Bob and I have been "collectors" for many years. Unfortunately during the years our children were growing up, the collecting was put aside. Since then we have been spending more time at it. Nothing like finding that "great button" to add to your collection.

We have worked with Petoskey stones for many years and in recent years have made some Petoskey stone buttons. Some of you in the button world have one or two. Every one of them is different in that no one stone is alike. That's what makes them so unique.

I also am a watercolor artist and do soapstone carving. I guess I just like to create different and unique things.

I have a blog, which I have just recently started up "again" and hope to keep adding new things to it.

Karen L. Cohen has had multiple careers: a math teacher, a computer scientist in development at AT&T Bell Labs, a computer consultant and a jewelry designer, enamelist, beader and author. As a color person and collector of glass since grade school, Ms. Cohen started enameling over 30 years ago to incorporate these two passions into her jewelry and objet d’art.  Her most recent passion, bead embroidery, incorporates both her love of color and glass as she uses various finishes and colors of beads to play off each other to produce works that have enough detail that each time one looks, there is something else to see. Her combination of enamels and beads is fairly unique in the art world. Ms. Cohen also creates enameled, beaded and metal Studio Buttons for button collectors; each is back marked.
 
She has written a book, The Art of Fine Enameling, which is well regarded in the enameling world. In addition to her book, her enamels have been published in over 9 books and magazine articles and one of her beaded pieces is in the permanent collection at The Newark Museum in NJ, her home state. Ms. Cohen also shows in various exhibitions and in juried art shows, and teaches enameling and beading in various venues. Her work can be purchased from her website at www.kcEnamels.com and various button resellers.

is a vintage button collector living in rural West Virginia and makes earthenware or stoneware ceramic studio buttons for button collectors and fiber artists in a native art style. She has included bead making in her process and has been published in Beads 2009 and Beads 2010.  Beads of Marti's have been used in a bracelet by a jewelry maker and was published in the Spring edition of Stringing 2010.
You can find her buttons-n-beads at MartiC51.etsy.com

Turned wood buttons with embellishment

Email Evelyn at: t.e.davies@sympatico.ca

As an art teacher and painter I stumbled on the challenge of painting in miniature. Someone suggested I paint on buttons and I was soon introduced to Buttonbytes, the on-line collectors group. That was about 10 years ago. I design and paint originals that are one-of-a-kind. In other words, I don't repaint the same design. However, I do make limited edition transfers of the originals that are more economical. I limit the editions to 30 buttons. I especially love to paint pet portraits and have done many for ButtonBytes and other collectors. I sign my initials, "LJ" on the front of the original buttons and date and number them on the back. For the transfers, I put the number of the edition on the back as well as the date and then sign them "Eljay". My web address is elijaysartlines.com

owner and carver at Elvenkrafte Studios.   I specialize in carved buttons made from several different materials, including ivory, bone, antler, wood, jet, catlinite, shell, and bakelite.  I also carve some stones and other materials from time to time and always welcome special requests for particular materials or special designs. Visit my website at www.elvenkrafte.com

PDF of Brad Elfrink's Flyer

I have been painting and doing graphic designs since I was in high school as a way to relax and unwind.  When I was studying to become a biologist, I started taking fine art courses as a way to allot myself the same relaxation time with a greater sense of direction.  I enjoyed my time in the art studio so much I minored in fine arts as an undergraduate.  I set aside my painting in graduate school as studies, job and eventually family life left little time to paint, finding other creative outlets through photography & computer graphics.  After I married George, he encouraged me to start painting again.  In 2008 I began selling my hand painted creations with a set of zodiac buttons I created for auction at the Northeast Regional Button Association button meeting.  Since then I have been selling my hand painted buttons on-line through Picasa, on e-bay (buttonjoy) and in person at local & state button meetings.

Every button concept usually starts with the selection of the button.  Shell buttons are so naturally beautiful; I try to envision a pictorial that will use the color and sheens on each button.  Each painting takes anywhere from a few hours to several days.  By using acrylic paint, I can blend the paints on the brush like oils, and use washes like water colors to provide thick and thin layers and give some pictorials texture to increase the visual interest.  Once completely dry, George applies a clear polymer coating to seal the painting and protect it from damage during ordinary handling.  You can see previously sold buttons in my button gallery.

I absolutely love to work with individual collectors on custom orders.  People have wonderful ideas for pictorial buttons and it gives me the opportunity to bring creative touches to those concepts.  So if you don't find the pictorial you want on my button sale page, please feel free to contact me about a custom order button: joybuttons@TVCconnect.net .

Glass Paperweight button artist
www.marygaumond.com

I've been doing lampworking since 1995 and making buttons since 2000. My first button show was in 2001 at the New Jersey State show. I make all my own glass cane images which allows for unlimited creativity.

