Tuesday, September 11, 2007

No Time to Whine.... About Turning Forty



Sometimes I think I could ditch all the books and therapies and meds and just spend a lot more time with my beloved buttons.

Recent gifts from two people I love have set my creativity on fire.



Brian bought me two amazing original mixed media drawings by Andrea Pratt to celebrate our fifteenth wedding anniversary. He had them framed in handsome black matt and as soon as I saw them, I knew I wanted a set of four.



I played with the idea of going on Andrea's fish and cat themes, but the vintage pieces I had with those motifs were quite colourful

and detracted from the exquisate beauty of the prints.




So I turned to my favourite medium:

Buttons.


I had a new stash from my friend Cheri, so I sat down with them and my tins full of treasures and picked a number of favourites to sew onto black velvet.


By supper time I had the red wall patched, and my beautiful collection mounted.


I'm almost forty, and my couch sucks, but I must have the absolute most beautiful buttons in all the world. And the most amazing drawings from Andrea.

And the most thoughtful people to gift me with such beauty.

16 comments:

Heather Plett said...

What a great collection! I need some new things on my walls. You've inspired me to go button hunting.

As an aside, my word verification is "mykcok". I had a little giggle when I typed it. Yes, my mind IS in the gutter.

Bonnie said...

What a neat idea, I LOVE it! You are so artsy, smart and talented!!

Anonymous said...

Amazing Joyce, maybe you could add some button art to send on over. Just a thought.

Mills' Memoirs said...

Joyce, you are so creative, it makes me jealous! EXCEPT I'm learning to walk in contentment, right? SO I guess I'll have to be happy with the less-creative person that I am and just enjoy your creativity!

Melissa said...

I've seen that done in oval frames and have meant to do it but haven't. It looks awesome - if ever do get around to it, will you think I am a copycat?

BTW it they look great together (the cat prints and the buttons)...

Nancy said...

How in the world did you think of mixing buttons with cats? My mind wouldn't have even entertained the idea! That's what I love about you...not just thrifty, funny, and oh so wise, but extremely creative as well. God must love you lots!

it's a gong show... said...

Love the artwork...and the couch that you think sucks. Thanks for coffee this morning, I really enjoy our conversations, just one cougar to another hee hee!

Roo said...

i love your buttons!

Romeo Morningwood said...

Button, button, who's got the Button.

When you were a kid I'll bet that your favorite Movie Star was Red Buttons.

There must be a clinical term for Hoarding Buttons? Since the root word is BUT, or BUTT, there must be an entire conference worth of psychological material to discuss.

But-on the positive side it is the opposite of BUTT OFF.

I lurve Andrea too.
Creative, Cool, & Comforting.

mmichele said...

loverly.

Anonymous said...

http://www.warthers.com/Button_Collecting.htm

Have you have heard of the Warther's Museum? It is amazing, Mr. Warther whittled trains/made knives. Mrs. Warther had a button collection. When I was a kid my class went there for a field trip and it was such an amazing experience, and in all the awesomeness of the trains and all that Mr. Warther created, what intrigued me the most was the quaint little cottage that housed Mrs. Warther's buttons and the display of buttons! Hope you enjoy the tour.

Judy said...

I LOVE it!

The right blend of sophisticated quirkiness.

Anonymous said...

When I was growing up my mother had a button box which we played with on rainy days. I loved that button box.

andrea said...

Brilliant! I was discussing creativity with someone just yesterday and I wish I'd visited your blog because this is a perfect example of combining two seemingly different ideas to create one 'unit' that makes you go, "Oh!" I also love how you've arranged the buttons: on a grid in one and randomly in another. Each part of the four-part unit is clearly an individual, then there are two clear sets, but in the end they work best as a whole.

Thanks for the links, Joyce, and I was sitting here looking at the flowers when I logged on to your blog!

(And p.s. I know it's a cliche but turning 40 really was a big turning point for me ~ so take notes!)

Anonymous said...

You do have the most beautiful buttons in the world. Funny thing..I used to collect buttons up until about ten years ago...shortly after I turned forty (no really, I swear this is the truth!!) ;)...so when is the big day??????

Anonymous said...

I realy like your artwork,and those pictures above are very cute!