Button Bouquets

Show off Your Favorite Buttons or Clear out a Jar of Buttons

Jul 17, 2007 Melissa Howard

Do you have a button collection you want to use or display? A button bouquet is a wonderful way to take buttons out of storage and put them on display.

Supplies

• a large selection of buttons
• 26 gauge or heavier wire
• a small vase
• floral tape
• a bit of ribbon or twine for bow on vase
• needle-nose pliers
• wire cutters

Instructions

1. Sort through your buttons and select buttons to suit your color scheme, this is also a good time to select interesting buttons that you might want to feature in the arrangement.
2. After you have chosen a sufficient quantity of buttons, sort through them and start creating blossoms. Some buttons work well as a blossom without the addition of another button. In other cases, you will want to stack multiple buttons on top of each other to create dimensional blossoms.
3. Using the wire cutters, cut two pieces of wire to at least twice the length of the stem that you wish for the blossom. If the buttons for the blossom only have two holes, thread both wires through the holes, so that the button is strung at the half way point of the wires. If the buttons have four holes cross wire the two wires so that the wires form an X in the middle of the button.
4. Bring the wires together on the bottom side of the button and twist them tightly together. Wrap the base of the stem around the nose of the pliers, with the pliers in one hand and the ‘blossom’ in the other twist the wire until you have a tightly twisted strong stem for your blossom. Continue until all your blossoms are completed.
5. If you choose to wrap the stems in floral tape, now is the time to do so. Start at the top, wrap your way down to the base, and then work your way back up to the top.
6. Arrange your flowers in the vase. Finish the display off with a decorative bow of ribbon or twine.

Helpful Hints and Other Suggestions

• Heavier gauge wires will make a stronger stems. If you want a more whimsical look, use a lighter gauge wire and then wrap with floral tape.
• Buttons with shanks are harder to work with than regular buttons. If the button is large and decorative, it might work as a solitary button blossom. Smaller shanked buttons can be strung together on a wire and make a small set of buds. Another option for shanked buttons is to pair them with a standard button that has a deep indentation in the middle.
• Plain vases with simple lines are preferable as they allow the buttons to remain the focal point.

The copyright of the article Button Bouquets in Crafts is owned by Melissa Howard. Permission to republish Button Bouquets in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

all white bouquet

close-up of a shanked blossom

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