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What's New with WBA? |
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 Hello Fellow Buttoners, The shortest month of the year is a very busy one, at least here in America. First, there's Groundhog Day, where Punxsutawney Phil comes out of his hole to tell us whether we'll have more winter or see an early spring. Next up is the Super Bowl, then Valentine's Day, then Presidents' Day, and the whole month is a celebration of Black History. Whew! Perhaps the most celebrated event this month, unless your team wins the Super Bowl, is Valentine's Day. With that comes one of the most universally recognized symbols, the heart, along with gifts of chocolate and flowers to our loved ones. Mostly forgotten, however, is the role buttons have played in how we express love. From heart-shaped designs to sentimental keepsakes sewn onto clothes, buttons have long been a part of how we show love and creativity. In the 18th and 19th centuries, buttons were more than fasteners; they were statements. Sometimes they were given as a token of affection, especially when the cost of jewelry was too high. Carved bone, porcelain, and glass buttons featuring hearts, flowers, or initials displayed feelings or intentions. During the Victorian era, when emotions were kept low-key, buttons sewn onto clothing could signal mourning or affection. A button could sometimes say what words were unable to articulate. One of the most endearing traits of a button is its ability to hold memories. Buttons may be small, but they connect us to one another. A tin of buttons can evoke warm recollections of the mother or grandmother who saved them. A lone button found in the bottom of a drawer can be a precious reminder of days and people gone by. On Valentine's Day especially, a button can remind us that love lives in the small things every day of our lives. Happy Buttoning, Debbie WBA UPDATES Lynn Keller has resigned from her position as parliamentarian and as host of New Collectors' Club. Thank you Lynn for your time and effort on behalf of WBA. Jocelyn Howells will be the new host for New Collectors' Club. While the focus of this group is on guiding new collectors, Jocelyn wants everyone to know they are welcome to come and participate. After all, everyone is a new collector of something. Gina Barrett will move into the monthly hosting position for Creative Expressions beginning in February. Welcome, Gina. Joy Journeay will continue to host the spring and fall events. Finally, WBA founder Simone Kincaid has announced her resignation. Her familiar and hearty laugh will be missed at Button Talk as well as her ability to Google and come up with answers at a moment's notice. She worked tirelessly to help create WBA. Thank you, Simone. WEBSITE UPDATES Still thinking about contributing to WBA? Send us your short encyclopedia entries, articles, anecdotes, or whatever stories of interest you'd like to share! A small paragraph or two and a button or two make for a nice post! ABOUT: New Board Members ENCYCLOPEDIA: Berlin Iron PROGRAM RECORDINGS: Mourning Buttons by Dorothy Krugner Bring Your Bling with Joy Journeay Queen Bee Millinery with Ranelle Larocque MEMBER MARKET: Don't forget to shop the Member Market! New buttons have been added to many of the stores. Do you have some buttons you'd like to sell? Set up a Google Photo, Flickr, or other photo site, and we can help you from there. We'll use that link to point members to the buttons you want to sell. If you already have a selling site, we can link to it as well. Wanna trade? Looking for something special? We can post those requests on our Bulletin Board at the top of the Member Market page. Member Market is an awesome member benefit. Use the Member Market Form to send your requests. WEBSITE ASSISTANT: We're still looking for an assistant to help with the website for a few hours per month. If you have Weebly experience, website design/layout, or know HTML (nice but not required), we'd love to hear from you. Hello Buttoners, It's 3am. I can't sleep, so I try to be productive instead of just begging the sandman to come. I just finished the book I've been reading, so now what? I think about WBA and what needs to be done. Ah, the blog! I'm no Clement Moore, but I write anyway. Happy Holidays, Debbie  Website Updates What's New for 2026? We added a few new features to the website. There are two buttons for help: one for general login issues and another for Zoom help. If you are having issues registering for programs or missed registering, click on the button, and your Zoom host will do her best to review the emails a few minutes before the presentation opens.
