Bead button art

Do you have a jar or box full of buttons? I sure did, and when I realized that I no longer owned the clothes that the buttons went to, I decided to make art with buttons and beads on hand, inspired by a beautiful tree I saw at my advisor’s home in Iowa (photo below).

I soon realized that my button stash was insufficient to copy the tree exactly. Mine looked like a rainbow weeping willow!

After observing my tree for a few days (good thing I had not glued it!), I decided to try for flowers instead. I thought the flowers looked much cuter than the tree! 

Next, I had to learn about canvas, paint and glue! I’ve made collages before on cardboard and small solid canvas, but never a 3-d item. I had read about a product called gesso, and thought it might be glue-like (it is sort of, but other real glue is needed for beads and buttons). I got a package of different gessoes at a craft store, and had fun experimenting with various colors and textures. I also found Mod Podge with GLITTER! That plus 2 different kinds of glue was enough.

I wasn’t sure which size canvas would be the best, so I got 2 different ones, because I really wanted the size right between the two available ones. Rather than returning either the larger or smaller ones, I decided to use them all. 

I mixed gesso, acrylic paint and glitter Mod Podge on the backgrounds and then glued on the beads and buttons. I’m still adding “grass” in green and am considering adding “leaves” to the stems.

In the meantime, I’m pleased with the results. What would you like to make with your collection of buttons and beads?

Finally, I will need to figure out about arranging the flowers on the wall, with 3 larger and 3 smaller canvases.