Wednesday 16 March 2011

WOYWW 16 March 2011

The weeks just keep flying by and finally I have snow melting and positive numbers on the temperature gauge!!
I have been playing with some pretty serviettes I bought so you can see what I am in the middle of on my desk this week.
I have a button box which is a plastic one and I was looking at one of the boxes in my collection of them stuffed in a cupboard and thought I would make something a bit more pretty to keep them in.  I remember as a child spending ages with my Grandmother's button tin, sorting them into colours and then sizes and having a lovely time.  She was a very special person, she even 'turned' my Grandfather's shirt collars when they started to wear thin on the inside... I can't quite imagine anyone doing that in this age of throw it away and buy new.  My Mum had a button tin also, I am not sure if she had my Grandmother's, or one of her own, but I can picture the tin now, round and gold coloured with roses on the front. At least now I will have a pretty button box to rummage around in, even if it isn't anything to do with sewing new buttons on a shirt!!
I used satin material to line the inside and used another serviette to decorate the inside lid.
Inked and heat embossed the letters to spell buttons down the side of the lid.
While I had the modge podge and serviettes out on the desk I decided to have a play with a small canvas and used my new Tim Holtz hanging sign die and then turned it over and decorated the back adding the Tim Holtz bird cage to the inside.
So if you get bored with the front.... you can just turn it around! LOL
Don't forget to pop over to Julia's for the ever growing list of like minded souls who bare their desks every Wednesday.

52 comments:

  1. You have been busy hun!First of all the button box i have fallen in love with ive never used servietts but must have ago.The one youve used is beautiful.Love the verb youve used on front.Just stunning!
    Also love the canvas to you have been busy bee.Have very creative wedensday also
    hugs judex9

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  2. Wow you have been busy love the button box ~ mine are just in a plain plastic tub might have to look into changing that ~ Nicky 4

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  3. Oh my gosh, I love your new button box! What a great idea. I remember my mom's button jar was huge! Can I ask what is a serviette? Have a great day. #19

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  4. great button box! I have my mum's one, and my daughter has her grandmother's :)) love going through them, and they still hold buttons!
    Happy woywwing!
    Jennie #6

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  5. Hi ya
    wow what a gorgeous button box, beautiful work hun, i have a big plastic button box, it was one of me ressies, the daughter was going to throw it out!!! so i aske if i could have it, luv rummaging in it, have great day, happy WOYWW, sue,x

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  6. Your button box is beautiful a perfect home for buttongs. I love buttons and have my mother's old stash which has some beautiful vintage buttons. I don't even use them but just look at them. How silly is that!!

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  7. I think your buttons may possibly have the best looking home now. So pretty!

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  8. Awww, i remember my grans button tin too... as a child there was always something magical about it, not sure why but like you said i'd happily sort and sift only to chuck them all in the tin at the end of it and start again the next time!
    Loving your new housing for yours and your canvas is fab, but however will you decide which side to display, you'll have to hang it in front of a window somehow :D
    Happy Wednesday
    StaY InKy
    hugs Minxy #28

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  9. Lovely button box Annette - mine is a boring plastic segmented box. My nans both kept their buttons in tobacco tins - I suppose it was what was to hand.

    The canvas is beautiful - those napkins are super.

    Toni xx

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  10. Your work is beautiful and so dedicated. I too remember well my Gran's button tin, and mu Mum's. I used to play or for hours with the simple pleasures of life. Not only is this a throwaway generation but also a 'have to be entertained NOW and with something electronic' era. What are we doing?

    Shirley #38

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  11. How wonderful is this! Love all the details and it will make a great box to have around!

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  12. Oh, what memories - my mum had a wonderful button box - an old chocolate box - wonder if she's still got it (thinks - buttons - crafting - deffo no sewing, lol) .... Your box you have created for your buttons is stunning, so is the canvas, what a neat idea for the hanging sign....

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  13. Very nice button box. I love to recycle stuff. Thanks for sharing. Vickie #52

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  14. Gorgeous box....now get it filled with those buttons :-)
    A x

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  15. Ooh the button tin - I remember it well, it was an old tea caddy with a black, red and gold design on it and very occasionally when you went diving on in there you'd discover a needle - not in a good way!

    Love the look of the button box, beautiful, the serviettes must have been divine, what did it look like to begin with Annette?

    Loving the canvas - I'd have to free hang it so I could see both sides LOL

    Have a great Wednesday!

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  16. Love the idea of decorating both sides of a canvas...and as for buttons, I love them and your buttons box is great.

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  17. Oh what a lovely box for buttons - I remember doing the same thing with my grand mother and she too would turn collars! Oh what lovely memories!
    Love your TH canvas! I am amazed how you just "by the way" make such a lovely thing!
    Hugs,
    Cardarian

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  18. Wow what a lovely button box....Beautiful! Guess your desk's not like my desk today a total mess, hehe! Jo (53)xxx

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  19. What a stunning button tin! Love all your vintage elements hugs Rebekah 75 xx

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  20. Great box and colours. I love serviettes too - far too pretty for the dinner table!

    Wishing lots of creative fun...
    Thanks for sharing today,

    Sasa (sarah at 3)

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  21. Oh wow! A button box to die for :) And that's waaaaay before you even get to peek at the contents. Brilliant! Di x

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  22. love Love LOVE your button box! How cute!

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  23. Ooh PWETTY! Lovely job.
    Hugs, Sandra

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  24. Your button box is so creative and beautiful. Aren't memories wonderful?

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  25. great piece and sorry I missed our tea date, hibiscus looks good!

