Alice's Buttons

I was explaining to my husband the concept of Shanty Girl repurpose, reuse, recyle with taste and mixing vintage and modern fabrics ect. Being green and learning about my roots. So he says I have a bunch of my mother's old buttons do you think you could use those?? Words cannot express the beauty of the treasure my husband handed me. I spent the morning going through the buttons with my daughter and sorting them out, I have never met "Alice Hicks" as she passed before we married but I felt a deep kinship as I was sorting through the buttons, I promise Alice that I will only use these to make beautiful things and that I will make any of your heirs that wants something items out of your buttons. I will be researching my husbands ancestory after I am done researching mine. Here are the pictures of start to finish of the button sorting process that I had this fine Saturday morning. I hope you enjoy.

First he gets down the tins and I am in awe at the age of the tin itself. Then he explains that his momma "Alice" has had these since I was a toddler and probably long before.......so that makes them at least 50 years old and probably alot older are the buttons she had inside. He said that she went to landfills ect. and cut buttons off of discarded clothes as well as all the clothes that were no longer usable. She had 11 children and re-used everything she could.

I marveled at how intricate the buttons were some were glass, some pearl, some 50's and 60's and some much older. I need to get a button book now!
Soon I will make, headbands with crocheted flowers and buttons in the middle, broaches to add to apron, bags ect. the ideas were flowing I was in creative heaven!

All Sorted and ready to start creating!