 

Midge Jackson crafts buttons of many styles. Primarily working in a hot glass technique, she creates original buttons from dichroic glass. In addition, she makes buttons from recycled glass by smashing bottles, stacking the pieces, fusing them and enhancing the finished buttons with fired lusters. Along the same line, she breaks interesting ceramic items to fashion unique buttons and closures. Add to that a smattering of enameled and raku pieces and her line is complete. “I especially enjoy the unexpected and unusual”, she says. An accomplished spinner, knitter and weaver, Midge searches for and makes unique accents and closures for the apparel she designs and creates. “ I also like the idea of making jewelry featuring vintage and handmade buttons. I design and make handknitted and other jewelry with special buttons, taking care not to destroy or alter the original button in the process.” Midge lives in Tyler Texas, with her husband and two cats, The Beautiful Zoe and The Lovely Tess. She spends her time working in textiles, embellishments and jewelry as “The Pearly Queen”. Visit Midge at www.wildflowerfiber.com, The Pearly Queen Studio or contact her at pearlyqueentx@prodigy.net.

I've made things all my life, many different kinds of things. Mostly I concentrate on metals, probably because as a child I spent a lot of time with my Dad hanging around foundries and machine shops. The smell of hot metal is in my blood. My actual professional education is as an exploration geologist so when I get "real work" it's usually banging rocks out in a desert somewhere looking for gold or copper or uranium or something like that. When that's not happening, I have a 30 x 60 workshop filled with antique machines that I use to make things. (shop- tour page: www.shirepost.com/ShopTour.html ) Most of my craft career has been spent making knives, but in 2001 I got interested in presses and branched off into coining, and in 2003 tried my first buttons. I call the coining operation Shire Post Mint, and the buttonmaking Broadbottom Buttonery. We also have a small farm (Giraffe Gardens) where we grow vegetables and flowers and bamboo and sell weekly at the local farmers markets. Visit his website at: www.shirepost.com/

 

Meagan Melloy is a button collector from Leawood, Kansas; born in 1989. She is a first      generation button collector as well as an accomplished dancer, pianist, actress, and singer. Meagan attended Johnson County Community College as a part time student while finishing high school. Meagan is currently attending Illinois Wesleyan University as a Bachelor of Music Vocal Performance major.

Meagan is a member of the Evening Star Button Club, Kansas State Button Society and the National Button Society. 

Meagan has been collecting buttons since 1999. She was influenced by her mother to start collecting buttons. (However, her mother didn’t start collecting buttons until 2001).

In 2003, Meagan was invited to present a workshop for the Juniors at the National Button   Society’s convention on Richmond, Virginia. In 2004, she was invited to present her 2003  workshop, “How to Look at a Button” to the adults and to present a second workshop to the Juniors e.g. Studio Button Makers. She presented her program on the new classification book at the 2005 National Button Show in San Francisco, California. She has also presented her classification program at the Colorado State Button Show and to her local Evening Star    Button Club. In 2006, she gave her program titled “The Amazing Button Race” to the Juniors at the National Button Convention in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Since then, she has continued to help her mother, Mary Anne, with the Junior activities they plan at the National Button Society  annual convention, where “The Amazing Button Race” continues to be run. To purchase a copy of Meagan's Studio artist book, contact her at MeaganPigs@aol.com

Buttons are a small piece of our history.  Included in that history are modern day hand crafted buttons, we all know as Studio Buttons.  I love being involved in the making of these unique often one-of-a-kind buttons.  Currently, I am working in polymer clay and using many techniques to produce designs that I hope collectors will want to have.  I search for new technique and products to test for using in making the buttons, hoping each time to find just that right combinations to make the button collectors want to buy.  I like to work with fabrics, yarns, and found objects to produce interesting pieces.  One of the most enjoyable part of the entire process is the time spent talking with collectors while they are looking at the buttons; it is a great way to get ideas for future designs.

For special orders, email Shirley at: sthomas155@satx.rr.com

Embroidered fabric buttons

Visit here website at:StitchArt Buttons by Judye

Emai Judye: judyest@ctesc.net or judyest2@yahoo.com

Note: I'm unable to make any more buttons for the time being but I do have a nice assortment for sale.
Thanks!

If interested in Sandee's button, please contact her at: rawslw013@comcast.net

This original button artist works in the new metal clays, as well as with traditional enameling techniques on copper and fine silver.  She has a background in miniature sculpting and other arts disciplines, and was commissioned to create the favor buttons for the Buckeye State Button Society's fall show, 2010. Her work is available at:  www.etsy.com/shop/thebuttonatelier or contact dianawieler@hotmail.com