Buttons!

Hi button lovers of the world!

Through Heather's blog I arrived at Sugar*sugar where the lovely miss Analise asked whether we could show our buttons to the world. Well, being a button addict myself, I couldn't resist of course. One sign of my button addiction: I once went to Amsterdam by train (1.5 hrs) to buy heart shaped mother of pearl buttons. I needed them so bad to finish a pincushion.

It all started at my grandmothers'. When I visited her I loved to play with:

Those shiny black glass buttons. I used to play 'shop' with them.

Since I'm reading and lurking an awfull lot of American blogs, I have noticed that your buttons are far more colourful than ours. When I buy a box of buttons the vast majority of them is grey or brownish. That's also the case with our button cards:

Very to the point huh? No playing children or lovely ladies...I guess that's typical Dutch. Even nowadays there still aren't many people who buy beautiful and expensive buttons. The market is a typical place to buy such supplies.

But I still managed to collect these:

Well ladies for every 100 grey/brown dutch buttons there is one red one. So take your calculators please, to calculate my total amount of buttons...

Ok, I'm not playing a fair game as I buy vintage buttons loose sometimes. For my dutch readers: the Noordermark(e)t in Amsterdam is a great place to buy vintage buttons but the best is 'De Winkel' (Vrouw Juttenland 39) in Delft. I only have to warn you (probably an addict yourself). Don't fall apart when you see what they have done there with all vintage buttons on cards:

They just cut old cards in half or in more pieces AND they write prices on the face of the cards with black markers. I couldn't believe my eyes and of course I couldn't keep my mouth shut either. Someone has to save what's left of the diminishing button-on-card population. So I asked whether it please could be possible to write the price on the back of the card, preferably with pencil. The lady laughed loudly...Why on earth? They were pricing the buttons this way for more than 20 years now and NO ONE she repeated NO ONE did ever mind...I should almost boycot that place, but they have amazing glass buttons:

So lets skip the greys and the browns. I sometimes use them with old fashioned rope to pack something a little bit old fashioned.

If there is 1 red button on 100 grey/brownish oned, pink is even more rare. I guess 1 on every 200.

Mother of pearl, one of my old time favorites, is quite common, except for the heart shaped ones, but you know now that you can find them on the Noordermarket in Amsterdam.

And here some blue buttons. I have added the biggest blue one because its a typical one. My mother who was often sewing clothes used this one on a jacket for herself. In the sixties she used to wear costumes (jacket and skirt) complete with gloves, grace kelly bag and high heels. I can see her image vividly just when I look at that peculiar button. My parents' button box is like a photo album to me!

Like this one: a carved peach stone given to me to my neighbour Mrs. Trense. She was a very sweet old lady, who used to give me all kind of treasures. Like empty Avon bottles and boxes. I cherish her memory.

I remember those green ones, they were typical childrens buttons in the sixties.


Later on these childrens buttons arrived here. Of course I like everything. No limits for LiLi M. again.

Well I'm off to see the worlds most beautiful buttons now. I just wonder is there any blogger out there who buys just as many buttons as necessary, not just one for pleasure only? Have a nice week!

Buttons!

Hi button lovers of the world!

Through Heather's blog I arrived at Sugar*sugar where the lovely miss Analise asked whether we could show our buttons to the world. Well, being a button addict myself, I couldn't resist of course. One sign of my button addiction: I once went to Amsterdam by train (1.5 hrs) to buy heart shaped mother of pearl buttons. I needed them so bad to finish a pincushion.

It all started at my grandmothers'. When I visited her I loved to play with:

Those shiny black glass buttons. I used to play 'shop' with them.

Since I'm reading and lurking an awfull lot of American blogs, I have noticed that your buttons are far more colourful than ours. When I buy a box of buttons the vast majority of them is grey or brownish. That's also the case with our button cards:

Very to the point huh? No playing children or lovely ladies...I guess that's typical Dutch. Even nowadays there still aren't many people who buy beautiful and expensive buttons. The market is a typical place to buy such supplies.

But I still managed to collect these:

Well ladies for every 100 grey/brown dutch buttons there is one red one. So take your calculators please, to calculate my total amount of buttons...

Ok, I'm not playing a fair game as I buy vintage buttons loose sometimes. For my dutch readers: the Noordermark(e)t in Amsterdam is a great place to buy vintage buttons but the best is 'De Winkel' (Vrouw Juttenland 39) in Delft. I only have to warn you (probably an addict yourself). Don't fall apart when you see what they have done there with all vintage buttons on cards:

They just cut old cards in half or in more pieces AND they write prices on the face of the cards with black markers. I couldn't believe my eyes and of course I couldn't keep my mouth shut either. Someone has to save what's left of the diminishing button-on-card population. So I asked whether it please could be possible to write the price on the back of the card, preferably with pencil. The lady laughed loudly...Why on earth? They were pricing the buttons this way for more than 20 years now and NO ONE she repeated NO ONE did ever mind...I should almost boycot that place, but they have amazing glass buttons:

So lets skip the greys and the browns. I sometimes use them with old fashioned rope to pack something a little bit old fashioned.

If there is 1 red button on 100 grey/brownish oned, pink is even more rare. I guess 1 on every 200.

Mother of pearl, one of my old time favorites, is quite common, except for the heart shaped ones, but you know now that you can find them on the Noordermarket in Amsterdam.

