My first
I know I'm not alone in my love of buttons as scrapbooking/papercrafting supplies. They've been around on layouts and cards for ages, and for good reason! They come in so many colors, shapes, sizes, and even themes that it's easy to find one to match any project, and they're soooooo inexpensive- just a few dollars can buy so many of them!
There are a huge number of sources for buttons ranging from general craft stores to estate sales to granny's attic. I've never been lucky enough to score a huge jar of old buttons (though I'd be really, really excited at such a find!), so I'm stuck with retail sources.
I get tons of my buttons from Papertrey Ink. Their $5 packs contain anywhere from 50 to 150 buttons in a huge array of sizes, all of which are the same color (each pack contains a range of hues of the same shade). I've collected many of their colors so far and am on a quest to eventually acquire them all- and they have a lot!! This screenshot shows just a few of their offerings.
My other main source of buttons is Making Memories embellishment packs. Why such a specific source? Easy- I can usually get them cheap. :) Tuesday Morning (a lovely closeout chain with a location about a mile from my house) regularly has Making Memories embellishment packs for $1.99 each. Yup, packs that were originally anywhere from $5 to $10 retail are a mere two bucks, and I regularly stalk their craft aisle looking for them. I also love that they come with other cute little bits- paper flowers, tags, and die cuts- all in coordinating colors. It doesn't get much easier (or less expensive!) than that!
Here's just a sample of some of the packs I've found at my local store...
Now that I've divulged my favorite sources for buttons, let's take a little peek at how I incorporate them into layouts. These images are all from previously posted projects, and you can click the link under each photo if you'd like to see the full page.
Buttons are great to use as the finishing touch in an embellishment cluster, perhaps along with a doily, a piece of printed chipboard, and a small section of border sticker.
Here's another similar grouping with some brads and a couple of die cuts, and a cute little green button for contrast.
I also like to use buttons on "transitions"- little spaces between pieces of paper and other pieces of paper or photos. I usually don't place them right on a corner, but instead play with the placement and use it to help balance out the whole page.
So what about you guys? Any favorite sources for buttons? Scored any great vintage buttons finds you'd like to share? Have any scrappy favorites of your own you'd like to link up? Please feel free to leave a comment and share with all of us!
Scrappy Favorites is a semi-sometimes-regular series of posts spotlighting some of my favorite scrapbooking products. These items are usually basic staples- items I reach for again and again for layouts of all types and themes. They're not intended to be comprehensive reviews or even product endorsements, just something fun I like to share.