Buttons, Buttons, and More BUTTONS!!!!

How Do I Even Start This Tale ..

A long, long time ago, when I was merely a lad... okay, not that way. A long time ago when I was addicted to thrift store shopping, I bought a box of Buttons. Now this seams like the perfect start to the story. I made the impulse purchase of a cardboard box filled with thousands of buttons. I dropped a measly $10 to $15 dollars on this find. At the time I have no idea what I was thinking. It only took 18 years of sitting in my basement, before I opened them and a surprise at that. Not only were there tons and tons of buttons in this now decaying box, but a world of other items that would take me on many research journeys.. and they aren't done quite yet

Buttons, Buttons, and More BUTTONS!

Of course there were the buttons. All sorts of buttons. After a short while of digging through them and sorting them out, I realized that my perception of those little round things that keep your clothing tied together, would quickly change. There are some many kind, colors, textures, shapes and sizes. There were plastic ones, metal ones, wooden ones, glass ones, some made of shell and others made of bone. Some of them I couldn't begin to tell you what they were made of. I even found one made of jade. I slowly undertook the month long task, of sorting through them, one at a time. While I sat in the evening, I would take a cup full of buttons and sort them into piles. I simply put the ones that looked like they were made of the same materials, together in bags. Later on I would look at them a bit closer.

Here I started out by emptying the decomposing paper boxes into several buckets and bags. The old box got damaged from sitting on the damp concrete floor of our basement for 18 years.

As I sorted through the buttons, I placed them in piles or baggies. I ended up pushing a couple of tables together so I had plenty of work space. The dogs were always curious about what I was doing, and the wife was ready to kill me for this mess.

Eventually after about a month or so, I had it all sorted out except for a small pile of about 1,000 to 1,500 ordinary buttons.

Here are my piles..

of buttons that I sorted to the best of my knowledge. I am no button expert, so my descriptions could be off and are most definitely amateur.

First we have, what I call, the plastic buttons; Celluloid, Bakelite, Lucite, and Vegetable Ivory Buttons.

Next up are the metal buttons ..

Most of these metal buttons appear to be made of brass or copper. Some of them appear to be painted while others are stamped or pressed with a picture or pattern. I also found a few military uniform style buttons. They have military symbols on them.

A mix of Metal Buttons. Most of them unique and with out a match.

Military Metal Buttons

Now onto the glass buttons..

Most of the glass buttons I sorted out of the mass, were black glass buttons. Some of them very intricate, while others were of simple design.

Simple black glass ..

More detailed black glass buttons ..

Here are the wooden buttons ..

Before you ask, I have no clue what kind of wood these are made of. All types of wood was used, I would imagine.

Bone or Vegetable Ivory buttons ..

I found several Mother of Pearl buttons ..

Some of the unique ones were slightly damaged, but still cool to look at. Some were simple and others had a more complex design to them.

I even found some of the remnants of shells that those Mother of Pearl buttons were carved from! Awesome find!

Some of the buttons were still attached to the paper or heavy card board, used to sell them.

Here are a few interesting ones.. A hand carved, jade, elephant button, a few cameo style buttons, one with a picture on it, and one that looks like a crouching or sleeping Mexican (not sure).

In The End ..

I bagged them all up and stored them for safe keeping. One day when I get the time and energy, I will learn a little more about buttons and possibly sell off a few or display them. Right now I am overwhelmed and really had to get them off the dinning room table. So away they go..

Which Was My Favorite You Ask?? ..

The one depicting a DOG of course!!!! Haha ..

Thank you for swinging by my blog and checking out the post. Have a great day!

All words, pictures and art pieces are the sole property of B D Miller Gallery, unless otherwise noted and credited, and are not to be reproduced or copied without the prior written consent of B D Miller Gallery.

About Me ~ The Artist

My art work incorporates a wide variety of subject matter, including landscape, seascape, cityscape, and still life images. My works are the product of a continuing process of exploration through which I seek to portray personal and visionary interpretations of my surroundings. My paintings are impressions of places and events from everyday life, an interpretation of my imagination, and personal responses to what I see and feel on a daily basis. More recently I have invested generous amounts of time into my landscape painting. I am surrounded by natural and man made beauty, which inherently presents itself in the tri-state area, and almost demands that I paint it.

Not everything is art. Art is not everything, but it comes close. Art is everywhere and all the time. Art makes you experience the beauty of the world, the people in it, and the places we call home. Art itself is so influential that it can tell stories, show feelings, and express passion or fury. Art exists in addition to language; expression of sensations and thoughts, revealing a way of thinking too subtle and delicate for words.

For me art requires love, honesty and perseverance. In return, it reveals some personal, non-analyzable, and creative untamed passion. For the public, art with its magnificent beauty, improves mood and health and builds better human beings and communities. It engages the intellect, softens the heart, strengthens the soul and frees the spirit.

If Your Interested In Purchasing Any Of My Work:

They can be found for sale in

My Facebook Shop

OR

My Etsy Store

If you don't see the piece in either shop, It may still be drying. Let me know and I can upload it as soon as possible to be available. Or you can always make me an offer (in SBD or STEEM) in the comments section of this post. If we agree on a price, I will then ship the painting to you. (shipping costs will be determined by your location).

“Once you have had a wonderful dog, a life without one, is a life diminished.” —Dean Koontz (author, Whispers)

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