mma big art buttons

big art on a button! my last body of work consisted mainly of deconstructing large paintings that ended up rolled and not quite as i anticipated, or were just calling out for a rebirth! having all sorts of small pieces left i though! voila! art buttons for the original demiscarf and for others to create with. great for purses, etc. now i'm on the hunt for the best waterproof sealant for these little treasures. the buttons are coat sized, with holes large enough for a yarn needle to fit through. i'm excited to see what happens! right now i'm experimenting with e6000 sealant but will be looking into resin as well...i need something that will be long lasting. one day i hope these will be in the vintage category, with my daughter or my daughter's daughter (if Jesus doesn't come back first!) saying, "look at this find! my grandma made these buttons in the 2000's" and maybe she can put them on a sweater and wear it to "2000's day" at school! ;D at any rate, i'm also making these into pins. so, if you visit my website (www.marymakesart.etsy.com) you'll see them soon...and they'll show up at my favorite lovely fiber arts store, "puffy mondaes" (www.puffymondaes.com).
--the buttons are created with a wooden disc base,
--then i carfully choose pieces of paintings that have been deconstructed and adhere them to the discs with my secret formula ;D,
-- i break out my very first 'power tool', a dremel, and very very carfully drill holes into each button and i mean carefully, it took a bit of practice to understand how to hold the buttons so that the drill does not 'skip' and put a hole way on the oppostie side then what i intended.
--after the holes are drilled, i seal the buttons in yet another careful process that takes two runs of coating the buttons
--finally, i take out the dremel and recreate the holes from the sealant covering.
--then i lovingly tie the button to an 'mma big art button' card specially designed for these one of a kind buttons to use on your favorite projects, or just to embellish your favorite item (a purse, or anything hand washable). i recommend washing whatever you attatch these button in by hand in cool water.
if you have any questions about the button, please don't hesitate to email me at marymakesart1972@yahoo.com
thank you! --mary portteus, marymakesart