PRESENTATION RECORDINGS: "Carving Buttons" by Brad Elfrink We thank Judy Masur for gifting the "Is that a Colt?" presentation she gave to the Historical Button Club of Idaho to WBA, and Joy Journeay for her gift, "Bugs." Both are posted under the Recordings tab. NEW ARTICLES: Zwirnknöpfe Buttons by Gina Barrett ENCYCLOPEDIA ENTRIES: Antiquarian shank Box shank Inserted shank Key shank - two new images Niello (early) - Outside of Thailand Omega shank - new image Soufflé glaze Tintype (ferrotype) Wood back Zwirnknöpfe MEMBER MARKET: Let's welcome Simone Kincaid to the Member Market! WEBSITE ASSISTANT: We're still looking for an assistant to help with the website for a few hours per month. If you have Weebly experience, website design/layout, or know HTML (nice but not required), we'd love to hear from you.  These are tomorrow’s collectables: plastic and natural materials. As I write this it's late November and the Holiday Season is in full swing. For us in America, the first "There goes my diet" day during the holidays arrives this month at Thanksgiving. We cook for days, eat in minutes, spend the next hour cleaning up, maybe go for a walk, then collapse on the couch. More and more events fill the calendar until, in a few short weeks, Santa arrives. Holiday light tours, shopping, special holiday productions holiday markets; it's a whirlwind. Then boom, suddenly, it's a new year. But now in the evenings I leave the TV football watching to my husband and retreat to my button room. The upstairs is quiet and there's nothing to distract me. I leave my phone and iPad elsewhere so as not to be tempted to scroll. Me time. Time to play with my buttons. I have a large wicker basket filled with buttons on cards like the ones you see here. These are buttons I picked up at sewing stores and wherever buttons were sold. I often forget they're around and am always delighted to rediscover them. Their subject matter is so varied and charming. I hope you take some time to pamper yourself during this season when we always seem so rushed. Make time for you, whether it's time alone, time together with some special people, or baking cookies. Focus on that which brings you peace and joy and you will pass those qualities on to others. I wish you much peace and joy as the year winds down and that they follow you into the new year. Thank you to Maureen Needham, who filled in as president last month. Maureen has resigned her position and we wish her well as she moves on to her next challenge. Happy Buttoning, Debbie WEBSITE UPDATES Thanks to all of our contributors to the website! New contributions keep our website fresh and interesting. We are building such a valuable knowledge base for all of our members and researchers. PROGRAM RECORDINGS: DRESSING THE GUILDED AGE with Gwen Whiting, Washington State Historical Society CHERISHED MEMORIES with Joy Journeay WBA DIGITAL JOURNAL West's Spring Solitaires by Alan Hepburn Dorset Buttons by Gina Barrett Early Niello Buttons (Made Outside of Thailand) by Jane Perry MEMBER MARKET - LET'S WELCOME OUR NEWEST ADDITIONS and LET'S GO SHOPPING! Kaori Uwashige of Japan Brad Elfrink of Missouri Gina Barrett of the UK NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA ENTRIES: We've added the following entries to the WBA Encyclopedia. Thanks to the members for their contributions. We are still encouraging members to contribute to this valuable resource. Submit your entry through the online form. Dorset Buttons Escutcheon Metal Deposit West's Spring Solitaires WEBSITE CHOPS: Do you have website design experience, knowledge of HTML, and graphic design experience? We're looking for a website assistant. Contact Pam Luke if you have a few hours a month you can volunteer.  In Debbie’s absence, welcome to What’s New? It may be a shorter edition for October because of timing constraints, but we hope you will enjoy the theme. Buttons with a History. This bronze button was found in a field in the Heart of Middle England. The finder had some hopes of a connection to Eleanor of Aquitaine and the passing by of the funeral cortège to its final resting place in London. Research into the design suggested a South American connection, and eventually, a plaque in the British Museum was found with many similarities. The plaque was identified as from the Mayan or Inca civilisations. It isn’t known whether bronze was made by the these early peoples although they did have the natural materials available. It’s possible that bronze making was introduced by the Spanish Invaders after c. 1493. How this button came to be in Britain will always be a mystery and could be the stuff of legends. We will have a mythical theme to our December Presentation to end our year at WBA. Join us if you can.  This large silver-plated button is most likely Dutch and has been dated as probably around c. 1900. It carries a signature, and the decoration looks to be an addition in something of an Art Nouveau style. It depicts clog dancers in some kind of celebration and wearing traditional dress. Silver buttons have a long history in Holland and were much prized. As many buttons as possible were used on costumes from early times. Dutch buttons in traditional designs are still made today. Maureen Needham President Pro-tem WEBSITE UPDATES Thanks to all of our contributors to the website! Your contributions keep our website fresh and interesting. We are building such a valuable knowledge base for all of our members and researchers. PROGRAM RECORDINGS: PEWABIC POTTERY with Annie Dennis COCONUT BUTTONS with Jocelyn Howells WBA DIGITAL JOURNAL West's Spring Solitaires by Alan Hepburn VAULT - NEW STUDY SHEET Coconut Shell (5 pages) NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA ENTRIES: We've added the following entries to the WBA Encyclopedia. Thanks to members and guests for their contributions. We encourage members to contribute to this valuable resource. Submit your entry through the online form. ASTRA BUTTONS LIVERPOOL TRANSFER MENNECY NIELLO OMEGA SHANK PINNA SHELL (PEN SHELL) PEWABIC POTTERY RESIN RUSKIN POTTERY NEW COLLECTORS CORNER - Call for Member Participation We invite you to look through this partial list of requests, choose something that interests you, and write a short paragraph or two. Include a few images of one or two buttons from your own collection, or the WBA Team can find pictures for you. Submit your paragraph and photos via the online form. Have another idea? Shoot us an email! Additions this month: Burwood Satsuma Syroco Tintype Arts and Crafts style Art Deco style Art Nouveau Intaglio Moonglow Omega shank Perfume Buttons Radiants Plique-à-jour Consider contributing to WBA in this small way! Our New Collectors thank you!!! WEBSITE TIP AND TRICK: Did you know you could enlarge the Button 10s video to view in full screen? Here's the trick!
