Buttons Part 1: Big Ol' Bag o' Buttons.

Happiness is a bag of buttons. The other day I thought of an old memory: watching my mother sewing with her sewing kit next to her. It was an old faux tortoise shell box with all sorts of interesting things in it. As a little kid I remember being fascinated by the straight pins that were decorated with yellow enamel tops almost like little candies. Or the strange silver thimble that I loved putting on my own fingers. Then there was the tape measure which I tried measuring my height with. These things could provide much joy on their own, but by far the greatest treasure of all was the assortment of random buttons found at the bottom of the box. Each one was unique and had a little history that went with it. Maybe it belonged to a wedding dress, or an ordinary frock. Maybe it belonged to a sixties style coat or a responsible tailored blazer. I liked the buttons for their randomness, for what they were, and what they could become.

Recently I asked my mother if I could look at her saved buttons, and she told me I could have them (Thanks, Mom!). She handed over a fun glass container packed with them. My mother is a firm believer that " keeping a button is a guarantee that you will never lose one." (Mom, if you ever lose one, you know where to find me.) I found some favorites and even got inspired from them to make some crochet items in the future.

That very week I was in a local craft store and stumbled upon the Bargain Button bag. The childhood excitement hit me again as I inspected the bag and let my eyes scan over the random buttons inside. These would be perfect for the two sweaters I'm making for Baby C.

I can't wait to try out the different combinations. I'm also going to make sure to hold onto my spare buttons from now on. Of course this is mostly for myself since I doubt Baby C. will be interested in sewing. I have a feeling he'll be a little more interested in football instead.