I found where the chickens are laying the eggs

UP HERE on top of the roof of this shed.

And they land DOWN HERE as they roll off the slanted shed roof.

Trip to the Post Office to Mail Button Orders

I haven't left my property in so long there were spider webs running from the tree I park under to the side of my truck. No kidding. I took one spider for a ride all the way to the highway.

I was on "E" so it was great to arrive at the post office without running out of gas. Phew! Lucky day! 


More luck - NO LINES!

But when I got in the truck, it wouldn't start. Totally dead. No click. No sound at all. So I went back in the post office and asked to use the phone. I called a friend of mine but no one answered. I attacked a few men in the parking lot who looked like they might know what jumper cables are and if they didn't look over 90. That eliminates most of the men here in Florida. No luck.

I was sitting in the parking lot for an hour or more. It felt like 3 hours. My iced tea was long gone, and it was getting mighty hot out there.

So I called my daughter and asked her if she could send one of her friends. She said she would. But then she put her BF on the phone with me and he said, "It won't start even when you push the starter button?"

I replied, "OMG, I love you!!!! I totally forgot about the starter button! I'm going to try it and I know it's going to start."

A friend of mine installed an alternate starter push button under my dash for when my truck won't start. It's quirky. It goes months where I have to use the push button, and then out of the blue, the key will work. The key has been working for a long time now, and I forgot about the push button.

This is the smart boyfriend who reminded me of the button under the dash of my truck. He also changes my oil and helps me keep it running good. Thanks DJ!

I knew it was going to start, so I put the hood down, put my stuff in the truck, got in, put my seta belt on, stuck the key in the ignition, reached under the dash, pushed the button, and it started right up. DUH! I could have driven away from the Post Office hours ago.

More Awesome Ways To Send Your Orders

This is the second time I have ordered my dish cloths from All About the Buttons. What made me shop there again? The product is reasonably priced. The seller is very friendly. The service is fast. And of course the products come presented so nicely. She always sends a nice thank you card. The packaging is reusable.

Dish cloths and washcloths from All About the Buttons make an excellent gift. 

And she will make them in any color you want.

Need a bigger gift?

Barbra also makes clocks, very unique clocks that would make an awesome gift for an anniversary, birthday, wedding gift, house warming.

Fabric Buttons Coming Soon

Well, it's about time we took out this button press.

This machine has a funny story. Many years ago my brother was at a yard sale where a woman was discussing buying this machine. My brother knowing I make buttons, thought it was a button machine like mine that makes pinback buttons. He waited while the woman asked the seller questions and dickered over the price of $20.00. He followed her around hoping she'd change her mind and set it down. Sure enough, she decided not to get it. Knowing that my machines cost between $400 and $600, he grabbed the machine and quickly handed the seller a twenty-dollar bill.

He got home and studied the machine and wondered what the heck he had bought. Now he realized it was not a button machine like mine.

Since I already had 4 button machine in 4 different sizes, I didn't need one anyway. I was thrilled to have a totally different kind of button machine. I made several buttons and then the machine pretty much sat unused for years.

Yesterday my daughter The Purple Rat, decided to see how the machine works, and she proceeded to make some fabric covered buttons.

Watch her shop because she'll be listing fabric buttons very soon.

On the meantime you can get pinback buttons and mirrors at Portable Graffiti.

NEW: Gift wrapping

I've been doing free gift wrapping for customers when they request it. I had a customer yesterday who asked for gift wrapping and a note. Being short on note paper but always having buttons handy, I decided to just make a button instead of a tag with the requested message.

It looked so darn good, I thought, that I decided to offer the wrapping as a listing.

So from now on if a customer wants gift wrapping they can purchase this listing. Not only do they get the buttons gift wrapped but they get another button that tops the package off nicely.

What do you think?

I think the listing needs more examples, because I use assorted scraps of recycled tissue and wrapping paper, and whatever I have on hand: raffia, fabric ribbon, maybe velvet, possibly brown cord, a piece of leather. Sometimes I recycle the nice ribbons and paper that come in items that I buy on Etsy from others.

So basically the wrapping is a surprise.

How to convey that to the customer.

They do get their choice of words on the button. But the background might be different than the one pictured so it goes well with whatever wrapping paper or tissue I use.

Any thoughts? Critiques greatly appreciated.

Before and After my new shelves

Without a garage or a lanai or an office of any kind, I have to use my bedroom as also my office for my main job as freelance proofreader. In order to also make and sell buttons on Etsy my bedroom/proofreading office, is also my button workshop. Up until just the other day, I had my tubs of buttons stacked on top of each other. They were stacked higher than you see in the photo. (That's an oder photo. Wish I had taken one just before the new shelves were built.)The tubs were stacked all the way to the ceiling. So if you ordered a button in one of the bottom tubs, I had to take all the tubs down and spread them all over the floor.

When I needed to find several buttons for a large order, I spread the tubs all over my bed.

Thanks to the local recycling group, I became the recipient of a wonderful supply of 3/4" -plywood. And thanks to a friend who turned the plywood into a unique shelving unit that sits over my desk and across the filing cabinet, finding buttons is a breeze now.

The first photo is obviously the "before" and the second one is the "after."

The next goal is to build a workbench that will fit at the foot of the bed to get the 4 button machines off the floor.

