Button Overload

Sometimes when I'm not home, I think about what I want to make next and it about kills me to BE not home. It's worst when I have a project in mind or half done--I absolutely itch to get at it! Such was the case with this seemingly simple lampshade project.

A couple of weeks ago I bought thousands of buttons (really--I'm embarrassed to admit the actual number) and hundreds of yards of ribbon (a sadly low estimate of the actual yardage--expect to see some ribbon projects here soon) at a clearance sale. Since then my mind has been racing with ideas for using them, hence the lampshade project.

Since the buttons, when augmented with some orange buttons, were the colors of my basement areas (craft room, sleeping room, bathroom) it seemed like a great idea to cover the plain little lampshade in the bedroom with buttons, a button mosaic.

So one evening I sat down to apply the buttons. An hour later I was still only about 1/4 of the way done! What I thought would be a quick project actually took 3 sittings and 3 boxes of glue dots! Arghhhhh! Fortunately I'm pleased with the finished project, so it was worth all of the effort. My skeptical daughter Suzie thinks the shade is now so heavy with buttons, it's likely to break through the table on which it sits and dent the cement beneath. Oh, ye of little faith, my Suzie!

Here's the lamp in all its buttoned glory:



And a close up of this thing of beauty:


Eat your heart out, my dear Suzie!