ReadyMade: Instructions for everyday life

Closure Encounters

Three ways to use up all those extra buttons

Photos by Aya Brackett

LIGHT BRIGHT
We found this cylindrical table lamp at Ikea and decided to bedeck it. To make your own, gather a pleasing assortment of vintage buttons (consider color palette and patterns), and adhere them to the inside of the (unassembled) shade using clear epoxy or double-sided tape. Let the shade dry for a few hours, put the lamp together, flip the switch, and bask in the light of your custom creation.

SQUARE ONE
Sick of the delivery guy not finding your place? Ditch those nondescript house numbers and make this framed button mosaic. Using a computer, print out your street address in large type. Cut the paper to fit a frame (ours is 8” x 10"), spray-mount the paper onto a piece of foam board, and apply a thin layer of hot glue to attach buttons to the paper, using the printed digits as a guide. The fewer colors you use the better; too many hues make the mosaic hard to read. Frame, then hang. No more cold pizza for you!

ENTRY POINTS
To make this hallway rack, we collected a handful of large buttons and “sewed” them onto a piece of scrap wood. Drill a few small holes through the wood and, using thick thread or twine, stitch on the buttons, tying a knot at the underside of
the wood. Reinforce each with a dab of hot glue, and hang. To attach keys, slip a piece of fabric through the key ring, sew the ends together, and cut a slit to keep them buttoned up and always within reach.