Uses for buttons

Here are a few ideas:

Replacement buttons: Sometimes clothing comes with a replacement button. Save them in case you need them later.

Jean, a reader from Canada, shares: "I store replacement buttons in a plastic drawer unit. Each color gets a different drawer. I have used them for a number of sewing projects, including tying a quilt with them by sewing a button every six inches.

"If I have a lot of one type, I'll string them on some buttonhole thread (or other thick thread) and knot it to keep them all in one place. That way I can easily tell if I have enough of a particular type of button. Saves me hours of sorting."

Give a boring old blouse a new look with vintage buttons.

String them up: Make bracelets, necklaces or wreath-shaped ornaments. You can loop a button onto an elastic hair band, too.

Earring organizer: Organize your post earrings by pinning them through the holes in a large, flat button. This also works well when packing for a trip.

Decorative frame: They're pretty to use to jazz up a cheap frame.

Another reader, Kathi S. from California, shares: "I used a hot-glue gun to glue buttons all around a picture frame. It turned out really well. I also bought a fancy saucer at a thrift shop and cut a picture of our granddaughters to fit in the center. I added buttons around the outside and then hung it in our living room."