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.

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.

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!

Portable Graffiti's Plumber Button was featured in an Etsy Treasury

Thank you to A Keepers Jackpot for using my plumber button in your Etsy Treasury called "Joe the Plumber."

Portable Graffiti Buttons Selling on Etsy.com

Back in the late 70s I started Portable Graffiti, making buttons to sell at arts and crafts shows and fairs, large and small from the Cornhill Festival to the New York State Fair, from Bangor, Maine down to Key West, Florida, and as far east as Boston, and west as far as San Francisco. Now I make them at home and used to sell them on Etsy.

You can now find these buttons at my big shop on Zibbet.

I have collectible rock and roll buttons from the 70s and 80s.
Some newer band.
Nostalgia such as old TV shows and cartoons and comic book characters.

I make custom made buttons, any message you want on a button.

I also have some old advertising and collectible buttons.