My grandmother lived in the country....down an old country road in Ohio. When you drove up to her house the first thing you saw was the lovely sun porch and after that it was her beautiful flower garden. Depending on the season you may see lilacs, peonies, or roses. I never knew what my grandmother would be up to, but it was always fun for me. One of my favorite activities was sitting in her rocking chair and waiting for her to return with the basket of buttons. These were no ordinary buttons...nope...each of these buttons had stories.
Today she might be telling me about the shiny, gold buttons that were once part of a military uniform that my uncle wore. Or, the beautiful glass buttons that once adorned a lovely evening dress. Then, of course, there were the pajama buttons that may have seemed plain and white, but were once on her beloved childrens pj's.
Each time I visited I got to pick out a couple of those buttons with their treasured memories. Along with those buttons I have my own collected buttons that have special memories. All of those buttons are now in a safe place and are waiting for any grandchildren that I may have. I also have buttons that I have collected from antique & thrift shops, estate sales, and auctions. These are the buttons I use to create with. My hope is that once I have used buttons for a creation that they will take on a life of their own and will become a special memory for the person who owns that piece.
Today she might be telling me about the shiny, gold buttons that were once part of a military uniform that my uncle wore. Or, the beautiful glass buttons that once adorned a lovely evening dress. Then, of course, there were the pajama buttons that may have seemed plain and white, but were once on her beloved childrens pj's.
Each time I visited I got to pick out a couple of those buttons with their treasured memories. Along with those buttons I have my own collected buttons that have special memories. All of those buttons are now in a safe place and are waiting for any grandchildren that I may have. I also have buttons that I have collected from antique & thrift shops, estate sales, and auctions. These are the buttons I use to create with. My hope is that once I have used buttons for a creation that they will take on a life of their own and will become a special memory for the person who owns that piece.
11 reviews:
It's amazing how the simplest of objects can hold so much meaning and history.
That is such a lovely story, thank you :-) I just rescued some buttons off an old shirt of mine, and as I stowed them away in the tin I noticed a button from my son's dressing gown, a good twenty years ago.
What a sweet story. I love vintage buttons for that very reason. I love to just run my fingers through them and think about what they might have been in the past.
:-) Indeed small things come in big packages.
What a sweet memory Rose! I hope my grandkiddies will have something they remember about me.
what a lovely story Rose, I have a button pot like that too
: )
What wonderful memories you have to cherish forever. I love your work, it is soooo unique!!
Oh my...what memories! When my mother passed, the first thing I looked for was her button box. It was an extremely old fruitcake tin crammed full of every type of button you could imagine. Some had been her mother's and her great-grandmother's. Lo and behold, I couldn't find it anywhere! I have no idea where it could have gone but would imagine she took it to her church's "Trash and Treasure" sale like she did so many of her things..."trash" for her..."treasure for me! Sigh
What a sweet story! I'm sure this holds many memories for you. I could just picture the house, thank you for sharing ;)
candice
lovely - my grandmother had buttons in jars also, and before she died (at almost 102) she gave them to me. I take them out every once and a while and look at them.
Susan
What a lovely post. I have buttons that have special memories & I always wonder about jars of buttons that I see in thrift stores. What stories they could tell!
Post a Comment