One would think that adding a closure to a doll dress was a snap. Well it used to be. Then along came the CPSIA laws. New consumer protections laws mandate that all children's items containing small metal parts will have to be tested for lead come February 2010. As a small business owner I cannot afford to have expensive tests done and my items destroyed in the process. So I decided to change my product.
When I make a doll dress my customers have two options to choose from: velcro or a wood button type closure. I recommend velcro for young children who still need to work on their eye-hand coordination. Also, if kids still chew on their toys, a 1/2 inch wood button might not be the right idea for them.
If you are not a great fan of velcro, like myself, you may prefer the wood buttons. I found some really attractive wood buttons on etsy. One kind of button I discovered are called tree branch buttons. They are more rustic looking. They come with a rougher outer rim of real wood bark or smooth . Tree branch buttons are thicker than your regular sort of button. They are available at the http://www.thebuttonshop.etsy.com/
Of course, if your are the crafty type, you can attempt to make buttons yourself. I drove my husband sheer crazy when I asked him to drill holes in some tiny dried up branches I collected from the oak trees in front of our house. Can you please slice and dice them up for me? What? But the patient crafter will eventually persist. After hours of hard labor I had a handfull of sweet buttons. Now that explains hight price for such things...Sigh. 
It was much easier to buy another set of pretty buttons from http://www.LessMagnets.etsy.com/
They are not as cool as the tree branch kind, but almost as handsome. After I added a natural finish to them I was really pleased with myself. It was fun to add a coat of mineral oil and a layer of all natural bees wax made by our pet bees.
You can find instructions for natural wood finishes on this cool site:
Now what kind do you prefer?
I am kind of tired. Maybe the translation of this post will follow tomorrow...
Ich bin muede. Vielleicht kommt die Uebersetzung dieses Eintrags morgen noch...
4 comments:
I love the wooden branch buttons! I just receieved some of www.woodentreasures,etsy.com . I was also thinking: Oh I can do this too, but skipped the part of trying myself due to not having the time to do so, hihihi Thank you for charing.
Ich Liebe die naturlichem Holz Knoepfe. Ich habe die gestern entfangen. Ich Bestellte die am "woodentreasures" ein Etsy Laden. Ich bin nu leide auch sehr mude darum mach ich dass nicht mehr ganz in Deutsch...hihihi Danke for dass artikel und meine Entschuldigungen vor die Rechtschreibfehler und falsche Falle.
Kim
www.viltalakim.etsy.com
It was quite funny. My husband took it as an excuse to go out and get himself some new tools. LOL. We made about 12 buttons. If I find some nice branches I will do it again.
So much fun to read your comments in German! Gute Arbeit! Dankeschoen!
Hey! That's cool. So you used the natural bee wax from your own hive? I wanted to ask you how your little bees were doing. Take care. ;)
Hey, Lucky Pebble! Yes, the wax came from our bees. They did great this summer. I think the polulation grew from 10,000 to over 50,000 but how do you count them? LOL. I must make a follow-up post!
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