Buttons Etc...

I have had a couple of sessions at the torch since my last post and some of the resulting beads have even become a necklace!

I've attached the beads to a hand-dyed silk ribbon from Di using some cotton cord.  I'm really pleased with the combination of beads with shank style buttons.  I am also particluarly hooked on the green and purple theme, perhaps it's because Halloween is looming?

I've been practising some more with my marble press

And with my two-holed button mandrels

You know what they say about practice, practice, practice.  Who knows I might even get a chance to have another session tonight.  Having said that I have started to go to Knit and Natter at Jumble Jelly and I have embarked on a shawl project, I'll post some pics at some point.  I might just curl up on the sofa with my knitting.....



Into Autumn

My my didn't time fly!?!  Summer has been and gone and now we are back into the frantic daily routines of getting to school with all the equipment required for lessons and clubs.  Added to the chaos was a 4th birthday of a certain little boy.  A UFO cake was requested and I have to say that I was quietly pleased with the results.

It was in danger of looking abit helmet-like so I popped the spacemen on the cake board for good measure.  One of my 7 year old daughters was allowed a sneak preview before the big day, after the grand unveiling she looked at it and said 'it looks quite good but I think you should use the left over icing to make craters so it looks like its on the moon...........'  If she had seen the trouble I had with icing the cake she would have known better than to make such a suggestion.  The birthday boy was pleased with it so mission accomplished.

For those interested I made a Victoria sponge cake in a 9" tin and used the same mixture in a pudding basin to put on the top.  I sliced the pudding basin section in half and added a layer of jam and then used jam to stick it onto the base cake.  I covered the whole lot in butter icing and then in regal icing.  The decoration is fruit shoelaces and milkybar buttons, large for the bottom section and small on the top section.

The other project I have been working is a range of buttons that I can offer wholesale.

I also have blue to add to the range but I need to photograph some.  The idea is that this gives customers something to order from but I do have a section on my order form called 'Free Choice Wild Card'.  I added the wild card section so that I get to make any colour combos that I like, the customer just has to tell me how many they want and if any of them need to be sets.  I have buttons for sale in Etsy shop or if you are interested in wholesale drop me a line.

I popped into my friend's shop Eggcup Clothing today to show her some sample buttons and I am very excited that she is going to use my buttons in her designs - even her bridesmaid collection!!!!  We threaded one of the buttons through a button loop of a bridesmaid dress to get a rough idea of what it would look like - it looked stunning, if I do say so myself.

Anywho, I'm off to bed to get some shut-eye ready for the school dash in the morning.