Collecting buttons ... it's a lot like collecting memories

Years ago I landed a job to design a button and produce 150 copies. I can't remember what the buttons were for or what they said, but when I did my research, purchasing a hand-press button machine (with 1,000 blanks) wasn't much more expensive than ordering custom buttons from a vendor.

I thought ... wow, I can make my own buttons.

What's the saying ... the more you buy the more you save? Hmmm.

The top button, Girls Rule! is my favorite. It was from a button-making afternoon with some tweens ... a gift from one of the participants.

The vote buttons are from a set of four that represent amendments to the Constitution related to voting. I created and gave them away before the 2008 election ... and still hear from people on election day saying they wore their button to the polls. Well done.

The small buttons are ones I've purchased, found, or picked up in giveaways.

All part of a collection.

Thursday is National Button Day ... not so much for button pins, but buttons for clothes.

And there's a collection of those, too.

It's a utilitarian thing ... can't throw away a perfectly good button even if I'm not sure when, or if, I'll ever use it.

Occasionally I dump the button jar to see what's in there and spot the yellow sunburst buttons I cut from the wrap skirt I wore that summer after high school.

And the metal buttons with the embossed swirls I cut from the wool sweater I wore until the elbows had holes and the yarn unraveled from the cuffs.

Maybe that's why we collect things.

It's like collecting memories.