Sorting and Swapping

 

I dumped my box of vintage buttons onto the kitchen counter a couple of days ago so I could find the perfect ones to send to my swap partner, Kirsty.  The girls have been fascinated by them ever since.  They are sorting them constantly and get very excited if they find a match.

With all the trashing out and organizing going on in the sewing room, I got the great idea to put my kids to work for me.

My willing apprentices are putting them in jars, sorted by color.  I've been wanting to do this for awhile, but they want to do it even more.  The way I look at it, it's a win-win situation:  fun for them and lucky for me.  Now if they would just wrap the swap package and take it to the post office....Oh well, I will do that tomorrow.  I promise, Kirsty!

Happy Wednesday!

Comments

[Sarah]

Sorting buttons is hands down one of Jack's favorite activities. He has a huge button collection of his own!

[amy h]

They need to come work on my buttons! Actually, I don't mind color-sorting -- I just need to do lots of ick-scrubbing first.

[Joanne]

My girls love to play in my button jar too. And they love to play in my mom's button jar, which has many of the same funky buttons I remember playing with as a little girl. Isn't it funny how something as simple as a jar full of buttons can keep kids entertained for hours. Way better than television!

[meg]

i know what amy means - sorting old buttons makes your hands dirty. but i love sorting. i think i could happily work in a factory. mindless stuff is fun...

[Craftyminx]

haha I do the same thing with my mom's button box and I'm 24. It never gets old.

[leslie]

I brought back my grandmothers button collection from Florida.....Libby had her hands in in for hours!.....Yours are going to be so displayed so beautifully by color! Love that!

[Anina]

This brings back memories! My mom had a box full of buttons and would let us play with them every so often. I wonder if she still has them...

[amandajean]

I have my buttons (well, I have started, anyway) sorted into Ball canning jars, and I hope to find some of the old metal looking lids to cap off each jar. It looks great on my shelf in my craft room. And with a button collection the size I have, I started sorting them by color for purely practical reasons.

[heidi]

my girls folded freshly washed baric for me on saturday. i kid you not. my ten year old took about five minutes with each piece, like it was glass and might break. i don't even want to use it now! its so perfect and square. i think she may be a bity more ocd than even me!

[kirsten]

love the button-sorting! we need to do that more often around here.

(you and kirsty are partners? how cool! i skipped this round of the swap. :(

[Sonya]

I am so glad to learn that others - many others obviously, whole swapfuls - have masses of buttons in boxes and jars. I don't feel so alone in the universe anymore.

[Tracy]

An old button box or jar...Great way to spend some hours, just digging & sorting & admiring...Need another button helper, I'll gladly join in--LOL! It's also refreshing to know that some old buttons brings more joy than tv or pc games to young ones. Happy Days! :o)

[Mae]

I have fond memories of going through my Mom's button box. So many colours and textures - fun!

[Julie]

I started a button collection when I was a little girl because I admired my grandmother's jar full of buttons. Sad thing is, I'm not sure where it ended up.

[Erin S.]

That's quite an impressive stash of buttons. BTW...do you hire out those two cute apprentices of yours?

[Sarah]

It's so funny, I bought some jars just like yours last week and colour coded all of my buttons. It took an age. Lucky you to have helpers! And cute ones at that.

[julie]

are your apprentices available for hire? ;)

[Maureen]

I remember sorting through the button pail as a child. There's something about the coolness of buttons that seem irresistable! Soon enough my kids will be old enough to do this too (without being concerned about choking hazards!) Thanks for sharing!