook page or on the Eden Condensed Facebook page, and I will pick one winner at random on Monday, December 12^th. Happy Holidays!

As soon as the weather starts to cool and the holiday lights start going up, I get the itch to make stuff … a lot of stuff. Past projects have included homemade wrapping paper, stuffed animals made from old mittens and socks; and many years ago when I was still working at Neiman Marcus, I made 500 or so mini gingerbread men, all hand-decorated, to give to my co-workers. I could barely write for a week after icing so many cookies!

This year has been no different, although I think I am going a bit crazy.  I am always creating with my garden projects, but in the midst of planning my booth at the Unique LA show, the itch to make stuff struck again!

I had the opportunity last week to join some talented mommy bloggers for a ‘Crafts and Cocktails’ event at D.L. Rhein on West 3^rd Street in Los Angeles.  Ordinarily the cocktail part would have done it for me, but a surprise craft was involved too?  I’m in!  Deborah Rhein, who is a crafter and designer extraordinaire and a lovely woman to boot, has created a treasure box of a store.  It’s the kind of place where I walk around with my eyes bright, slightly afraid to touch anything but do it anyway.  I am the proverbial kid in the candy store.  So not unlike an old-fashioned quilting bee (except with mimosas and yummy bites by Meg Hall of Made by Meg), a group of us sat around and chatted about kids and made beautiful bracelets. Oh, yes, and we shopped!

I was so inspired that when I got home I dove in full force to my current crafting project of making mini wreath ornaments from vintage buttons.  I love old buttons and like to wonder about the clothes to which they were once attached: a big, jeweled button that topped off a cashmere coat, delicate shell buttons on an Edwardian blouse.  Some 1700 buttons later (mostly scavenged from my button box, Ebay and Etsy), I have a beautiful collection of multi colored button wreath ornaments. These not only make great tree ornaments, but can also adorn packages, doorknobs, backs of chairs, etc.

If you’d like to make your own button wreath ornaments, here are the instructions (adapted from Martha Stewart):

Tools & Material

Needle-nose pliers or wire cutters
20-22 gauge copper wire cut to 9-inch lengths (available at craft stores)
Approximately 72 buttons for each wreath (depends on size buttons)
Scissors
Ribbon

Instructions

1. Using pliers, make a small loop at one end of the wire.

2. Thread buttons onto the wire until you have enough to form the size of the wreath you want. My wreaths ranged from 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches in diameter.

3. Using pliers, bend the plain end of the wire around the looped end. This will form the wreath.

4. Use the satin ribbon to make a loop for hanging the wreath; tie the ribbon in a knot about 3 inches above the wreath.

Angela Price is a recovering human resources executive, urban farmer, hen keeper and owner of Eden Condensed, small space garden design.  She lives in Valley Village, CA with her (very) tolerant husband, two amazing boys, four cats and five chickens.  Angela can be reached at angela@edencondensed.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/EdenCondensed

Comments

[Mama Kerr]

Happy Holidays to the Crafters within each of us! Pick me!