Hey friends! Just wanted to share a little DIY I did over the weekend.

It was my friend Alana's birthday, so I decided to make her a little something. She dressed up as a skeleton for Halloween, and if my memory served correctly - had plenty of skull regalia decorating her home. But who doesn't need a little MORE skull decorations in their life? So I set out to make her some sugar skull wall art.

I found an inexpensive wooden plaque (that already had a chain for hanging attached), and got to work painting/inking. I then sealed the paint with some matte gel medium. Super easy, super fun, and she loved it!

Check out the results, pretty fun, right? This isn't my first foray into skull-themed wall art. I have a shower curtain with sugar skulls all over it that Pedro insisted we pick up when we were in NYC. I made a cross-stitched skeleton canvas awhile back! I'm going to see if I can dig up some photos.

Hello everyone, happy Friday! Today I'm going to show you how to make your own buttons/pins. It's super simple if you have access to the right tools.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

1) Button parts (in whichever size you desire) - I used 1" buttons

(Shells, Collets, Lock Pins & Mylar/Plastic Covers)

2) Circular Paper Cutter

3) Button Press

4) Artwork

5) Scissors

Now, I rented a button maker from local Junction shop, People Power Press (as purchasing your own button maker is exponentially more expensive - who knew?). I also bought my button making supplies from People Power Press and altogether the venture was fairly inexpensive (especially if you plan on selling your pins/buttons). However, I would recommend renting with a small group of people to minimize costs!

Step 1

Choose your artwork. I picked up this old dress pattern catalog at The Junction Flea last summer, and loved the pretty patterns and illustrations, and thought that they would make cute bottons! There was lots of florals, so I think they will make great additions to my cardigans.

Step 2

Cut out your artwork. I rented a circular 1" paper cutter with my button maker (it was part of a package), but you could also just use a 1" circular hole punch, or scissors if you've got a steady hand.

Step 3

Place the collet in the appropriate well on the button maker. It should fit perfectly. Make sure the flared edge is facing upwards!

Step 4

Place the button shell in the opposite side of the button maker. Make sure the rounded side is facing upwards! You can then place your artwork and the sheet of mylar/plastic on top of the button shell. Be careful to only use ONE sheet of mylar (they stick together). Using more will destroy your button, and make the machine difficult to operate.

Step 5

Press the lever down hard on top of your button sandwich (button shell, artwork, mylar) first. Then, lift the handle, swivel the tray, and repeat on the side with the collet.

And ta da! You have a button!

Step 6

Now, for the trickiest part (which really isn't all that tricky) of the whole process - slipping the lock pin into the the back of the button. Once you get one side in, it's pretty easy to make it fit.

Then wear and enjoy!

Love and polka dots,

Alex.