Craft Gossip

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BUTTON UP FOR A CAUSE

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butterfly buttons 0909

http://www.buttonmad.com/Site/Catalogue/Catalogue%20Page1.htm

Someone just directed me toward a site that sells fantastic buttons all handmade by women in Africa.  Such a small thing, a button.  But, such a huge way to support an artisan anywhere in the world with the purchase of his/her handmade items.

To this end, I’m going to begin collecting and posting information about similar sites on this blog.  IF YOU are aware of a site that would support an artistan/artist/crafter in a ‘fair market’ way, please be sure to post a link to the site or shop here.

Since I’m a small business owner, I try to support other small business owners rather than having all my dollars go to the big box retailers.  This can’t always be done on a practical level, but I have discovered that it’s usually worth the few extra pennies or bucks I might spend to keep good businesses local and to maintain the huge amount of expertise in all crafts/arts that will be lost if we spend all our money at the big box stores.

So, join me in this.  Doesn’t matter if you’ve actually dealt with the business yourself, but it does matter that you have good reason to believe it’s on the ‘up and up’ and that the majority of money will return to the artisan rather than to some intermediary.

On this site, there are literally hundreds of buttons to chose from.  Here is a sample:

xmas buttons 0901halloween buttons 0909xtra large button 0904Best of all, these buttons are available at MY favorite LYS (Hearthstone Knits).  You can check the website for a retailer (or wholesaler) near you.

Here are some more buttons that are stunning.  I love that they’re made from fallen trees rather than from the destruction of living trees.

eco beads 0909

http://www.ecobutterfly.com/catalog/Natural_Buttons-7-1.html

At the Ecobutterfly.com site there’s a section on beads.  I’ve purchased a bunch of glass beads in India.  As far as I know, they’re all authentic.  This site tells you the questions to ask when purchasing ‘fair market’ beads to determine that you’re getting the real thing.

Another business benefits the children of mothers with AIDS.

mothers-for-all-asstd beads 0909

http://www.injabulo.com/acatalog/Beads_from_Mothers_for_All.html

You can find more resources online that will use your dollars to benefit artisans all over the world.  After all, when you pour your energy and money into your one of a kind crocheted project, it may well be worthy of a special button.

Read These Next

Have you read?

Summer Math Games for Kids

I know the last thing most kids want to do during the summer is anything that feels like school, but the truth is doing little things to reinforce the learning they did the previous year will make the next year easier for them. 

Also true: you can make this learning fun by turning it into game time. 

These printable math puzzles from Living Life and Learning are great to use in the car when you’re on a road trip, or just any time you need a little activity to pass the time. They involve adding numbers up to 10 and include cute summer-themed graphics as well as the numbers. 

Help the bee get back to the hive with math in these math maze puzzles from Artsy Fartsy Mama. There are versions for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division for kids of different levels to enjoy.

Of course math games are even more fun if you take them outside. Hopscotch is a classic outdoor game that can be easily made about math. Just one idea is this skip counting hopscotch idea from Math Geek Mama. Have the kids fill in the numbers and them count them off as they jump.  She also has a fun jumping math maze that looks like a lot of fun. 

Look We’re Learning has some more fun ideas for math games you can play outside including a beanbag toss, counting treasure hunt and sidewalk chalk math. 

Some days it’s too hot to go outside so you might need some indoor math games to play. Math Geek Mama also has a great collection of Lego math games and activities for kids of all ages. Primary Playground has games you can play with Uno cards to learn about numbers, sort colors and more. 

Older kids will enjoy the math games using dominoes from Upper Elementary Snapshots. 

Take your math learning on the go with these math themed cootie catchers from 123 Homeschool 4 Me. There are lots of options here including ones just with numbers, with math problems or that ask you to double numbers. Inside numbers are presented as hash marks, fingers or dots to add an extra layer of fun.

All About Me Math Themed Sheets

Animal Measuring Math Center Activity

Christmas Math Activities for Preschoolers [Lesson Plans]

Christmas Themed Math Activities [Lesson Plans]