And here some blue buttons. I have added the biggest blue one because its a typical one. My mother who was often sewing clothes used this one on a jacket for herself. In the sixties she used to wear costumes (jacket and skirt) complete with gloves, grace kelly bag and high heels. I can see her image vividly just when I look at that peculiar button. My parents' button box is like a photo album to me!

Like this one: a carved peach stone given to me to my neighbour Mrs. Trense. She was a very sweet old lady, who used to give me all kind of treasures. Like empty Avon bottles and boxes. I cherish her memory.

I remember those green ones, they were typical childrens buttons in the sixties.


Later on these childrens buttons arrived here. Of course I like everything. No limits for LiLi M. again.

Well I'm off to see the worlds most beautiful buttons now. I just wonder is there any blogger out there who buys just as many buttons as necessary, not just one for pleasure only? Have a nice week!

Bling my birdcage

Today it's Karla and Beth's bling your birdhouse day!

So ya wanna see my blinghouse?

You really didn't think that I would live in an ordinary house outside, did you??

It's bad enough that this cage was bought at the Action (a super cheap store here in the Netherlands) for less than 2 euros and revamped by LiLi into this:

Yeah, yeah it's a little of Sandra Evertson and it's a little of LiLi M.
Of course, the legs are LiLi's!!

(In fact I asked Beth if it was allright to bling a cage. Btw In case of not noticing the bling its a brooche on Marie Antoinette's dress. Just click the picture.)

I love bird cages. I have them in and around the house:

Mmmm, those inhabitants outside seemed to have suffered from winter. Aah, let them eat cake! Wait until spring, my little defeathered friends and your cages will be cleaned too (and you will be replaced I'm affraid, but I will allow them this one minute of fame now).

Not too much bling here either. I'm more the kind of girl who likes her birdcage the best just before it falls apart. I'm off now to see some more real blinghouses. You should do too and have fun. Thanks Beth and Karla for hosting this event.

Bling my birdcage

Today it's Karla and Beth's bling your birdhouse day!

So ya wanna see my blinghouse?

You really didn't think that I would live in an ordinary house outside, did you??

It's bad enough that this cage was bought at the Action (a super cheap store here in the Netherlands) for less than 2 euros and revamped by LiLi into this:

Yeah, yeah it's a little of Sandra Evertson and it's a little of LiLi M.
Of course, the legs are LiLi's!!

(In fact I asked Beth if it was allright to bling a cage. Btw In case of not noticing the bling its a brooche on Marie Antoinette's dress. Just click the picture.)

I love bird cages. I have them in and around the house:

Mmmm, those inhabitants outside seemed to have suffered from winter. Aah, let them eat cake! Wait until spring, my little defeathered friends and your cages will be cleaned too (and you will be replaced I'm affraid, but I will allow them this one minute of fame now).

Not too much bling here either. I'm more the kind of girl who likes her birdcage the best just before it falls apart. I'm off now to see some more real blinghouses. You should do too and have fun. Thanks Beth and Karla for hosting this event.

Happy Easter to all bunnies and chickies....

Hi!!
I can't hardly hear myself...
Easter has started here already...
First I had to stand in a corner behind a curtain. Some bunnies and chickies have suddenly disappeared. Every one is very cheery here, all having brown stuff in their mouthes. Wishing each and everyone a happy Easter!

(this was the last message of this funny bunny, never heard of him since)

Happy Easter to all bunnies and chickies....

Hi!!
I can't hardly hear myself...
Easter has started here already...
First I had to stand in a corner behind a curtain. Some bunnies and chickies have suddenly disappeared. Every one is very cheery here, all having brown stuff in their mouthes. Wishing each and everyone a happy Easter!

(this was the last message of this funny bunny, never heard of him since)

Spring is in the air!

Hi!!

I'm in Heather's junque in my trunk swap too!! I am soooo excited about it, shopping vintage again, yes! I have spent part of the weekend enjoying my swappartner (I do hope this is not supposed to be a secret, well it isn't anymore now) Carol's blog. What creative talent and she has such a beautiful garden. Be sure to visit her at Boxwood cottage, but don't do that if you haven't got plenty of time!
We did a total make over of our garden last year, if you don't remember you can refresh your memory here. I think my garden has potential but looks still a bit shabby ( no, not that shabby way we all want things to look, but the shabby way no one likes). I realized that having a beautiful garden as Carol has, must have been the result of hard work, so I started today. It was cold but sunny and I worked so hard that the cold didn't bother me at all. Luckily I have a garden facing south. When you're working in the garden you suddenly see things like:

hey, the Camellia has flowers and a lot of buds!!

little forget-me-nots!! I always like that blue!

This is Euphorbia, the first time I have this cultivar.

Helleborus in white and pink still has flowers

and a big surprise!!! I have several pots with this lavender, I wanted to cut it back when I saw I am already too late for that...there are new flowers already!

I had a great time discovering, thanks Carol for inspiration.

Another very lovely lady I want to thank very much is Elly. She gave me an award again and I am very happy to receive that honour. Also I have won one of her atc's!! Be sure to check her blog. You wonder if Elly has found those gnome armies. She is so creative and productive and everything she makes is so nice!! When I'll receive that atc I'll show you of course.
I will let you know another time to who I will give this award....

Have a nice week, btw do you have spring in your garden already? Hugs LiLi