Summer CHA is over and I'm back on deck again... well almost. So until I settle back into routine I thought I'll share a couple of cool make and takes I did at CHA. This first one is just so stunning and yet unbelievably simple: it's a way cool ring made using coordinated buttons from Blumenthal Lansing . These are from their new line called Coordinates and they come carded so all you need do is select your look and stack the buttons together. Add a few beads and your done. It's all tied together with plastic beading thread and then hot-glued onto a ring base. I think the hardest part of making this ring was selecting one of the fantastic button cards. Coordinates are not up on their website yet but if you're interested in this one, it's called Starburst. Look out for another make and take later in the week. Bye for now, If you can't get enough of My Tutorials and you want even more inspiration,  click here to find my books and printable pdfs...

Have you ever run your hands through a big box of buttons? It's a really lovely feeling having all those smooth buttons running over your fingers. For me it brings back memories of my childhood. You see, my Mum was a great sewer and she had an extensive collection of buttons that she kept in old biscuit tins. Most of them were rescued from garments which had seen better days and many of them still had the thread attached to the back of them. Sometimes there was even a little tuft of fabric attached as well which identified the garment it was from. It was a pleasant way to spend a half hour rummaging through the tins, sorting the buttons into their colours, shapes and sizes. Ah.... the simple things in life! Recently I had the chance to play with a large stash of buttons courtesy of the fine folks at Blumenthal Lansing . No stray bits of thread or fabric attached to these buttons but as I emptied them out onto my bead mat, I couldn't resist scooping them up and letting those smo......