Did you catch our Wizard of Oz reference in the last blog? It was a subtle hint to this great DIY project. Fall is a great time of year for childlike whimsy – and nothing says whimsy quite like buttons! When combined with a holiday theme such as Wizard of Oz or Thanksgiving, you can’t go wrong with this fun art idea.
Chances are that you remember your grandmother having a button drawer or tin when you were little, and it seemed like a veritable treasure trove to dive into and discover all of the colors and sizes and shapes. Buttons haven’t gotten more boring, but they have most likely been overlooked. Buttons that have fallen off of clothes and bags, buttons that have come as extras with clothes bought from the store, buttons that you’ve found – it’s time to turn these lost items into a treasure again!
Follow these steps to build a button masterpiece:
- Choose an Image – Choose an image that means something to you and your family, whether it’s a silly turkey, a fall oak tree, an owl, or the Emerald City! You can find the image online and choose to print it off and trace the outline onto a new sheet of paper or outline the image by hand onto any size blank sheet of paper that you want. Once it is traced onto this sheet of paper (poster paper or construction paper works well), carefully cut out the image. The cut-out should be recognizable when placing another contrasting paper behind the first. If it’s not recognizable, you may want to choose a simpler shape.
- Button Frenzy! – Go through those odds and ends buttons to select the colors, sizes, and shapes that will peek through the cut-out of your paper. Is your image an oak tree? Choose browns, blacks, and brasses for the trunk and fiery colors for the leaves. Is your image the Emerald City? Pull every green, yellow, and gold button you can find!
Lay a poster board or canvas flat and cover the surface with glue. Use the kind of glue that dries clear to avoid mishaps (especially if you are creating this piece with the kids in your life). Start gluing down those buttons! Press each firmly into the glue starting in the middle and working your way out, leaving as few and small gaps as possible between the buttons.
- Fill in the Gaps – There are bound to be gaps between some of your buttons; they are all different shapes and sizes, after all! Try filling the gaps with small beads, glitter, or gems. You can find these sorts of supplies in various craft stores or online for relatively cheap.
- Overlay the Image – Cover the back of your cut-out image with the glue and lay it down over the button board. A number of the buttons may be covered or partly covered, but this is okay. The buttons, beads, and other lost items will be seen through the image cut-out in the holiday shape you have selected!
Whether you are passing on the “magic” of buttons on to the next generation or just reliving the whimsy for yourself, this button collage is a great tribute to childhood fun and an inventive way to celebrate the holiday season! Of course, once it’s done, it’ll need a frame to accent and finish the decoration. What better place than Frame Warehouse to seek that last bit of inspiration for the design? With thousands of framing options to choose from, you are sure to find the right touch to button up your artwork!
