Tutorial: Stacked Button Necklace

I recently came into possession of a lot of buttons (to add to my growing collection.)  I love buttons and even though I don't always know exactly what I am going to do with them, if I see a deal on them, I'll buy them!

I have made button necklaces before, but this is the first one like this.  I made earrings in this style previously, which were so cute, too!

Materials and Tools:

• Buttons ( I used 62.  If you are a smaller stature person, you'll need less)

• Wire (I used 24 gauge wire)

• Chain

• 4 jump rings (I used 3 4mm jump rings and 1 7 mm jump ring)

• Wire cutters

• Round nose pliers

• Needle nose pliers

Step #1

Pick out buttons that want to use.  I used just 2 colors:  purple and gray.  I have a lot of those colors, plus I knew they would match outfits I have.  You can definitely use different colors, more colors, etc.  You'll only see the sides of the buttons, so keep that in mind.

Also the shank type of buttons won't really work for this project.  (See photo below for what I'm talking about.)

Shank button.  Won't work for this project.

Step #2

Cut off about 12 inches of wire.

Step #3

Make a loop on one end of the wire.

Step #4

Start stacking buttons on the one by one, like you would beads.  You could add a bead on each end.

Step #5

Add a loop to the other side of the buttons and trim off the excess wire.

Step #6

Decide how long you want your necklace to be.  Measure how long the button piece you just made is and subtract that from how long you would like your necklace to be.  Cut a piece of chain the length that is left.  Then cut the piece of chain in 2 equal lengths.

Step #7

Open a jump ring (I used a 4 mm jump ring) and add the chain to the button piece.  Repeat on the other side.

Step #8

Add a jump ring to one side, for 1/2 a clasp.  (I used a 7 mm jump ring)

Step #9

Open a jump ring (I used a 4 mm) and add a lobster clasp to the other side.

Step #10

Enjoy your new necklace!

Note:

1. You can use beading wire instead of silver wire, and then make loops and crimp. 
2. You can use any color buttons, however, shank buttons won't work for this project.
3. Use any kind of chain you desire, and any clasp you would like!
4. You can make this necklace as long or as short as you want!  Same goes for how many buttons you use!
5. If you have questions about how to, or need more instructions on wire wrapping loops, I have a tutorial that teaches that!  Hardware Necklace and Bracelet teaches you basic wire wrapping and you make a couple awesome projects!

Tutorial: Bracelet Made from old Slides

Recently a lot of slides have come into my life.  Lancaster Creative Reuse seems to have a never-ending supply of them from an Art History department.  Then I also recently came across a bunch that belonged to a widower without any family.  They would have been thrown out.

Where you can find slides:  estate sales, garage sales, thrift stores, auctions.  Just keep your mind and eyes open and you'll find them!  

Supplies and Materials:

(what on earth is going on here?!?)

• Slides (I used 5)

• 7 mm jump rings (22)

• Lobster clasp

• 2 pairs of pliers

Step #1

I didn't take a photo, but I removed the slides from the protectors.  Sometimes they are the plastic protectors.  Keep those!  You can find so many other things to do with them!  These were the cardboard and they were pretty destroyed when I got the slides out.

Step #2

Connect the slides together with 2 jump rings, 1 in each corner.

I used 5 slides.  You may not need as many.  You can also add more jump rings and use less slides.

Step #3

On the end slides make a chain of 3 jump rings on each corner.

Step #4

Connect the 2 chains with another jump ring.

Step #5

Do steps #3 and #4 on the other end.  When you add the final jump ring, add the lobster clasp to it before closing.

Step #6

Enjoy your unique bracelet!

If you need some extra help with jump rings or want to make more unique jewelry, check out my How to Make Extraordinary Jewelry from Ordinary Objects Workshop (a/k/a How to Make Hardware Jewelry Workshop.)  Available for purchase + instant download in my Craftsy Store.

Tutorial: Button Bouquet

Button Bouquet Tutorial

This is such a fun and easy project!  If you love buttons like I do, you’re going to love these cute bouquets!  Plus you need very few materials!

Materials:

Buttons (about 2-4 per “flower”)

Flower wire

Tool:

Pair of pliers

 

Step #1

Pick out buttons and make them into little bunches.  I like to use 3 or 4 buttons for each little flower.

I love using large buttons, but I don’t often have them.  If you are like me, you have a whole stash of buttons you love and don’t know exactly what to do with.  This is a great way to put them on display so you can see them all the time!

Step #2

Loosely bend your floral wire in half.

Step #3

Place your first button on the wire.  Take the top button and slide it onto the wire.  The top of the button should face the bend.  (In other words, the back of the button will be faced towards the 2 ends.)

Step #4

 Add the rest of your buttons for your first flower in the same way.

 Step #5

Use your pliers and twist the floral wire.  I like to twist tightly next to the buttons first.  Then I hold the pliers on the wire, but twist using the buttons.

Move the pliers down further as you get sections twisted.

 (Ummm, you can notice leftover glue on my fingers from a project I did right before this.  Sometimes glue just doesn’t wash off, I guess!)

 Step #6

Twist all the way to the end of the floral wire. 

That’s it!  You have one flower for your bouquet.

If you have a button with a shank, here’s how to make a button flower:

Step #1

Loosely bend the floral wire in half and place the wire through the shank.  Center it on the wire.

Step #2

Slide another button onto the wire in the same way as you did before.

Then continue the tutorial as above.

After you get a bunch of these individual flowers you can make a bouquet!

You can put them in a vase:

I put colorful beads in the bottom of the vase!

Or pull a bunch together and tie a ribbon around them:

 They made lovely presents!

If you would like a PDF version to save of this tutorial, head on over to my Crafty Pattern Store and you can download it for free!