"Sleepy Inuit Village" button ring

I'm fascinated by igloos. It's crazy to think about how early Inuits were able to live and flourish in the harshest of conditions.

There's a dreamy documentary from the 1920's (the first feature-length documentary ever) called Nanook Of The North that follows the lives of a family in the Arctic. Here's a little clip of Nanook building an igloo for his family in under an hour. Complete with a window made of ice and snow to reflect the warm sunlight inside.

And that's the inspiration for my latest creations...

One button...

CRW_2439

Two button...

CRW_2435

Delectable clothing buttons repurposed into...

"Sleepy Inuit Village" button rings

A miniature Inuit village sits atop the frozen lake of turquoise flecked with gold. Two stacked buttons create the scene of chilly igloos set on a pearlescent stage. Their three-dimensional character and subtle variations are the perfect splash of color for a cold winter's day. Each ring is completed with an antique brass-plated band.

CRW_1897

The finer details...

The ring's face is made of 2 plastic buttons made in Italy. The top is a transparent light green, speckled with gold. The bottom button is aquamarine, faceted, and 7/8" in diameter with pearlish speckles. The band is a very strong, adjustable antique brass-plated, 4mm in width.

CRW_1906

I have been creating button rings for the past year and this one will finally be listed in my Etsy shop available for purchase. Head on over to purchase your very own.

CRW_1928

Each ring is shipped in an itty bitty box, ready to give as a gift. Special attention is given to the packaging to make it special for you or your recipient. It's a lovely gift to give a friend, family member, or co-worker.

Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale 2010

December was a busy month! I've been meaning to post about the Super Colossal Holiday Sale for almost a month. Here we go... finally!

Saturday, December 11th and Sunday, December 12th were 2 amazing days. One event that has made Portland so welcoming for me has been Crafty Wonderland. I am so humbled that there are people out there that get down with their art nerdy selves; appreciators & creators alike. I would love to give a shout out to all those who attended and supported handmade.

Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale 2010

Over 12,000 shoppers attended! The organizers said that this show was by far their biggest and best event to date. It was so nice to meet new and old faces... sale goers & vendors. There was so much handmade awesomeness that I wanted to marvel over, but I had to man my booth. Ha!

A few snaps of my booth...

Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale 2010

Greeting cards, Mini vintage Scrabble rings, button rings, bingo rings, compass rings, and vintage Portland map rings in a vintage fisherman's tackle box

Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale 2010

Suitcase filled with Herb Series prints & framings • Vintage Oregon map marble magnets on edge

A handful of my favorite vendors handmade awesomeness...

Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale 2010 Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale 2010

Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale 2010 Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale 2010

Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale 2010 Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale 2010

View more snaps on my Flickr.

I really can't wait for next year's Holiday sale!