Handmade BUTTONS | Ursula Markgraf

Big button sale – and a new beginning

By Ursula Markgraf | March 23, 2014 - 07:20 |May 20, 2018 Handmade BUTTONS

You haven’t heard from me in some time. During the last weeks I especially learned one thing: that in the past I was working on too many projects at a time. That was not healthy for me, and certainly not very good for the projects either.
Therefore I made a decision to mostly work on only ONE project in the future. As my heart belongs to mixed-media art and writing, this means that I will take a break from the buttons.

When or if I will make buttons again for sale I can not say yet. Maybe I get inspired at some point and create a special button collection. :-) But what I know for sure – the buttons will not ever again be the main focus of my shop.

I have been thinking about this for a long long long time. And it was not an easy decision. (After all, I do really love buttons. And I do love making them.) But the more time passes, the more I believe it is the right decision.

In order to make saying goodbuy to my handmade buttons a bit easier for you I created a little surprise. There will be one (and the only one) final „Button goodbye“-Sale! Or rather a „New beginnings“-Sale. :-)

As of today until the 31^st of March, 2014 all buttons in my shop are reduced by 30%

This will be the ONLY button sale I will ever hold. So if you are keen on getting your hands on some of my buttons – this is your chance! Starting at the 1^st of April, 2014 there will be no more buttons in my shop!

And if you are keen to know what will happen after the sale … what will happen to the Sunday whispers … Honestly, I do not really know yet. :-) Right now I am taking one step at a time. But I will be in touch after the sale via newsletter. So if you are curious where this will go, feel free to sign up below.

And now – happy button shopping! :-)

Snowflake buttons

By Ursula Markgraf | January 31, 2014 - 21:01 |May 20, 2018 Handmade BUTTONS

What do you think?

I have to admit I am not a winter person. I do like the look of snow and I am also up for a nice stroll. But when it is freezing outside what I really prefer is to stay cuddled up on the sofa with hot tea. :-) I would prefer if people would start to hibernate. ;-)

Would you be up for it?

Of cats and dogs

By Ursula Markgraf | October 25, 2013 - 12:28 |May 20, 2018 Handmade BUTTONS

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So we had a rather unexpected addition to our family recently. An old (and also rather sick) cat came not just into our lives – but also our heart and my studio. ;-)

I know that it sounds slightly crazy to “adopt” an old and sick cat – especially when your husband has a cat hair allergy and you already own a dog. But if we would have not taken her to our home she would have been starved to death by now. (She was being fed, but as she was very sick the food did not really help her much.)

I did not feel like I have a choice. This little being that only consisted of a bit of fur and bones just broke my heart. So she moved into my studio. However, she did not like the box with blankets we gave her. She rather chose her space herself. Typical cat! ;-)

At first I was not too happy that the chosen space was INSIDE my desk. But what should I have done. It is pretty pointless to fight with a cat. And if the cat is old and sick even more so …

She seemed happy, so I put my books and folders aside and put a blanket into the desk and that is where she lives now.

It was kinda fitting that at about the same time some “pets” moved into my online store. (Funny, right?!) First Boomer and Murphy – two melancholic dogs – moved in and are waiting for their new and cozy home.

Handmade dog button “Murphy”

And of course then a few cats had to follow.

Handmade cat button Mau

Where would you let the cat or dog buttons live?

If you wanna know my answer come back next week as I will share it in a separate blog post about a little cat and dog home I made last year around Christmas. :-)

Edited: The post about the “home” for cat and dog buttons has been published. :-)

I give you …

By Ursula Markgraf | February 26, 2013 - 20:01 |May 20, 2018 Handmade BUTTONS

19 Comments

my heart. ;-)

Yes, I am still alive. ;-) I will tell you more why I was missing in action for the last couple of weeks in the next few days. So – be excited!

But now I want to show you something I made – sweet heart buttons!

I was playing around with some new tools in January. At snaply you can buy now marking punches (is that the correct term?). I have been searching quite for some time for beautiful small stamps and I was supercurious to see what I could do with them. Here you can see the first examples. There will be more. ;-)

And a little closer … :-)

What do you think?

And what would you like to see written on a button?

Comment below … :-)

Gingerbread buttons … for a gingerbread house

By Ursula Markgraf | July 29, 2012 - 17:59 |May 20, 2018 Handmade BUTTONS

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Finally I can reveal why my summer seems so Christmasy. :-)
It actually does not really have to do much with Christmas after all. Or at least it does not have to … (It can however. *lol*)

The gingerbread buttons I made are *drumroll* for a crochted gingerbread house!
Which I designed and crocheted. :-)

Photo with permission of OZ-Verlag

And yes, many people associate gingerbread houses with Christmas. However, I quite like to read the fairytale of Hänsel and Gretel at other times of the year, too. Don’t you?

And the pattern can be seen in the journal Anna Special by the OZ-VERLAG. The full title is Originelle Köstlichkeiten – Süßes + Herzhaftes zum Häkeln, Nähen, Filzen and you can order it HERE .

Apart from the pattern to my crocheted gingerbread house it also contains other tutorials for yummy treats … sewn, crocheted, felted …

Btw, my cute crocheted gingerbread house does not only look cute – it can also be quite useful. :-) It is the perfect size as a pincushion.

But if you really want to of course you can also give them as little gifts for Christmas. :-)

P.S. Of course you can also use these tiny buttons to decorate a sewn gingerbread house … or a knitted one … or a felted one … ;-)

Gingerbread buttons

By Ursula Markgraf | July 27, 2012 - 09:53 |January 14, 2022 Handmade BUTTONS

10 Comments

I am still waiting for a photo so I can finally show you why I am making gingerbread buttons in the middle of summer.

But now I would like to show you that my products actually are 100% HANDMADE.

Not just the buttons themselves are handmade. But also the little tags, that the buttons are sewn onto are made with lots of love by my hands! :-)

1 -This is what the button tag looks in the beginning.

2 – The tag gets stamped.

3 – The tag gets cut. By hand.

4 – And this is just to test you and see whether you are really paying attention while reading. ;-)

5 – A hole is punched into the tag. Again by hand.

6 – The tag gets a dashed line – also by hand.

7 – Finally the buttons are sewn onto the tag. Of course – by hand. :-)

Pretty?

Buttons for witches, wizards and such

By Ursula Markgraf | January 16, 2012 - 07:09 |October 9, 2015 Handmade BUTTONS

3 Comments

During the last weeks I sold quite a few of these glow-in-the-dark witch themed buttons:

As you can see there are different pictures on them: bats, cats, hats :-), spiders and spiders webs, even a cauldron. Oh, and witches of course!
Who would have thought that witches or saucerers are going to shop at my little store?And yes, they really do glow in the dark:

Too bad, that my daughter does not want to be a witch for Mardi Gras/carnival in her kindergarten this year. ;-)

I actually did not think that I would sell many this time of year. Originally I have had the idea last year before Halloween. But I will not complain. ;-)