Pretty Buttons

I love coming across pretty buttons to add to my collection and I've found a wonderful online shop that sells all sorts of little treasures. The Vintage Button Emporium has buttons in all sizes and materials, ranging from cheap packs of craft buttons up to very special silver or enamel Victorian buttons. For my first order I restricted myself to cheaper buttons; I had a lovely time browsing through the site, adding a button to my basket every now and then.

My buttons arrived quickly and look how nicely packaged they were.

I do like a pretty package with real ribbon. Here are the buttons I chose ...

... a mixture of glass, metal and plastic buttons. That one in the middle looks just like a mint humbug, doesn't it? The multi-coloured dotty one at the bottom reminded me a bit of my favourite button in my Mum's button box as a child. It was quite chunky but had a pattern a bit like this one. Speaking of my Mum's button box, would you like to see it?

It's quite small and was originally a sweet tin. Inside the lid it says 'George W Horner & Co. Ltd. Maker of Good Sweets, Chester-Le-Street, County of Durham, England'. So now you know. Mum's buttons have long since gone and I keep my old boot button style buttons in it.

You may remember me telling you about starting a Charmstring of special buttons a while ago. Well, some of my new buttons have been added to this. There are about twenty on my string so far so I've got a way to go if I'm going to reach 1,000.

I'm putting metal buttons on my charmstring but am thinking about starting another one with brightly coloured plastic buttons. Or maybe glass and mother of pearl (I've got a lot of mother of pearl buttons). 

Does anyone else out there collect old buttons like these? I made button cushions for my children when they were small with animal buttons and brightly coloured shaped ones (and yes, I sewed them on really tightly). I wonder if I should make myself a grown-up version with some of my treasures.