Uses for Antique Buttons

• Antique buttons are tiny pieces of history. They can be made from a variety of materials: cloth, ceramic, bone, plastic, enamel, glass, metal, leather, wood and some of the earliest were made from coal. The thought of using antique buttons for anything other than a prized display may abhor avid collectors; however, there are numerous fun and creative uses for antique buttons that keep their history alive.
  
  

Decoration

• Antique buttons can be used for decoration for the home, art projects, gifts, clothing, and basically anything inspired by the creative mind. Use antique buttons to make jewelry such as bracelets, necklaces, earrings, or pins. Buttons strung with elastic cord makes a unique watch band.
  
  Colored buttons can be used to design Christmas sweatshirts by using green ones to form a Christmas tree, brown for the trunk, and other colors for tree decorations. Let white buttons form the shape of a snowman and create his features using colored ones. Cover Styrofoam shapes with buttons to make Christmas decorations and keepsake ornaments.
  
  Add personal flair to picture frames and photo albums by decorating with antique buttons. Spice up planters and flower pots by gluing on buttons. Adorn handbags, shoes, belts, pocketbooks and other accessories with buttons to add your own personal style and color to your wardrobe. Create monogram pillows or pictures to reflect individual style, personality or flavor (See References 1).
  
  Decorate the outside of candles, vases, lamps, greeting cards and bookmarks with buttons or show your artistic side and create a mosaic piece of art.
  
  

Donate

• Donate buttons to elementary schools. Art classes can use buttons in art projects with all age groups. Buttons also make great hands-on tools in teaching elementary math; they can be used in games or in math manipulations to aid in teaching counting, sorting and comparing.
  
  Buttons make great additions to craft supplies for church youth groups that can be used in weekly crafts and bible school arts and craft projects. They also make excellent counters for church bingo.
  
  

Miscellaneous Uses

• Antique button uses are endless. Use them as plates in miniature dollhouses, wheels on homemade cars, or glue a small magnet on the back and use as refrigerator magnets to hold notes, pictures and artwork.
  
  Buttons can be used to make inexpensive gifts such as picture frames, hair bows, key chains and more. You can easily convert anything considered plain and ordinary, to stylish and distinctive by adding a few buttons here and there, while allowing the history of each antique button to grow.