vintage button box

starting a button collection


A box full of sparkly vintage buttons is like a treasure chest of jewels. I started my vintage button box a few weeks before Christmas. My grandma is a big pack rat and loves antiques and retro items so she set me up with this pretty tin chocolate box and a few hands full of lovely vintage buttons.

Some of these once belonged to my great great grandmother, some she picked up at auctions/estate sales and some belonged to her when my mother was a little girl. There's nothing like a few unique buttons to make a plain old blouse look like a chic vintage find. I sew many of my own clothing items and I love to add vintage buttons to make it look like an authentic piece.

You can add buttons to gloves (functional or decorative), use one large unique button as a brooch or as an accent piece on a hat. You can glue or stitch them on a plain pair of heels or make them into earrings. The possibilities are endless and always yield a one of a kind treasure.

 I have found lots of fabulous vintage buttons on garments at Goodwill stores. Heck, if it's only a $2 sweater and you only use the buttons, its still a steal compared to button prices at fabric stores! Vintage buttons are easy to find and are often very inexpensive.

Look for buttons at antique malls or shops, public auctions, estate sales, vintage shops, ebay, etsy, garage sales, thrift shops or ask relatives who sews if they have any old buttons that they would be willing to part with. Fabric stores have many modern buttons that look vintage. I bought the metal ones above for 1/2 off at Jo Ann Fabrics. Please share if you have any other projects or uses for vintage buttons!