Button Collector, 8/52

Look at me! Two weeks in a ROW! :)

This week's DIY is all me. No pinterest, no blogs, just me! While shopping at HobLob one day I found this lovely gem (please forgive my tired, no-makeup face). The biggest button EVER!

My Mom has collected buttons for many years, mostly the kind that you pin on your shirt, but more recently she has begun collecting these types of buttons. She's found jars of them at antique stores, garage sales, estate sales. Plastic, metal, large, small - but she'd never seen a button quite this large. I decided that she must have this giant button, and I wanted to make her a 'Button collector' sign to hang in her home. I wandered around HobLob, trying to find the perfect thing to hang below the button, and I found this little guy, stuffed onto a random shelf. Perfect!

I was not fan of the beaded wire (so I removed that) or the plain ceramic front. I had leftover scrap fabric from  some IKEA curtains that I bought and hemmed when I first bought my house. They're almost a burlap without the scratchy surface.

After removing the beaded wire with some tiny needlenose pliers, I cut the fabric to size and started pulling the fabric tight and hot gluing it in place. The front is a little on the wonky side if you look super close (I got a little carried away with the amount of hot glue I used - just a thin line or squiggle will do juuuuuust fine). I let it dry for a bit and then came in with a pencil and lightly drew out the word. 

 

I first tried hot glue, but it was too thick and dried too quickly. Next I tried Aleen's fabric fusion glue, but I guess Aleen doesn't think yarn is a 'fabric' because it didn't stick. At all. Third time's a charm, YAY, because the cheap brand fabric glue worked perfectly. And it goes down white, but dries clear. I did one letter at a time so I didn't smear the glue.

There were two small holes in the top of the plaque (where the beaded wire was earlier), so I threaded a yarn needle with the orange yarn and pocked it through one of the holes, then wound the yarn in through the holes in the button, and back to the other hole in the plaque. Tie it off on both ends, and VOILA! I'm going to leave the hanging choice to her (you could glue a photo hanger on the back, or use those 3M Command Photo Hanging Strips to the back. I haven't used them yet, but I love their Command hooks (I'll show you my jewelry organization area in next week's project!).

I sent Mom a photo, because I just couldn't wait for her to see it. She loved it!

Total cost of sign:
Giant button - $8 with a 40% off coupon
Ceramic sign - $3.99
Glue/fabric/yarn - already had

Success! Make something this week!