Use Your Words May 2020: A Few Buttons

Hey-O friends!

Today's post is a writing challenge created by Karen@Baking In A Tornado. 10 participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words for someone else to use in a post. All words must be used at least once. All posts will be different as each writer has received their own original set of words. No blogger knows who received their words or in what direction the writer will take them. Until today.  

My words are:

wooden ~ cotton ~ covered ~ magnolia ~ green ~ cardinal

They were submitted by: the very sweet Minette @ https://www.southernbellecharm.com 
                   
I have always called my mother's mother, "Grams"

***

When I was young, one of my favorite things to do at my grandmother's house, was to go through her "button box." It was a round, wooden box not unlike the popcorn tins you get at Christmas time. It always sat on the floor next to Gram's favorite chair.

I'd sit down next to my grandmother's feet and listen as she'd string together magnificent stories from her chair. I'd quietly twist the lid on her button box and slowly pour the contents out; listening to the tiny clinks clanks of glass, metal, and plastic buttons as they piled upon one another onto the floor. 

Gram's collection wasn't huge. It was made up of  buttons that she'd used or those that were passed down to her. After several visits to her home, I had memorized each button and could recall it just by closing my eyes and twisting it between my fingers. The long, cylindrical leather button used to be toggled to my uncle's boots. The oval button that was heavy and cold to the touch was her turquoise button set in silver. The large, smooth one with two holes that took up most of my little-kid palm was a forest green button that grandma said went to an old wool coat she wore before her children were born. Tens of tiny cotton-covered buttons had sharp shanks. Those belonged to Gram's own grandmother's boots. Each button felt different; each had it's history. My grandmother never minded sharing with me each button's story.

It's no surprise that I hold on to those memories and use them in my world today. I started saving buttons that came  as "extras" with my own clothing and then those of other family members. The buttons were held in a jewelry box until that became too small of a vessel. When I started sewing, I collected many more buttons; checking out their hues and textures.  Later, if I saw jars of old buttons in a vintage store, I'd pick them up and wonder, 'How many stories were in those jars?' I've even purchased them on eBay and asked for soon-to-be-thrown-away buttons from my friends. I've used them in my classroom and with my children to teach colors, patterns, and other classifications. I've sorted and divided them up myself.

My favorite thing is to put my hands in a large bowl of buttons, swirl them around until they fill the spaces between my fingers, slide over the tops of my hands and begin to reach my wrists. Then, I close my eyes and choose one button. I twirl it around with my fingers feeling for the familiar, and finally, try to guess which one I've picked. Over and over again. If I close my eyes in just the right way, listening only to the sounds of the buttons clashing with one another in that bowl, I can imagine myself sitting
on the floor; listening to one more story from my Grams.

***

Here's a game. Look at the buttons below and try to find:
1. A male cardinal
2. A wooden butterfly
3. A magnolia
4. A green skateboard

5. A cotton-covered button the same color as the cardinal.
6. A crab
7. A grey cat
8. A die

answers at the end of this post

***

Finally, here are a few photos of my "ahem," small button collection:

Color Coordinated, by size, by color, by metal, shanks, 2 holes, 4 holes.

Because: quarantine.

Extra buttons that live in this box

My husband: "Honey, can you fix a missing button on my shirt?"

Me: "Sorry, I don't think I have that one."

Happy "button-up-and-stay-safe", friends,

-Michele

Check out the other cool kids participating this month:

    Baking In A Tornado

    Spatulas on Parade

    Wandering Web Designer

    On the Border

    Sparkly Poetic Weirdo      

    Climaxed  

    My Life After

    Southern Belle Charm       

    Part-Time Working Hockey Mom 

Answers  

      

My Schizophrenic Cupboards..

Remember these?

And this try at organizing?

It didn't last long at all. I'm not kidding. They both filled right back up with junk. During a quick look for food coloring a month ago, I  accidentally knocked over a shelf and dropped/ broke a boxful of various jars of red hots, hard candies and a few thousand sprinkles. I completely lost it. It doesn't take much these days...

