Button Swap Blog Hop

If you'll remember, back in February, Michelle Mach made a call for participants in a Button Swap. I was quick to sign up for this challenge. You know I'm a button fiend!

Before long, I was exchanging e-mails with my swap partner Maryanne of Zingala's Workshop and sorting out buttons to send to her.

Maryanne left me gasping when I received the button goodies in the mail from her.

It wasn't long before I set to work on some projects incorporating those treasures. I even gave a few sneak peeks here as teasers.

At long last, I can tell you my process and show you what I created. Hold on tight!
I placed the card Maryanne sent on my bulletin board for a few days to gather some inspiration. However, I knew as soon as I saw the buttons she sent that I would start with the handmade green button first. No matter how I looked at the button or turned it over in my hands, it screamed at me over and over, "I'm a Tree!!" So a tree I made her!

Since I had just finished watching the whole The Lord of the Rings Trilogy again when I made her, I imagined that she is one of the lost Ent Wives. Of course, at other times I consider that she is a wood nymph. I know that this necklace is a bit unconventional, but I really HAD to make her into the tree she so desperately wanted to be. 

It was a simple matter of twisting green seed beads and wire to make her branches and then braiding silk ribbon, a suede strip, and hemp cord for her trunk/body. I added some brown seed beads for a little sparkle. More suede cord and a clasp were added to complete the necklace.

Once that necklace was complete, I knew I wanted to make at least one more project with the buttons. I opted for the grey pearl button and selected a few complementary beads and a small glass button.

With some head pins, lengths of chain, and jump rings; I formed a simple focal that was added to a chain. 

These necklaces are at two opposite ends of the spectrum, but that's so much like me!

Before you start hopping around to see what everyone else has created with their buttons, let me tell you that Michelle (our gracious host) is having a giveaway of a set of buttons. She has more details on her blog. But here's the gist. Comment on each of the Button Swap Blog Hop blog posts and you get one entry for each comment. That means you can get 25 entries into the giveaway. Leaving me three comments will NOT get you three entries, only one. So, leave me a comment and hop away!!

Button Swap Blog Hop Participants

1. Cat - Boo Beads
2. Cindy - Sweet Bead Studio
3. Cory - Art with Moxie
4. Cyndi - Beading Arts
5. Dita - Alankarshilpa
6. Donna, Marti, and Michelle - Beads & Books
7. Erin - Treasures Found
**8. Hope - Crafty Hope (You are HERE!!)
9. Inca - Zerenity Design
10. Katrine - Army of Sock Monsters

11. Krista - French Elegant Jewelry
12. Kristie - Artisan Clay
13. Linda D. - Lutka and Co.
14. Linda L. - Linda's Bead Blog
15. Lody - Lody's Beadworks
16. Lori - Pretty Things
17. Loretta - Loretta's Boutique
18. Malin - Beading by Malin de Koning
19. Mary - MK's Creative Musings
20. Maryanne - Zingala's Workshop

21. Melinda - Melinda Orr Metal & Clay Jewelry Designs
22. Saskia - Perlendistel
23. Shannon - For My Sweet Daughter
24. Shirley - Beads and Bread
25. Stephanie - Confessions of a Bead Hoader

 Thanks for stopping by!