A button grab bag from the thrift store

-
Kathy's always showing fun vintage button purchases on her blog, and it has really whet my appetite for finding a button grab bag of my own!
The other day I found this one -- it sure does fit the bill, huh?  Like most, it contains buttons and an odd assortment of other items one might find in a button box, sewing drawer, or even a junk drawer.  The most unusual item in this particular pile was, I think, the music holder that attaches to an instrument so it can be played in a marching band.  (It's buried so I'm not sure if you can actually see it in the above photo.)
Most of the buttons were just common plastic sewing buttons, BUT I was excited to find some great vintage ones here and there -- including this pile of realistics: white stars, clear glass stars, red horseshoes...
keys, tea pots, padlocks; etc.  Do you see the little elephant in front of the blue buttons?  It's glass!  The one above him is a butterfly -- also glass.
the pink ones in the bundle and the round blue one are also glass (as are those stars); the blue ducks are cute, aren't they?
More glass, and some pretty pink sparkly buttons.
There were quite a few carded buttons in the lot but my favorite is the torn one with the Cinderella girl on it!  At first I thought she was a fairy but I think she's just wearing a big bow in her hair.
I love the ephemera that comes in these bundles, like the paper measuring tape that says, "Here's one for good measure" (it's from a mens slacks manufacturer); also that green metal Singer seam ripper thing is fun!  ~Sigh~ this has satisfied my button treasure hunting urges for a while, I think!

Comments

Kathy said…
Wowza, what a great score. I love all those realistics. A glass elephant and glass stars and those teapots and horseshoes are FAB!! Isn't it funny how a real button box can look like it's not much and then you find all kinds of treasure when you dig in. I agreen about all the other stuff, too. it tells a story. I do NOT agree that a good button find sasities my craving, it just makes me want more - LOL! Thanks for the shout-out, too!
May 14, 2013 at 4:32 PM
Blessed Serendipity said…
I love buttons. I think they are like tiny little treasures. Each one cuter and more interesting than the next. Nice collection.

Danielle
May 14, 2013 at 4:52 PM
Tami Hacker said…
You certainly did find a great button grab bag! The horseshoes look like Bakelite - nice! The teapots are Celluloid, probably from the Marion Weber realistic sets - super nice! Also love the stars and animals.

Woohoo for Laurie!
May 14, 2013 at 5:27 PM
Maggie said…
Nice score, Laurie! It is soooo much fun to dig through a big bag of old sewing stuff, and seeing what fun stuff lurks therein. The music holder thingee looks like it went on a clarinet back in the day. Love all of your finds :-) And yes, Kathy's button finds always inspire me, too!
May 14, 2013 at 5:41 PM
Unknown said…
That was a good bag! I only ever find old brown and black stinky boring buttons! Love the lock shaped ones and all the glass!
May 14, 2013 at 7:14 PM
Betsy@My Salvaged Treasures said…
Love your little treasures. It's always so much fun going through a new stash of buttons. The horseshoe buttons are my favorite.
May 14, 2013 at 7:17 PM
Unknown said…
What a score. I love the little keys and locks. And I have an obsession with measuring tapes and rulers. Way to go.
May 14, 2013 at 9:15 PM
Anonymous said…
awesome finds! I love those kind of grab bags
May 15, 2013 at 6:52 AM
maggie said…
Love your grab bag. What great treasures.. Love the elephant button.
Lucky find!
Cheers
maggie
May 15, 2013 at 6:26 PM
autena said…
I always love glass buttons, but those horseshoes are adorable!
May 16, 2013 at 8:07 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Enter to Win My Two (2) Giveaways for One World, One Heart!

-
Image
Welcome to my blog, and thank you for visiting! I hope you will enjoy your visit, and save my web address so that you can come back again, often! New followers are always welcome here at Indulge Your Shelf! *****This giveaway will end on Sunday, February 14, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time! Winner will be announced on February 15, 2010! ***** A ll over the world wide web, something special happened as the clock struck midnight. It was January 25, and the air was filled with a kind of energy...tangible to those of us who had been watching, and waiting for this day. I myself awoke to remember a vivid and colorful dream, in which I had b ee n transported by a magic carpet, taken to a lovely home, high on a hill...a kind of castle... P residing over the beautiful home was a lovely lady... S he was a kind and attentive hostess, inviting me to take tea with her, and serving it in a wonderfully appointed room, using the finest china so that I felt like a Queen... W e spoke of beaut...
Read more

One World, One Heart 2011

-
Image
Hello, world!  Welcome to my blog!   My name is Laurie, and I call my blog "Indulge Your Shelf" because I often post about the pretty things that catch my eye at antique stores, thrift shops, estate sales, street fairs, flea markets and the like -- and end up on my shelf at home, or in my Etsy shop by the same name !  My maternal grandmother had a great love for pretty old things, and it was she who taught me to rummage for treasures in thrift shops, to collect what I love, to sew, and to embroider.  And, that's another thing I write about often on my blog: creating! I love to sew and re-purpose vintage and antique linens into pillows and sachets, plus, I do a little bit of crazy quilting (and sane quilting, too); and, lately I'm big into paper crafting with ephemera.  In fact, I probably do paper art more than sewing these days.  I also do some regular, special event scrap booking.   I love paper -- the older the better!  I collect many small...
Read more

True Victorian style: black glass buttons

-
Image
This past Sunday afternoon I went to my local button club meeting -- and it was fun, hands on, and informative.  The topic this month was black glass buttons . Many of the black glass buttons you see in antique stores were made pre-1918; as a result of Queen Victoria's mourning attire, black was very in vogue.  Although you might hear black glass buttons referred to as "jet", jet is a different kind of coal glass, and is much rarer.  I'm told you can tell the difference between black glass and jet in that jet will float in water. After we went over the different classifications for black glass through the National Button Society , we had a chance to dig through some little tubs of buttons (called "poke boxes" by buttoners) to see if we could find examples of all the types we'd covered. Each poke box was full to the brim of just black glass buttons.  We were having a contest -- the one who found the most examples won a button prize. Here's a b...
Read more