An Accident Becomes An Opportunity

I was thrilled when Green Mother Goods decided to carry my Black Willow Cowl last month. 

Original

Original porcelain button from Unwound Yarns in Blowing Rock

 

However, before it arrived at the store someone… uh-hmm… who will remain nameless… dropped it and the beautiful leaf-shaped porcelain button smashed to little tiny pieces on the stone floor.  I immediately called over to the yarn shop where I original found the button, but since I bought the last one they were out and were unable to restock it.  I was distraught and hit the net in search of a perfect or at least satisfactory replacement. 

I emailed independent button makers, contacted potters, and tried every avenue I could think of.  One Etsy store had a great solution, but when I emailed the owner, they, too, were out of stock and in the process of relocating so they couldn’t fire another.  A local potter said he was thinking of making buttons, but weeks after initially contacting him, he still hadn’t felt inspired to actually make them.  During this time, my button-less piece was on display at Green Mother Goods, which was quite disconcerting to me, even though it got praised as a work of art!

Then one late night after hours of googling, I landed on Nature Buttons.  I was thrilled – she made custom buttons.  What was even better, her buttons are Eco-Friendly, which fits in perfectly with my business plan!  Regina, the button artist, makes her buttons from recycled clay… Reuse, Renew, Recycle.   She offers a large variety of shapes, colors, and textures.  She even creates custom designs buttons upon request. 
 

After a couple of e-mails back and forth, I’d settled on the style and texture of the leaf replacement button.  A few days later my buttons arrived!  Regina kindly included a couple of options as I wasn’t sure which color would exactly match.  I see this being a great solution to the dreaded job interview question, what is your greatest weakness.  Interviewer: “Lindsay, what is your greatest weakness in designing.”  Me: “matching color.”

I loved this oak leaf, but unfortunately it didn't fit through the button opening

Just not quite the right color

Nifty texture

The perfect solution!

My Black Willow Cowl is now proudly adorned with a large leaf button with textured lines in bean pot brown glaze.  

Available at Green Mother Goods!

Lookin' good, Christine... Thank you for modeling!!

 

So thank you Regina at Nature Buttons!  I will definitely be back for more and I’m telling all my friends about your fantastic work and Eco-friendly business :-).