Let's say that any attempt to catch 50 things falling simultaneously from high shelves failed miserably.  I  remembered other things that had been bothering me during that day and decided to channel my inner-child, and throw a mini fit screaming, unnecessary tantrum. Yes, nothing is quite as soul-cleansing as picking up millions of cookie decorations while yelling words that could make a sailor call for his mommy. It was not one of my shining moments as a mom. Or a grown-up.

While it seems silly to throw such a fit over a baking cupboard, please know that there are many serious things our family has had to deal with over the last few weeks. I just happen to be the type of person who has to find control and order SOMEWHERE. If it has to be keeping up an unorganized piece of kitchen furniture, then so be it.

The man and I walked off some of my steam that afternoon at Lowe's -or as my older children like to call it, "The most boring store put upon the face of the earth."

I found these cute curtain rod finials-

and got an idea. I didn't share my plan with the man because he was quite finished at the moment with me and home improvement....you know, with our kitchen still looking like the Keebler Elves met Mrs. Fields and Betty Crocker, had a drunken party and left all the evidence on my floor.... Oh, did I not mention the man rescued me mid-tantrum/cleaning? He's very brave when he needs to be...

I picked the finials up with my idea filed away. They had two black and two white ones in stock. I needed all white, but knew I could spray paint the black ones. For heaven's sake. We were at LOWE's- One has a right to think of home improvement. Correct? .

Anywhoo, I've always wanted glass on those cupboard doors. What better way to HAVE to keep the cupboards organized? We had talked about the idea many times before. Truth be told, I talked about them many times. The man would just nod, praying I would think of something else. We I had even considered cutting out the centers of the doors  and replacing them with glass. For five minutes. Neither of us have that much patience nor DIY talent. That's okay, because IKEA had beautiful glass doors that were pretty inexpensive and just the right size. We thought it over and when the man's mom called us last week from IKEA (angels singing,) we decided to go for it and have her pick up the doors.

Those cute finials? They made perfect little feet for the bottom cupboards. We spray painted two of them and had to add about an inch of wood to each one before screwing them into the cabinet base. I absolutely love that they match the feet on my island. I'd show you my island, but it is full of junk right now, so just go with it ....

Those cupboards have a new identity; a little hutch that finally looks like it was meant to be there.  All I have to do now, is figure out what color it wants to be...(quietly though, lest the man consider moving out.)  One thing for sure. It will NOT house anything that has sprinkles. Ever. I think...

Oh, I know. This is a super long story that really could have been told in a picture or two. But just like the doors on that now-organized hutch, transparency is best. Thanks for reading about the crazy things that go on both in this house and in my head :)

Happy Tuesday, friends.

My oasis....

My craft space is a little, odd shaped room in the very back of the basement. It was lonely and chilly. But it was also sunny, private, spider-free and thank you Easter Bunny, all mine. I love love love this room. I'm so grateful to have a space of my own to escape to. I now have a place to store all the accumulated artsy/crafty stuff and I get a place to do my favorite hobby. Watch Lifetime TV. Kidding, friends. I 'm talking about sewing- I'm officially obsessed.....

We bought some cheap, unfinished cabinets at the Home Depot and covered them with a pine door. I painted the cabinets an antique ivory and the walls light aqua. (Valspar ala Lowe's) The door on the right cabinet is not hooked on. It was broken when we bought it. (Someone yell clearance!) I used it later for something else.

Now the room looks like this. Pay no attention to the measly organization. I took these pictures yesterday and already the floor is cluttered with the sewing machine cabinet. I'm painting that next.

Look for that missing cabinet door in the next picture :)

Here is Betty. She's wearing regular clothes. I use her to pose with the bags I make. Naked Betty freaks me out.

My attempt at fabric organization and purses on the shelves.

I took the doors off one of the closets and created another desk for paper crafts.

That's it! My craft room. Except for the carpet, I love the space. If you know me, you can just imagine what's behind the other closet door. Trust me. You don't want to know. One step at a time, people. Now. What's on Lifetime ?