2nd Saturday--Button, Button, Who's got the Button?

Scrapbooking doesn't have to just be about paper, scissors, and glue. There are also embellishments! Why embellishments you ask? Well, they add style, personality, and texture and can take a simple layout to a whole new level.

Buttons are familiar objects in our lives, so why not add them to a scrapbook page? Flat buttons work the best, but if you find a button with a shank that you want to use, simply cut the shank off with a pair of wire cutters or a shank remover. To attach buttons, you can sew them directly to your page. But you can also thread floss, thin strips of paper, or ribbon through the button holes and tie a knot on the front. Then attach to the page with Glue Dots. This way you have a hand-sewn look without the work.

Here are a few ideas for using buttons creatively on a scrapbook page:

Use tiny buttons as accents, such as the dot on the letter "i" in the title or on the star on the Christmas tree.

Use shaped buttons to accent a border or a collage of elements.

Themed buttons can add a lot of character to a page or reinforce an idea such as the lady bugs shown above.

Incorporate buttons into your design by accenting other embellishments with them. Use them as flower centers, bug eyes, or wheels on a car.

On the layout above, a shaped button was placed inside a bottle cap then sprinkled with Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE). Melt the UTEE with a heat gun so the button stays permanently in place.

Use buttons in place of brads or eyelets. Here they were sewn onto the page to attach the title.

Create a grouping of flowers using buttons as the blossoms.

Buttons were used in a literal sense here to reinforce the sewing theme of this page.

Create large photo corners with groups of buttons.

Clear buttons are a real treat! Stamp a tiny pattern on them with Staz-on ink or place a circle of patterned paper behind them. The design shows through for a subtle accent.

Create the illusion of a sun by attaching yellow and orange buttons to a semi-circle cut from paper.

Drop a few buttons onto a layout and attach them where they fall.

Create a unique border with a row of buttons.

And finally, if you love the look of buttons but don't like the bulk, here is the perfect solution! Punch different shapes from a variety of patterned papers or cardstock. Use a "button hole" punch in the center of each shape. You will have the illusion of a button without the bulk.