 If you attended the Creative Expressions program "Buttons in Wonderland" on September 16, you heard Joy Journeay's retelling of the original Alice in Wonderland, incorporating buttons into the story. I've never been much into fairy tales, but I do love police procedurals. What if Alice were a policeman? How would buttons fit in if the main character were, say, Sherlock Holmes? For Holmes, as for many button collectors, the hunt is a large part of the fun. Holmes searches for clues to solve a "Who done it?" while the button collector searches for clues that tell the story of the button. For Holmes, clues at the crime scene and in-person interviews form much of his search. For the collector, the button holds many clues about itself: material, shank type, and construction often lean towards telling its age. An eye for detail during this stage is important for both detectives. As Holmes collects clues and makes his deductions, the button collector begins their investigation through research, looking for answers to the following questions and more: Where was it made and in what decade? Is a motif representative of an era? How were they worn? Holmes may trace a bit of dog fur back to an almost extinct breed owned by a hermit in Tibet, which was then snuck into England as a clue to solving his puzzle, but the button collector has more obvious ways to obtain clues. Through reference books, Google searches, and fellow club members, pieces of its story are told. Its origin is traced. Its story comes together. For Holmes, the best part of the story came when all the pieces fit together and he was able, without a doubt, to identify the culprit. For collectors, combining all the clues to discover the story behind a button is the satisfaction, making the hunt so worthwhile. The next time you hold a little mystery in your hand, channel your inner Sherlock and discover the story behind it. Happy Buttoning, Debbie WEBSITE UPDATES PROGRAM RECORDINGS: Wedgwood with Maureen Needham Notable World Button Makers with Pam Luke & Friends Antique Buttons & the Wonders of Rome with Anna Maria Paparozzi & Daniella Hunt Alice & Buttons in Wonderland with Joy Journeay CREATIVE: Congratulations to all of the winners in the "Buttons in Wonderland" tea party. A video of the entries has been posted to the Creative Expressions Page. ENCYCLOPEDIA: We've added the following entries to the WBA Encyclopedia. Members are welcome to contribute to this valuable resource. Feel free to submit an entry (short and sweet and a few images of buttons) using the online form. ABS ACRYLIC AMINO EDWARDS, KEN IGLOO CHINA JACKSONIAN MELAMINE (see Amino Resin) PILKINGTON POLYESTER UREA (see Amino Resin) NEW COLLECTORS CORNER - Call for Member Participation Lynn Keller has been busy educating new collectors with informative and interactive programs. Each month, they begin by reviewing some of the WBA Encyclopedia listings. NCC Members are encouraged to submit ideas for new entries. This is where the entire WBA Membership comes in! We invite all of you to look through this partial list, choose something that interests you, and write a short paragraph or two. Include a few images of one or two buttons from your own collection, or the WBA Team can find pictures for you. Submit your paragraph and photos via the online form. We'll add more subjects to the list next month. Arts and Crafts style Art Deco style Art Nouveau Intaglio Moonglow Omega shank Perfume Buttons Radiants Plique-à-jour Consider contributing to WBA in this small way! We thank you, and so do our New Collectors!!! WORLD BUTTON GALLERY Thanks to Inge Borland for submitting the beautiful Satsuma with a cobalt back. It can be found under Japan. MEMBER MARKET - CONTROL FIND TRICK Did you know you can search the "Member Market" by using the "Ctrl+F" (Control Find) feature on your computer? A box pops up for you to type in a "key" word, such as a Name, Country, State, payment type, or any specific word you want to search on. The search not only highlights in yellow all of the occurrences for the keyword, but also returns the number of mentions for that word. Use the Up/Down arrow key to move through each entry. See the example below for a search on the word "button." In fact, this trick works for all pages on the Website. All members are invited to shop and sell in the Member Market!  |