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  26. That button box will be my granddaughter's dream. You are so right, there is nothing better than playing with nan's buttons (and these days a whole lot of other interesting stuff in the craftroom)
    Happy WOYWW

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  27. Wow that looks lovely - love the colours! I have that Tim Holtz die but haven't played with it. I've also got the eiffel tower stamp - it's gorgeous. I love making things look pretty and nice - MUCH better than a boring plastic container. I also remember my mum's button box - my mum gave me her really old sewing box which I treasure. Just think you'll be able to pass that down to family and they'll say "wasn't she creative." Have a great week and you can tell your mum and husband it's not just them that read your blog - I love stopping by.
    Rebecca xx

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  28. You have created a wonderful button box, I wish I was creative at altering items.

    Hugs, Jovi #141

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  29. Satin sheets for buttons. Perfect. Am loving your napkins. and your ideas. Thanks for sharing as usual!

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  30. Hi Annette, who would have thought you could use serviettes to craft with - these projects are gorgeous - love the rich colours. I just love your button box. I think plastic boxes are very functional but just not pretty like your box. The canvas is great too. Have a great week. Elizabeth x #74

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  31. My Mom used to cut all the buttons off old clothing and keep them in a tin too. I can also remember playing with them for hours, sorting them out, when I was a little girl. I can even still see some of the unusual ones in my minds eye.

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  32. The button box is fab, and I love the idea of using the back of the canvas too... clever, clever you!
    Becky 150

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  33. I have fond memories of my Grandmother's tin. Every time we used to go there, her tin always needed sorting, i.e. big needle and thread and stringing all the matching ones together. It was years before I found out the secret - every time we left she cut the threads! Oh how naive I was then - Happy Days! It was not as beautiful as your new box. Very nice! I have jars from Ikea sorted into colours!
    Hettie # 155

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  34. Beautiful box.So many pretty details. It is a treasure. So many of us did the button thing with our grandmother's. It was so fun. I am having my 3 little ones sort colors the next time they visit and get bored. I have some old jars but wonder if it will take the fun of rumaging away.
    Happy WOYWW..

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  35. We all love buttons don't we. I have a big jar full but would love a little box like yours -its lovely!!

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  36. I hope those buttons feel honored to have such a luxurious home! It's lovely!
    *smile*
    #138

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  37. It took me awhile to realize that you were talking about what I would call a decorative paper napkin. You did a fabulous job decorating the inside of the box, then adding all those different letters to the side.

    Had to laugh. I think our nails are about the same length, except mine never get polish. I didn't even think about polishing them before the wedding, either.

    Of course, I HAVE one of those button boxes that has all the yellow buttons separate from the red ones and the black ones, etc. Yours will be more fun to rummage through. What fun that will be.

    Have a great Wednesday. I really MUST get something on my blog soon, or people will think I don't do anything anymore. Its been two weeks since WOYWW, too. I sure miss Julia and the crew, but I've been too sick to care. Maybe by this time next week, things will get better.

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  38. I remember a button tin just like that...
    Wish I had it now...
    Great box you have altered
    Frankie
    xx

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  39. Fantastic idea, it's gorgeous! Thanks for the the view and sharing, hugs Marjo#10

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  40. What an awesome box you've made, wowww!!

    Have a nice day!!

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  41. Lovely. And that brings back memories of reading old-fashioned stories like Little House on the Prairie about darning sock and turning collars. Everythng is so disposable now, isn't it? Why darn socks when you can buy new for £3? Anyway, the button box is very pretty and reminds me of the fun of getting out granny's buttons to string like a necklace on a rainy day. The doublesided frame is quite nifty as well. You have had a busy WOYWW!

    Mary Anne

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  42. Amazingly bearutiful button I would love one of those. I do have my mothers button jar makeds me think i may need to pretty it up a bit..
    Thanks for sharing and Happy WOYWW!
    love Shaz in Oz.x

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  43. Wow that's amazing, I need to buy some modge podge and some nice napkins now! Love everything you've made. Love also that we're seeing the back of winter finally, it was 12C here yesterday, 18C today but that's above normal. Still, it's nice to hear the birds singing and to see the rapidly diminishing piles of snow too.

    Hugs
    Brenda 114

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  44. Wow, you have been busy, this is a stunning box. I love all the detail even down to the satin lining. It'll look beautiful on your craft desk.
    Hugs Lisa #126

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  45. I love your box and canvas. So nice to see in the comments that so many people still have the family button box and love rooting through it.

    Now I must get out my paper napkins and have a go at embellishing some of these boxes I've collected !


    Marilyn

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  46. That is such a pretty button box, all ready to become a family heirloom. I remember playing with my grandmother's button box. My children remember playing with their grandmother's button box and so it goes on. It is just something that children do, and yours will be extra special.

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  47. So often I see such beautiful serviettes that I would love to keep them and make something out of them. I have heard of the decoupage technique, perhaps that's the technique you used here? It looks gorgeous, perhaps I should kick my butt and try this.

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  48. PS: I just hopped to the post above this one and found the answer to my question!

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  49. Your work is STUNNING!
    nickipeex

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  50. Oh wow you have been really creative, there amazing pieces of art work, they look lush.

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  51. That is an amazing box! Love it.:)

    Thank you for sharing. :)

    Want to know more about shrink plastic? Pop over to see my tutorial at http://maggiescraft.blogspot.com/

    Maggie
    x

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Thank you for taking the time to leave your comment, it is truly appreciated - sort of confirms that it is more than my Mum and husband that read this thing! :)