Monday 30 January 2012

Tribute to Ivy my Mother In Law

1935 - 2012
Sadly my mother-in-law Ivy died on the 18th  of January after a short stay in hospital.
Ivy was a wonderful person  a very generous and kind person who would go out of her way to help her family and friends.

In the 1970's/80's she owned a fancy dress business and was also a very talented seamstress who made many of the outfits for her business. Below is a victorian ladies hat that she made

My daughter Sarah is her only grandchild and of course was spoilt rotten! Ivy taught my daughter to swim, horse ride and ice skate non of which i can do myself.
When my daughter needed an outfit for a fancy dress party Ivy always came to the rescue, below is my daughter wearing one of Ivy's creations. My daughter won a £5 book token at a school fancy dress party.

Ivy made many of her own clothes such as the lined velvet waistcoat below i just love the way she has covered the buttons incorporating the swirl design.

Ivy's dress sense was very bohemian and by her own admission she was quite eccentric and was  the Helena Bonham-Carter of her day.
Ivy's other passion was animals and over the years she rescued many cats and dogs more often than not on the verge of being put to sleep. She leaves behind a menagerie of dogs, cats, rabbits, hens and an Amazon Green Parrot.

Ivy will be greatly missed by all that knew her.

Sunday 22 January 2012

Silver Peasant Buttons and Ceramic Buttons

Hello Everyone! I hope that you are all  having a great weekend.

Here are some of the latest buttons from Love Buttons.

These first two photographs show silver peasant link or toggle buttons. They are highly collectable and fascinating buttons. The first is a Spanish-made button and has a marker's mark, which is apparently very rare. It was made c. 19th century and was worn on either a men's sleeveless jacket, or on a woman's dress sleeve. This button is up for auction on Love Buttons HQ on Ebay. It had a starting bid of just 99p and bidding is currently at £1.20. The auction ends on 31 Jan, 2012 at 19:34:21 GMT.

This second button is Croatian, also c. 19th century. It has a maker's mark stamped onto the bar. It is also up for auction on Love Buttons HQ, with a starting bid of 99p (current bidding at £1.04). The auction ends on 30 Jan, 2012 at 20:02:20 GMT.

For something completely different, what about this gorgeous, handmade ceramic button? They are made in Cornwall, England by Stockwell Ceramics and Love Buttons HQ is now stocking 20 different styles of Stockwell's buttons at £1.50 each. (There are also many other ceramic buttons available in a variety of styles.) This particular button is one of my favourites, made from white earthenware with dots of glaze in shades of teal and green. It would make the perfect focal-point closure for a handmade bag.


Bye for now.

Posted by Julia of * Love Buttons HQ * Love Buttons on Etsy * Love Buttons on Ebay *

Sunday 15 January 2012

Buttons, Buttons and More Buttons!

Good morning all! I hope that you are enjoying the crisp, bright, sunny weather that we have here in Scotland at the moment.

Here are a few of the many buttons added to Love Buttons sites this week....

These antique metal buttons are known as Austrian Tinies. They measure just 10mm (3/8") in diameter. Perfect for the collector of diminutive buttons! Available as a set of five from Love Buttons on Etsy for £2.75, or as a set of six from Love Buttons HQ, priced at £3.00.


These beautifully iridescent, vintage abalone buttons are large, measuring approx 34-35mm (1 5/16 - 1 3/8") in diameter. They are available at £4.00 for four buttons from Love Buttons HQ. (Other similar sets are available, including smaller sizes/quantities, and larger, matched sets. Just type 'abalone' in the search box to view all of the available sets.)

This set of plastic buttons is made to imitate 'antique silver' in tone. They have a pretty, stylised flower design and are very light weight in use. They cost £1.50 for eight buttons from Love Buttons HQ.


Enjoy the rest of your weekend, folks :)

Posted by Julia of * Love Buttons HQ * Love Buttons on Etsy * Love Buttons on Folksy * Love Buttons on Misi * Love Buttons on Ebay *

Saturday 14 January 2012

Tidy Pins Or Dress Elevators

The tidy pin with its sprial shank was often mistaken for the dress elevator a device which adorned the dresses of Victorian ladies. The dress elevator was made from precious stones, paste etc wheras the tidy pin was made from cheap plastic (see image below)

I have seen these in among tins of buttons but until i read the article below i thought they were dress elevators. http://www.buttoncountry.com/Dress Elevator Article.htm

Below are 2 examples of pins which were used to fix chairback covers, both are available to buy at  henriettas-buttons-and-patterns





Monday 9 January 2012

Vintage Buttons Made From Glass, Mother of Pearl, and Wood

Hello Everyone! Here are a few of the latest buttons added to Love Buttons shops.

The first lot are a card of mixed transparent glass buttons, all with pretty, stylised floral patterns, or line patterns and/or faceted edges. These would look beautiful clustered together as a decorative accent on a handmade cushion. They cost £3.00 for eight buttons from Love Buttons HQ.

This pretty assortment of vintage mother of pearl buttons comes in shades of pink - from palest pink to dark rose. There are also a handful of pale orange/peach coloured ones included. They are up for auction at Love Buttons HQ on Ebay with a starting price of just £0.99. The auction ends on 18 January 2012 at 18.10 hours GMT.


Also up for auction is a Simplicity Rotary Cutting Machine, used just three times, with a start price of £39.99. Auction ends on 12 January 2012 at 20:48 GMT. This useful tool can be used for cutting strips of thin to medium weight fabric, or paper for use in scrapbooking, cardmaking, quilting, rug hooking and more.



Last, but not least, are this set of modified square, wooden buttons in a lovely shade of blue. They have an impressed pattern of curved lines and dots and are in very good condition. They are listed at Love Buttons on Etsy for £6.00 for six buttons.


Have a great week, folks!

Posted by Julia of * Love Buttons HQ * Love Buttons on Etsy * Love Buttons on Folksy * Love Buttons on Misi * Love Buttons on Ebay *

Friday 6 January 2012

VintageTouch Online Store

A selection of vintage postcards for sale at VintageTouch




http://deannamoyers.ecrater.com/

Sunday 1 January 2012

Vintage Muffin The Mule and Some Metal Buttons

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Here are some interesting collectable buttons for your perusal.

First up are a set of small, vintage plastic buttons, dating to c.1950s. They feature a painted version of the puppet from the British television show for children from 1946-52. Find out more about the show here:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muffin_the_Mule

These buttons cost £6.00 for the set of seven buttons from Love Buttons on Etsy.


This set of three vintage metal buttons are made to imitate the earlier cut steel buttons. They have a pierced back piece, with faceted, tinted metal pieces set into individual cups. The buttons cost £7.50 for the set of three, from Love Buttons HQ.


Finally, this charming, antique metal picture button featuring 'Little Boy Blue' blowing his horn, with sheep surrounding him and small details of plants/landscape behind the figure. The button is thought to date to late 1800s in the Victorian era. This button costs £9.00 from Love Buttons on Etsy.


Have a peaceful and wonderful 2012!

Posted by Julia of * Love Buttons HQ * Love Buttons on Etsy * Love Buttons on Folksy * Love Buttons on MISI *