I've been planning out one of my next projects, a trench using McCall's 5525 and some wonderful water resistant, charcoal grey Siltex I bought from Ressy's co-op a year or so ago. I'm thinking the longer option, view E. I dug through the stash and found a beautiful teal silky blend for the lining, and realized the pattern called for 14 buttons. Yikes... 14?
Well, Joann's wants as much as $5 for a card with 2 buttons on it, and I simply won't spend $35 on buttons. Heck, I won't spend $20 on buttons, and would really prefer to stay under the $15 mark! So the search began...
Sawyer Brook has gorgeous buttons. Expensive and gorgeous buttons. So does M&J, Mood, and Pacific Trimming! Ann... I might take you up on your offer!
The Button Drawer was a really neat find, recommended by someone on the PR board. Great selection and reasonable prices.
Ebay had some lovelies, but my conscience spoke up, and I won't pay $0.99 for a dozen buttons from China or Thailand. Sorry, but I'm also a "Buy American" kind of girl. But, I did find the most beautiful set of vintage black glass "mourning" buttons from Oklahoma. $10 for the set of eleven. Yes, I know I need 14! But, when I showed Michelle, she convinced me that I could get by with 11. Damn it... it's all Michelle's fault! ;)
Aren't they just beautiful???
So I logged on, made my bid, and held my breath. Tick tock tick tock... I'm still the highest bidder. 2 minutes... 1 minute... 10 seconds... 3 seconds... BOOM!!! The sneaky SOB made the higher bid with 2 seconds left, not enough time for me to re-bid. Dirty. Rotten. Scoundrel. Of all the low... wait. Why didn't I think of that????
So, now the button search resumes. Those buttons would've been so lovely on my charcoal grey trench... Boooooo hoooooo!!! If anyone has other great button resources, please do let me know!
13 comments:
I'm sorry to hear that this happened to you...it's happened to me too so I KNOW how mad you were! Here's hoping you find something else soon ~ and that they will be even more perfect than these!
Its the uncertainty that makes ebay fun. The worse part is hopuing to be outbid on some silly impetuous purchase. Now that NEVER happens.
Those are lovely, but, maybe this is the universe telling you that you do want more than 10. :) You will find something perfect, I'm sure!
Sorry to hear about the buttons. I am with you on the ebay buy it now, I am always looking for that button while shopping ebay. Good luck finding new buttons.
WOW! sorry you did not win, the buttons were beautiful. I consider myself an experience ebay buyer and yes I learned my lesson a long time ago. Someone outbid me 2 seconds before the end of the biding. Just like you I was hurt. Oh well you will find something else soon,
UGH - I totally hate that auction stuff too!
Try looking at local antique/vintage stores for buttons. Also, try the Salvation Army or other used clothing stores - buy an old blouse for $2 or coat for $10 and snip those buttons off! ;) good luck
LOL!!! It wasn't me, I swear!! But the next time you are bidding on a vintage pattern, and some SOB outbids you at the last second? THAT is me!
I say, splurge at Sawyer Brook, get something super....I mean, you are going to put hours and hours of work into this, so go crazy with the buttons.
Or...you could just put some plain grey ones on...for now...and then you can replace them later when the next super ebay find comes along.
I say splurge on the expensive buttons. A trench is a very labor intensive effort and your work is certainly worth it so top it off with the ideal buttons. I sure would and I can be a real cheapo sometimes, well, a lot of the time.
There is a website calle E-skype or similar, can't recall, that will bid for you electronically and wipe out the other bidders. Maybe someone can tell you what it exactly is called. I remember reading about it on PR.
That seems to happen to me too whenever I'm bidding on stuff on Ebay - I remember it happened to me a lot when I was bidding on my sewing machines there. I usually do Buy It Now too.
Have you checked out any antique shops for buttons? There's one out by my work and one of the booths has the most gorgeous buttons. They are all sorted out in plastic baggies...so much fun too look through them.
Thirty-five dollars for buttons sounds like a lot to me. Keep searching--you will find some. We got outbid in the last 2 seconds also, for some hard-to-find dishes, so know how you feel.
Oh no! Those are beautiful but hopefully something even better will come along!
Ah ebay, both a blessing and a curse. I hope you're able to find something else soon.
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