Buttons and envelope linings

 

BUTTONS

As a child, on rainy days when my usual devices for amusing myself had run out, my grandmother would take out her button box.

For decades, when clothes were no longer wearable, she'd save their buttons in a box that rattled if shaken. 

If we lost a button from any of our clothes, she usually could find its mate within the hundreds of buttons, but if not she would be able to replace them all from her collection. The rest of the buttons from the defunct garment would be added to the collection.

I would use the buttons to make designs on a table top. Sometimes they would become people, buildings, paths...there were so many things those buttons could become.

I have no idea why, but after my retirement to a French village, I suddenly wanted to make baby cardigans. Perhaps it was the lovely woman who owned the yarn shop: in her window were the most fantastic buttons. I became a 20th century Madame Defarge. Only I watched TV in place of executions as I knitted away.

The buttons from the shop had wonderful shapes: apples, ice cream cones, teddy bears and more. My favorite was a set of school items: a tiny book, ruler, crayon... The buttons were a finishing touch on the 30 odd sweaters I produced.

My knitting craze passed. It took a couple of years to find enough babies to receive my offerings. My love of interesting buttons has not, although there are not many opportunities to indulge it.

ENVELOPE LININGS

E-mails do not come with envelope linings as they did when my grandmother was a young woman. Some were plainly colored, but others were decorated with beautiful color combinations and designs.

She removed the linings and kept them in a box the same size as her button box, and I was allowed to use the bits and pieces to make clothes for my paper dolls or mosaics. 

I would be so engrossed that her gentle reminder that it was time to clear the table for dinner, always came as a shock.

TODAY

As an adult I tried to create a button box, but seldom had the patience to replace all the buttons when only one was missing. It was easier to buy more, something that would make my frugal grandmother shake her head.

As for envelope linings, they are rare, sometimes with gift cards, but the most of the bills that arrive are not electronic and do not come with any linings. Now with AI, I can create far better artwork than I could with linings. As for buttons as toys, I can't imagine buttons replacing Barbie, her descendants, Legos or computer games. 

Sigh.