Category Archives: crafts

Greetings, everyone!  I hope all is well with you and yours.  Today I’m sharing some Vintage Button Rings I made, and hope you enjoy this peek at my latest crafting endeavor.

If you’ve been following my blog for some time now, you’re probably not a bit surprised to see me share this post.  After all, in years past, I’ve made Vintage Button Earrings, Vintage Button Bracelets, and Vintage Button Pendants.  It only seems natural that rings would be next, right?  I didn’t consider making rings until very recently, when nature forced my hand.  (No pun intended)

You see, I’ve got big, strong peasant hands. I get them (and much of my physical appearance) from my Dad’s side of the family.  My father’s hands were truly humongous, and my hands are in no way small and dainty.  Not only that, my fingers have a tendency to swell at times.  Rather than have pricier rings in “real metals” that may or may not fit me at any given time, I’ve decided to wear adjustable rings that I embellish myself.  Then I can resize the ring at will, based on which finger I’m wearing it on that day.  Woo hoo!

Not only is this more practical, given my somewhat challenging hands, I’m really happy about how creative I can be with these buttoned beauties.  They’re unique,  inexpensive, and are so fun to mix and match!  They’re super quick and easy to make, too, so grab your button box (or your Granny’s) and make some rings of your own.

Materials
*

Buttons – vintage or new
Ring blanks – I found mine on Etsy
Sand paper for leveling the back off the buttons
Wire cutters – for removing the shank from buttons (if applicable)
Epoxy (I like the 5-minute versions for nearly-instant gratification)

Instructions
*

1. Remove the shank from the button (if applicable) by cutting it off with the wire cutters.
2. Sand the back of the button if there’s any protruding bits of shank left and it needs to be leveled out.
3. Place the button face down on a protected surface.
4. Dip the flat, round disk of the ring blank into a small puddle of epoxy, then place the round disk part of the ring onto the center of the back of the button.
5. Make sure the blank is centered on the back of the button, and let the epoxy set without moving the two pieces.
6. Wear and enjoy!

This is how the button looked with the ring blank set on it for gluing – minus the epoxy.

My Process & Yield
*

I sorted out buttons and set out the supplies to make these rings one night last week.  The sorting and choosing took a little while since I have (ahem) a fair amount of buttons.  However, once I was actually ready to assemble, it went quickly.

I worked in batches.  First I cut the shanks off and prepped all the buttons, then moved onto gluing.  I had 20 buttons and blanks, and mixed up enough epoxy for approximately 7 rings at a time.  (Tip: I mix my epoxy on pieces of aluminum foil and mix it with a wooden toothpick)

It took me less than 30 minutes to make 20 rings once the buttons were selected – quick and easy!  And I LOVE the way they turned out.

MORE!
*

Yep, I’m making more.  One might think 20 button rings would be enough for one gal, but one would be wrong.  ;]  Somehow I missed sorting through my silver buttons before making my 20 rings.  This is totally ridiculous because silver’s what I wear the most!  Once I discovered this silly oversight, I knew I’d have to order some more ring blanks and make at least five more rings.  We’ll see how many I eventually end up with – I’m sure it will be more than 25.  I don’t feel bad for this particular excess though, since I already have a stash of buttons and it’s such a low-cost project.  After all, I could collect expensive shoes or purses, right? :]

I hope you’ve enjoyed this peek at my DIY Vintage Button Rings.  Until next time…

Warm regards,
Melody