What Can You Do With Spare Buttons?

Tips for Tuesday

Do you have a lot of spare buttons around the house?  Maybe they are from your grandmother's sewing basket.  Perhaps they are from your mother's dresses and coats.  Or maybe they are strays from your own clothing. 

Whether they are from a blouse or a pair of slacks, what can you do with them?  If they are in good condition, it's silly to throw them away.  So what do you do?  Here are some ideas.

·         Give them to a seamstress who might need just one or two of a kind for a project.

·         Give them to a crafter—single or multiples, they can be used in a variety of projects.

·         Use them to hold pairs of post earrings.

·         Put a magnet on the back and use them on your refrigerator to hold notes.

·         Put a thumbtack on the back and use them on your bulletin board.

·         Dump a colorful collection into a glass mason jar and use as a decoration.

·         String them into a bracelet or necklace.

·         Glue them to frames for a personalized look.

·         Sell vintage collections on eBay.

What have you done with spare buttons?

Caring for Your Jewelry

Tips for Tuesday

Last week we explored several creative options for storing your jewelry. Today, we are going to talk about caring for your jewelry. If gold and stones aren't cared for properly, they can break or get damaged. You don't want that to happen to your expensive pieces.

Even costume jewelry needs care so it lasts as long as it is in fashion (or comes back in fashion again.)

Here are ways to keep your jewelry looking its best:

• Check your jewelry every time you wear it for damaged links and faulty clasps. Have rings checked by a jeweler twice a year for loose stones.
• Fasten chains when you are not wearing them so they don't get knots.
• Sprinkle costume jewelry with baking powder, then gently brush with a soft toothbrush.
• Soak valuable jewelry in a solution of dishwashing liquid and water in a bowl for a few minutes, then brush gently with a toothbrush. Dry thoroughly with a hair dryer.
• Emeralds, pearls, opals and turquoise should not be cleaned in this solution. Emeralds should be professionally cleaned. Opals, turquoise and pearls can be rubbed gently with a chamois cloth.
• If you take your rings off when you wash dishes, keep a large safety pin near the sink. Place the rings on the pin, then fasten the pin to your clothes.
• Restring broken necklaces with fishing line, as it is very sturdy.
• Chains knotted? Place them on wax paper, put a drop of baby oil on the knot, then untangle them with pins or needles.
• If rings are stuck on your hands, lather them up with soap, or soak hands in ice water if they are swollen from the heat.

Caring for your valuable possessions will guarantee they will be with your family for generations.

Creative Storage Solutions for Jewelry

Tips for Tuesday

Do you have a drawer or box full of jewelry? Is it a tangled mess, making it impossible to find what you need? And when you find it, is it easy to disentagle it from the other pieces?

Yes, it's easy to just throw what you've worn for the day into a drawer. But it's NOT easy finding it again when you need it.

Here are some creative storage solutions to keep your jewelry tangle-free and make it easy to quickly find what you need.

• Use small finger-tip or dessert bowls to hold rings
• Thoroughly wash a stryofoam egg carton and use it for earrings, rings or pins
• Use an upright paper towel rod to hold bracelets
• Use a tiered dessert or cake stand for necklaces
• Paint and frame a screen or radiator grille, then hang necklaces from hooks, or stick earrings through it
• Purchase a hanging organizer with clear plastic pockets
• Use an over-the-door pocket shoe organizer for scarves
• Decorate and use a tackle box for earrings
• Purchase a cork board and decorative push pins, then hang your necklaces from the push pins

Never display your expensive pieces of jewelry. And never store them in the right-hand top drawer of your dresser. That is the first place thieves look for them.