Mad Caterpillar: Digging for Treasure

Picture heavy post ahead...

I have recently developed an urge to start collecting vintage buttons. I especially love the vintage buttons that have a flower style to them. I don't know much about old buttons, the materials they are made of, etc. etc, I just know that they have this wonderful unique look to them that you cannot generally find at craft shops or sewing stores. And I have all sorts of ideas as to what I'd like to use them for.

I have terrible luck in actually finding vintage buttons, though. I never see them at garage sales (and I always ask), and I am inevitably that person that gets to the thrift store just in time to see someone holding a tin of button treasure aloft and exclaiming the bargain they just found at two dollars for the lot.

So I turned to eBay. I don't have a big button budget, but I decided I'd roll the dice to see what I could get for a few bucks plus shipping. It simply amazes me that something that looks like this on first open...

... can end up looking like this after a little searching and sorting (and a LOT of cleaning):

Click for big.

My favorites from the lot.

The extra big surprise here was what great fun it was to dig for these tiny treasures! I had a blast searching through dirt and nails and pins and beans (there were lots of non-button items in the two lots I received), and finding wonderful colors and shapes that will find new life in future projects. I'm sure many of these will find their way to the shop in some form or another as soon as I get the time to turn ideas into reality.