Button Wealth

I may not have a 401K but I've got buttons, and buttons are forever. I have a vintage button collection that I use to embellish clothing, whether a fully tailored creation or a repurposed number. When the garment gives out, I snip off the buttons and put them in my button basket until they're put back into use. Some button finds, however, are too good to wait in a basket. I love these button cards for different reasons. The upper left and bottom card are salesman's samples. The upper right is a retail card—I love the way the buttons are attached to a graphic of a man's shirt.

Note the slogan: "A garment is no better than its buttons." These two cards are "framed" in little cardboard shadow boxes covered with old sewing patterns. The Bluebird button card frame also has a layer of wax on top.