Living for Love

I have three incredible children!  They bring Steve and I so much joy!  But I have also been blessed with a precious grandson and 4 beautiful Godchildren.  Meet Alan.  He is the oldest son of my best friend, Colleen and he now has an adorable daughter named Reina.

Recently I went “home” to California and got the chance to visit with Colleen, Alan and Reina and spend a day at the beach.  Reina and I spent the afternoon making sandcastles and jumping the waves that washed over our feet.  It was Heaven on Earth!

 

My Beach themed Beaded Button Bracelet was designed with these special kinds of memories in mind and I wear it when I want to feel surrounded by my favorite things.  I hope you’ll create your own memories and commemorate them with a button creation!

Junior Buttonists!

While at the Firehouse Quilt Show in Highlands Ranch, Colorado recently, I had the privilege of encouraging some budding Junior Button Collectors!  I hope you will all do the same by sharing your buttons and remembering to designate them to others for future collectors to enjoy!

This young man is also a very talented quilter at the tender age of 17!

I never get tired of seeing others enjoy digging through my button buckets!

Oh, The Possibilities!

This bracelet is the latest creation by my friend, Becky.  I “talked her into” trying the Beaded Button Bracelet pattern.  She was skeptical, at first, but she tried it and now she can’t stop!!!  It’s fun, fabulous and easy, even if you have never beaded before (just ask Becky!).  You can find the pattern, button sets and complete kits in our online store at www.JillionsofButtons.com.  They take an average of 4 hours to complete, so you can work on them for a hour each evening and finish in time for the weekend, but be warned: Once you start, it’s hard to stop!

Below is the first bracelet Becky made.Too cute!

Bead&Button Magazine - Goodyear rubber buttons

Bead&Button Magazine - Goodyear rubber buttons

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Strange Plants in California!

These are flowering artichokes!  I had never seen one before our trip to California.  These were growing in front of a winery in the McDowell Valley (my maiden name!).

These were in Carmel and I have no idea what they are, but they were certainly intriguing!

 

These seemed to be blue, green and purple!  Here is a closer look.  Again in Carmel…the land of unusual plants!

Lots of Inspiration in Denver!

I had a fabulous time seeing so many of you in Denver this last weekend.  What a creative bunch you are!  Here are a couple of the many wonderful ideas I found to share with you:

Look at this fun, chunky button necklace!

This pin was made from shell buttons and beads.

Why didn’t I think of this?

Just a few of MANY fun button ideas.  More to come!

Light Up My Life

I am fascinated by lighthouses and their lenses.  We saw some amazing Fresnel lenses on our trip. 

A 1st order Fresnel lens.  Note the size next to us as we look through the glass!  This extremely heavy lens turns effortlessly on the ring of “Chariot” wheels.

 

A 4th order Fresnel lens and the modern version that replaced it in the Crescent City light.

The 3rd order Fresnel lens still in the Point Cabrillo lighthouse. 

This 1st order Fresnel lens came from the Point Arenas lighthouse and is on display in the Maritime Museum in San Francisco.  It was taken at eye level, but the mechanical workings were below the ground level in a pit.  It sustained quite a bit of damage when the Coast Guard dismantled it and left it out without protection in the elements.  A lens like this would cost more than 2 million dollars to replace.

Tomorrow: A Botanical Study!