A Flying Dad Etsy Treasury

Another exciting Treasury! I really like one. It's called "A Flying Dad." Just in time for Father's Day. It was created by Malcolm Studio Shop who makes Original Art Assemblage like this bird house. Check out the Upcycled Boxes.

I love anything that is recycled-upcycled. This shop is a gallery worth browsing through.

And THESE are just too cool! I want one.

If you are interested in the train set, you can find it my Wild Goose Chase shop on ETsy.

June 12th is Loving Day

I never heard of Loving Day but it sounds like a great day to have. I randomly found one of my buttons in this fabulous Etsy Treasury created by Piruli.

The Color Me Human button that I made was inspired by my many Bahai Friends.

More button stock has been found

Finally got around to working on the stuffed shed.

Way in the back end of the shed there were two bags of button stock, which now fills a big tub in my room. That means I have another big project of sorting it all out and filing everything. Then need to slowly list some of them. I listed some of them last night, but today will work on organization and filing.

One of the found buttons is a BIG 4" one and I listed it last night and then found it in a Treasury already.

The treasury was designed by Clean Bright.

I have over 1,500 buttons listed on Zibbet. http://www.zibbet.com/PortableGraffiti

I Spy with my little eye Etsy Treasury

Created by Julen.

Get the Get Smart Button.

GrRoOvY Peace buttons

Some of the new Peace Pins at Portable Graffiti.

New buttons being added all day long

I'm not done yet but thought I'd take a break to post on the blog. I have been adding different buttons to Portable Graffiti all day long. The shop now has 635 buttons listed to choose from. And I have no idea how many more there are to post yet. I'm still going through stock.

Check out the shop. Lots of retro cool and vintage sayings, hippy buttons, rock and roll. I also added many new animal buttons.

Shit Button hits Etsy Treasury

Thanks to Hilda's Elements for featuring my Shit button in her treasury today.

Now that is a button that used to sell long time ago, but not as well as it sells on Etsy. Makes no sense to me that it sells as well it does. For one thing the photograph is very poor. I have considered retaking the photo, but on the other hand, since it sells so well as it is, I decided not to change it. Don't mess with a good thing.

Maybe the sh**ty photo adds to it.

You can now find the Shit Button in 2 sizes at Portable Graffiti on Zibbet.

Funny Treasury called Random Ralph

Fishstikks created a funny treasury called Random Ralph.

My vintage Honeymooners button with a photo of Ralph and Alice Kramden appeared in the treasury.

Another funny thing is that I just "randomly" discovered it. Sometimes Etsy members send a convo to let you know when your item has been picked to be used in a treasury. Sometimes they don't. I am glad I randomly happened upon this one.

If you like old TV shows, old movie stars, you can find more vintage buttons in my Etsy shop.

Or perhaps you like old cartoons or comics.

Rock and roll, both vintage and new.

If you ever get just plain bored and need some funny reading material visit my section of sayings. We used to joke about people who stayed a long time in our craft booth reading the buttons. My mother would sometimes tell them it wasn't a library. She could get away with saying things like that and they'd they start buying instead of just reading.

Custom Orders are catching on

I make custom made personalized buttons. However, with over 1,500 buttons in the shop that are already made and ready to be chosen, I think some people don't see the custom made choices.

Last night I got an order for 3 custom made buttons and had fun making them. Since I am just learning to use Photoshop, it takes me so much time to make one button, that I figure I earn about a nickel an hour.

The hand drawn, and hand lettered custom orders, as in the "Baby Button" are easier and faster for me to do.

I made these buttons for a customer, took photos of them, sent the photos to the customer to "proof" them before they bought them.

The customer was happy, I was happy, it was a fun experience.

More of the custom made buttons I can make for you are in this section of my shop.

Dear Santa Button

I've been making this "Dear Santa" button for many years. It's a custom made button you can advertise what you hope to get for Christmas for weeks or months before the holidays. You could wear it all year long for better results. I can include a FREE magnet so you can post your message button on the fridge.

Customers have had me make many different saying over the years:

Dear Santa, I want everything.

Dear Santa, Please Bring Gifts from LL Bean.

Dear Santa, All I want is Peace on Earth.

This year's sample saying was: Dear Santa, Please Bring Gifts from Etsy this year.

Thank you to Merkaba Jewelry for including my Dear Santa button in her Etsy Treasury called: Random Maybe

To see the many other choices of custom made buttons I can make for you, check out this section of my Etsy Store.

Sign Language Button featured in Signature Treasury on Etsy

I've been selling this I ♥ You Sign Language button since the early 1980s.

Hildas Elements selected this button to use in her Etsy Treasury titled: Signature.

Vintage Card Upcycled into a Holiday Button

Cuddlebaby used one of my buttons in her Etsy Treasury called: The Reason for the Season

Ready for the Seasonal Holidays

SIX cool retro Christmas Buttons made from vintage Christmas Cards. Set of 6 for $6.00








Even Buddha is ready for the Holidays. A set of two cool buttons for just $3.00, photography by a friend of mine.









I created this hand drawn, hand lettered button for Kwanzaa. Will be a standard button in my shop for $1.50.







I made a Winter Solstice Blessings button. This, too, will be a standard $1.50 button available all year.


Visit my etsy shop to see more holiday buttons.

Happy Holidays!!

My Obama Button was featured in an Etsy Treasury

Big thanks to Nifty Knits for using my Obama Button: I'm Voting for "That one."

Nifty Knits made a Treasury titled: Democracy Rules!