Button Bonanza: Fun Button Craft Ideas

What can you do with some mismatched buttons? More than you'd imagine. Here are some old-fashioned button craft projects you can do at home with materials you have at hand. So collect all of your unused buttons in a basket, gather together the children and review these craft ideas. One of them is sure to strike your fancy and add another adorable addition to your craft collection.

Button Bracelet
Button bracelets are fun to make and great for some hand eye coordination practice. String buttons of different colors, shapes and sizes onto a beading thread. To close, either knot the ends together, or tie a button to either end and then twist the two end buttons for an adjustable button bracelet.

Button Hair Clip
Use a hot glue gun to attach buttons to hair clips for easy accessorizing. Sweet and simple.

Button Wreath
Each child can make their own unique button wreath using colorful and interesting-shaped buttons. Thread buttons onto a thin wire until you have enough to form the wreath into the size that you want. Twist the two ends of the wire together. Hang with a ribbon.

Creative Clock
Make a creative clock using buttons. Cut a circle from heavy-duty card stock paper, cork or Styrofoam. Create a hole in the center for hands. Next, place a button around the circle to indicate each number on the face of the clock. Use pipe cleaners as hands and secure with a paper fastener. This can be one way to teach children how to tell time. You might consider purchasing an inexpensive battery-powered clock mechanism to create a working button clock.

Button Dress Up
Buttons can be a cool way to dress up clothing, shoes, and many accessories. Use a glue gun to decorate belts, sun hats and handbags.

Button Decor
Use novelty buttons to decorate ordinary household items and make them something special. Picture frames, shoe boxes, and even notebook covers look better when you add colorful buttons. Kids will have a ball gluing buttons on items then decorating the house. Buttons also make great mosaic crafts which can be applied to many different surfaces.

Button Flowers
Make an adorable floral display using buttons, pipe cleaners and craft foam. Use the pipe cleaners as stems and form leaves with green craft foam. Attach one end of the pipe cleaners through the holes in your buttons to create the flower head and you have a set of lovely flowers. Add several buttons to one stem for complex or multicolored flowers. Glue to a piece of poster board, display in a vase or "plant" the stems into a piece of Styrofoam painted green.

Button Magnets
Buttons make useful refrigerator magnets. Simply glue your magnet to the back of a button and voila, instant magnet. Or pair your button with ABC beads and craft sticks to make personalized magnets. Make a whole set for your fridge or to give as gifts. Hygloss makes self-adhesive magnetic strips for easy magnet making.

Personalized Napkins
You can add a bit of flair to ordinary linens, tablecloths or cloth napkins by embellishing with buttons. For example, place three or four buttons in one corner of a napkin in a triangle or square shape, and you've easily created a totally unique set of table napkins.

This is a great way to spruce of an old set of cloth napkins. Older children can practice sewing with this simple project. Younger kids can enjoy sorting and matching different buttons into patterns for the napkins. Use the same idea to make personalized gift tags.

These are just some ideas to help you put your old buttons to good use. Here's hoping that your next button craft turns out as cute as...a button.